NBA: Grizzlies’ Gasol to miss rest of season after foot op

WASHINGTON, United States — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has had surgery on his broken right foot and will miss the rest of the NBA season, the team said on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies said Spain’s Gasol had surgery on Saturday. The towering center exited early from a February 8 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers, but had complained of pain in the days before that.

An MRI scan then confirmed a fracture in his right foot.

Gasol played in 52 games this season and finished his campaign with averages of 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.35 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game.

“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Westbrook keys Thunder Rally

Russell Westbrook poured in 30 points with 12 assists and nine rebounds on Sunday as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied for a 122-112 NBA victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant added 26 points and 10 assists for his eighth double-double of the season as Oklahoma City bounced back from a Christmas Day loss to the Chicago Bulls.

As they had two days earlier, the Thunder got off to a slow start, largely because they were unable to contain Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.

Faried scored 10 of his 25 points and pulled down three offensive rebounds in the first six minutes.

Denver, effectively double-teaming Durant, led 61-53 at halftime. They extended the lead to 11 points to open the third quarter, but Durant scored 12 points in the third period to help the Thunder take a one-point lead into the final frame.

With 7:17 left in the fourth, Thunder center Enes Kanter completed a three-point play to give the hosts a 101-97 advantage.

Kanter added two free throws to stretch the lead to six, and a layup from Joffrey Lauvergne, a Westbrook Dunk and a fastbreak Dunk from Serge Ibaka put Oklahoma City up 107-99 with 5:09 to play.

Denver again cut the lead to three but would get no closer, Durant delivering two layups and Dion Waiters converting a steal into a dunk as the Thunder rolled to the finish.

“I do think we’re capable of being better,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “I think we’ve shown that. I think the concentration, the focus and just the will to defend at the level I think we’re capable of defending has to be an area we continue to grow and get better at.”

Grizzlies halt skid
In Memphis, the Grizzlies snapped a two-game skid with a 112-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the win, the Grizzlies took their record to 17-16, avoiding dropping below .500 for the first time since November 15.

“We just wanted to win,” said the Grizzlies’ Spanish center Marc Gasol, who scored 16 points with six assists. “Last night (in Charlotte) we played two and a half quarters of good basketball and it’s not enough.”

The Lakers went into the game allowing a league-worst 107.2 points per game, and could do little to slow the Grizzlies offense.

Memphis connected on 45 of 80 shots for a 56.2 percent average and handed out a season-high 30 assists.

“We need to focus a lot more,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of his team’s defense.

“Seems like we are stepping too slow. I don’t think it’s physical to be honest with you, because tonight the effort was there. From the mental standpoint, we just look like we’re fried.”

But Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant was again feeling the physical strain, this time with a sore right knee.

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to play,” Bryant said, adding that he changed his mind because he knew that with his retirement coming at the end of the season, fans across the country are turning out to see him play.

“I got on the bus and saw all the fans,” Bryant said of the sizeable contingent of Lakers backers in attendance. “I would feel really awful if I didn’t come in here and play.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors beat Cavaliers 89-83 in NBA Finals rematch

OAKLAND, California—Draymond Green had 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors got defensive in their NBA Finals rematch against Cleveland, beating the Cavaliers 89-83 on Friday.

Stephen Curry added 19 points and Klay Thompson had 18 for the Warriors, who improved to 28-1 by winning their 32nd straight regular-season home game. Instead of doing it with 3-pointers, defending champion Golden State maintained its edge over Cleveland by limiting the Cavaliers to 32 percent shooting.

LeBron James scored 25 points to lead the Cavaliers. They had their six-game winning streak snapped.

The Cavaliers were short-handed when they lost the final to the Warriors in six games, missing power forward Kevin Love the entire series with a shoulder injury and losing point guard Kyrie Irving to a knee injury late in the first game.

Having both those players healthy for the rematch did little to help Cleveland. Love scored just 10 points on 5-for-16 shooting, and Irving missed 11 of 15 shots in a 13-point game.

With those two struggling, the Warriors built a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter following a jumper by Thompson and a layup from Green.

But James responded with a pair of dunks and a blocked shot on Thompson before Love’s tip-in made it 81-77 with just over 2 minutes to play.

James missed two free throws after Cleveland got another stop and Curry responded with a pair of layups around J.R. Smith’s 3-pointer to make it 85-80 with 57.6 seconds to play.

James shot an air ball from 3 with 12.7 seconds to play to end Cleveland’s comeback attempt.

There was an increased intensity at the start of the seventh Christmas Day rematch of the previous season’s finals with fans on edge far more than for most regular season games.

The officials let both teams play through contact early and the Warriors built a 28-19 lead after one behind 10 points and six rebounds from Green.

But the Cavaliers picked up the defense in the second quarter against Golden State’s reserves, taking advantage of an extended absence from Curry who get his strained right calf re-taped in the locker room. The Warriors led 45-42 at the half.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Harden leads Rockets rout of Lakers

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets are certainly not where they want to be yet

However, they feel like they’re getting close.

They reached .500 on Saturday night with an easy 126-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers behind 30 points from James Harden.

”We’ve come a long way,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ”We’ve got to give guys credit for accepting responsibility of where we were and accepting responsibility and putting responsibility on themselves that they had to do something to change it.”

A 3-pointer by Nick Young with about seven minutes left got the Lakers within 11, but a 13-2 run by Houston pushed the lead to 115-93 and the Rockets cruised to the victory. Donatas Motiejunas, Harden and Patrick Beverley each made a 3-pointer to cap the key stretch.

Motiejunas had 11 points in his best game since returning from back surgery.

Kobe Bryant had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who have lost six in a row and 13 of 14.

”It’s like my rhythm is starting to come back a little and my legs are moving pretty well,” Bryant said. ”I’m feeling good. I just worked and continued to run and lift and just hoping for the best.”

Despite Houston’s blowout win, the home crowd seemed to be filled with more Bryant fans than Rockets fans. They cheered loudly every time he touched the ball and chanted ”Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” as the final seconds ticked away.

Bryant, who plans to retire after this season, stopped on his way off the court for a hug with former Rocket Steve Francis as the crowd continued to chant his name.

Harden wasn’t bothered by the outpouring for Bryant by the home crowd.

”He’s a legend,” Harden said. ”This is his last year. I was chanting his name, too. It’s a once in a lifetime chance that you’re going to see this guy play again. I haven’t had the chance to see Michael (Jordan) play in person, but he’s a modern Michael.”

The Rockets shot 52.2 percent (47 for 90) from the field and 15 for 33 from 3-point range, compared to 40 percent (35 for 88) for the Lakers and 10 for 32 from beyond the arc.

Houston led 63-46 at halftime and scored seven of the first nine points of the third quarter. Beverley’s layup made it 70-48 with 9:52 left.

Terrence Jones made a layup at the end of the third after Corey Brewer blocked a shot by Bryant, giving the Rockets a 91-76 advantage.

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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 12: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Los A …

Houston had a 52-29 lead in the first half when Bryant scored 11 points in a 13-0 run for Los Angeles. He made two 3-pointers in the surge and capped the run with three straight free throws after he was fouled by Harden.

Houston star Dwight Howard scored six straight points to end the first half, highlighted by a soaring, two-handed dunk after a steal.

TIP-INS

Lakers: G Jordan Clarkson missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. … The loss closed out an eight-game road trip, the team’s longest since a nine-game trip from Jan. 31, 2007, to Feb. 13, 2008. … Young finished with 13 points.

Rockets: Trevor Ariza was back in the starting lineup after missing Houston’s last game with a bruised lower back, which snapped a streak of 172 straight games played. … Ty Lawson was feeling better after recovering from the flu. … Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

HARDEN’S TRIBUTE

Harden wanted to do something to honor Bryant on Saturday night, so he donned special shoes for the occasion.

”I even wore the first Kobe’s from Adidas tonight,” he said. ”Just to show how much I respect him and how much he’s done for the game of basketball.”

IMPRESSED BY BRYANT

Los Angeles coach Byron Scott was impressed with how well the 37-year-old Bryant played on Saturday night, considering it was the last game of a grueling road trip and the Lakers also played a game on Friday night.

”I have no idea,” Scott said when asked about how he did it. ”I swear to God, I wish I knew. We talked about that earlier that this was on a back-to-back game and he seems to play better, but I don’t understand it.”

UP NEXT

Lakers: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Rockets: Visit Denver on Monday.


source: sports.inquirer.net

Toughest challenge yet as Warriors survive Celtics in 2OT for 24-0

BOSTON — The Golden State Warriors needed two overtimes to remain perfect on a very imperfect night from the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player.

Stephen Curry scored 38 points despite his worst shooting performance of the season, adding 11 rebounds and eight assists on Friday night as the Warriors improved to 24-0 by outlasting the Boston Celtics 124-119 in double overtime.

“Exhausting, but it was fun,” Curry said. “Obviously, it was nice to get the win. But we had to claw our way to it.”

Counting the wins in their final four games last season, the defending NBA champions have taken 28 regular-season games in a row. That broke a tie with the 2012-13 Miami Heat for the second-longest winning streak in league history, and now trails only the 33 straight by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72.

The Warriors play the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night to complete a seven-game road trip. No NBA team has ever gone 7-0 on a single road trip.

“We will definitely cherish this, because it doesn’t happen often,” center Andrew Bogut said. “The record, the history, the team – it doesn’t happen often so we will cherish it. Who knows? Next year you could be on a different team and nobody’s talking about you.”

Curry made only 9 of 27 shots from the field, a .333 shooting percentage that was his worst since Game 2 of the NBA finals against Cleveland. But he was 6 for 13 from 3-point range and a perfect 14 of 14 from the free throw line.

“He can score in so many different ways,” interim coach Luke Walton said. “They did a phenomenal job on him and he scored 38. But that’s how superstars are in this league.”

The Celtics had two chances to win it at the end of regulation, tied 103-all, but Shaun Livingston blocked Isaiah Thomas’ attempt. After Golden State’s try at an alley-oop off the inbounds pass failed, Boston had the ball with 0.7 seconds left, but Kelly Olynyk’s off-balance jumper was wide.

Curry sank a pair of foul shots – his only points of the second overtime – with 13.4 seconds left to give the Warriors a three-point lead. Jae Crowder then missed a 3-pointer to tie it, and Andre Iguodala got the rebound and drew the foul.

That sent the Boston fans to the exits, but the Golden State crowd remained to see Iguodala sink both free throws and keep the winning streak alive.

“They’re the champs. They did what they’re supposed to do,” said Celtics swingman Evan Turner. “Curry, you know, he still made it work.”

Olynyk scored 28 points for Boston, and Avery Bradley had 19 while guarding Curry much of the night. Thomas had 18 points and 10 assists, and Jared Sullinger had 13 rebounds for Boston, which had won two in a row and six of its previous eight games.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens was asked if there was such a thing as a “great loss.”

“No,” he said. “Not even a good one.”

Draymond Green scored 24 points with 11 rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots. Iguodala scored 13 with 10 boards and Festus Ezeli had 12 and 12 for Golden State, which was playing without injured Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes.

The game brought a playoff mood and a sold-out crowd to the new Boston Garden, but this time the loyalties were more divided than usual. Although the Celtics’ green still dominated, there was plenty of Golden State blue as well.

Fans crowded around the Golden State end of the court during warmups to watch the defending NBA champions and their star. During introductions, the Celtics rooters struggled to drown out the cheers for Curry.

“That’s every night for us,” Bogut said. “It’s always a playoff atmosphere because they all want to beat us.”

After the game, Golden State fans remained long after the final buzzer, cheering Curry when he went to the locker room after his postgame, on-court TV interview.

“Now I can admit I’m tired,” Curry said. “We’ll dig deep for tomorrow.”

source:  sports.inquirer.net

Golden State routs Kings, stretches record to 18 wins

OAKLAND, California, United States — Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 19 points in the first quarter, Draymond Green had his second straight triple-double and Golden State Warriors extended their NBA record to 18 straight wins at the start of a season Saturday night with a 120-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Leading by 10 points at halftime, the defending champion Warriors opened the third quarter with a 27-8 run that included four 3-pointers by Brandon Rush to build the lead to 29 points. The Kings never got close the rest of the game.

Green had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, becoming the first Warriors player with back-to-back triple-doubles since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. A night earlier, he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 135-116 win at Phoenix.

Rush had 16 points and Klay Thompson added 15 for the Warriors.

Rudy Gay scored 20 points for Sacramento.

CAVALIERS 90, NETS 88

CLEVELAND — LeBron James made a running hook shot with a second left and scored 26 points, giving Cleveland a victory over Brooklyn.

After Joe Johnson’s three foul shots tied it with 15.2 seconds left, the Cavaliers called timeout and took the ball at midcourt.

James took the inbounds pass, dribbled to the top of the key before cutting to the right of the lane and hitting a hook shot over Brook Lopez, the Nets’ 7-foot center.

James scored 10 points and added a key steal late in the game to help Cleveland remain unbeaten at home in nine games. Kevin Love also scored 26 points for Cleveland, which played a sluggish first half and didn’t take its first lead until midway through the third quarter.

Lopez led Brooklyn with 22 points.

RAPTORS 84, WIZARDS 82

WASHINGTON — Cory Joseph made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Toronto past Washington.

Joseph took DeMar DeRozan’s pass in the corner and nailed the winning shot. He finished with 12 points as Toronto won its fourth straight despite tying a season high with 22 turnovers

Kyle Lowry scored 27 points for the Raptors. Bradley Beal scored 20 points for Washington.

SPURS 108, HAWKS 88

SAN ANTONIO — Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and San Antonio won its fifth straight, holding the Atlanta to several season lows offensively.

San Antonio matched a season high with nine 3-pointers in winning its 18th consecutive home game against Atlanta and 10th straight overall against the Hawks.

Atlanta had season lows for points in any quarter (12 in the second), first-half points (37) and matched a season low for total points. The Hawks’ starters finished with 38 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 108, LAKERS 96

PORTLAND, Oregon — Damian Lillard scored 29 points and Portland handed Los Angeles its fifth straight loss.

CJ McCollum added 28 points for the Blazers. They have won three of their last four games after a six-game losing streak. Kobe Bryant scored 21 points in the Lakers’ seventh straight road loss.

MAVERICKS 92, NUGGETS 81

DALLAS — Deron Williams scored 22 points, Zaza Pachulia added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Dallas beat Denver to end a three-game losing streak.

Dallas has won five straight at home after losing its first two games of the season at American Airlines Center. Darrell Arthur, who attended Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High, scored 16 points for Denver. The Nuggets began a five-game road trip with their sixth straight loss.

JAZZ 101, PELICANS 87

SALT LAKE CITY — Alec Burks scored 21 points and Utah beat New Orleans.

Gordon Hayward added 17 points, Rodney Hood had 16, and Trevor Booker finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Pelicans center Anthony Davis scored 14 of the Pelicans’ 16 first-quarter points and finished with 36. Davis also had 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Golden State Warriors seen to break records this season

LOS ANGELES, United States — AFP looks at trends and topics in the National Basketball Association over the week ending November 22:

Warriors eye season record

They’ve already tied the record for the best start to a season in NBA history.

Now there’s talk that the Golden State Warriors could surpass the record 72-10 season of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson is on record as saying 73 wins are possible for the defending champions, who moved to 15-0 on Sunday.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry thinks it would be a tall order — but has also indicated it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“We know how hard it was to win 67,” Curry told the San Jose Mercury news. “You feel like, what games did you give along the way? But we’re off to a better start than we were last year, and I think we have talked about we’re a better team, so a lot goes into that.

“That would be nice to hit (72 wins) and something that we would be very proud of obviously. It’s still more to the formula of winning a championship. We want to be at the best we can be, and if that’s 72, 73 wins, then so be it.”

Hero to zero?

Luke Walton is officially the least-recognized record-equaling coach in NBA history.

Walton may have overseen Golden State’s remarkable 15-game unbeaten start to the season, but in the eyes of official statisticians, the rookie coach has zero victories in his wins column.

That’s because Walton is merely keeping the seat warm for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who is currently on a leave of absence as he recovers from multiple back surgeries.

Walton, 35, says he’s unfazed by the fact that the wins don’t count towards his record.

“I’m completely okay with the fact that the wins don’t count on any record book for me,” Walton told SI.com recently. “Our concern here is getting the wins and the team continuing to get better while Steve isn’t able to coach.”

Philadelphia (horror) story

While the Golden State Warriors sweep all before them in the upper echelons of the NBA, at the other end of the scale the Philadelphia 76ers are closing in on an unwanted piece of history.

The 76ers have now lost 24 games in a row after Saturday’s 96-91 defeat to Miami, and on current form look well placed to equal their own record of 26 games for the longest losing streak in NBA history, set in the 2013-2014 season, a record they share with the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lieberman to reign at Kings?

With the Sacramento Kings languishing near the foot of the Western Conference standings, the pressure is mounting on head coach George Karl.

That has opened up the intriguing possibility that owner Vivek Ranadive could promote Nancy Lieberman to be the first female head coach in NBA history, according to Bleacher Report.

Lieberman, 57, was hired by the team over the summer and could be in line to replace Karl if Ranadive is unable to lure first choice John Calipari from the University of Kentucky.

source: sports.inquirer.net