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Jason Kidd had 8 points, 5 assists, and 6 turnovers in his debut, a loss to the Hornets. (CHRIS GRAYTHEN/GETTY IMAGES) |
NBA roundup
Kobe Bryant scored 41 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers spoil Shaquille O'Neal's debut with a 130-124 victory over the Suns last night in Phoenix.
Pau Gasol added 29, including a breakaway dunk that put Los Angeles up, 123-117, with 1:15 to play. Lamar Odom added 22 for the Lakers, who won their sixth in a row to move into a tie with Phoenix atop the Pacific Division.
O'Neal scored 9 of his 15 points in the final quarter and grabbed nine rebounds in 29 minutes against his old team in his first game in nearly a month. He came to the Suns a week ago in an unexpected trade that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami. O'Neal played for the Lakers from 1996-2004.
Amare Stoudemire had 37 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix, while Steve Nash added 26 points and eight assists and Leandro Barbosa had 17 points.
O'Neal's debut came against the team he led to three NBA titles, and the visitors were in control most of the way.
Hornets 104, Mavericks 93 - Chris Paul had 31 points, 11 assists, and a career-high 9 steals, spoiling Jason Kidd's debut with Dallas and lifting host New Orleans.
Kidd, acquired Monday from New Jersey, looked out of sorts at times, committing six turnovers. Kidd, who had practiced only twice with his new team, finished with 8 points and five assists.
Peja Stojakovic made three 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, while Bobby Jackson hit five and wound up with 17 points. David West also scored 18 for New Orleans despite playing with foul trouble in the second half.
76ers 124, Knicks 84 - Philadelphia rarely has had a win so easy, scoring 100 points through three quarters and crushing visiting New York.
New York had turnovers on almost every possession in some stretches, took ugly shots, and trailed by 46 points in the third quarter.
The loss came on the heels of Tuesday night's 113-100 victory over Washington when a spat between Knicks Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson shared the spotlight with a franchise record for points in overtime (23).
Nets 110, Bulls 102 - Marcus Williams (25 points), in his first game as Kidd's temporary replacement at point guard, combined with Richard Jefferson (24) for New Jersey's first 10 points of overtime, and the Nets beat visiting Chicago.
Cavaliers 106, Pacers 97 - LeBron James had his second consecutive triple-double, with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists, and Cleveland beat host Indiana.
Clippers 100, Grizzlies 86 - Corey Maggette had 30 points and 10 rebounds and Los Angeles sent Memphis to its 11th straight road loss, the Grizzlies longest since the 2000-01 season.
Raptors 127, Magic 110 - Chris Bosh had 40 points - going 14 for 16 from the field and 11 for 11 from the foul line - and Jose Calderon had 19 points and 13 assists as host Toronto downed Orlando.
Bucks 103, Pistons 98 - Michael Redd scored 27 points and Andrew Bogut continued his tear with 14 points and 14 rebounds as host Milwaukee held on to beat Detroit, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Kings 119, Hawks 107 - Ron Artest scored 29 points and Kevin Martin had 26 for host Sacramento as Atlanta lost its sixth straight game and 13th in 14 on the road.
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