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NBA: Blazers break slump against San Antonio
By Anne M. Peterson, AP Sports Writer
Saturday, November 01, 2008 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND — Humiliated in their opener by the Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers lived up to expectations that have been heaped on the young team by finally beating the San Antonio Spurs.
But just barely.
Michael Finley’s shot at the buzzer for San Antonio rimmed out and the Blazers edged the Spurs 100-99 Friday night.
The victory snapped a 12-game San Antonio winning streak in the series between the two teams. Nate McMillan had never defeated the Spurs as Portland’s coach.
“When he missed the shot, I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking overtime or something because it just didn’t feel right. But I looked up and realized that we had finally beaten the Spurs,” guard Brandon Roy said.
With the score tied at 93, Roy hit a pull-up jumper for the Blazers, but San Antonio’s Roger Mason answered with a 22-footer to tie it again.
After Rudy Fernandez missed one of two free throws, Tony Parker’s reverse layup with 1:29 left gave the Spurs their first lead of the second half at 97-96.
Roy made a pair of foul shots to put the Blazers in front before LaMarcus Aldridge hit a shot from the top of the key to make it 100-97 with 35 seconds left.
After Parker hit a pair of free throws, Travis Outlaw’s bank shot for the Blazers missed. Mason took the ball to the other end and had a clear path until a pair of Blazers bore down on him — and he passed off to Finley, who missed as the buzzer sounded.
“I had a really good opportunity to knock it down,” Finley said. “ I had a great look at it. But I rushed it a little bit and it didn’t feel good when it left my hands.”
Roy had 26 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who were without 7-foot center Greg Oden, who sprained his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker had 24 points and 11 assists.
The Spurs lost their home opener, 103-93 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. San Antonio has had to adjust to playing without Manu Ginobili, who had offseason ankle surgery and wasn’t expected to return until December.
The Spurs were also without forward Fabricio Oberto for the second game because of treatment for an irregular heartbeat.
Portland went up 38-33 in the first half on Nicolas Batum’s 3-pointer, but the Blazers could not extend the lead until the final minute, when Roy’s layup made it 48-42.
Roy’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was good and Portland took a 51-45 lead into the break.
Roy hit a 21-foot jumper and the Blazers entered the final quarter with a 78-70 lead. The Blazers led by 12 points.
While Oden’s injury and the season-opening 96-76 loss to the Lakers diminished some of the hype surrounding the young Blazers, one fan in the sellout crowd lofted a sign that read “I never stopped believing.”
Channing Frye hit a jumper to give the Blazers their biggest lead at 82-72, then followed with a dunk. But Ime Udoka and Mason each answered with a 3-pointer, and Duncan made a layup to narrow it to 84-80 for the Spurs.
Finley’s 3-pointer with just more than four minutes left pulled the Spurs to 89-88. San Antonio went on to tie it at 93 on Parker’s layup with three minutes left.
Oden, who is expected to be out two to four weeks, had a boot on his foot but did not have a noticeable limp when he arrived at the Rose Garden. He watched the game in street clothes from the bench.
Notes: The Blazers signed injured forward Martell Webster to a four-year contract extension before the game. Webster is recovering from foot surgery, but is expected to be back by December. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said there was no timetable for Oberto’s return. Oberto underwent a procedure late Tuesday to restore his heart’s normal rhythm. ... Earth, Wind & Fire performed to start the game. ... The Blazers are the NBA’s second-youngest team, with an average age of 24 years and 166 days. Golden State, at 24 years and 54 days, is the youngest.
Nuggets 113, Clippers 103, OT
LOS ANGELES — Allen Iverson scored nine of his 25 points in the final 3:35 of overtime and Denver overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Los Angeles.
Nene added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets before fouling out for the second time in two games. Kenyon Martin missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished with 13 points. But he also grabbed 13 boards, made a key defensive stop to send the game into OT and made a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to secure the victory.
Al Thornton had 30 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Tim Thomas added 20 points and Chris Kaman had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Heat 103, Kings 77
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade had 20 points and eight assists, Michael Beasley finished with 17 and Miami scored 41 points off turnovers to easily beat Sacramento.
It was the biggest victory margin for Miami (1-1) since it beat Chicago by 33 points on March 7, 2007, and already, the Heat have gotten to a place last year’s club never saw: the .500 mark. The 26-point win also matched the largest in a Miami home opener.
The Heat made it look easy.
A 39-13 run over the middle two quarters turned it into a rout for Miami, which gave up 60 points in each half at New York on Wednesday.
Udonis Haslem scored 14 points for the Heat. Shawn Marion finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and like Wade, they both sat out the entire fourth quarter. Daequan Cook scored 13 points and Mark Blount added 10.
Celtics 96, Bulls 80
BOSTON — Kevin Garnett became the youngest player in NBA history to play 1,000 games and scored 18 points to help the Celtics get the win.
Garnett reached the 1,000-game mark at the age of 32 years, 165 days. He broke the record of 33 years, 24 days set by Shawn Kemp on Dec. 20, 2002.
Three days after their emotional championship banner-raising ceremony, the Celtics dominated from the start and led by at least 10 points throughout the final three quarters. The Bulls made only 10 of 45 shots (22.2 percent) in the first half and went 25-for-84 (29.8 percent) for the game.
Derrick Rose had 18 points for Chicago. Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon scored 11 apiece.
Grizzlies 86, Magic 84
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rudy Gay hit an 18-foot jumper as time expired to give Memphis the win.
Gay scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Grizzlies to their first win in a home opener since moving to Memphis before the 2001-02 season.
Rookie O.J. Mayo had 17 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points, and Hedo Turkoglu finished with 18 and seven assists. Dwight Howard had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Raptors 112, Warriors 108, OT
TORONTO — Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Anthony Parker had 23 and Toronto beat Golden State.
Andrea Bargnani had 19 points off the bench for Toronto (2-0), while Jose Calderon had 16 points and 13 assists. Jamario Moon added 11 for the Raptors.
Al Harrington led Golden State (0-2) with 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, while Stephen Jackson finished with 19 points. Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors.
Corey Maggette, who led Golden State with 27 points in a season-opening loss to New Orleans, was held to 14, while Kelenna Azubuike came off the bench to score 15.
76ers 116, Knicks 87
PHILADELPHIA — Elton Brand had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Andre Miller added 20 points and eight assists to lead Philadelphia.
Willie Green added 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting for Philadelphia (1-1), which shot 59.1 percent (52-for-88) from the field and led all the way. Lou Williams added 15 points and Thaddeus Young had 13 for the 76ers.
Jamal Crawford led five Knicks in double figures with 14 points. David Lee added 13 points and 11 rebounds for New York (1-1), which trailed by 30 points in the fourth quarter and never got closer than seven in the second half when it was 64-57 with 8:41 left in the third quarter.
But just barely.
Michael Finley’s shot at the buzzer for San Antonio rimmed out and the Blazers edged the Spurs 100-99 Friday night.
The victory snapped a 12-game San Antonio winning streak in the series between the two teams. Nate McMillan had never defeated the Spurs as Portland’s coach.
“When he missed the shot, I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking overtime or something because it just didn’t feel right. But I looked up and realized that we had finally beaten the Spurs,” guard Brandon Roy said.
With the score tied at 93, Roy hit a pull-up jumper for the Blazers, but San Antonio’s Roger Mason answered with a 22-footer to tie it again.
After Rudy Fernandez missed one of two free throws, Tony Parker’s reverse layup with 1:29 left gave the Spurs their first lead of the second half at 97-96.
Roy made a pair of foul shots to put the Blazers in front before LaMarcus Aldridge hit a shot from the top of the key to make it 100-97 with 35 seconds left.
After Parker hit a pair of free throws, Travis Outlaw’s bank shot for the Blazers missed. Mason took the ball to the other end and had a clear path until a pair of Blazers bore down on him — and he passed off to Finley, who missed as the buzzer sounded.
“I had a really good opportunity to knock it down,” Finley said. “ I had a great look at it. But I rushed it a little bit and it didn’t feel good when it left my hands.”
Roy had 26 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who were without 7-foot center Greg Oden, who sprained his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers.
Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker had 24 points and 11 assists.
The Spurs lost their home opener, 103-93 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. San Antonio has had to adjust to playing without Manu Ginobili, who had offseason ankle surgery and wasn’t expected to return until December.
The Spurs were also without forward Fabricio Oberto for the second game because of treatment for an irregular heartbeat.
Portland went up 38-33 in the first half on Nicolas Batum’s 3-pointer, but the Blazers could not extend the lead until the final minute, when Roy’s layup made it 48-42.
Roy’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was good and Portland took a 51-45 lead into the break.
Roy hit a 21-foot jumper and the Blazers entered the final quarter with a 78-70 lead. The Blazers led by 12 points.
While Oden’s injury and the season-opening 96-76 loss to the Lakers diminished some of the hype surrounding the young Blazers, one fan in the sellout crowd lofted a sign that read “I never stopped believing.”
Channing Frye hit a jumper to give the Blazers their biggest lead at 82-72, then followed with a dunk. But Ime Udoka and Mason each answered with a 3-pointer, and Duncan made a layup to narrow it to 84-80 for the Spurs.
Finley’s 3-pointer with just more than four minutes left pulled the Spurs to 89-88. San Antonio went on to tie it at 93 on Parker’s layup with three minutes left.
Oden, who is expected to be out two to four weeks, had a boot on his foot but did not have a noticeable limp when he arrived at the Rose Garden. He watched the game in street clothes from the bench.
Notes: The Blazers signed injured forward Martell Webster to a four-year contract extension before the game. Webster is recovering from foot surgery, but is expected to be back by December. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said there was no timetable for Oberto’s return. Oberto underwent a procedure late Tuesday to restore his heart’s normal rhythm. ... Earth, Wind & Fire performed to start the game. ... The Blazers are the NBA’s second-youngest team, with an average age of 24 years and 166 days. Golden State, at 24 years and 54 days, is the youngest.
Nuggets 113, Clippers 103, OT
LOS ANGELES — Allen Iverson scored nine of his 25 points in the final 3:35 of overtime and Denver overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Los Angeles.
Nene added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets before fouling out for the second time in two games. Kenyon Martin missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished with 13 points. But he also grabbed 13 boards, made a key defensive stop to send the game into OT and made a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to secure the victory.
Al Thornton had 30 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Tim Thomas added 20 points and Chris Kaman had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Heat 103, Kings 77
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade had 20 points and eight assists, Michael Beasley finished with 17 and Miami scored 41 points off turnovers to easily beat Sacramento.
It was the biggest victory margin for Miami (1-1) since it beat Chicago by 33 points on March 7, 2007, and already, the Heat have gotten to a place last year’s club never saw: the .500 mark. The 26-point win also matched the largest in a Miami home opener.
The Heat made it look easy.
A 39-13 run over the middle two quarters turned it into a rout for Miami, which gave up 60 points in each half at New York on Wednesday.
Udonis Haslem scored 14 points for the Heat. Shawn Marion finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and like Wade, they both sat out the entire fourth quarter. Daequan Cook scored 13 points and Mark Blount added 10.
Celtics 96, Bulls 80
BOSTON — Kevin Garnett became the youngest player in NBA history to play 1,000 games and scored 18 points to help the Celtics get the win.
Garnett reached the 1,000-game mark at the age of 32 years, 165 days. He broke the record of 33 years, 24 days set by Shawn Kemp on Dec. 20, 2002.
Three days after their emotional championship banner-raising ceremony, the Celtics dominated from the start and led by at least 10 points throughout the final three quarters. The Bulls made only 10 of 45 shots (22.2 percent) in the first half and went 25-for-84 (29.8 percent) for the game.
Derrick Rose had 18 points for Chicago. Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon scored 11 apiece.
Grizzlies 86, Magic 84
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rudy Gay hit an 18-foot jumper as time expired to give Memphis the win.
Gay scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Grizzlies to their first win in a home opener since moving to Memphis before the 2001-02 season.
Rookie O.J. Mayo had 17 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points, and Hedo Turkoglu finished with 18 and seven assists. Dwight Howard had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Raptors 112, Warriors 108, OT
TORONTO — Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Anthony Parker had 23 and Toronto beat Golden State.
Andrea Bargnani had 19 points off the bench for Toronto (2-0), while Jose Calderon had 16 points and 13 assists. Jamario Moon added 11 for the Raptors.
Al Harrington led Golden State (0-2) with 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, while Stephen Jackson finished with 19 points. Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors.
Corey Maggette, who led Golden State with 27 points in a season-opening loss to New Orleans, was held to 14, while Kelenna Azubuike came off the bench to score 15.
76ers 116, Knicks 87
PHILADELPHIA — Elton Brand had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Andre Miller added 20 points and eight assists to lead Philadelphia.
Willie Green added 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting for Philadelphia (1-1), which shot 59.1 percent (52-for-88) from the field and led all the way. Lou Williams added 15 points and Thaddeus Young had 13 for the 76ers.
Jamal Crawford led five Knicks in double figures with 14 points. David Lee added 13 points and 11 rebounds for New York (1-1), which trailed by 30 points in the fourth quarter and never got closer than seven in the second half when it was 64-57 with 8:41 left in the third quarter.
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