Two days after cooling off the
NBA's hottest team, the Portland Trail Blazers face another
tough test when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The Blazers rebounded from an embarrassing loss to the Memphis
Grizzlies to snap the San Antonio Spurs' 13-game winning streak
with an 98-93 victory on Wednesday.
On Monday, Portland squandered a 25-point lead to the lowly
Grizzlies, but it got back on track against the Spurs, winning
for the 17th time in their last 20 games.
Bonzi Wells scored 24 points and Dale Davis added 19 for the
Blazers, who hold the fifth spot in the Western Conference, 1
1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rasheed Wallace did not play in the second half due to back
spasms and is listed as day-to-day.
The Lakers have been erratic of late, splitting their last six
games. They appeared to make a statement with a 97-96 win at
Sacramento on Sunday, but followed that up with a 118-106 loss
at Phoenix on Wednesday.
Leading by just one midway through the fourth quarter, the Suns
broke open the contest with a 22-6 spurt.
Kobe Bryant scored 36 points for the Lakers and tied an NBA
season high with 18 free throws made, but he did a disappearing
act down the stretch, taking no shots in a scoreless fourth
quarter.
Shaquille O'Neal recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds, but made
just 10-of-21 shots and 4-of-15 free throws.
The Lakers, who are in a four-way battle with Sacramento,
Dallas and San Antonio for home-court advantage throughout the
playoffs, dropped 1 1/2 games behind Kings in the Pacific
Division. They are third overall in the Western Conference,
just one game ahead of the Spurs.
The teams have split two meetings this season, with each
winning at home. The Lakers posted a season-opening 98-87 win
at the Staples Center on October 30. The Blazers posted a
111-105 victory at the Rose Garden on February.
The teams have one more meeting at Portland on April 14.
The San Antonio Spurs hope to start
another winning streak Friday when they continue a four-game
West Coast swing against the Seattle SuperSonics.
Despite 34 points by Tim Duncan, the Spurs suffered a 98-93
loss in Portland on Wednesday, ending their NBA season-high
13-game winning streak.
However, Duncan was held to just 10 points in the second half
and and did not attempt a field goal over the final 9:45 of the
third quarter.
San Antonio dropped 2 1/2 games behind the Saramento Kings in
the battle for the best record in the Western Conference. But
the Spurs are tied with the Dallas Mavericks atop the Midwest
Division.
The Spurs, who are one win shy of their third straight 50-win
season, close the trip Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Sonics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 96-87, on Wednesday
for their sixth win in the last seven games. Gary Payton
overcame a sore back to record 32 points and nine assists,
while Rashard Lewis scored 12 points before leaving with a
twisted ankle.
Seattle is seventh in the Western Conference, 2 1/2 games
behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and a game in front of the
Utah Jazz.
The Spurs and Sonics have split two meetings this season, with
each winning at home. Seattle posted a 114-108 victory here on
November 1 before the Spurs rebounded with a 110-93 win three
weeks later.
They complete the season series Wednesday in San Antonio.
The Los Angeles Clippers look to snap
their three-game losing streak when they visit the Phoenix
Suns on Friday night.
The Clippers have lost three straight for the first time since
January 7-11 and are in danger of falling below .500 for the
first time since March 6.
The Clippers are four games behind the eighth-place Utah Jazz
in the Western Conference.
All-Star forward Elton Brand was held to a season-low three
points in the Clippers' latest loss. Brand averages 18.4 points
and 11.9 rebounds and Tuesday was the 10th time he had been
limited to single digits in both categories.
Conversely, the Suns have won three straight for the first time
since December 26-29. They also are seeking their first
four-game winning streak since a five-game streak from November
26-December 3.
On Wednesday, Phoenix recorded a 118-106 home victory over the
Los Angeles Lakers.
Shawn Marion tied season highs with 32 points and 18 rebounds
as the Suns controlled the fourth quarter. They led 94-93 with
7:51 left before a dunk by Marion sparked a 22-6 run.
Marion scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but more
importantly, Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant did not attempt a
shot and was held scoreless in the final period.
The Suns had lost six straight games before the streak and will
likely miss the postseason for the first time since the 1987-88
season.
The Clippers lead the season series 2-1 and are looking to
capture the season series for the first time since 1995-96.
The Detroit Pistons look
to extend their home winning streak to seven games against the
Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Since a 91-88 loss here on November 28, 1993, the Pistons have
won the last six meetings at the Palace by an average of 22.6
points per game.
Overall the Pistons have fared very well against the Warriors
recently. The Pistons lost the first meeting this season in
Golden State, 101-88 on December 19. But they have won nine
of the last 11 games between the teams and have not been swept
in the season series since 1993-94.
That loss was part of a 0-5 West Coast trip, which put the
Pistons below .500. But Detroit is 28-19 since that defeat
and is poised to capture its first division title since
1989-90.
The Pistons are 3 1/2 games in front of the struggling
Milwaukee Bucks in the Central Division and 3 1/2 games
behind New Jersey for the top spot in the Eastern
Conference.
Besides being the league's top rebounder at 12.8 per game,
Detroit's Ben Wallace has 246 blocks and needs one more to
tie the franchise's single-season record, set by Bob Lanier
in 1973-74.
Wallace also ranks first in blocks at 3.5 per game and is
looking to be just the fourth player in NBA history to lead
both categories. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the first to do it
in 1975-76, Bill Walton did it the next season and Hakeem
Olajuwon accomplished the feat in 1989-90.
Golden State snapped its season-high 10-game losing streak
Tuesday night in Minnesota, but lost the next night in Boston.
The Warriors feature one of the best rebounders in the league
in Danny Fortson. Fortson is third in the league at 11.9 per
game and had 13 on Wednesday, but has not reached double
figures in consecutive games since March 11-14.
With the Indiana Pacers looking
to improve their positioning in the Eastern Conference,
Jermaine O'Neal's timing couldn't be worse, especially with a
key matchup against the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
O'Neal will miss Friday's game and Sunday's home game against
the Miami Heat for his role in an altercation with several
Detroit Pistons in Tuesday's 96-77 home loss.
With the game already decided and 1:16 remaining, O'Neal
committed a hard foul against Pistons forward Corliss
Williamson, who proceeded to throw the ball at him.
After Pistons forward Ben Wallace interceded, O'Neal threw a
forearm at him and Detroit swingman Michael Curry. On
Wednesday, the NBA considered O'Neal to have thrown two punches.
O'Neal is Indiana's leading scorer and rebounder at 18.2 and
10.6 per game respectively and his starting role will be assumed
by Austin Croshere, who made his only start of the season Sunday
against Charlotte.
Indiana only will have eight players available. Jonathan
Bender, Primoz Brezec and Bruno Sundov all were suspended for
one game without pay for leaving the bench during the incident.
The Pacers are in eighth place in the conference but just two
games behind seventh-place Charlotte and 2 1/2 in back of
Philadelphia and Orlando, which are tied for fifth.
The Pacers have lost three of their last four and seven of 10
road games since the All-Star break.
Orlando has lost three of its last four games since a six-game
winning streak from March 8-19.
On Wednesday, the Magic lost 111-104 at Charlotte. The Hornets
had their best shooting game of the season at 56 percent and
never trailed.
Tracy McGrady led Orlando with 25 points and has averaged 22.5
points per game since returning from back spasms.
Indiana leads the season series 2-1 and is looking to win
consecutive games in Orlando for the first time since April
12-December 18, 1996.
With their playoff hopes barely alive and
needing a win in the worst way, the Miami Heat host the
Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Although Miami officially has not been eliminated from the
Eastern Conference race, its four-game losing streak has
dropped them to 11th place, four games behind Indiana.
Miami was 6-23 through December but won 24 of its next 33 games
to put itself in playoff contention. However, the Heat have
dropped six of their last eight games.
On Wednesday, the Heat could not survive a frantic finish and
lost 81-80 at Toronto.
After Rod Strickland gave Miami a 78-77 lead on a 3-pointer
with 3:14 to go, Keon Clark responded with a reverse layup 24
seconds later to give the Raptors a one-point advantage.
Alonzo Mourning hit a pair of free throws to put Miami on top,
80-79. Neither team could score before Morris Peterson banked
his game-winning layup with 8.4 seconds left over Mourning's
outstretched arm.
Strickland scored 24 points to lead the Heat, while Mourning
added 17. Eddie Jones had just two points in the loss. In
the five previous games in which he has been held to single
digits, Jones has rebounded to average 23.6 points in his
next contest.
Atlanta also couldn't survive a frantic finish against
Toronto, losing 85-83 at home Thursday night. After Shareef
Abdur-Rahim put the Hawks up 83-82 with 13 seconds left,
Toronto's Jerome Williams hit the go-ahead layup.
The Hawks posted their third consecutive losing season,
marking just the second time since the franchise moved to
Atlanta they had done so. Atlanta had four consecutive
losing seasons from 1973-77.
The Hawks have taken the first three meetings and are
looking to sweep the season series for the first time
since 1990-91 and third time overall.
The Minnesota Timberwolves try to
win for just the second time in franchise history at
Madison Square Garden when they visit the New York Knicks
on Friday night.
The Timberwolves are 1-11 all time in New York, with the only
win a 93-89 decision on January 16, 1991. Last season they
lost 100-90.
The Timberwolves were 40-19 following a 116-105 win at Utah on
March 2 and were looking to secure home court in the opening
round of the playoffs. However, Minnesota has struggled of
late, winning just three of its last 12 games to slip into
sixth place in the Western Conference, one game behind
Portland.
On Thursday, the Wolves held on for a 113-111 home win over the
Dallas Mavericks. Kevin Garnett scored 20 points despite
suffering a head injury that required 12 stitches.
Point guard Chauncey Billups added 23 points and matched
Stephon Marbury's franchise record with 17 assists.
New York is looking to notch consecutive wins for the second
time since the All-Star break. Seldom used guard Lavor Postell
doubled his career best with 20 points in Wednesday's 89-82 win
at Detroit.
Postell had publicly complained about his lack of playing time,
insisting he had as much ability as starters Latrell Sprewell
and the injured Allan Houston.
Houston missed his second consecutive game with the left ankle
sprain suffered in Sunday's loss at Philadelphia and is listed
as day-to-day.
The Timberwolves took the first meeting, 104-94, November 6 at
Minnesota. Wally Szczerbiak scored 28 of his 35 points in the
first half and Garnett added 19 and 13 rebounds.
The Boston Celtics can clinch their first
winning season in nearly a decade Friday night when they host
the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston clinched at least a .500 season with Wednesday's 102-99
win over Golden State. Paul Pierce had 33 points and rescued
the Celtics with a driving layup with 10 seconds left.
Boston's lead appeared safe at 98-91 with 1:00 left. But the
Warriors scored the next eight points to take a one-point lead
before Pierce drove the middle of the lane in a play similar
to his game-winning layup in Miami on November 27.
The Celtics clinched at least a .500 season for the first time
since 1992-93 when they were 48-34. That season was Boston's
14th consecutive winning season, but since then their average
win total in non-lockout seasons has been 32.
Boston is third in the Eastern Conference, five games behind
first-place New Jersey and two ahead of fourth-place Milwaukee.
The Mavericks are looking to win 50 games in consecutive
seasons for the second time in franchise history and first
since 1986-88.
Dallas is tied with San Antonio for first place in the Midwest
Division. The Mavericks fell short in Minnesota on Thursday
night, suffering a 113-111 loss.
All-Star Dirk Nowitzki had 34 points, his fifth 30-point game
in 22 games since the All-Star break. But point guard Steve
Nash had just seven points and missed a potential game-tying
shot from just inside the arc as time expired.
The Mavericks have won three straight against the Celtics,
including a 98-92 home victory on February 21, which was the
first game after their blockbuster trade with Denver.
Dallas has never swept the season series in back-to-back
seasons.
The Charlotte Hornets
seek their eighth consecutive win Friday night as they host
the league-leading Sacramento Kings.
The Hornets have the second-best record in the Eastern
Conference at 14-8 and have not lost since a 107-66 defeat
at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on March 12.
Charlotte's latest win was Wednesday's 111-104 home victory
over Orlando, which is a half-game ahead of the Hornets in the
Eastern Conference.
Jamaal Magloire scored 21 points and fellow Kentucky alumnus
Jamal Mashburn barely missed a triple-double with 20 points,
nine rebounds and eight assists as the Hornets won for the
eighth time in their last 12 home games.
Magloire made his third career start in place of starting
center Elden Campbell, who was not with the team due to
personal reasons. Magloire made 8-of-11 shots as the Hornets
had their best shooting night of the season at 56 percent
(44-of-78).
Magliore, who is shooting 61 percent (55-of-90) over his last
16 games, is also expected to start for Campbell on Friday.
The Kings opened their six-game road trip with a tremendous
defensive effort in a 101-74 victory in Houston on Thursday.
Sacramento matched their best defensive game of the season
holding the Rockets to 30 percent (26-of-87) from the field
and 34 points in the second half.
Sacramento has won three of four games since becoming the
first team in the NBA to clinch a playoff spot on March 19.
The Kings have a 1 1/2 game lead in the Pacific Division
over the Lakers.
Chris Webber scored 19 points to lead the Kings on Thursday,
who will make stops in Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit and Utah
before returning home on April 7.
Sacramento was without Peja Stojakovic for the sixth
straight game. Stojakovic has been bothered by a strained
right hamstring and remains questionable for Friday.
The Kings took the first meeting, 97-88 in Sacramento on
March 8, behind 24 points from Stojakovic and 20 from
Webber. That victory evened the all-time series at 14
games apiece.
The Milwaukee Bucks look to win
consecutive games for just the second time since the All-Star
break when they begin a three-game road trip Friday night
against the Washington Wizards.
Since the break, the Bucks have gone 10-14 and the only time
they have posted consecutive victories was a three-game winning
streak from February 20-24.
The Bucks, who were relatively healthy last season, have been
bothered by injuries all season, especially to guards Ray Allen
and Sam Cassell.
Allen missed Thursday's game with a sore knee and Cassell
constantly has been bothered by a toe, which has kept him out
of the second game of back-to-back games.
Cassell led the Bucks with 29 points in a 95-89 home win over
Denver. He shot 9-of-19 from the field as he split time at both
guard positions.
Prior to the game, second-year guard Michael Redd was placed on
the injured list with a sprained MCL. Redd has been one of
Milwaukee's most improved players, averaging 11.3 points after
playing just six games in his rookie season.
Washington is still clinging to its playoff hopes. The Wizards
are in 10th place in the East, 2 1/2 games behind Indiana.
On Tuesday, Washington opened their four-game homestand with a
103-87 rout over lowly Denver. With Michael Jordan limited by
his sore knee, Richard Hamilton and Chris Whitney scored 22
points apiece.
Jordan, who recently has hinted that he may retire due to the
injury, scored nine points in 20 minutes, but is relegated to
coming off the bench.
"All of the ego, all of the stat-watching, all those things
that most young guys go through, I'm past," Jordan said. "So
if the team is playing well with me coming off the bench, I
will continue to come off the bench."
Washington's schedule gets tougher. The Wizards homestand
continues Sunday against Dallas and ends Tuesday against the
Los Angeles Lakers.
The Wizards face just two teams with losing records (Memphis
and New York) over their final 11 games.
"It's going to be tough," coach Doug Collins said. "We have a
homestand, but we have great teams coming in so we are going to
have to play really, really well."
Milwaukee has won the first two meetings and is looking to
capture the season series for the fourth consecutive time.
