Boozer helps Jazz hold off Mavericks
Jerry Sloan has been coaching the Utah Jazz for 20 seasons and has never seen his team play more inspired to start a game.”Our defense was about as good in the first quarter as I’ve seen since I’ve been here. If you can play defense like that the whole time, we’d be pretty good,” Sloan said.
Alas, after taking a 16-0 lead, the Jazz squandered the advantage by halftime. But they reversed their trend of weak finishes and beat the Dallas Mavericks 99-90 on Wednesday night.
Carlos Boozer scored 21 points, including six of Utah’s last seven. Although he was hampered by foul trouble, Boozer finished strong for the Jazz, who had been struggling in the closing moments of games in the past few weeks.
“It’s a big win for us. It feels good to be on the other side. We beat a very good team and held our composure at the end for a change. We executed our plays and finished strong,” said Boozer, who shot 8-of-13 and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Jazz to their third win in the last 12 games.
Andrei Kirilenko and Deron Williams had 17 points apiece as the Jazz improved to 10-2 at home.
The Jazz led by 10 points in the fourth quarter before Devean George made back-to-back 3-pointers. The Jazz, bolstered by steals by Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer, then held the Mavericks scoreless for almost 4 minutes.
“We weren’t very good from the start but you’ve got to give our guys credit for battling and coming back,” Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.
Dallas stayed close with 3-pointers until Boozer made a mid-range jumper and a dunk that put Utah ahead 97-89 with 1:28 to play.
“We closed out a ballgame for a change,” Williams said. “We have always felt like we are one of the better teams in the Western Conference, but we haven’t been playing that way. Tonight is a move in the right direction.”
Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points for Dallas but made just 3-of-10 from 3-point range as the Mavericks abandoned any attempt at an inside game in the fourth quarter. Devin Harris and Josh Howard each had 17 points for the Mavericks, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
“We made them take tougher shots farther from the basket. They have great jump shooters but we certainly didn’t make it easy for them. We hung our hat on defense tonight,” Boozer said.
The Mavericks didn’t score until Brandon Bass’ jumper 5:12 into the game.
“We got after them. We were playing the passing lanes, getting deflections and making them take tough shots. We struggled on the road and we needed a win so we played with a lot of intensity,” Brewer said.
But Dallas whittled away at the lead and actually passed the Jazz just before the end of the first half. Kirilenko’s dunk before the buzzer regained the lead for the Jazz, 47-46.
Dallas and Utah seemed to be headed in opposite directions since their last meeting on Dec. 8, when Howard and Williams reached career highs in points. Williams had 41, but Howard scored 47 points and led Dallas to a 125-117 victory. The Mavs were winning and the Jazz became mired in their worst streak of the season.
But this game was much more physical and the Jazz had 12 steals and forced 18 turnovers. Though the Jazz are a higher-scoring team this year at nearly 105 points a game, they win when they play inspired defense. The Jazz improved to 10-0 when holding their opponents under 95 points.
“We played much better defense than we have lately. We talked, we helped each other and we moved quicker,” Williams said. “That kind of effort always helps us on the offensive end and we got pretty much any shot we wanted.”
The third quarter began much like the first as the Jazz put the Mavericks on their heels.
“We had all the momentum going into halftime and knocked the game down to one. Then in the third, we gave up some shots again and dug ourselves a little too deep,” Harris said.
Williams had 12 assists and his adept passes on the pick-and-roll in key moments helped erase Utah’s recent faltering finishes. The Jazz outscored the Mavericks in the paint, 44-28.
George and Jerry Stackhouse combined for 24 points but fellow reserve Jason Terry missed all 10 of his field goal attempts and the Mavs managed just 43 percent shooting.
Celts end 11-year drought in Sacramento
One dominating stretch in the second quarter turned out to be enough to carry the Boston Celtics to a win in their first West Coast game this season.Coach Doc Rivers knows his team will need to play more complete games to beat some of the elite Western Conference teams on the road.
Paul Pierce scored 14 of his 16 points during a 33-5 second-quarter run that led the Celtics to their first win in Sacramento in more than 11 years, an 89-69 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night.
Boston has won 12 of 13 games, but the early season success has been attributed to a soft schedule as well as the offseason additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to a lineup that had relied primarily on Pierce in recent years.
The Celtics played just their 11th road game of the season Wednesday and first against a team in the Western Conference. They have three more in the next four days of this trip, including Allen’s return to Seattle on Thursday and weekend games at Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“If we play like we played in the first half I’m fine with being on the road,” Rivers said. “If we play like we did in the second half the road can be long. We just have to do a better job of executing on both ends. I thought in the third quarter we stopped scoring and then we stopped defending too.”
The NBA-leading Celtics (23-3) started slowly, scoring just 18 points in the opening quarter and trailing by four early in the second. That’s when they found their groove, closing the half on the big run to go up 53-29.
Instead of coasting from there, the Celtics lost their shooting touch at halftime. They missed their first seven shots in the third quarter as the Kings went on a 14-1 run to cut the Boston lead to 11.
Allen led the way with 17 points and Garnett added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost 11 straight at Arco Arena since Feb. 16, 1996. Pierce had been a part of nine of those losses.
“It’s the only building I probably hadn’t won in in my whole NBA career,” Pierce said. “I got that off my back now.”
Sacramento got within five points early in the fourth quarter when Ron Artest scored off an offensive rebound before Eddie House and James Posey hit consecutive 3-pointers to start an 8-0 run that put the Celtics back in control.
It was a chippy game with the Celtics getting called for two technicals and the Kings committing many hard fouls.
“I got poked in the eye twice tonight and I got elbowed in the head,” Garnett said. “It’s part of the game. I could tell they were a little edgy. Some of their guys were out of character doing some of the things they were doing. I guess they were doing whatever they thought they had to do to win this game.”
Artest scored 15 points to lead Sacramento. John Salmons added 13 and Francisco Garcia had 12 for the Kings, who scored 27 points in the third quarter but just 42 in the other three. Sacramento shot 38.2 percent in their lowest scoring game of the season.
“We can try to analyze this all you want but we did not play well, they played well and we’re not good enough to sustain something like that,” Kings coach Reggie Theus said.
The Celtics started the big second-quarter run by scoring nine straight points in a 58-second span, getting a three-point play from Allen and consecutive 3-pointers from House to go back up by five.
That’s when Pierce took over. After going scoreless in the first 17 minutes of the game, Pierce scored 14 points in the final 7 minutes of the half, hitting his third 3-pointer in the final minute to make it 53-29.
As well as Boston shot that quarter, hitting six of 10 3-pointers, they were even tougher on the defensive end, forcing 12 turnovers and limiting Sacramento to 32.4 percent shooting in their best defensive first half of the season.
The Kings missed 10 of their final 11 shots in the half, with their only basket in the final 9 minutes coming on a jumper by Salmons with 5:24 left.
“We were ready but things didn’t go our way tonight,” Garcia said. “I don’t think it was their defense. We were just careless.”
Skiles-less Bulls fall to Spurs 94-79
The battered San Antonio Spurs picked up another injury Wednesday. But playing a struggling Chicago Bulls team that just fired its coach, they also picked up another win.The Spurs handily beat the Bulls 94-79 in Chicago’s first game since the dismissal of Scott Skiles on Monday.
Tony Parker led San Antonio with 28 points. Michael Finley added 15 and Tim Duncan had 11 rebounds. The Spurs were up by double digits for almost the entire second half and led by as many as 25 points.
Joe Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Gordon added 18 points for the Bulls. Assistant coach Pete Myers, who played in the NBA for eight years, served as interim coach for Chicago.
“I thought effort-wise we played in spurts,” Myers said. “I thought our first unit had some moments that looked pretty good. I thought our bench outside of Chris Duhon didn’t give us very much.”
The Spurs have seen Parker and Duncan sit out several games this season with injuries. And while center Francisco Elson returned Wednesday after missing three games with a sprained right ankle, San Antonio was without its No. 2 scorer, reserve Manu Ginobili, who has a sprained left index finger.
And on Wednesday, the Spurs lost key role player and 3-point shooter Brent Barry when he strained his left calf with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
The team said Barry will have an MRI Thursday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called the loss of Barry and Ginobili, two key perimeter players, disappointing.
Since the timeline for those two players to return is unknown, the rest of the bench knows it will have to step up.
“Manu and Brent are huge offensive weapons off the bench,” said Matt Bonner, who scored 12 points. “So I wouldn’t say it adds pressure on us but it definitely makes things easier if other guys off the bench can come in and provide a lift on offense.”
The Bulls, though, had issues of their own. While they came out with energy and went up by five points early, they couldn’t get into an offensive groove and lost for the fourth time in five games.
“We tried to do something that we’ve never really done on Tony, just different pick-and-roll coverages,” said Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich. “And he just kind of got off on us. They did a good job of figuring out what we were doing and taking advantage of it.”
Skiles was let go on Christmas Eve as the Bulls, who started with high hopes, continued to struggle this season. They lost 10 of their first 12 games and have a 9-17 mark, one of the worst in the East.
“I’ve been here for four years with the same coach,” said Luol Deng, who scored 12 points for the Bulls. “It’s going to be an adjustment.”
Myers said lead assistant coach Jim Boylan had stayed behind in Chicago. Myers said he wasn’t sure whether he would continue to be interim head coach for upcoming games.
“I don’t know that yet, which is kind of good, because we always talk about taking one game at a time, taking one play at a time,” he said before the game. “That’s basically what I’m doing now.”
Bruce Bowen, Ime Udoka and Bonner all scored 12 points for San Antonio.
Duhon scored 13 points for Chicago and Ben Wallace, who has been dealing with a sore left foot, scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting.
“Anything Ben Wallace gives us offensively is a bonus,” Myers said. “I don’t think you go into a game looking for him to score. I thought he did a respectable job against Tim Duncan tonight.”
After a good first quarter, the Bulls cooled in the second and shot 8-of-21 from the field, just as Parker heated up.
With the Spurs already up by seven, Parker scored 10 points in a 15-4 run that put them up 47-29 with 4:35 left in the half.
Parker scored 12 points in the quarter and had 17 at the break, when San Antonio was up 51-39. The Spurs went ahead for good on Finley’s jumper with 12 seconds gone in the second quarter that put San Antonio up 23-22.
The Bulls seemed to lose energy as the game went on, allowing San Antonio to extend its lead to 72-59 by the time three quarters were done and pull even farther away in the final 12 minutes.
Parker’s bucket that counted because of a goaltending call gave the Spurs an 86-65 lead with 6:33 to go. Finley’s bucket gave San Antonio its biggest lead, 94-69 with 3:56 to play, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich subbed most of his starters soon after.
Butler returns, helps Wizards end skid
rode big games from four players to beat the Caron Butler returned from two sore ankles to score 25 points and the Washington WizardsCharlotte Bobcats 108-104 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.Antawn Jamison added 26 points and 14 rebounds, Roger Mason scored a career-high 24 points and Brendan Haywood had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards, who gave coach Eddie Jordan his 200th career win.
Butler, who missed Saturday’s loss to Indiana after injuring both ankles in a week, had a three-point play late in the third quarter to put Washington ahead to stay.
His fadeaway with 4:07 left put Washington ahead 101-90. After the Bobcats cut the lead to three with 26 seconds left, Nick Young got behind Charlotte’s defense and Mason found him for an open dunk to put it away.
It was part of a big night for Mason, who continued his torrid play since replacing Antonio Daniels, who missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right knee. He scored 16 points in the first quarter, then had consecutive 3s in a 15-2 third-quarter run.
Washington needed big games from the four, as the rest of the team combined for 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Gerald Wallace scored 32 points and Jason Richardson added 27 for the Bobcats, who lost their second straight game.
Charlotte’s big men struggled. Emeka Okafor didn’t grab his first rebound until late in the first half and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Nazr Mohammed was in foul trouble most of the night and was held to six points and 12 rebounds. The Bobcats were outrebounded 44-39.
Mason, a former second-round pick who has bounced around the league and spent two years playing in Israel, couldn’t miss to start the game. He shot 6-for-6, including four 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Wizards scored a season-high 41 points in the first period in building and 11-point lead.
Jordan improved to 200-252 in six-plus seasons in the NBA, including a short stint with Sacramento.
Bobcats coach Sam Vincent, upset with the officiating all night, shouted at the officials on the court after the game and had to be restrained by assistant coaches Lee Rose and Paul Mokeski.
Hawks win fifth straight, beat Pacers
The Atlanta Hawks are winning like it’s 1999.Joe Johnson scored the first two baskets in a 12-0 run and the Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 107-95 on Wednesday night for their first five-game winning streak in eight years.
The Hawks are three games over .500 this late in the season for the first time since the 1998-99 season, the last time they made the playoffs.
The Hawks’ last five-game winning streak came early the following season, from Nov. 27-Dec. 8 in 1999.
The Hawks broke a 70-all tie with 12 straight points to take the lead for good. The streak covered the last 2 minutes of the third quarter and continued with back-to-back baskets by Josh Childress for an 82-70 lead in the final quarter.
Troy Murphy, who led Indiana with 19 points, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Pacers cut the lead to 84-81, and another 3 by Danny Granger again made it a three-point game at 89-86.
Anthony Johnson answered with a 3 as the Hawks scored seven straight points for a 96-86 lead, forcing the Pacers to call a timeout with 3:48 left. Jamaal Tinsley scored on a one-on-three drive to the basket to cut the lead to 96-92, but Josh Smith answered with a three-point play for Atlanta, and Smith’s 3-point shot with 37 seconds left put away the game.
Joe Johnson had 26 points and 11 assists to lead six Hawks who scored in double figures. Smith added 16 points and seven rebounds. Marvin Williams had 14 points.
Jermaine O’Neal had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana. Tinsley had 16 points and 12 assists.
Smith, limited by foul trouble, had only five points and three rebounds through three quarters before playing a lead role in the final 8 minutes. Smith, Anthony Johnson and Williams entered the game with 7:53 left, after Murphy’s two 3-pointers cut the lead to 84-81.
Indiana, making its only visit of the season to Atlanta, closed the first quarter with a 9-0 run for a 25-23 lead. A 3-pointer by Kareem Rush helped the Pacers stretch the lead to 32-25. ^Notes: G Marquis Daniels remained at the Pacers’ team hotel in Atlanta, suffering from a respiratory infection. … After being out of uniform for 11 games with a strained left calf, Hawks G Tyronn Lue dressed but did not play. … Ike Diogu had six points and two steals in only 6 minutes for Indiana in the first half. One of his steals set up his dunk.
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