NBA Roundup: Rockets beat Roy-less Blazers
Published 11:34 pm Friday, January 29, 2010
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets got back to their attacking style and snapped a three-game losing streak.
Aaron Brooks scored 33 points and Carl Landry added 21 in the Rockets’ 104-100 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Brooks reached 30 points for the fifth time this season, and Luis Scola and Trevor Ariza added 12 points apiece for the Rockets, who’ve won 12 of the last 13 regular-season meetings with the Blazers in Houston.
The Rockets scored 52 points in the paint, repeatedly cutting through Portland’s defense with aggressive drives down the lane. When Brooks wasn’t slashing inside for layups, he was finding Landry or Scola open for easy shots.
“We wanted to attack a little bit more, and that’s what we did,” said Brooks, who also had seven assists. “We can’t be afraid of getting blocked. We’ve got to go in there and try it, just be more aggressive. We just need to play to really beat teams, rather than to play not to lose.”
Hawks 100, Celtics 91
ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Atlanta beat Boston to complete its first season sweep of the Celtics in 11 years.
Cavaliers 94, Pacers 73
INDIANAPOLIS — Cleveland’s LeBron James finished with 22 points, a season-high 13 assists and nine rebounds, the third time in six games that he missed a triple-double by a single rebound.
Thunder 101, Nuggets 84
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 30 points and Oklahoma City snapped Denver’s nine-game winning streak by limiting the Nuggets to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Lakers 99, 76ers 91
PHILADELPHIA — Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 24 points in the second half as Los Angeles won its third straight.
Wizards 81, Nets 79
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Earl Boykins hit a jumper with less than a second to play and Washington won its first game since guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended.
Bobcats 121, Warriors 110
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Jackson scored 30 points in his return to Oracle Arena, and Gerald Wallace had 30 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte.
Jazz 101, Kings 94
SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Millsap tied his career high with 32 points in his first start of the season and added 14 rebounds and seven assists as Utah won its fifth straight.
Bulls 108, Hornets 106 (OT)
NEW ORLEANS — Luol Deng scored 26 points, including a putback with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
Spurs 104, Grizzlies 97
SAN ANTONIO — Tim Duncan scored 19 points to lead San Antonio.
Heat 92, Pistons 65
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Dwyane Wade scored 22 points and Udonis Haslem added 16 for Miami, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Timberwolves 111, Clippers 97
MINNEAPOLIS — Al Jefferson scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Minnesota led by as many as 23 points in just its 10th victory this season.
Nike ad features gun language
NEW YORK — An advertisement featuring the NBA’s two biggest superstars includes a gun reference, the same week two players were suspended for carrying firearms to the locker room. The Nike ad, just inside the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, has LeBron James on one page and Kobe Bryant on the other. Along with the slogan, “Prepare For Combat,” is a quote from each player showing how tough he is.
Bryant’s blurb says: “I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber.”
The chamber in a gun is the compartment that holds the bullet before it is fired.
Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended for the season Wednesday for having guns in the Washington Wizards’ locker room.
