Hornets GM Demps moves past Paul trade
December 31, 2011
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)—With the Chris Paul trade finally behind him, NewOrleans Hornets general manager Dell Demps is back to his regular routine oftraveling the country nonstop focusing on his current roster and the franchise’sfuture.
Demps attended the Hornets’ 93-78 home loss to Phoenix on Friday night, thenleft home at 4:30 a.m. Saturday for the Bay Area. He arrived in time to havebreakfast with his parents then attend the UCLA-California afternoon game to dosome scouting. He planned a late lunch with sister, Darrell, before meeting upwith the Hornets in Sacramento ahead of their Sunday game against the Kings.Then, it was off to Utah for New Orleans’ game against the Jazz.
In a week’s span, Demps will have hit five states. The Hornets opened inArizona against the Suns on Dec. 26, and Demps traveled to Seattle on Thursdayto see Oregon State at Washington. He took a redeye flight back to Louisiana forFriday’s game before heading out of town again.
Demps reiterated his support for Commissioner David Stern, saying Saturdaythere “was never a deal in place” to send Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers.
New Orleans traded Paul to the Clippers on Dec. 14 for guard Eric Gordon,forward Al-Farouq Aminu, center Chris Kaman and a first-round draft choice.Stern approved the swap, which was required because the Hornets are owned by theleague.
Stern had taken heat for his role in nixing the first proposed trade of Paulto the Lakers, facing claims of potential conflicts of interest to hampering theteam’s pursuit of free agents. Stern said he was trying to do what was best forNew Orleans.
Demps said there wasn’t an agreement with the Lakers on money, which “was ahuge part of the trade.”
“Things got overblown,” Demps said at Haas Pavilion. “The first trade forChris Paul, it was never completed. The commissioner’s office is gettingunfairly portrayed. It escalated because the owner was David Stern and theplayer was Chris Paul. It was never submitted to the NBA. It was moving alongbut it was never finalized. There was never a deal in place.”
Now Demps is back to the kind of whirlwind schedule he prefers following thefrenzy of the last month dealing with the Paul trade and the rush to puttogether a roster that featured only five players under contract when thelockout ended.
“That’s part of it. That’s part of the calmness,” Demps said of his hectictravel schedule. “This is normal. For me it’s fun. I’m having a blast andgetting to do something I love. I get to watch basketball and I feel I’mlucky.”
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Grizzlies re-sign Iranian C Haddadi
December 31, 2011
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—The Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed Hamed Haddadi,bringing back the Iranian center.
Haddadi is the first Iranian ever to play in the NBA. The 7-foot-2 reservecenter averaged 2.4 points with 2.2 rebounds in 31 games last season for theGrizzlies.
The 26-year-old native of Ahvaz, Iran, has spent the past three seasons withMemphis, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 86 games.
Haddadi led Iran to an 8-1 record at the 2011 FIBA Asian Championship inChina, averaging 15.4 points and 11.4 rebounds.
Memphis announced the deal on Saturday.
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Mavs rally past Raptors for first win
December 31, 2011
DALLAS (AP)—The Dallas Mavericks expect offense from top scorer DirkNowitzki. Reserve center Ian Mahinmi provided a surprising bonus.
Mahinmi scored a career-high 19 points, Nowitzki contributed 18, and thereigning NBA champion Mavericks rallied for their first victory of the season,99-86 over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Jason Terry added 10 of his 17 points in the final quarter for the Mavericks(1-3), who hadn’t started 0-4 since the 2006-07 season.
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The last defending NBA champs to open a season at 0-4 were the 1969-70Boston Celtics.
The Mavs didn’t have long to dwell on the disappointment of Thursday night’s104-102 loss at Oklahoma City on Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“We knew it would happen, it was just a matter of time,” Terry said. “Wethought it would happen last night, but unfortunately we had to take a bumpalong the way. But the way we played last night gave us some confidence. Nowthat we know how we have to play, we’re a confident team.”
Dallas has five new faces on the roster after losing five key players from ateam that won its first title last season.
Mahinmi hit all six field goal attempts, went 7 for 11 from the free throwline, and added five rebounds and two blocked shots.
“I know this was a career high in points for him, but the last two nightshe’s given us a really high level of energy,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said.“He’s given us a physical presence, he’s a combative guy, and he was really bigfor us tonight.”
Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points and Leandro Barbosa had 20 for the Raptors,1-2 under first-year coach Dwane Casey, Dallas’ top assistant and defensivearchitect last season.
Toronto used a 17-2 run in the third quarter, completed by Amir Johnson’sfollow dunk, for a 68-61 lead.
But Dallas finished the quarter with a 16-2 spurt, capped by Vince Carter’sthree free throws, for a 77-70 edge heading into the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got to understand how to win to beat a championship team,” Caseysaid. “We worked hard to get a 68-61 lead, and then we’ve got to learn how toclose it out. And that’s the mark of a young team versus a veteran team.”
Toronto never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
“The key part of the game was that 16-2 run,” Carlisle said. “That gaveus a huge lift.”
The Mavericks carried a 29-23 lead into the second quarter, riding a 17-6rebounding advantage in the opening 12 minutes.
Dallas got off to a better defensive start, a point of emphasis by Carlisle.The Mavs had allowed 32, 32 and 28 points in the first quarter of their threegames.
The Mavericks went on to lead by as many as 12 in the second quarter.
But Bargnani scored 13 of his 18 first-half points in the period, andToronto’s late 12-0 run narrowed the halftime gap to 50-46.
After opening the season with blowout home losses to Miami and Denver, theMavs seem back on track.
“We’re playing better basketball,” Carlisle said. “The first couple ofgames were horrible. The last couple of games are games we can build on.”
NOTES: Mahinmi’s previous career high was 17 points at Memphis on Jan. 15,2011. … Trade pickup Lamar Odom continues to struggle for the Mavs, finishingwith three points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. … The teams met for theonly time this season. …Dallas has won 11 of 12 at home against Toronto.…Nowitzki had converted 22 straight free throws before a miss in the openingquarter. … G Jerryd Bayless twisted his left ankle with 9:14 left in thesecond quarter. Bayless attempted to run, but was playing on one leg and limpedto the locker room 6 seconds later, done for the night. X-rays were negative andhe left the arena in a walking boot. … Players from Penn State and Houstonwere in the crowd. The teams meet Jan. 2 in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas.
Wade’s late baskets keep Heat unbeaten
December 31, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—LeBron James has always put up big numbers when he comesto Target Center to play the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he rarely has to breaka sweat—or play in the fourth quarter—to do it.
Now that Ricky Rubio is running the point and Rick Adelman is calling theshots for the Timberwolves, James and the rest of the NBA are going to have towork for everything they get when they come to town.
Dwyane Wade hit a jumper from the wing, then scored on an inbounds pass fromJames with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the undefeated Heat to a 103-101 victoryover the Wolves on Friday night.
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Playing on a sore foot, Wade finished with 19 points, while James had 34points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on his 27th birthday.
“I’m glad we played them early because later they’re going to be trouble,”Wade said. “So I think Timberwolves fans will have something to cheer about fora while here.”
Rubio had 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love had 25points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who led 100-99 with 55 seconds toplay.
But Wade hit a jumper and then lost Rubio on an inbounds play to make thewinning bucket, one game after beating the Charlotte Bobcats with a last-secondshot. Wade said he suggested the play after the Celtics used it to beat the Heatin a playoff game in 2010.
“We stole it,” James said. “And D-Wade, that’s two game-winners back toback, right? Good for him. I like it.”
It was a crushing defeat for the upstart Wolves, who had the mighty Heat onthe ropes all fourth quarter thanks to Rubio’s brilliance. The Spanish rookiefed open teammates for easy buckets and hit a 3-pointer with 2:28 to play thatgave them a 98-94 lead.
But James scored on a crucial three-point play and Anthony Tolliver missedtwo key free throws in the final minute to give Wade a chance to steal it.
“We did a lot of good things tonight,” said Adelman, whose Wolves havelost their first three games of the season by a combined nine points. “It’sjust sooner or later you have to keep through it and give yourself a win at theend. If they stay with, they’ll do that.”
Anthony Randolph had 14 points and Wayne Ellington added 11 off the benchfor Minnesota.
Chris Bosh had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Norris Cole scored 12 forthe Heat.
It was a thrilling back-and-forth between a star-studded team that counts aloss in the NBA finals as a failure and the young up-and-comers who have lost 18straight games dating back to last season.
Playing without veteran guard J.J. Barea, who tormented the Heat in thefinals with Dallas, because of a strained right hamstring, the Wolves ripped offan 11-0 run in the final period for an 88-83 lead with 7:20 to play.
Bosh kept the Heat in it with some sharp shooting, hitting jumper afterjumper just over Love’s out-stretched hand.
James turned 27 on Friday, and he said earlier in the day he always playswith a little extra juice on his birthday and the numbers support that. Heentered the game averaging 35.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in fourprevious birthday games.
True to form, he scored 15 points in the first quarter, and the Heatflustered the young Wolves into six turnovers and 39 percent shooting. Cole thenscored six of the Heat’s first eight points in the second quarter for a 39-26lead, and it looked like Miami was pulling away.
But Rubio, Randolph and Ellington spearheaded a 14-0 run to put the Wolvesback in front. Criticized for his shooting before coming to the NBA, Rubio hitan open jumper and added a three-point play for a 49-45 lead. Then he threw analley-oop pass high over the rim that Randolph threw down, sending the packedTarget Center crowd into a frenzy.
“We want to win and we are young and we have to learn from theseexperiences,” Rubio said.
James turned the third quarter into a one-man dunk contest, soaring throughthe air for three straight that put the Heat back in control. He threw down awindmill, a baseline lob from Cole and a final one-handed hammer for a 78-72lead.
Rubio also had a costly turnover with 1:36 to play and Ellington missed aforced jumper at the buzzer for another loss. But for the first time in a longtime, the Wolves see better days right around the corner.
“They’re going to be a really good team,” James said. “If it’s not thisyear, soon.”
NOTES: The Heat are 4-0 for the second time in franchise history, and firstsince 2004-05. … The Wolves have now sold out both home games, the first timethey’ve sold out two in a row to start a season since 1991-92. It’s their firstconsecutive sellouts since 2003-04, when they went to the Western Conferencefinals. … James registered his 400th career regular season victory. Since hecame into the league, only eight other players have been on the floor for atleast 400 wins. … Timberwolves G Malcolm Lee will miss the next six weeksafter having surgery on Friday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
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Celtics earn first win after 0-3 start
December 31, 2011
BOSTON (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal scored 19 points as he and the Boston Celticsended a dismal start to their season with a 96-85 win in their home opener overthe Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
O’Neal, who played passively in totaling just eight points in the firstthree games, all losses, was aggressive throughout. He had 10 points in thefirst half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in thethird quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64lead.
The closest the Pistons came after that was the 11-point final margin.
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Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston and Paul Piercehad 12 in his debut after being sidelined with a bruised right heel. O’Neal,injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds.
Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 forDetroit, which fell to 0-3.
Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.
The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for thefirst time since 2006-07. Their defense this season had been poor until Fridaynight, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense wason target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 freethrows.
Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more inthe first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended theperiod with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.
Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank ajumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ lastbasket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.
The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half,38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.
Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots andfinished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox managerBobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receiversDeion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back StevanRidley also were in the crowd…. Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed hissecond straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Coach Doc Rivers said hecould return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.
Granger scores 9 in OT, Pacers now 3-0
December 31, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtimeto help the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91 on Friday night.
Granger shot just 5 of 17 in regulation, but was 3 of 5 in the extra period.
Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards for Indiana. GeorgeHill scored 15 points for the Pacers, who improved to 3-0.
Rookie guard Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game sofar, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation.
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Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker andAntawn Jamison each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.
The score was tied late in regulation until West made a pair of free throwswith 2:12 left to give the Pacers an 82-80 lead.
Irving made one of two free throws to cut it to 82-81 heading into the finalminute.
Parker’s 3-pointer as the shot clock expired gave Cleveland an 84-82 leadwith 17.5 seconds left. Indiana, with no timeouts, immediately went into itsoffense. West nearly lost the ball, regained control, drove and dropped in afloater with 4.4 seconds left to tie the score.
Irving got by his defender and drove the lane for an open game winner, butthe ball rimmed out, and the game went to overtime.
Granger took over in the extra period. He hit a layup while closely defendedby Alonzo Gee. Jamison’s 3-pointer was blocked by West, then Granger hit a3-pointer from the left corner to put the Pacers up 93-87, and Indianamaintained its lead from there.
The Pacers led 70-61 at the end of the third quarter. Cleveland made just 4of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the period.
Hill carried the Pacers early in the fourth quarter. He hit a baselinejumper, then converted a three-point play to push Indiana’s lead to 75-64.Cleveland rallied, and a reverse layup by Irving trimmed the Pacers’ lead to76-72 and forced Indiana to call timeout with 6:40 remaining. The game remainedclose the rest of the way.
Indiana has shot below 40 percent from the field in each game this season.Indy went 0-19 last season when shooting under 40 percent.
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Notes: Indiana F/C Jeff Foster sat out with a sore lower back. Coach FrankVogel said he planned to use Foster sparingly early in the season anyway. …Cleveland coach Byron Scott played for the Pacers for two years. … Indiana FJeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sore right knee. … The Pacers failedto make a 3-pointer in the first half and Cleveland made just one. .. ClevelandG Daniel Gibson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ringfinger. He returned in the third quarter. … Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels fouledout with 9:25 remaining.
Teague, Johnson help Hawks stay unbeaten
December 31, 2011
ATLANTA (AP)—Jeff Teague scored 22 points, Joe Johnson added 21 and theAtlanta Hawks won their third straight game to open the season, beating the NewJersey Nets105-98 on Friday night.
Deron Williams finished with 23 points and rookie MarShon Brooks added 21 tolead the Nets, who have dropped three straight and fell to 1-3.
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The Hawks, who earned a 36-point victory at New Jersey earlier this week,were in a tight game for the first time this season. Their biggest lead was nineearly in the fourth quarter before Brooks’ 17-footer made it 95-94 with 2:18remaining.
After Williams’ reverse layup cut the lead to 98-96, New Jersey failed toscore another field goal, but Brooks made a big mistake after Johnson’s 8-footerput the Hawks up 100-96 with 20.6 seconds remaining.
The Nets had no timeouts remaining as he was trying to make an inbound passfrom the left sideline with his teammates covered, but Brooks signaled for atimeout.
Johnson hit the ensuing technical free throw and closed the game with fourmore free throws on the final two possessions to end the scoring.
Mehmet Okur added 15 points and Kris Humphries and Sundiata Gaines eachscored 10 for the Nets.
Al Horford finished with 12 points for Atlanta. Marvin Williams added 11points and six rebounds, and Zaza Pachulia had 11 points and a team-high eightrebounds.
Teague put Atlanta ahead 98-94 with a three-point play after driving for alayup past Humphries and hitting the ensuing free throw with 1:58 remaining.
Notes: The Nets used the same lineup for the second straight game withGaines and Okur starting in place of Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro. …Atlantabegins a three-game, four-night road trip Saturday at Houston. … The Netsvisit Cleveland on Sunday and return home to face Indiana on Monday.
Howard has 24 rebounds as Magic roll
December 31, 2011
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Dwight Howard had 20 points and 24 rebounds, RyanAnderson scored 23 points, and the Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Bobcats100-79 on Friday night for their third straight victory.
Orlando jumped to an 11-0 lead and never trailed, eventually leading 56-43at halftime and building the lead up to as many as 21 in the second half.Charlotte never got closer than nine points in the second half.
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Anderson was 5 of 12 from 3-point range, as the Magic shot 43 percent frombeyond the arc. Howard also had four blocked shots and four assists. The Magicalso got 16 points from Jason Richardson, 15 from Hedo Turkoglu and 11 from J.J.Redick.
Corey Maggette led Charlotte (1-2) with 20 points.
The Bobcats also got 14 points from D.J. Augustin, 12 from Byron Mullens and10 from Boris Diaw. But Gerald Henderson struggled through a 4-for-13 shootingnight and the Bobcats, forced to settle for jump shots all night because ofHoward’s presence, shot just 36 percent from the field.
The 6-foot-11 Howard was imposing inside from the start, often going upagainst Diaw, 6-8, and Charlotte’s backup centers. The only flaw in hisperformance was a 6-of-14 night from the free throw line.
Howard set the tone immediately with a follow shot on Orlando’s firstpossession. Richardson made a jumper and a 3-pointer, Howard hit a hook, andRichardson scored on a fast break to give the Magic their quick 11-0 lead.
It was the second straight night that Howard had more than 20 rebounds. Hehad 16 points and 24 rebounds in a win over New Jersey on Thursday night.
Charlotte came into the game leading the NBA in rebound margin, but theMagic won the rebound battle 49-41 and limited the Bobcats to only 20 points inthe paint.
Orlando played without point guard Jameer Nelson, who sat out with neckspasms. Tyrus Thomas missed his third straight game for Charlotte because of asprained left ankle.
Jazz C Jefferson out with inflamed ankle
December 31, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Starting center Al Jefferson missed Utah’s gameagainst the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night because of an inflamed rightankle.
The Jazz (0-2) made the announcement about 40 minutes before tipoff againstthe Sixers (1-1).
It was the first game Jefferson missed since being acquired in a trade fromMinnesota last year. He started all 82 games last year and the first two forUtah this season.
Jefferson was averaging 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Earlier Friday, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin announced Paul Millsap would startat power forward in place of second-year pro Derrick Favors. Favors insteadstarted at center in place of Jefferson.
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With foot OK, Wade starts against Wolves
December 31, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade was in the starting lineupagainst the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night after being considered agame-time decision with a sore left foot.
Wade tested his foot both at the team’s morning shootaround and before thegame to determine if he was ready to play. The injury bothered him in the gameat Charlotte on Wednesday, but not enough to prevent him from making thegame-winning shot to keep the Heat undefeated.
For the Timberwolves, veteran guard J.J. Barea missed the game with astrained right hamstring. Barea hopes to return Sunday against the DallasMavericks, his former team.
Second-round draft pick Malcolm Lee had surgery to repair a torn meniscus inhis left knee on Friday. He is expected to miss six weeks.
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