Mondays National Basketball Association Capsules
January 27th, 2009 Posted in NBA basketball newsNEW YORK 104, HOUSTON 98
NEW YORK Nate Robinson scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and added boundless energy as the New York Knicks erased a nine-point deficit midway through the final period en route to a 104-98 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Wilson Chandler also scored 18 points off the bench for the Knicks, who won their first game when trailing after three quarters this season. They had lost their first 21 contests in that situation.
Chandler nailed a 3-pointer with 2:24 left to give the Knicks their first lead of the second half, 98-97 – an advantage they held on to for good.
Robinson and Chandler combined to hit three free throws down the stretch to provide the final margin and cap the decisive 16-4 run.
Tracy McGrady had 20 points and six assists and Luis Scola added 16 and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who played for the second straight game without All-Star center Yao Ming (right knee).
MIAMI 95, ATLANTA 79
MIAMI Dwyane Wade scored 35 points and Daequan Cook added 16 as the Miami Heat posted a 95-79 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta shot 38 percent (26-of-68) from the field and scored a franchise-low 27 points in the first half as Miami took a 19-point lead at the break.
The Heat saw their lead get cut to seven early in the fourth quarter but rookie Mario Chalmers scored six straight points for Miami and Wade added 10 down the stretch to help seal the victory.
Joe Johnson scored 19 points to pace the Hawks.
NEW ORLEANS 101, PHILADELPHIA 86
NEW ORLEANS Peja Stojakovic drilled five consecutive 3-pointers in the first 3:24 of the final quarter and Chris Paul recorded his NBA-high fifth triple-double of the season to power the New Orleans Hornets to a 101-86 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the New Orleans Arena.
Stojakovics 15-point flurry broke open a 69-63 game and gave the Hornets an 84-68 lead with 8:36 left. Stojakovic finished with 26 points, including 17 in the final quarter, as the Hornets won for the 12th time in their last 14 home games.
Paul had 27 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and added seven steals in a performance made even more impressive by the Hornets hobbled frontcourt. Stojakovich could have had a sixth 3-pointer in the final quarter, but he failed to get it off just before the 24-second clock expired.
The Hornets made a season-high 14 three-pointers to pull away.
The Sixers got 22 points from Thaddeus Young and 19 from Andre Miller, but it was not nearly enough.
PHOENIX 103, WASHINGTON 87
WASHINGTON Shaquille ONeal had 29 points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes of a back-to-back performance to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 103-87 victory over the Washington Wizards.
ONeals baby hook over a double team gave the Suns an 89-79 lead with 5:18 remaining. He sealed the deal with a dunk for an 97-85 advantage with 1:53 left.
ONeal shot 10-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line one night after posting 19 points and 11 rebounds during a 104-99 victory in Atlanta.
Phoenix took control when Leandro Barbosa sandwiched two 3-pointers around a reverse layup for an 87-79 lead with 7:58 left. He finished with 23 points. Amare Stoudemire added 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Suns.
Caron Butler had 28 points and Antawn Jamison added 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who lost their third straight.
MINNESOTA 90, MILWAUKEE 83
MILWAUKEE Playing in their first game without their leading scorer Michael Redd – lost for the year Saturday with a knee injury – the Milwaukee Bucks fell apart in the third quarter and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 90-83.
The Bucks trailed by only four points at halftime but scored just 17 in the third quarter, allowing the Timberwolves to take a 74-60 lead. Milwaukee shot 33 percent in the period and committed six turnovers, as the Timberwolves went on a 17-5 run to take control.
Al Jefferson was his typical self, finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Minnesota.
Mike Miller added 10 rebounds off the bench and also hit a key 3-pointer to keep the Timberwolves in charge in the fourth quarter. Randy Foye added a season-high 22 points.
OKLAHOMA CITY 94, NEW JERSEY 85
OKLAHOMA CITY Kevin Durant scored 18 points to lead five players in double figures and the Oklahoma City Thunder staved off a big rally for a 94-85 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Jeff Green and rookie Russell Westbrook each scored 13 points for the Thunder, who won for the fifth time in eight games.
Oklahoma City extended an 11-point halftime lead to 82-54 after three quarters.
The Nets, who trailed by as many as 30 in the fourth, went on a 20-0 burst and eventually cut the deficit to 89-82 on Maurice Agers layup with 1:02 remaining. However, that would be as close as they could get.
Rookie Brook Lopez scored 18 points to pace the Nets, who have lost six of seven.
PORTLAND 113, LA CLIPPERS 88
LOS ANGELES Brandon Roy scored 33 points, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 113-88 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Roy hit 11-of-15 shots from the field, including both 3-pointers and all eight free throws that he attempted, pacing the Blazers to their second straight win.
Travis Outlaw scored 20 points off the bench, missing just one of his nine shots from the floor, and Greg Oden added 16 points for Portland, which shot 58 percent (40-of-69) during the game.
Al Thornton scored 23 points and Steve Novak poured in a career-high 21, draining 5-of-8 3-pointers for the Clippers, who suffered their fourth loss in five games.
