Published: Monday, November 2, 2009
Blazers dodge Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY — Brandon Roy couldn’t get his shot going for a second straight night. So, he used what energy he had left for one final charge.
Tuckered out after a 42-point performance the previous night, Roy scored 16 and got aggressive late to finish out the Portland Trail Blazers’ 83-74 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
“I was tired. The first back-to-back is always tough,” said Roy, who had 42 points a night earlier in Houston. “I just kept telling guys, ‘This is when we have to execute. This is when we have to almost be perfect.’”
Roy struggled to get anything going on offense — and so did the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, a fellow Rookie of the Year.
Roy made just four of his first 16 shots before finally finding a way to hurt Oklahoma City at the free throw line. While Durant continued to misfire on jump shots, Roy knifed his way into the lane repeatedly to earn trips to the foul line and help Portland inch away.
His three-point play off a driving layup gave the Trail Blazers a 70-62 lead with 3:59 to play.
“I’m maturing and learning the game and saying when you get leads you’ve got to try to build on them by getting to the free throw line,” said Roy, the 2007 Rookie of the Year. “You don’t have to always shoot jumpers.”
Lakers 118, Hawks 110
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant had 41 points and eight rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 21 points and Los Angeles pulled away with 18 consecutive points in the third quarter. Lamar Odom had 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the defending NBA champions, who bounced back from a loss to Dallas with an overwhelming second half in Atlanta’s first defeat.
Celtics 97, Hornets 87
BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 27 points to help Boston improve to 4-0. Chris Paul had 22 points and eight assists for New Orleans, and then had to be held back after the game when he tried to follow the Celtics off the court to their locker room. Paul and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo also exchanged words in the second quarter, drawing matching technical fouls.
Nuggets 133, Grizzlies 123
DENVER — Carmelo Anthony extended his torrid start with 42 points in the Nuggets’ shootout win over the Grizzlies. O.J. Mayo scored a career-high 40 points for Memphis.
Heat 95, Bulls 87
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 25 points to push his career total to 10,005, Udonis Haslem had 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Miami improved to 3-0.
Magic 125, Raptors 116
TORONTO — Jameer Nelson scored 30 points, J.J. Redick had a career-high 27 and Orlando used a season-high 17 3-pointers to beat Toronto.
Suns 120, Timberwolves 112
PHOENIX — Channing Frye hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, and Jason Richardson had 23 points in his first game following a two-game suspension for the undefeated Suns.
Grant Hill had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. Amare Stoudemire added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Steve Nash had 14 points and 14 assists.
Tuckered out after a 42-point performance the previous night, Roy scored 16 and got aggressive late to finish out the Portland Trail Blazers’ 83-74 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
“I was tired. The first back-to-back is always tough,” said Roy, who had 42 points a night earlier in Houston. “I just kept telling guys, ‘This is when we have to execute. This is when we have to almost be perfect.’”
Roy struggled to get anything going on offense — and so did the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, a fellow Rookie of the Year.
Roy made just four of his first 16 shots before finally finding a way to hurt Oklahoma City at the free throw line. While Durant continued to misfire on jump shots, Roy knifed his way into the lane repeatedly to earn trips to the foul line and help Portland inch away.
His three-point play off a driving layup gave the Trail Blazers a 70-62 lead with 3:59 to play.
“I’m maturing and learning the game and saying when you get leads you’ve got to try to build on them by getting to the free throw line,” said Roy, the 2007 Rookie of the Year. “You don’t have to always shoot jumpers.”
Lakers 118, Hawks 110
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant had 41 points and eight rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 21 points and Los Angeles pulled away with 18 consecutive points in the third quarter. Lamar Odom had 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the defending NBA champions, who bounced back from a loss to Dallas with an overwhelming second half in Atlanta’s first defeat.
Celtics 97, Hornets 87
BOSTON — Paul Pierce scored 27 points to help Boston improve to 4-0. Chris Paul had 22 points and eight assists for New Orleans, and then had to be held back after the game when he tried to follow the Celtics off the court to their locker room. Paul and Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo also exchanged words in the second quarter, drawing matching technical fouls.
Nuggets 133, Grizzlies 123
DENVER — Carmelo Anthony extended his torrid start with 42 points in the Nuggets’ shootout win over the Grizzlies. O.J. Mayo scored a career-high 40 points for Memphis.
Heat 95, Bulls 87
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 25 points to push his career total to 10,005, Udonis Haslem had 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and Miami improved to 3-0.
Magic 125, Raptors 116
TORONTO — Jameer Nelson scored 30 points, J.J. Redick had a career-high 27 and Orlando used a season-high 17 3-pointers to beat Toronto.
Suns 120, Timberwolves 112
PHOENIX — Channing Frye hit six 3-pointers and scored 25 points, and Jason Richardson had 23 points in his first game following a two-game suspension for the undefeated Suns.
Grant Hill had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix. Amare Stoudemire added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Steve Nash had 14 points and 14 assists.
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