HOUSTON 96, NEW YORK 76

HOUSTON No Tracy McGrady. No Ron Artest. No problem for the Houston Rockets.

The shorthanded Rockets used a third-quarter outburst to scuttle the New York Knicks, 96-76.

Houston broke the game open with a 17-3 run that lasted more than six minutes. Overall, the Rockets outscored the Knicks, 31-14, in the third quarter to turn a 46-45 halftime advantage into a 77-59 lead entering the final 12 minutes.

The Knicks shot 5-of-21 in the third quarter and took almost eight minutes before hitting their first basket, as Tim Thomas finally connected on a 3-pointer to end the drought. The second-highest-scoring team in the league, the Knicks scored just 31 points in the second half.

McGrady suffers from soreness in his left knee, partly as a result of offseason surgery. This was the fourth time McGrady sat out the second half of a back-to-back game for the Rockets, who opened a five-game homestand. Artest sat out due to a sprained right ankle.

The Knicks, who shot 29-of-82, were paced by Tim Thomas 18 points as they lost for the fourth time in their last five games. They have lost 13 straight games in Texas since a win in Houston on November 18, 2004.

UTAH 99, DETROIT 82

SALT LAKE CITY The Detroit Pistons have accomplished a lot over the last four seasons. One thing they havent been able to do over that time is defeat the Utah Jazz.

That trend continued, as the Jazz registered their eighth consecutive victory over the Pistons. This one came in resounding fashion, as ex-Piston Mehmet Okur caught fire early to lead the way to a 99-82 win.

The All-Star center buried his first seven shots and finished with 22 points as Utah improved to 3-0 on its four-game homestand. For Okurs teammate, star point guard Deron Williams, it was just more of the same against Detroit – he has yet to lose to the perennial Eastern Conference power in his NBA career.

In this one, he was a bit under the weather with a sinus infection that had gone into his chest. But he engineered an efficient Utah attack, as the Jazz shot 53.5 percent (38-of-71) and turned the ball over just nine times.

The Pistons were within six points late in the third quarter, but the Jazz wouldnt let this one slip away. They closed the period with a 10-0 run, capped by Ronnie Prices 3-pointer to extend the lead to 79-64. Price started in place of injured swingman C.J. Miles (ankle) and finished with seven points and six boards.

OKLAHOMA CITY 109, CHICAGO 98 (OT)

CHICAGO Road victories have been few and far between for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season – so rare, in fact, that until Saturday night there was no between.

The Thunder won just their second game away from home all season, taking off in the overtime period to stun the Chicago Bulls, 109-98. The teams only previous road win was a November 29 showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies.

They almost let this one slip away, blowing a slim fourth-quarter lead and failing to capitalize on a game-winning attempt at the end of regulation. But they remedied the situation in the extra session. With 3:18 on the clock, rookie point guard Russell Westbrook found Nick Collison cutting to the basket for an easy layup, snapping a 96-96 tie and sparking an 8-0 run.

Fellow rookie Derrick Rose finally broke the Bulls mini-slump with a driving layup of his own, but it was the last bucket Chicago could garner the rest of the night. Kevin Durant buried four free throws in the final 76 seconds to seal the victory, snapping Oklahoma Citys nine-game road losing streak.

Durant led all players with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but missed out on a chance to play the hero with time winding down in the fourth quarter. After Rose had misfired on a short turnaround jumper for Chicago, the last shot went to the Thunder – and they made sure to get the ball to their star. Durant curled around a screen at the top of the key and got off a clean 20-footer, but it hit the front of the rim to force the overtime.

PORTLAND 113, GOLDEN STATE 100

PORTLAND, Oregon Brandon Roy returned and the Portland Trail Blazers celebrated by dousing the Golden State Warriors, 113-100.

The All-Star guard scored 19 points after missing four games with a hamstring injury and the rest of the Trail Blazers enjoyed a 67-45 advantage over the middle two quarters to easily overcome Golden States nine-point lead after the first quarter.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points as Portland placed six players in double figures to win its second straight.

Golden State, which has lost five in a row, was led by Corey Maggette with 25 points. The Warriors fell to 10-28 on the season. Last season, they did not lose their 27th game until March 29 en route to a 48-34 finish.

MINNESOTA 106, MILWAUKEE 104

MINNEAPOLIS Rodney Carney scored 22 points off the bench and Randy Foye had 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves used a late spurt to edge the Milwaukee Bucks, 106-104.

Sebastian Telfair added 17 points and 11 assists while Ryan Gomes scored 16 for Minnesota, which outscored Milwaukee, 55-44, in the second half.

Al Jefferson registered 20 points and eight rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 32 points and Richard Jefferson added 29. Luke Ridnour contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists but missed a pair of short runners in the final minute.

CHARLOTTE 92, WASHINGTON 89

WASHINGTON Raja Bell scored 19 points, Boris Diaw added 18 and Shannon Brown hit a 3-pointer with 2:42 left to give the Charlotte Bobcats the lead for good as they defeated the Washington Wizards, 92-89.

Juwan Howard scored 12 points and Adam Morrison added 11 for the Bobcats, who overcame a 13-point, third-quarter deficit and held on. The Wizards had multiple attempts in the final seconds, but could not convert.

Caron Butler scored 19 points and Andray Blatche added 14 for the Wizards (7-29), who dropped their fourth straight overall and both games against the Bobcats (14-24) this season.

With the game tied, 85-85, and with the shot clock winding down, Brown drained a 3-pointer from the right baseline as the buzzer sounded. Diaw hit a jump shot on the Bobcats next possession to put them up five.

Posted on January 11th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: NBA basketball news