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WASHINGTON (AP)—Mike Bibby(notes) has reached a buyout agreement with theWashington Wizards, freeing him from the last-place team after just two games.
Bibby agreed to give up his entire $6.2 million salary for next season andwas waived on Monday. The move came on the eve of the deadline for players to bereleased in order to eligible for a playoff roster if they sign with anotherteam.
Bibby was acquired last week in a five-player trade that sent Kirk Hinrich(notes)to the Atlanta Hawks.
He played in 29 minutes in his two games with the Wizards, scoring twopoints and making eight assists.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Spurs point guard Tony Parker(notes) is expected to miss two tofour weeks after straining his left calf muscle in a win over Memphis.
The Spurs announced Monday that their star point guard won’t accompany themto Memphis and Cleveland this week. It will also leave the NBA-best Spurswithout Parker for their first game against LeBron James(notes) and the Miami Heat onFriday.
Parker left Sunday’s game in the second quarter when he collided withGrizzlies guard Mike Conley(notes). He did not return.
Health has been a major factor behind San Antonio’s surprise return to theirchampionship form. Tim Duncan(notes), Manu Ginobili(notes) and Parker have started all but onegame.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—The Golden State Warriors have reached a buyoutagreement with Troy Murphy(notes) and placed him on waivers.
The move announced Monday had been expected since the Warriors acquiredMurphy and a second-round draft pick in a trade last week that sent BrandanWright(notes) and Dan Gadzuric(notes) to New Jersey.
The 6-foot-11, 245-pound Murphy will likely draw strong interest fromplayoff teams who are looking for another big man, such as Miami, Boston,Orlando and Dallas.
Murphy was originally taken by the Warriors with the 14th overall pick inthe 2001 draft. He has averaged 11.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in his career withGolden State, Indiana and New Jersey.
Terms of the buyout agreement were not disclosed.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Detroit’s Richard Hamilton(notes) says he met with coachJohn Kuester recently in an effort to repair their relationship.
Hamilton has played only once since Jan. 10. He was benched for the latterpart of January, and although he played Feb. 5 in Milwaukee, scoring 15 points,he’s been out since then because of what the team has said is a groin injury.
On Friday, Hamilton was one of several players who missed at least part of ashootaround before a game at Philadelphia. The coaching staff used only sixplayers that night, sticking with those who were at the full shootaround.
Hamilton wouldn’t specify when he and Kuester spoke. He took passes from thecoach while shooting at the end of practice Monday.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Jamal Crawford(notes) had 23 points, including a key3-pointer with 1:36 left, and the Atlanta Hawks held off a late rally by thePortland Trail Blazers for a 90-83 victory on Sunday night.
Joe Johnson(notes) added 22 points and Atlanta led by as many as 23 in the sixth ofa seven-game road trip. The Hawks are 3-3 on the trip, which wraps up Mondaynight in Denver.
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Andre Miller(notes) led the Blazers with 20 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 19.
Josh Smith(notes) added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Manu Ginobili(notes) took off once Tony Parker(notes) went down.
The All-Star guard put the Spurs on his shoulders after an injury sidelinedParker for the second half, scoring 18 of his season-high 35 points in thefourth quarter to rally the San Antonio Spurs to a 95-88 victory over theMemphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.
The Spurs overcame the loss of Parker and improved their NBA-best record to49-10, tying a single-season franchise record with their 21st straight homevictory.
SAN ANTONIO, TX – FEBRUARY 27:… AP – Feb 27, 10:53 pm EST ![]()
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San Antonio Spurs ' Manu G… AP – Feb 27, 10:21 pm EST ![]()
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg … AP – Feb 27, 10:09 pm EST ![]()
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Memphis Grizzlies ' Shane … AP – Feb 27, 8:30 pm EST ![]()
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Ginobili knew that points were going to be tough to come by in the secondhalf against a very physical Grizzlies team, especially without Parker runningthe offense.
“I knew it was going to be a long night,” Ginobili said. “They are toughdefensively. They grab and push, and are very physical. After we couldn’t scorea field goal in eight minutes,” we knew it was going to get tough. We knew wehad to attack that defense to get to the line and get some of those missingpoints.”
Parker left with a left calf injury after he collided with Grizzlies guardMike Conley(notes) with 2:45 remaining in the second quarter. Parker didn’t return inthe second half, and will be examined on Monday. His status is day-to-day.
Zach Randolph(notes) had 24 points and 17 rebounds for Memphis, while Conley scorednine of his 19 points in the fourth while trying to match Ginobili.
“It’s very difficult to guard someone like him because he’s very good withhis body, he’s very good with his footwork,” he said. “He’s able to get hisbody in good positions to where he can draw fouls. You can get up on him, butyou don’t really want to get up on him cause he’s going to draw the foul. Youjust try to contain him and get in front of him as much as you can.”
Ginobili made the go-ahead layup with 1:15 left and the Spurs put it awayfrom the line, as he made a pair with 16 seconds remaining to make cap an 8-0run and make it 92-85.
The Spurs got three stops in a row after Ginobili’s go-ahead basket.
“In the fourth quarter, there’s always going to be a period where you wantto get stops on demand and we were able to do that tonight,” coach GreggPopovich said. “It fuels our offense; if you don’t get the break at least youhave a chance to get the ball in the hands of the people you want it in.”
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said the tide turned for the Grizzlies when theSpurs started knocking down long-range shots.
“They just made plays. We didn’t get defensive rebounds and they keptmaking plays,” Hollins said. “They made a lot of 3s. We had a long battle tocome back from 20 points down. We had the lead and were playing with a three,four, five-point lead and we turned the ball over a couple of times and they gotright down and hit 3s.”
Memphis missed 15 of its first 18 shots as the Spurs led 26-16 after thefirst. Tim Duncan(notes), who finished with 12 points, blocked five shots, includingthree straight on Randolph early in the first.
That solid interior defense helped the Spurs build a 20-point lead with 4:54left in the second before the Grizzlies cut that to eight with a 14-2 run afterParker went out.
Conley said his team never got down after falling behind early to one of theNBA’s best teams.
“Just playing with energy,” Conley said. “They fight and we had do thatin order to get back in the game; be more physical, try to draw fouls, try toget into the paint and get to the line.”
The Grizzlies extended their run to 32-8 in the third, holding the Spurs toone field goal in the period until Matt Bonner’s(notes) 3-pointer with 3:15 left in thethird.
“It was a big relief for us when Matt hit that shot,” Ginobili said. “Wecouldn’t score anything and that 3-pointer gave us a big boost of energy.
A pair of 3-pointers by Bonner at the end of the third help the Spurs pullwithin 63-59. San Antonio opened the fourth with a 3-pointer by RichardJefferson(notes) and two by Bonner to take a 68-67 lead.
The Spurs will play the second of a home-and-home series with the Grizzlieson Tuesday, and Ginobili expects the game to be even more of a challenge.
“It is going to be even rougher,” Ginobili said. “We have to see how Tonyis. When Tony is on the court, the whole dynamic of the team changes. He’s sogood at breaking the first line and finding open teammates or finishing. If he’snot there, we’re going to have to find a way to get some transition pointsbecause we’re not getting many.”
Ginobili had noticeable blackness under his right eye, which was due tocontact with Randolph in the third, where the Spurs guard fell to the courtafter trying to fight off a screen. Ginobili lay on the court for a minutebefore continuing the game.
Bonner and George Hill(notes) each finished with 14 points for the Spurs.
NOTES: The Spurs are one win away from winning 50-plus games for the 12thconsecutive season, tying the Los Angeles Lakers (1979-80 to 1990-91) for thelongest streak in NBA history. … The game was suspended with 4:40 left in thefirst quarter after Memphis’ Tony Allen(notes) collided with official Tommy Nunez Jr.,who laid on the ground for several minutes before continuing the rest of thehalf. Nunez Jr. didn’t return in the second half.
MIAMI (AP)—With the game on the line, LeBron James(notes) got past CarmeloAnthony(notes).
Not Amare Stoudemire(notes), however.
And just like that, the New York Knicks—with defense, no less—knockedoff the Miami Heat.
Chauncey Billups(notes) made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:01 left, Stoudemireblocked James’ layup try with 7 seconds remaining to protect a one-point lead,and the Knicks finished with a 13-2 run to beat the Heat 91-86 on Sunday night.
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“The bigger the game, the bigger the stage, the bigger they play,” Knickscoach Mike D’Antoni said.
Anthony scored 29 points and Stoudemire added 16 points and 10 rebounds.Billups had 16 points for the Knicks, who rallied from a 15-point, first-halfdeficit and improved to 2-1 since the megatrade with Denver that dramaticallychanged their roster.
“These games like this are fun,” Anthony said. “It brings the best out ofeverybody.”
James scored 27 for Miami, which had won seven straight at home. Chris Bosh(notes)added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade(notes) finished with only 12 pointsfor the Heat—who had 20 turnovers, matching the fourth-most forced by New Yorkthis season.
“We will have our breakthrough,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And aspainful as this is right now, there will be a time that we break through andwe’re able to execute and win a game like this against a quality opponent goingdown the stretch. What you hope is that the pain of a game like this resonatesenough to make a change.”
With New York up by one, Bill Walker(notes) turned the ball over with 12.7 secondsleft when he was unable to handle an inbounds pass, and Miami had its chance.
James drove on Anthony down the left side of the lane, but Stoudemireswatted the two-time reigning MVP’s try away.
“I watched it the whole way,” Stoudemire said. “I knew what he was goingto do.”
Said James: “I felt like I got enough room around ‘Melo … and he just gota piece of it.”
James had another chance, but his potentially tiebreaking 3-pointer missedwith 2 seconds left, and the Knicks leaped in celebration.
Miami is now tied with Chicago in the loss column, each with 17 in the tightrace in the East. The Heat do have three more wins, but fell a half-game behindBoston for the top spot in the conference.
And it was there for the Heat’s taking, after holding an 84-78 lead with3:05 left.
New York, as it had all night, came back quickly.
A 9-2 run over the next 3 minutes, capped by Billups’ 3-pointer over Wade’soutstretched arm with 1:01 left, gave the Knicks an 85-84 edge—and few peoplein the sellout crowd remained seated at that point.
“Mr. Big Shot” lived up to his name, again. James said before the gamethat he found it comical that some may have considered Billups to be anancillary part of the Knicks-Nuggets deal.
Down the stretch, Billups took over.
“It’s a shot that I like to shoot,” Billups said. “It’s kind of a farshot, but it’s in my range and I knocked it down.”
Billups added a steal on the next Miami possession and set up ShawneWilliams(notes) for two free throws and an 87-84 lead. James answered with two freethrows, getting the Heat within one again, but Stoudemire’s block kept them atbay.
“I don’t think we played badly,” Bosh said. “I think we controlled thewhole game. … We had control of the game. We just didn’t execute down thestretch.”
Mike Miller(notes) scored 10 for Miami. Walker had 10 for the Knicks, who wondespite shooting 39 percent.
“There’s a reason we keep losing these close games,” Wade said. “So we’vegot to figure it out.”
It was the fourth and final regular-season meeting for the Knicks and Heat,and Wade could only point to one reason why Sunday night seemed so different.
“Melo,” he said before the game.
True, but the scene was anything but mellow.
Predictably, it was a double-feature of sorts—part showdown, part show.
Knicks superfan Spike Lee was having a conversation with Landry Fields(notes)during pregame warmups. Actor Michael Clarke Duncan and soccer star ThierryHenry had prime seats, tennis star Venus Williams appeared and Miami’snotoriously late-settling crowd was in place in plenty of time to lustily booNew York’s starters as they were introduced.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Knicks guard Anthony Carter(notes) said.
Oh, there was a game, too.
Shawne Williams blocked Erick Dampier(notes) down low 2 minutes into the game. Noproblem—James simply knocked the ball away from Stoudemire, then threw ano-look, backward-over-his-head pass to Dampier for a dunk. A minute later,James dribbled behind his back to get clear of Billups, slapped the ball toWade, then received an alley-oop pass back and slammed it with his left hand.
How good was that one? Someone posted the clip to YouTube within 8 minutes.
Miami’s lead was all the way to 51-36 when Bosh scored with 4:25 remainingin the half. Everything changed in a hurry.
New York scored the final 16 points of the half, starting when Billups madea 3-pointer, the first of four by the Knicks before intermission, includinganother by Billups and a falling-down, beat-the-clock version by Walker at thebuzzer to give New York a 52-51 lead at the break.
Another drought to close the third quarter proved costly to Miami.
Up 66-60 when Miller made a 3-pointer with 3:30 left, the Heat went cold forthe rest of the period. Anthony elevated over James Jones(notes) for a layup with 1:13left, added a 3-pointer 34 seconds later, and the Knicks were within 66-65 goinginto the fourth. One quarter later, New York’s loss in Cleveland two nightsearlier was forgotten.
“We redeemed ourselves,” Anthony said. “We’re not where we want to beyet. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
NOTES: Miller had missed the previous four games after taking several hitsto the head, then battling a cold and ear infection. … Carter appeared in only14 games with the Nuggets this season, never playing more than 16 minutes. Helogged 19 on Sunday in his first outing with the Knicks, a day after D’Antonitold him he was still trying to figure out how to get him into the rotation.
MIAMI (AP)—With the game on the line, LeBron James(notes) got past CarmeloAnthony(notes).
Not Amare Stoudemire(notes), however.
And just like that, the New York Knicks—with defense, no less—knockedoff the Miami Heat.
Chauncey Billups(notes) made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:01 left, Stoudemireblocked James’ layup try with 7 seconds remaining to protect a one-point lead,and the Knicks finished with a 13-2 run to beat the Heat 91-86 on Sunday night.
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“The bigger the game, the bigger the stage, the bigger they play,” Knickscoach Mike D’Antoni said.
Anthony scored 29 points and Stoudemire added 16 points and 10 rebounds.Billups had 16 points for the Knicks, who rallied from a 15-point, first-halfdeficit and improved to 2-1 since the megatrade with Denver that dramaticallychanged their roster.
“These games like this are fun,” Anthony said. “It brings the best out ofeverybody.”
James scored 27 for Miami, which had won seven straight at home. Chris Bosh(notes)added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade(notes) finished with only 12 pointsfor the Heat—who had 20 turnovers, matching the fourth-most forced by New Yorkthis season.
“We will have our breakthrough,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And aspainful as this is right now, there will be a time that we break through andwe’re able to execute and win a game like this against a quality opponent goingdown the stretch. What you hope is that the pain of a game like this resonatesenough to make a change.”
With New York up by one, Bill Walker(notes) turned the ball over with 12.7 secondsleft when he was unable to handle an inbounds pass, and Miami had its chance.
James drove on Anthony down the left side of the lane, but Stoudemireswatted the two-time reigning MVP’s try away.
“I watched it the whole way,” Stoudemire said. “I knew what he was goingto do.”
Said James: “I felt like I got enough room around ‘Melo … and he just gota piece of it.”
James had another chance, but his potentially tiebreaking 3-pointer missedwith 2 seconds left, and the Knicks leaped in celebration.
Miami is now tied with Chicago in the loss column, each with 17 in the tightrace in the East. The Heat do have three more wins, but fell a half-game behindBoston for the top spot in the conference.
And it was there for the Heat’s taking, after holding an 84-78 lead with3:05 left.
New York, as it had all night, came back quickly.
A 9-2 run over the next 3 minutes, capped by Billups’ 3-pointer over Wade’soutstretched arm with 1:01 left, gave the Knicks an 85-84 edge—and few peoplein the sellout crowd remained seated at that point.
“Mr. Big Shot” lived up to his name, again. James said before the gamethat he found it comical that some may have considered Billups to be anancillary part of the Knicks-Nuggets deal.
Down the stretch, Billups took over.
“It’s a shot that I like to shoot,” Billups said. “It’s kind of a farshot, but it’s in my range and I knocked it down.”
Billups added a steal on the next Miami possession and set up ShawneWilliams(notes) for two free throws and an 87-84 lead. James answered with two freethrows, getting the Heat within one again, but Stoudemire’s block kept them atbay.
“I don’t think we played badly,” Bosh said. “I think we controlled thewhole game. … We had control of the game. We just didn’t execute down thestretch.”
Mike Miller(notes) scored 10 for Miami. Walker had 10 for the Knicks, who wondespite shooting 39 percent.
“There’s a reason we keep losing these close games,” Wade said. “So we’vegot to figure it out.”
It was the fourth and final regular-season meeting for the Knicks and Heat,and Wade could only point to one reason why Sunday night seemed so different.
“Melo,” he said before the game.
True, but the scene was anything but mellow.
Predictably, it was a double-feature of sorts—part showdown, part show.
Knicks superfan Spike Lee was having a conversation with Landry Fields(notes)during pregame warmups. Actor Michael Clarke Duncan and soccer star ThierryHenry had prime seats, tennis star Venus Williams appeared and Miami’snotoriously late-settling crowd was in place in plenty of time to lustily booNew York’s starters as they were introduced.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Knicks guard Anthony Carter(notes) said.
Oh, there was a game, too.
Shawne Williams blocked Erick Dampier(notes) down low 2 minutes into the game. Noproblem—James simply knocked the ball away from Stoudemire, then threw ano-look, backward-over-his-head pass to Dampier for a dunk. A minute later,James dribbled behind his back to get clear of Billups, slapped the ball toWade, then received an alley-oop pass back and slammed it with his left hand.
How good was that one? Someone posted the clip to YouTube within 8 minutes.
Miami’s lead was all the way to 51-36 when Bosh scored with 4:25 remainingin the half. Everything changed in a hurry.
New York scored the final 16 points of the half, starting when Billups madea 3-pointer, the first of four by the Knicks before intermission, includinganother by Billups and a falling-down, beat-the-clock version by Walker at thebuzzer to give New York a 52-51 lead at the break.
Another drought to close the third quarter proved costly to Miami.
Up 66-60 when Miller made a 3-pointer with 3:30 left, the Heat went cold forthe rest of the period. Anthony elevated over James Jones(notes) for a layup with 1:13left, added a 3-pointer 34 seconds later, and the Knicks were within 66-65 goinginto the fourth. One quarter later, New York’s loss in Cleveland two nightsearlier was forgotten.
“We redeemed ourselves,” Anthony said. “We’re not where we want to beyet. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
NOTES: Miller had missed the previous four games after taking several hitsto the head, then battling a cold and ear infection. … Carter appeared in only14 games with the Nuggets this season, never playing more than 16 minutes. Helogged 19 on Sunday in his first outing with the Knicks, a day after D’Antonitold him he was still trying to figure out how to get him into the rotation.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)—No one has been able to stop Kevin Martin(notes) lately, whichis a big reason why the Houston Rockets have won four straight.
Martin scored 33 points, his third straight game with 30 or more, and theHouston Rockets overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit to beat the New OrleansHornets 91-89 on Sunday night.
“Kevin was the player of the game,” said Houston guard Kyle Lowry(notes), whoadded 18 points. “He saved us.”
Martin made four 3-pointers and hit all 13 of his free throws, including twofoul shots with 18.4 seconds left to give Houston a 90-87 lead.
Houston Rockets center Chuck H… AP – Feb 27, 10:08 pm EST ![]()
New Orleans Hornets forward Da… AP – Feb 27, 10:04 pm EST ![]()
Houston Rockets head coach Ric… AP – Feb 27, 9:55 pm EST ![]()
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Ma… AP – Feb 27, 9:43 pm EST ![]()
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On the Hornets’ next possession, Willie Green’s(notes) attempted 3-pointer to tierimmed out and Courtney Lee(notes) secured the rebound with 5 seconds left, then madeone free throw to essentially secure the victory.
Martin was 8 of 15 from the field, picking his moments from outside anddriving to the rim when Hornets starting center Emeka Okafor(notes) was on the bench.
“I was just being aggressive, knowing I could attack the basket when Okaforwas out of the game,” Martin said. “There was just a good matchup for me.”
New Orleans, meanwhile, finished with 34 points in the second half afterbuilding a commanding 55-40 halftime lead.
“To have that kind of lead on your home floor and not be able to close itout is disheartening,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “Thirty-foursecond-half points is nonsense. We didn’t run our offensive sets hard. We walkedthe ball up and looked like an old team. That team played last night. We shouldhave been the aggressor. We got enough defensive stops, but we didn’t run anefficient offense tonight.”
David West(notes) had 20 points and Chris Paul(notes) had 12 assists for New Orleans,which lost for the first time in three games since the All-Star break. Paul shot2 of 12, finishing with only six points.
“I couldn’t make a shot,” Paul said. “I’ve got to do my part. My collegecoaches would say, ‘It’s a team game played by individuals.’ I lost my matchuptonight.”
Houston made 11 3-pointers, including four by Lowry.
Chuck Hayes(notes) grabbed 11 rebounds for Houston, including six on the offensiveend. The Rockets had 13 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points.
Hayes also provided clutch offense when he scored as he was fouled to putHouston up 88-85 with 2:08 left.
West pulled the Hornets to 88-87, and New Orleans had two chances to regainthe lead, but Green was unable to handle a pass from West and Trevor Ariza’s(notes)go-ahead 3-point attempt missed the rim.
“For us to be down (by 16) and fight and claw our way back—it just showsthe growth of this team and how good we can be and how dangerous we can be,”Hayes said.
Down 58-42 early in the third quarter, Houston trimmed its deficit to 10 bythe end of the period, then surged ahead with 14-2 run highlighted by four 3s,two by Martin and one each by Lowry and Lee.
Brad Miller’s(notes) jumper capped the surge, giving Houston an 80-78 lead with6:58 to go and setting up a tense finish to a game that had 10 lead changes andnine ties.
“We just kept grinding and made some shots and did a great job down thestretch,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said. “We just started playing with a lotmore resolve. The first half, we were frantic on offense. We were rushingthings. It kind of opened up the game for (the Hornets).”
The victory pulled the Rockets (30-31) within three games of Memphis for theeighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Hornets outshot Houston, 47.4 percent to 41.9 percent, but New Orleanswas 4 of 13 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 41-37.
Marco Belinelli(notes) had 14 points for the Hornets and former Rockets Ariza andCarl Landry(notes) each scored 13 points for New Orleans, while Green added 10. Okaforgrabbed 14 rebounds.
The Rockets got to the arena behind schedule because their downtown hotelwas on a Mardi Gras parade route and they had no police escort. Their first busneeded an hour to make what is normally a 10-minute drive, while the second bus,which left the hotel a little later, needed about 45 minutes.
That had little effect on Martin, who’d scored 30 in each of his previoustwo games and continued his torrid pace, scoring 10 points in the first eightminutes and 15 in the first half.
But after Martin’s three free throws gave Houston a 33-31 lead, New Orleanssurged ahead with an 18-0 run that included a streak of eight made field goalsand solid defense highlighted by blocks by Okafor, Quincy Pondexter(notes) and Ariza.
Belinelli scored eight during the surge, hitting two 3s. West, who had 14points in the first half, had six points during the run, which made it 49-33.
Notes: The Hornets fell to 1-11 when an opponent hits 10 or more 3-pointers.… Paul was called for a technical foul by official Dick Bavetta for arguing anon-call. West immediately claimed Paul in fact was trying to call an offensiveplay, but Bavetta shot back: “I know what he said!” … Houston G Goran Dragic(notes)sat out with flulike symptoms. … The Hornets will play their next five gameson the road and won’t play in New Orleans again until Ash Wednesday, March 9,the day after the Mardi Gras parade season ends.
TORONTO (AP)—After Dirk Nowitzki(notes) and the Mavericks got off to an uglystart, the Dallas bench provided a beautiful finish.
Nowitzki had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Shawn Marion(notes) scored 20 points andthe Mavericks won their sixth straight game, erasing a 19-point deficit to beatthe Toronto Raptors 114-96 on Sunday.
“That was ugly early,” Nowitzki said. “We didn’t really get any stops.
“I thought our bench really saved us,” Nowitzki added. “Some nights yourstarting five just don’t have it for whatever reason, fatigue, rhythm orwhatever. Our bench was phenomenal.”
Dallas Mavericks ' Ian Mah… AP – Feb 27, 9:10 pm EST ![]()
Dallas Mavericks ' Dirk No… AP – Feb 27, 9:08 pm EST ![]()
Toronto Raptors head coach Jay… AP – Feb 27, 7:51 pm EST ![]()
Dallas Mavericks ' Jose Ba… AP – Feb 27, 7:49 pm EST ![]()
Toronto Raptors ' James Jo… AP – Feb 27, 7:48 pm EST ![]()
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Nowitzki was the only Dallas starter to score in double figures, with TysonChandler(notes), Jason Kidd(notes) and Peja Stojakovic(notes) all showing the effects of playing morethan 30 minutes in Saturday’s victory at Washington.
Jason Terry(notes) scored 19 points as the Mavericks got 64 points from theirreserves to win for the 16th time in 17 games, including nine of 10 on the road.
“This might be the deepest team I’ve ever played on,” Kidd said. “You’vegot 12 or 13 guys that can start.”
Dallas came in having lost two straight against the Raptors, but won for the12th in 15 meetings.
Ian Mahinmi(notes) scored 13 points, and Jose Barea had 12 points and nine assistsfor Dallas.
Amir Johnson(notes) scored 21 points and DeMar DeRozan(notes) had 19 for Toronto, whichhas lost seven of 10 and 20 of 23. Jose Calderon(notes) added 15 points, eight reboundsand eight assists.
“They were just picking us apart,” Calderon said. “They were just findingthe open guy and that’s what the good teams do. We stopped them in the firsthalf but in the second we couldn’t stop it.”
Toronto was without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani(notes) (flulike symptoms), whileJoey Dorsey(notes) (back spasms) missed his third straight game. Ed Davis(notes) started inBargnani’s place. The Raptors are 1-5 when Bargnani does not play.
Toronto led by as many as 19 in the first quarter but was unable to maintainthat early edge, getting outscored 64-39 in the second half.
“If you come out and aren’t ready to play at a high level you’re going toget your face smashed in, and that’s what happened to us early,” Dallas coachRick Carlisle said. “We took the hit and fought back. Some nights, that’s howyou’ve got to win.”
Dallas led 75-72 to begin the fourth before blowing the game open with a12-2 run, including five points each from Nowitzki and Terry.
Toronto made 10 of its first 11 shots and opened a 22-3 lead midway throughthe opening quarter, while Dallas missed 11 of its first 13 attempts.
“We didn’t play any defense for the first five minutes,” Kidd said.
Carlisle went to the bench early, bringing in Marion and Terry, and theMavericks soon closed the gap. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Terry trimmed thedeficit to 30-24 after one.
Nowitzki scored 16 points in the second but the Mavericks couldn’t get anycloser, and Toronto took a 57-50 lead into the half.
Dallas opened the third with a 15-4 run, and a slam dunk by Marion with 6:42left in the quarter put them ahead 62-61, their first lead since scoring thegame’s opening basket. Marion scored 10 points in the third and the Mavericksnever trailed again.
“(Marion) had a tremendous all-around third quarter for us,” Carlislesaid. “I thought that energized our team and it got us the lead.”
NOTES: The 18-point margin of victory was the second biggest of the seasonfor Dallas, second only to a 19-point win over Utah on Feb 23. … Nowitzki’sdouble-double was his 10th of the season, and he topped 30 points for the ninthtime. … Raptors forward Reggie Evans(notes), out since Nov. 26 with a broken bone inhis right foot, took part in his first full practice Saturday but is not yetready to return. … Dallas starters scored just five points in the firstquarter. … Toronto’s James Johnson(notes) had seven assists, a career high.
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