Friday National Basketball Association Capsules.
NBA basketball newsFriday National Basketball Association Capsules.
GOLDEN STATE 109, MILWAUKEE 108
BEIJING The last time NBA players were on the floor at The Wukesong Arena the stakes were a bit higher. Rob Kurz, however, played like a gold medal was on the line.
Kurz hit two 3-pointers in the final 24 seconds, including the game-winning shot from the arc at the buzzer as the Golden State Warriors posted a 109-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the a preseason contest, which was played at the site of the 2008 Olympic basketball tournament.
Stephen Jackson scored 24 points and Kurz added 11 for the Warriors, who will start the season without star guard Monta Ellis (ankle).
An undrafted rookie from Notre Dame, Kurz drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie the game at 106-106 with 24 seconds left.
After Matt Freijes jumper gave the Bucks a two-point lead with 1.4 ticks left, Kurz drained another shot from beyond the arc at the top of the key as the buzzer sounded, inciting a raucous celebration. Television replays showed that the shot may have come after the horn, but the arena did not have review capabilities.
While the game was a preseason contest, Beijing had hosted one of the most-anticipated international basketball competitions in years here this summer, when the United States punctuated a dominant Olympiad with a triumph in the gold-medal game over Spain.
The Olympics were a chance for NBA stars to further their reputation overseas, a goal that Commissioner David Stern has made a further commitment to by bringing exhibition action to China in an attempt to solidify his leagues global appeal.
Charlie Villanueva scored 26 points and Olympic gold medalist Michael Redd added 23 for the Bucks.
The eighth overall pick in Junes draft by Milwaukee, Joe Alexander scored 14 points and was a hit with local fans. The athletic forward was born in Taiwan and speaks fluent Mandarin.
NEW YORK 104, BOSTON 97
BOSTON Nate Robinson scored 19 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics, 104-97, in preseason action Friday night.
Zach Randolph scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Knicks, who averaged 96.9 points last season. Under new coach Mike DAntoni, New York has hit the century mark in each of its four preseason games and are averaging 108.5 points.
Robinson banked in one of his three 3-pointers as the shot clock expired on the Knicks first possession of the fourth quarter to highlight his stellar night.
With the game tied at 66-66 midway through the third quarter, New York went on a 13-2 run behind a pair of shots from the arc by Chris Duhon. The Knicks improved to 2-2 in the preseason and next will face the New Jersey Nets on Monday.
Eddie House scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for Boston, which had won its last four preseason games. The sharp-shooting House went 6-of-9 on 3-pointers.
Paul Pierce chipped in with 15 points for the Celtics, who were playing their first game in the TD Banknorth Garden since their victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to win their 17th championship last June.
Starting point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a sprained right ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game for Boston.
DENVER 94, PHOENIX 91
SYRACUSE, New York Carmelo Anthony scored 14 points in his second game back at the Carrier Dome since turning pro as the Denver Nuggets captured a 94-91 exhibition victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Most Outstanding Player during Syracuses only national championship season in 2003, Anthony received a very warm welcome from the 22,115 in attendance, even chanting his nickname of Melo.
Playing mainly in the first half, Anthony finished 6-of-14 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists.
Denver remained unbeaten in the preseason at 4-0 thanks in part to the late play of Linas Kleiza and Dahntay Jones, who combined for 14 of the teams final 16 points.
After Phoenix took an 82-78 lead on a 3-pointer by Robert Hite with 4:43 remaining, Kleiza responded with a basket from the arc. Jones later scored five straight points, including a three-point play, en route to a 86-82 advantage with 3:41 left.
Matt Barnes came back with a jumper for the Suns, but Kleiza had a driving layup and he and Jones both made a pair of free throws inside the final 1:23 to seal the win.
Kleiza ended up with 11 points and Jones had nine for the Nuggets, who got only four points in 27 minutes from Allen Iverson.
Raja Bell scored 15 points and Hite collected all 12 of his in the fourth for the Suns, who dropped to 2-3 in the preseason.
CHICAGO 108, UTAH 105
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois The Chicago Bulls spoiled Deron Williams return to Assembly Hall, staging a late rally to earn their first victory of the preseason, 108-105, over the Utah Jazz.
The game, played in the 16,618-seat arena at the University of Illinois, was a homecoming for Williams. The star point guard led the Illini to the national championship game in 2005 to cap a stellar three-year collegiate career before being drafted third overall by the Utah Jazz.
His return to campus produced solid individual returns – 14 points and nine assists – but Ben Gordon and the Bulls proved too much with a fourth-quarter surge.
Gordon, making his preseason debut after missing the first three games with a sore right big toe, helped Chicago erase an 11-point deficit in the final quarter. He scored 13 of his 23 points in the period, including two pivotal 3-pointers.
With 1:39 left to play and the Bulls down by two, Gordon drove down the lane – exploding past Utah guard Ronnie Price – dropped in a layup high off the glass and drew the foul. He drained the foul shot to give Chicago a 104-103 edge.
That one-point deficit was as close as the Jazz got the rest of the way. After Gordon buried two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it a three-point game, Kyle Korvers 3-point attempt at the buzzer clanked off the back of the rim to seal the win for the Bulls.
Utah, which led almost for the duration of the game, self-destructed down the stretch – primarily when Williams and the rest of the first team left the floor. The Jazz went just 5-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Williams, playing his first game here as a member of the Jazz since leaving Illinois, had no trouble finding his targets. Carlos Boozer scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and fellow All-Star Mehmet Okur added 17 on 8-of-11. Williams did not commit a turnover in 25 minutes on the floor.
HOUSTON 95, SACRAMENTO 90
HOUSTON Even without seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady, the Houston Rockets were able to emerge with a 95-90 victory in a preseason matchup with the Sacramento Kings.
McGrady, who underwent offseason knee surgery, has been held out of five of Houstons six preseason games and totaled just 12 minutes in his one appearance.
Ron Artest, playing against his former team, paced the Rockets with 13 points in the first quarter as the home team took a 15-point edge into halftime.
Aaron Brooks started in the backcourt for the Rockets in place of McGrady, along with regular point guard Rafer Alston, and scored 10 of his 23 points in the first half. The second-year guard out of Oregon made 4-of-8 attempts from long range while Alston added seven assists.
Yao Ming collected 15 points and Von Wafer, attempting to make the Rockets as a free agent, scored 14.
Kevin Martin led Sacramento with 19 but shot just 6-of-14 from the field.
INDIANA 112, MEMPHIS 86
INDIANAPOLIS Rookie guard Brandon Rush scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench and fellow first- rounder Roy Hibbert collected 12, 12 boards and four blocks as the Pacers ran away with a 112-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Rush and Hibbert – the 13th and 17th overall picks of this years draft, respectively – helped put the game away in the fourth quarter after the first unit staked them to a double-digit lead. Rush drained a pair of 3-pointers in the final period and Hibbert added three buckets, including a jump hook that made it 92-67 with 9:44 remaining.
Adding a strong rookie class was only part of the Pacers busy offseason. They also brought in T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack to help man their backcourt, and they did the job Friday as the team shot 49 percent (40-of-81). The Pacers dished out assists on 31 of their 40 field goals, including Jacks team-high seven.
Ford, acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the deal that sent Jermaine ONeal north of the border, helped the Pacers (3-2) take over in the third. The fifth-year point guard scored five points in an 11-0 run that turned an eight-point ballgame into a lopsided affair. Ford finished with 11 points and six assists.
The Grizzlies (2-4), who have reached the 100-point mark just once in six games this preseason, saw their offense continue to struggle. Rudy Gay scored 19 and rookie O.J. Mayo added 17, but the rest of the team was cold all night. The team shot just 34 percent (31-of-91) from the floor and turned the ball over 18 times.
NEW ORLEANS 102, WASHINGTON 80
BARCELONA, Spain Melvin Ely led all scorers with 19 points as the New Orleans Hornets cruised to their second consecutive victory over the Washington Wizards, 102-80, in Barcelona as part of the NBA Europe Live tour.
The Hornets, who improved to 5-0 in exhibition play, defeated the Wizards, 96-80, Tuesday in Berlin.
Chris Paul tallied 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds for New Orleans, which rested David West and Tyson Chandler.
Peja Stojakovic scored 13 points and James Posey added 11 off the bench.
Antawn Jamison, who has been battling a sprained right knee, struggled in his first action since leaving the preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks on October 8. He scored nine points on just 4-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds in nearly 30 minutes.
Caron Butler and JaVale McGee led the Wizards with 15 points apiece.
Washington, which fell to 1-4 in the preseason, shot a dismal 29 percent in the first half en route to a 50-32 deficit. The Wizards converted just 14-of-25 free-throw attempts.
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