Sunday's NBA matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Golden State at Toronto
These teams split two meetings last season with the home club winning each game. Chris Bosh had 23 points and 22 rebounds in the one game he played against Golden State.
Boston at Orlando
The Magic won three of four games against the Celtics last season, including both contests at Amway Arena, where the Celtics have dropped four in a row since Nov. 29, 2004.
Detroit at Sacramento
The Pistons and Kings (3-6) split two meetings last season, with each winning at home. Detroit has won four of the last five in the series after losing 11 of the previous 12 matchups.
Chicago at L.A. Lakers
Bryant is averaging 25 points in 18 career games against the Bulls, but has averaged just 20 in his last three since scoring 43 in a 96-93 home loss against them on Nov. 20, 2005. The Lakers have won eight of 10 against the Bulls in Los Angeles.
Detroit may miss two starters against Kings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Detroit Pistons may once again be without two starters on Sunday when they close out a five-game road trip against the Sacramento Kings.
Antonio McDyess (strained left shoulder) and Chauncey Billups (right hip pointer and sore left knee) remain day-to-day after being sidelined for Detroit's last two games. The Pistons (6-3) beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday without them, but lost 103-91 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
Billups leads the Pistons with 7.0 assists per game, and his 17.7 scoring average ranks second on the team during the young season. McDyess is averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds to go along with his 9.1 scoring average.
The Pistons, who have alternated between wins and losses in the first four games of their road trip, struggled offensively against the Lakers. Playing their third game in four nights, they committed 17 turnovers which led to 22 points for Los Angeles.
"Turnovers lead to a lot of their fast break opportunities," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "We ran out of gas, ran out of bodies. Our guys tried hard, but you would like to get a better whistle at times, especially in the fourth, as hard as our guys played."
Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton each had 16 points for the Pistons, the absence of McDyess and Billups showed on a night where three different Detroit players picked up at least four fouls.
"It's tough to be shorthanded and plus we were in foul trouble tonight, so that really hurt us," said Flip Murray, who had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists but shot only 6-for-18 from the field in his second straight start in place of Billups.
The Pistons and Kings (3-6) split two meetings last season, with each winning at home. Detroit has won four of the last five in the series after losing 11 of the previous 12 matchups.
Sacramento is coming off a 123-118 double-overtime win over the New York Knicks on Friday. Kevin Martin scored a career-high 43 points while Ron Artest added 28 points and eight rebounds to help the Kings avoid a three-game losing streak.
"It's always good to do it and get the win, last year I got 40 and we lost (to Washington)," said Martin, who increased his season scoring average to 28.2.
The Kings had a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Knicks rallied against one of the league's worst defenses to force the two extra sessions.
"It was a good win for a team that in the past has had trouble winning close games, but we've got to learn from it because we made mistakes down the stretch that we have to get better from," Kings coach Reggie Theus said.
Artest was playing in his second game after being suspended for the first seven games of 2007-08. He had 17 points in Sacramento's 108-103 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday.
Paul misses game against Minnesota with sprained right ankle
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MINNEAPOLIS --Chris Paul missed Saturday night's game at Minnesota with a sprained right ankle, and New Orleans coach Byron Scott said his star point guard would likely miss a couple more games as a precaution.
Paul was hurt in Friday night's overtime victory at Memphis when he rolled his ankle on Pau Gasol's foot in the third quarter. On Saturday, there was still some swelling and soreness in the ankle.
''It's still tender, he has some pain. So, there's no need to - in the 11th game of the season - to risk it. So we're just going to sit him down for a few games and see how he feels,'' Scott said.
Scott said Paul would likely miss Monday's game against Orlando, and possibly Wednesday's game against Indiana.
Jannero Pargo started in Paul's place against the Timberwolves. Paul is averaging 19.5 points per game for the Hornets, who at 8-2 are off to their best start in franchise history.
Minnesota coach Randy Wittman said his young 1-6 team couldn't afford to change the game plan no matter who started in the Hornets' backcourt.
''We can't worry about that, we've got to worry about ourselves,'' Wittman said.
Wittman had his own team's injuries to worry about. Minnesota played without starting center Theo Ratliff, who left Friday's loss to Washington with a sore right nee. Antoine Walker started in Ratliff's place.
Sunday's NCAAB matchup notes
ASSOCIATED
Jackson State at No. 6 Louisville
This is the second of five games in eight days for Louisville (1-0), which began its season - and the invitational - with a 104-69 rout of Hartford at home on Saturday.
Longwood at No. 8 Indiana
Longwood is 0-4 against ranked opponents, but hasn't played one since losing 90-77 to then-No. 4 Villanova on Dec. 10, 2005.
Bucknell at No. 23 Villanova
The 23th-ranked Wildcats look to make it seven straight wins over the Bison when the teams meet Sunday at the Pavilion.
VCU vs No. 18 Arkansas
The 18th-ranked Razorbacks look to bounce back from a sloppy upset loss when they face Virginia Commonwealth in the consolation game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Sunday.
Iona at No. 1 North Carolina
North Carolina leads 2-1 in the all-time series with Iona, but the Gaels won 65-56 on Dec. 27, 2002 in the most recent meeting. That was the last time Iona defeated a ranked opponent, having since lost its only three tries.
Arkansas-Monticello at No. 16 Texas
Texas held its first two opponents under 50 points for the first time since 1952, and has not opened a season allowing 50 or less in three straight games since 1947 when the team did it five straight times.
New Orleans at No. 22 N.C. State
The Privateers, who are opening their season with three straight road games, lost 92-58 to N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C. on Nov. 17, 2004, in the only other meeting between the teams.
NBA Today - Sunday, Nov. 18
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Nov. 18
Chicago at L.A. Lakers (9:30 p.m. EST). The Bulls are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Los Angeles.
STARS
Saturday
-Antawn Jamison, Wizards, had 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead Washington to a 109-90 win over the Blazers.
-Steve Nash, Suns, had 19 points and 15 assists in a 115-105 win over the Rockets.
RESCUE ME
Antawn Jamison had 30 points to lead the short-handed Washington Wizards over the Portland Trail Blazers 109-90 on Saturday night. About an hour before the start of the game, the Wizards said that Gilbert Arenas, who had surgery on his left knee in April, would miss the game with soreness in his knee. Jamison, who entered the night averaging 17.8 points, third on the team behind Caron Butler and Arenas, picked up for his injured teammate.
STREAKS
Peja Stojakovic scored 22 points, Morris Peterson had 18 and the Hornets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-82 Saturday night for New Orleans' fifth straight win. ... Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and Allen Iverson added 23 and the Denver Nuggets won their fifth straight game with a 115-83 victory over the New York Knicks. ... The Miami Heat beat the Nets 91-87 to send New Jersey to its fifth straight loss. ... Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd each scored 21 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-96 victory over Atlanta, extending the Hawks' road losing streak to 17 games.
SNAPPED
Mike Dunleavy scored 25 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 117-97 Saturday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Josh Smith scored 38 points in Atlanta's 105-96 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
SPEAKING
''These last two games are huge because our confidence is at another level. We may be the most confident team at 2 and 8 in the history of the NBA. We know where we're going. We've got our leader back and we're taking great strides in the right direction.'' - Miami's Penny Hardaway after the Heat beat the New Jersey Nets 91-87 Saturday night for their second victory of the season. The Heat - bolstered by the return of Dwyane Wade - turned in another improved effort after nearly beating undefeated Boston on Friday.
Nesterovic could miss 2 weeks with sprained right ankle
November 18, 2007
TORONTO (AP) -Toronto Raptors center Rasho Nesterovic will miss one to two weeks with a sprained right ankle.
He will not travel with the Raptors on an upcoming road trip to Dallas and Memphis, the team said Sunday, when Maceo Baston started in Nesterovic's place in Toronto's game against Golden State.
Nesterovic was injured in the third quarter of last Wednesday's home loss to Utah, when he landed on the foot of Mehmet Okur after coming down with a rebound.
Nesterovic is averaging 3.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season.