Bryant gets more than a little help from his friends

Source: GMANews.tv from AP

BOSTON —Kobe Bryant stopped his dribble, spun one way to look for a teammate, turned back the other, then just hoisted a tough shot that missed badly.

At that point, who would he have wanted to pass to?

That was early in the fourth quarter, when Bryant was the only Los Angeles Lakers player providing any offense.

But his teammates finally started scoring when Bryant stopped, sending the Lakers to a 91-84 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA finals.

Lamar Odom, who was silent in two games off the bench in Los Angeles, made two baskets in the final quarter, both when the Celtics were within one possession. Derek Fisher had five of his six field goals in the period, and Pau Gasol had one.

“They weren’t going to let me beat them down the stretch," Bryant said. “It was important for everybody to make plays, and our guys made plays. Lamar made a big play, Pau made big shots, Derek obviously made big shots, and that’s what we have to do."

Bryant had only one field goal, but by then he was probably worn out from carrying the Lakers.

With no help in sight, he had four of their six field goals in their dreadful third quarter, with Gasol adding the other two.

Amazingly, the Lakers didn’t have a basket from anyone other than those players from late in the first half until Fisher’s basket with under 9 minutes left.

“You know, we did a lot through Kobe in the third quarter, which really got us in trouble," Fisher said. “In the first half we were much better with our execution, ball movement, and it makes it hard for their defense when we’re moving the ball and we’re moving players."

Fisher finished with 16 points, one of his best efforts of the postseason, and Odom made all five shots and scored 12.

“Just Derek being Derek," Bryant said. “He makes big plays all the time. He never ceases to amaze me."

Odom had only five points in 21 minutes of the opener while battling foul trouble, and Game 2 was even more frustrating. He picked up three quick fouls there and was on the court for only 14 1/2 minutes.

But he got off to a strong start, and was back on the court for the big finish.

“Well, he got going," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “He had a kiss shot that went in off the backboard. That was kind of a gift from God to him for all that stuff he’s been through in the series."

Last time Bryant was in Boston during the finals, he was helpless as none of his teammates stepped up in the Celtics’ blowout victory in the clinching Game 6 of the 2008 series.
This time, the Lakers were at their best when he wasn’t scoring.

Bryant had only two free throws in a 10-1 run that closed the first quarter, and contributed only one field goal in an 11-3 spurt to start that second that extended the Lakers’ lead to 37-20.

They got a key contribution during the stretch from sporadically used Luke Walton, who entered in the first quarter when Ron Artest was in foul trouble.

“Everybody on this team is prepared to play," Odom said. “Everybody works hard, practices hard together, everybody’s prepared."

Bryant did most of the work over the next two periods, but the Celtics kept closing during that time.

Not to worry for Bryant. By then, help was finally on the way.

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War of words erupts between Lakers coach Jackson, Durant

Source: GmaNews.TV from AP

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— Phil Jackson doesn’t understand why Kevin Durant was upset with his comments about the Oklahoma City Thunder star getting superstar treatment from the referees.

The Los Angeles Lakers coach’s line about the referees earned him a $35,000 fine from the NBA on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Jackson was asked about Durant, who led the league in free throws, and he said in part, “I think a lot of the referees are treating him like a superstar. He gets to the line easily and often."

In response to Jackson’s comments, Durant told the Oklahoman newspaper in part: “It’s taking away from what I do. That’s a part of my game, getting to the free throw line and being aggressive. If you say that I get superstar calls or I get babied by the refs, that’s just taking away from how I play. That’s disrespectful to me."

On Friday, Jackson said he didn’t see Durant’s response.

“I really don’t know what he was upset about. It really wasn’t that upsetting," the coach said.

“He shot the most free throws in the league, he made the most free throws in the league, he shot the most shots in the league, he made the most shots in the league. I voted for him on the All-Star team, he made the All-Star team, we know he’s a great player, congratulations."

Asked about Durant feeling disrespected, Jackson replied, “Whatever."

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Ailing Nash hands Suns playoff slot

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

CHICAGO – Steve Nash scored seven of his 22 points in the final two minutes as the Phoenix Suns beat the Chicago Bulls, 111-105, to clinch a National Basketball Association playoff berth on Tuesday.

Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Channing Frye nailed a key three-pointer with 41.6 seconds to go for the Suns who won their eighth consecutive game.

Nash also had 10 assists and Amare Stoudemire added 21 points for the winners.

Nash played despite suffering from a cold and a nagging sore back.

“If I’m honest, I was taking so many meds for my back and cold that I actually felt a little loopy for most of the game,” Nash said. “It helped my back but I was a little dizzy out there. At the end of the game I just tried to hang in there. We had a chance to win and I was fortunate to make some plays when it counted.”

Flip Murray and Derrick Rose had 23 points each for Chicago who are 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the eighth playoff spot in East.

Canada’s Nash made a nifty pass to Grant Hill for a dunk with 23 seconds left to restore the Suns’ lead to three.

After Rose missed a three-pointer, Nash hit a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left.

Stoudemire dunked over James Johnson, was fouled and converted the three-point play to underscore a 10-0 first-quarter run by the Suns that opened up a 12-point lead.

The Suns’ lead didn’t last as Jannero Pargo hit a pair of three-pointers and Murray added one more in a 13-2 Chicago run that tied the game early in the second quarter.

Chicago held the lead for most of the third quarter and went to the fourth holding an 84-81 lead.

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Arenas a Wizard next season

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

WASHINGTON – A day after Gilbert Arenas was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house for bringing guns into the locker room, Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld reaffirmed that the All-Star guard will be back with Washington next season.

Grunfeld told reporters before the team’s game against Utah on Saturday that the Wizards did not plan to void Arenas’ contract.

Grunfeld says, “I think people forget that he’s still one of the best players in this league.”

Arenas avoided jail time for the offense, instead receiving a sentence that also includes two years of probation and 400 hours of community service.

Grunfeld says he has not talked to Arenas recently, although he spoke to Arenas’ father.

Washington has lost 14 straight games.

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Bobcats set win mark, move closer to playoff

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Gerald Wallace had 17 points, 19 rebounds and got two opponents to foul out in overtime to help the Charlotte Bobcats set a club record for victories Tuesday night with a 95-86 win over the Washington Wizards.

The win was No. 36 of the season for Charlotte, one more than the previous high set last season, and moved the team a step closer to the first playoff berth in its history.

The loss moved the Wizards closer to a dubious bit of history. Washington has dropped 12 straight and will equal a club mark if it loses at Indiana on Wednesday. The Wizards haven’t won since defeating lowly New Jersey, 89-85, on Feb. 28.

At Auburn Hills, Danny Granger scored 32 points as the Indiana Pacers ended a nine-game road losing streak, beating Detroit, 98-83.

Detroit was officially eliminated from the playoff race with the loss, ending an eight-year streak of postseason appearances.

Brandon Rush scored 20 points for Indiana, while Troy Murphy added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 14.

The Pistons lost starting point guard Will Bynum in the first half with a back bruise, then coach John Kuester was ejected for arguing a call in the third quarter.

At New York, Danilo Gallinari scored 17 of his 28 points during a spirited duel with Carmelo Anthony in the third quarter and Al Harrington added 23 points as the Knicks outscored the Denver Nuggets, 109-104.

New York climbed out of an early 12-point deficit and took control late in the third period. David Lee finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Anthony scored 36 points and Chauncey Billups had 25 for the Nuggets, who lost their second straight as they try to hold onto the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Their magic number for clinching a postseason spot remained at three.

The Nuggets had won the last four meetings – Anthony scored a career-high 50 in the last matchup – their longest winning streak ever against the Knicks. They seemed on their way to easily extending that run before the game changed after halftime.

Denver played its eighth game under Adrian Dantley since coach George Karl was diagnosed with throat cancer.

At Dallas, Jason Kidd celebrated his 37th birthday by scoring a season-high 26 points, much of it coming during a game-breaking spurt at the start of the fourth quarter as Dallas beat LA Clippers, 106-96.

The Mavericks came in having lost three of four since winning 13 in a row. They looked good in the first half, scoring 62 points, and were in complete control until Dirk Nowitzki was ejected with 9:16 left in the third quarter for complaining about a foul call.

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Jordan bides time with lowly Charlotte

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – New Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan doesn’t plan on being a big player in this summer’s NBA free agency bonanza that could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.

The Bobcats have no salary cap space, and Jordan doesn’t mind.

In moving from a minority investor with the final say on personnel decisions to the first former player to be a majority owner of an NBA team, Jordan is preaching patience with his squad.

He is vowing not to get into luxury tax territory with his payroll and showing distaste for what he feels is overblown hype for free agency this summer.

“That doesn’t guarantee that New York is going to be in the playoffs,” Jordan said shortly after his $275 million purchase of the team was approved last week. “Everybody is second-guessing themselves. I like where we are. If I were to unload everybody on our team just so we can clear (salary cap) space, does that mean they’re going to come to Charlotte? It’s no guarantee.”

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Win assures Cavs of third Central title

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

CLEVELAND – LeBron James had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched consecutive outright Central Division championships and the third in team history, beating Indiana, 99-94, on Wednesday night.

Cleveland (54-15) is the first team this season to clinch its division.

After Cleveland’s 18-point lead was cut to one, James had six points, two blocks, two steals and an assist in the final 4 minutes, including a dunk behind his head after catching an alley-oop pass from Anderson Varejao. Troy Murphy had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Roy Hibbert had 20 points for Indiana.

At Charlotte, Stephen Jackson scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half as the Bobcats rallied to beat Oklahoma City,100-92, to give Michael Jordan a victory in his first game as Bobcats majority owner.

Hours after the NBA’s Board of Governors approved Jordan’s $275 million purchase, he watched his team stage a dramatic recovery from a horrible start.

Stephen Graham matched a career high with 19 points filling in for the injured Gerald Wallace, and the Bobcats won for the seventh time in eight games.

Kevin Durant had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder.

At Orlando, Vince Carter had 24 points and eight assists as the Orlando Magic smothered San Antonio star Tim Duncan, 110-84.

Duncan had two points and was 1 for 10 from the field in the worst shooting percentage game of his career.

Rashard Lewis finished with 20 points to help the Magic win for the ninth time in 10 games. Richard Jefferson had 20 points for San Antonio.

At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 29 points, Kevin Garnett had 22 and Boston cruised to a 109-97 victory over New York, its third straight lopsided victory at home.

The Celtics led 32-19 after the first quarter, 68-49 at halftime and 92-69 after the third. Pierce’s basket midway through the third quarter gave Boston its biggest lead, 81-54. David Lee led New York with 29 points.

At Toronto, Chris Bosh scored with 2.1 seconds left as Toronto beat Atlanta to end a five-game losing streak, 106-105.

Bosh was 6 of 19 from the field and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He made a second-quarter layup to become the first player in franchise history to reach the 10,000-point plateau.

Andrea Bargnani had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, 2-10 in their last 12 games. Jamal Crawford had a season-high 33 points for the Hawks.

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Cavs top Pistons on LeBron's 3-double

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan – LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in his fourth triple-double of the season, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Cleveland has won four in a row and lost only one of its last 11 games, improving to an NBA-best 53-15 win-loss record.

Richard Hamilton had 24 points and was one of six Pistons who scored in double figures.

Detroit has lost three straight games and eight of 10.

At Miami, Manu Ginobili scored 22 points, George Hill had 16 and surging San Antonio wasted most of a 25-point, third-quarter lead before beating Miami, 88-76.

Richard Jefferson added 15 points and Tim Duncan had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who’ve won eight of their last nine and ensured they would end the night no worse than No. 7 in the Western Conference standings.

Dwyane Wade scored 28 points for Miami, which lost for the first time in its last seven home games. Jermaine O’Neal added 13 points and Udonis Haslem finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who missed a chance to move past Charlotte for the No. 6 spot in the East race. Charlotte lost at Indiana.

At Sacramento, Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and Pau Gasol added 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers completed a sweep of their Northern California swing with a 106-99 victory over the Kings.

After committing 24 turnovers and barely holding on for a 124-121 victory at Golden State on Monday night, the Lakers were much sharper on the back end of their trip. They committed just two turnovers in the first half and 10 for the game, overpowering the Kings inside to win their fourth straight following a season-high, three-game losing streak.

Andrew Bynum added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers finished with 60 points in the paint to remain four games ahead of Denver for the best record in the Western Conference.

At Phoenix, Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Amare Stoudemire scored 25, then sat with the rest of the Phoenix starters while the Suns’ reserves finished off a 152-114 rout of Minnesota, 152-114, in the highest-scoring game by an NBA team this season.

Lou Amundson matched his career high with 20 points as Phoenix sent the Timberwolves to their 10th straight loss and 16th in the last 17 games.

The Suns, with eight players in double figures, shot 56 percent and won their ninth in 12 games.

At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 26 points to help Indiana to a 99-94 win and deny Charlotte what would have been a franchise-record seventh consecutive victory.

Troy Murphy had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Mike Dunleavy added 15 points for Indiana, which had lost 14 of its previous 17 games.

Former Pacer Stephen Graham scored a career-high 19 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds in place of All-Star forward Gerald Wallace, who missed his second straight with an injured left ankle.

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Lakers triumph as native Suns lose cool

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

PHOENIX – Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry was ejected and had to be restrained by his assistants as the Suns were beaten, 102-96, by the Los Angeles Lakers in Friday’s NBA action.

Gentry was ejected by referee Mike Callahan after arguing that Pau Gasol should have been called for a flagrant foul on Lou Amundson’s drive to the basket with 5:06 to play.

Kobe Bryant had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists – along with seven turnovers – for Los Angeles while Andrew Bynum added 18.

Amare Stoudemire had 29 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns, playing for the first time in six days.

In Milwaukee, the hosts knocked off yet another NBA championship contender, beating Utah, 95-87.

John Salmons had 24 points and Brandon Jennings added 23 for the Bucks, who have won 11 of their past 12 – including victories over Cleveland and Boston in the past week.

Carlos Boozer had 26 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, but was ejected after a pair of technical fouls for arguing a no-call on what he thought was a foul with 13 seconds left.

In New Orleans, Denver won its fifth straight, overcoming New Orleans, 102-95.

Carmelo Anthony had 32 points and 12 rebounds and Chauncey Billups scored 21 points for Denver, which finished with a flourish to break open a game that was tied with 6:05 to go.

David West scored 30 points for New Orleans.

In Philadelphia, LeBron James had 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in his return as Cleveland downed Philadelphia, 100-76.

James was in the starting lineup after missing the previous two with an injured right ankle, and the league’s leading scorer had his 26th double-double.

Mo Williams added 21 points for the Cavaliers (51-15), who have the league’s best record.

Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 30 points.

In Miami, the hosts added to the woes of injury-stricken Chicago in a 108-95 victory.

Jermaine O’Neal scored a season-high 25 points and Quentin Richardson added 23 for Miami, which extended its season-best home winning streak to five games and passed Toronto for the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.

James Johnson and Jannero Pargo each scored 20 for Chicago, which lost its seventh straight and played without its injured top three scorers: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.

In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 20 points to lead Boston over Indiana, 122-103.

Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 11 assists while reserves Nate Robinson and Glen Davis scored 15 points for Boston.

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Jordan back as Bobcats owner soon?

Source: (The Philippine Star) from the Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The NBA has signed off on Michael Jordan’s bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats, and commissioner David Stern expects the league’s board of governors to approve the purchase by the end of next week.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Stern said he expects the vote to pass “very easily.” Jordan will become the first former player to own an NBA team and the second black majority owner. He’ll replace the first, Bob Johnson, who has lost tens of millions of dollars annually.

“He considers himself a North Carolina native and he’s quite anxious to make this team into an important part of the community,” Stern said. “I think he has the capacity and the will to do that. I think he’s the right majority owner at the right time.”

Stern said the league updated its background and financial checks on Jordan and found nothing to stop the deal. Stern said the six-time NBA champion is the sole investor in the ownership group for now, but expects him to try to find local partners.

Jordan is putting up all the cash in the deal, which is for $275 million, less than the $300 million Johnson paid for the expansion team that began play in 2004.

“I think it’s fair to say he can afford it,” Stern said.

The deal includes taking on more than $150 million in debt, covering future losses and putting millions more in capital to make improvements. The Bobcats are expected to lose about $30 million this season.

“There is going to be assumptions of debt, other obligations and infusions of cash to make sure the team can compete and continue this turnaround,” Stern said.

Jordan has declined interview requests, saying through a team spokesman he’ll speak once he’s approved as owner.

The 47-year-old NBA superstar has been a part-owner of the Bobcats and has had the final say on all basketball decisions since 2006. It was a return home for Jordan, who grew up in Wilmington, and led the University of North Carolina to the US college championship before winning five league MVP awards with the Chicago Bulls.

The deal means the end of a money-losing run for Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television. The Bobcats have struggled to sell tickets and secure sponsorships since the NBA returned to Charlotte following the Hornets’ departure to New Orleans in 2002.

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Grizzlies overrun Celtics, keep win romp on the road

Source: The Philippine Star from Associated Press

BOSTON – The Memphis Grizzlies notched a franchise-record seventh straight road win by thrashing the Boston Celtics, 111-91, in Wednesday’s NBA action.

Rudy Gay scored 28 points and O.J. Mayo added 17 to lead Memphis to its first victory over the Celtics in seven tries since 2006.

Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo scored 17 points apiece for the Celtics, who suffered their equal heaviest defeat of the season.

In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 29 points to lead Oklahoma City over injury-depleted New Orleans, 98-83.

Russell Westbrook added 17 points and came up just shy of a triple-double for the Thunder.

The Hornets got off to a hot start in their latest return to the arena they called home for two seasons following Hurricane Katrina, but it was short-lived with Peja Stojakovic (lower abdominal strain) joining All-Star point guard Chris Paul on the injured list.

David West scored 33 for the Hornets.

In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Utah beat Detroit for the 10th straight time, 115-104.

Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists to lead seven Jazz players in double figures. Former Pistons center Mehmet Okur also finished with 18 points.

Detroit also had seven players score at least 10 points, led by Charlie Villanueva’s 19, but couldn’t avoid its seventh loss in eight games.

In San Antonio, the home team inflicted a 97-87 defeat that ensured New York will have a franchise-worst ninth consecutive losing season.

Manu Ginobili scored 28 points and Tim Duncan had 18 for the Spurs, who have won five of six.

David Lee led the Knicks with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

In Miami, the hosts extended their longest home winning streak of the season to four, downing Los Angeles, 108-97.

Dwyane Wade had 27 points and eight assists and Jermaine O’Neal finished with 19 points and nine rebounds for Miami.

Former Heat forward Rasual Butler scored 31 points, two off his career best, for the Clippers, who lost their fifth straight. Los Angeles is 2-20 on the road since Dec. 19.

In Minneapolis, Chauncey Billups scored 25 points and got a huge lift from role players Chris Andersen, Nene and J.R. Smith in Denver’s 110-102 victory over Minnesota.

Andersen had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Nene had 17 points and nine boards and Smith scored 15 as the Nuggets got their act together in the second half to deliver their fourth straight win.

Al Jefferson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their seventh straight game.

In Philadelphia, Charlotte made it four successive wins, defeating Philadelphia, 102-87.

Gerald Wallace scored 28 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field and Stephen Jackson added 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Bobcats boosted their hopes of a first-ever postseason.

Rodney Carney led the Sixers with 14 points.

In Sacramento, California, Tyreke Evans recorded his first career triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, leading Sacramento over Toronto, 113-90.

Beno Udrih had 24 points and eight assists for the Kings, who scored 43 points in the third quarter and snapped a three-game losing streak.

Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points.

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Carter, Magic seal Lakers 3-game skid

Source: (The Philippine Star)

ORLANDO, Florida – Vince Carter had 25 points, and Dwight Howard finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the Lakers, 96-94, on Sunday to hand Los Angeles its first three-game losing streak of the Pau Gasol-Kobe Bryant Era.

Carter made his first 13 free throws and kept the Magic in control, showing signs of why Orlando made the move for the eight-time All-Star after losing to the Lakers in last year’s finals.

Bryant had 34 points and Gasol added 20 points for the Lakers, walking to the locker room distraught and dejected after their latest loss. And with quite a different feeling than that champagne-soaked championship celebration last June.

At Boston, Ray Allen scored a game-high 25 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 17.1 seconds remaining, as Boston rallied past Washington, 86-83.

Boston trailed 79-66 with 6:11 remaining and responded with a 20-4 run to close out the game with eight points from Allen and six from guard Rajon Rondo.

Al Thornton scored 24 points to lead the Wizards and Andray Blatche added 23 for Washington.

At Auburn, Michigan, Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 29 points to help Detroit snap a six-game losing streak in a 110-107 overtime win.

Richard Hamilton added 22 points for Detroit, while Kevin Martin had 27 points for Houston and Aaron Brooks scored 25. Martin and Brooks, though, both missed key three-point attempts in the last 10 seconds of overtime.

At Sacramento, California, Kevin Durant had 27 points and eight rebounds as Oklahoma City beat Sacramento, 108-102.

The road victory was the seventh in nine games for the Thunder, who are 3-1 against the Kings this season.

Tyreke Evans had 24 points and seven assists for the Kings and Carl Landry had 20 points and eight rebounds. Francisco Garcia scored 14 points and Jason Thompson added 11.

The Kings have lost two straight and three of four in falling to 15-15 this season at home.

Russell Westbrook scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Thunder, who have won two straight and five of six. James Harden scored all 14 of his points in the first half, while Jeff Green added 12 points.

At Toronto, Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points and Jrue Holiday had 21 as Philadelphia beat Toronto to snap a five-game losing streak, 114-101.

Andre Iguodala had 16 points and 10 assists and Elton Brand had 12 points and nine rebounds for the 76ers. Louis Williams added 12 points.

Jarrett Jack had 20 points and nine assists for Toronto, which has lost five of six. Chris Bosh had 12 points and 12 rebounds in his return to the lineup.

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Michael Jordan reaches deal to buy Bobcats

Source: ph.news.yahoo.com (Manila Bulletin)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- He has been called the NBA's greatest player and one of the country's top pitchmen.

Now Michael Jordan is ready for a new title: NBA owner.

With minutes to go until his exclusive negotiating window was to expire, Jordan struck a deal late Friday night to buy controlling interest of the Charlotte Bobcats, putting the six-time NBA champion in charge of the money-losing team in his home state.

Owner Bob Johnson announced in a statement that he's agreed to sell the Bobcats to Jordan, who been a part-owner of since 2006. Jordan has been running the team's basketball operations.

The purchase price and details of Jordan's ownership group - called MJ Basketball Holdings LLC - weren't immediately available. A spokeswoman for Johnson and a spokesman for Jordan said neither man was available for comment early Saturday.

The league's owners must still approve the purchase.

Jordan was in competition with former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos, who also had an ownership group together to buy the team. But Postolos said Jordan had the exclusive right to buy the club until just before midnight Friday night.

Jordan hit another last-second shot - reaching a deal minutes before the deadline.

"I remain committed to becoming an NBA owner, and I'm glad that Michael will continue to bring his talent to the sport and the league," Postolos said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "He's very, very committed."

It will end Johnson's stint as the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team. Jordan becomes another black owner in another milestone for the Hall of Famer, but one that comes with many challenges.

Jordan, a five-time NBA MVP and 14-time All-Star, has made millions lending his name to sneakers, apparel and other items. Now he'll begin a completely different role, trying to make the Bobcats a winner, and the franchise and Charlotte's downtown arena profitable.

After paying $300 million for the expansion team that began play in 2004-05, Johnson has accumulated about $150 million in debt and the team is expected to lose tens of millions this season as they struggle to draw fans and find sponsorships.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, shook up management several times before recruiting Jordan to be a minority investor while giving him the final say on all basketball decisions.

Jordan, who turned 47 this month, has had a unique role with the Bobcats. General manager Rod Higgins runs the day-to-day basketball operations and Jordan has rarely attended practices or games, or worked on the marketing side of the operation.

Jordan has had some missteps - drafting the disappointing Adam Morrison No. 3 overall in 2006 - but he was also able to lure Hall of Famer Larry Brown to become coach at the beginning of last season.

Jordan and Brown have made seven trades involving 21 players since the start of last season. The November acquisition of Stephen Jackson from Golden State has helped Charlotte get into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.

But attendance has still lagged, and Jordan has been criticized in Charlotte for rarely being seen - despite his iconic status in the state.

Jordan grew up in Wilmington, N.C., led North Carolina to the 1982 national championship with a last-second shot, then remained one of the state's favorite sons when he starred with the Bulls.

Jordan's first stint as an NBA executive came with the Washington Wizards, where he was roundly criticized for drafting Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft.

He changed roles when he returned briefly as a player, then was fired by owner Abe Pollin in 2003 when he tried to return to his role running the basketball operations.

No one will be able to fire Jordan after he takes control of the Bobcats, and it's likely the team will not change much in the front office.

Jordan's close friend, Fred Whitfield, is team president, and Higgins was Jordan's hire.

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Williams scores 14 in 4th to help Cavs beat Celtics

Source: GMANews.TV

BOSTON — The Celtics were better early, then LeBron James and the Cavaliers blew right by them.

Story of this game.

Story of the season.

James had 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, Mo Williams scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland dominated the second half in a 108-88 victory Thursday night.

Unable to stop Rajon Rondo or the Celtics in the first quarter, the Cavaliers turned up the defense in the fourth, limiting the Celtics to 3-of-21 shooting and snapping a nine-game losing streak in Boston, counting playoffs.

"We haven't had much success here," James said. "We've lost nine times coming into this building. So it gets the monkey off our backs. But don't read too much into it."

James kept the Cavaliers in it for three quarters on a night they lost Shaquille O'Neal to a first-half thumb injury, then Williams made four 3-pointers when Cleveland outscored Boston 35-14.

"I think in the second half our level of aggressiveness really stepped up on both ends of the floor," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "There was no panic among our guys. We knew 24 minutes was a lot of time. We just started chipping away from it."

Ray Allen scored 21 points, and Rondo had 19 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who badly missed injured All-Star Paul Pierce (right thumb) when their offense went stagnant in the final 1½ quarters.

"They were a lot more aggressive in the second half. They made adjustments to stop Rondo's penetration," Celtics forward Kevin Garnett said. "We knew it was a real big test. We can't play one half and relax."

Cleveland improved to 20-10 on the road, tying Boston for the best in the NBA, and avenged a 95-89 home loss on opening night.

That came back when Boston looked like the class of the Eastern Conference while the Cavaliers struggled early. But the Celtics have been unable to stay healthy and Cleveland has left the Celtics and everyone else in the East behind, opening a 5½-game lead over Orlando while dropping Boston 7½ games back in a tie with Atlanta.

This game followed a similar path. Boston was much better early inside a rocking TD Garden, but most of the green-clad fans were gone before the final minutes after the deeper Cavaliers wore them down.

Cleveland outscored Boston 60-32 in the second half, allowing just five baskets in the final 17½ minutes.

"When they were scoring that much, it was deflating. Took our wind away," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We went from being a team with stops and attacking to the team being attacked."

The Cavaliers trailed for nearly all the first three quarters, then quickly took control in the fourth. Williams' basket gave them the lead for good at 79-78 with 9:13 to play, and he drilled consecutive 3-pointers to extend it to 93-83 with 5½ minutes remaining.

James had the next four points to make it a 14-point game in another big night against the NBA's most storied franchise. He came in averaging 30.2 points against Boston, just shy of Michael Jordan's 30.7 mark for best in NBA history.

He had to do a little extra after O'Neal appeared to be hurt when Celtics forward Glen Davis whacked his hand while trying to block a shot with about 7½ minutes left in the second quarter. O'Neal left for good about 30 seconds later, and the report said he had a "significant" right thumb sprain.

And they are without a backup center for now after trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Washington before the trade deadline. The Wizards waived Ilgauskas on Thursday after reaching agreement on a buyout, and he could decide to rejoin his former teammates after waiting the mandatory 30 days.

Cleveland had struggled defensively since the trade, a pattern that continued Thursday. The Celtics made 10 of their first 13 shots, with Rondo making five of the baskets and assisting on the other five. His layup with 33 seconds left gave Boston a 31-21 lead after one quarter. – AP

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Mavs too tough for Kobe, Lakers

Source: (The Philippine Star) from Associated Press

DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks overcame the absence of Caron Butler to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 101-96, on Wednesday in a clash of NBA divisional leaders, extending their NBA winning run to five games.

Butler, a key part of a seven-player trade with Washington this month, missed the game because of a bad reaction to medication. Without Butler, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry picked up the slack by scoring 22 of the Mavericks’ final 23 points. Nowitzki finished with 31 and Terry with 30.

Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant scored 20 points and moved into 13th place on the career scoring list. Bryant, who passed Reggie Miller, has 25,298 points.

Bryant missed a 3-pointer that could have tied it with 25 seconds left.

In Houston, Dwight Howard was 11 for 11 from the field and had 30 points and 16 rebounds to help Orlando beat Houston, 110-92.

Howard scored all of his points in the last three quarters, as he sat out almost the entire first period after committing two quick fouls. He had his 19th straight double-double to break a tie with Shaquille O’Neal for the franchise record.

Aaron Brooks led Houston with 24 points.

In San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 26 points and made a spectacular block on Kevin Durant’s would-be dunk late in the fourth quarter, leading San Antonio over Oklahoma City, 95-87.

Ginobili’s crucial block in the final minutes helped stop Durant’s streak of scoring 25 points or more at 29 games. Durant had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Spurs.

In Toronto, Andre Miller had 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead Portland over Toronto, 101-87.

Brandon Roy added 20 points for the TrailBlazers.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 points for the Raptors who failed to top 100 points for the first time in 21 games – a streak that had extended back to Jan. 6.

In Salt Lake City, Carlos Boozer scored 20 of his 33 points in the second half to help Utah defeat Charlotte, 102-93.

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Rondo carries Celtics to 110-106 win over Knicks

Source: GMANews.TV from AP

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo scored 15 points and had 16 assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 110-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in a matchup of teams that traded with each other last week.

Ray Allen added 24 points, Kevin Garnett 16, Marquis Daniels 14 and Kendrick Perkins 12 as Boston sent New York to its eighth straight loss. The Celtics were without forward Paul Pierce, who was home with the flu. Boston coach Doc Rivers said Pierce wouldn't have played anyway due to a sore right thumb injured last Thursday in a win over the Lakers.

David Lee had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, while Wilson Chandler scored 19 points and Sergio Rodriguez 18.

Celtics guard Nate Robinson — acquired last Thursday from New York along with forward Marcus Landry for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker and a future conditional second-round pick — scored four points on 2 for 7 shooting in his first game with his new team.

Robinson missed the last three games of Boston's four-game road trip with food poisoning.

House had four points off the bench for the Knicks. Walker added seven, while Giddens and Landry didn't play.

Tracy McGrady did play after saying following Monday's loss that he wasn't sure he would because he banged knees a couple of times during that game. He scored just six points on 3 of 8 shooting after going 0 for 2 from the floor in 6½ minutes in the opening quarter. It was only his ninth game this season after returning from knee surgery.

Boston led 94-91 entering the final quarter and the Knicks closed it to 107-106 on McGrady's drive with 2:43 to play.

Daniels scored on a drive with 1:56 to go, making it 109-106 and Allen blocked Chandler's drive as the shot clock expired with 48.9 seconds left. Garnett sealed it with a free throw in the closing seconds.

New York was coming off an embarrassing 83-67 loss at home Monday against Milwaukee, its lowest point total since a 104-59 loss in Boston on Nov. 29, 2007.

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Cavs snap 3-game losing streak

Source: GMANews.TV from AP

CLEVELAND — Antawn Jamison rubbed lotion into his forearms and let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, he remembered what it felt like to win again.

Jamison scored 18 points in his first start for Cleveland, LeBron James added 20 points and 13 assists and the Cavaliers escaped Tuesday with a 105-95 win over the New Orleans Hornets to end a three-game losing streak.

Cleveland hadn't won since acquiring Jamison from Washington at last week's trade deadline.

"It feels good to get one," Jamison said. "It wasn't pretty, but those are the games you have to find a way to get a victory and we found a way to do that."

New Orleans rookies Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison combined for 59 points, including a franchise-record 23 from Thornton in the second quarter.

Thornton finished with a career-high 37 points and set two other team records: most points by a rookie and most points off the bench. He hit his first five shots and 10 of 13 in the second as the Hornets scored 40 points in the quarter.

"It was really something," Hornets coach Jeff Bower said. "He was aggressive coming off screens and confident when he went up to shoot."

Thornton, a second-round pick out of LSU, entered sixth in the NBA among rookies with a 10.8-point scoring average. He nearly equaled his previous career high of 25 just in the second quarter.

"I would rather have a 'W,'" Thornton said. "The records mean something, but they would mean more if we had won."

Collison was just as good for New Orleans. Subbing for an injured Chris Paul, he scored 22 points and added 10 assists. Collison has averaged 23.7 points over his last seven games, while he and Thornton zipped around Cavs guards most of the night as Cleveland continues to struggle with its defense.

"We're definitely not where we want to be (defensively) right now," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Everybody feels it and we've got to fight through it."

The Cavaliers' defense tightened when it had to in the fourth, particularly on Thornton. He didn't score over the final 8:27 and didn't have a basket from the floor over the final 9:55 as Delonte West and James did a better job of getting up in his face.

"Their defense really stiffened and made it hard for us to get clean looks," Bower said. "They made it hard for some of our cuts to be run and to get the ball moved cleanly. They're an outstanding defensive team and they did a good job on those late possessions."

Cleveland was struggling to put the Hornets away when Mo Williams, struggling to find his touch since returning from a shoulder injury, broke an 89-all tie with a 3-pointer with 4:13 to play. West followed with a block of Thornton, then came down to the other end and knocked down another 3 to stretch the Cavaliers' lead to 95-89.

James took it from there, hitting a 3-pointer and finishing a three-point play in the final two minutes to give Cleveland its first win since the All-Star break. James, though, certainly doesn't seem worried by Cleveland's recent struggles. Two of the three teams Cleveland lost to — Denver and Orlando — are in first place in their respective divisions.

"There's 82 games in the regular season. You'll have ups and downs," James said. "We've had way more ups than downs. We have the best record in the Eastern Conference and one of the best records in the league. You can go two or three games where you don't win a game. That's not our worries.

Jamison started in place of J.J. Hickson in his first home game. Hickson missed the game with flulike symptoms, but Brown was leaning toward starting Jamison anyway after easing him into the rotation by bringing him off the bench for his first two games.

Jamison made an immediate impression, hitting his first shot of the game and later catching a no-look pass from James and finishing with a one-handed dunk, hanging on the rim long enough for teammate Anderson Varejao to wrap his arms around him and catch him in the third quarter.

"We lost (three) games in a row and thought it was the end of the world," Jamison said. "I've never been part of that before. It's a good feeling. It's what championship basketball is all about."

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Kobe returns and sinks Grizzlies, 99-98

Source: GMANews.TV from AP

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kobe Bryant returned to lineup after missing five games with an ankle injury and hit a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to 99-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday night.

Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points, including his team's final nine points. His 3-pointer with 54 seconds left tied the game.

Pau Gasol added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who won for the seventh time in their last eight road games.

The Grizzlies, who lost their fifth straight home game, were led by O.J. Mayo's 25 points. Zach Randolph scored 20 and grabbed 14 rebounds, his seventh straight double-double.

Mayo's two missed free throws with 18.8 seconds allowed the Lakers an opportunity to complete a comeback from nine points down early in the fourth quarter. Had Mayo made his free throws, the Grizzlies would have led by four.

Absent from the Lakers lineup for his longest stretch in five years, Bryant scored nine points in the opening quarter, including a four-point play, and triggered a late first-quarter run with two breakaway dunks to increase the Lakers lead to 11.

Bryant last played Feb. 5 and Los Angeles went 4-1 without him.

The Grizzlies took their first lead early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Mayo for a 59-56 advantage and didn't trail again until Bryant's game-winning shot.

Bryant, averaging 42.5 points against Memphis in two previous games this season, began his late nine-point run with a jumper from the left wing with 2:23 to go to trim the Memphis lead to 95-92.

With Bryant scoring 17 of his points in the first half, the Lakers built several 14-point leads before settling for a 53-48 halftime advantage.

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Bogut on target with 20-20 in Bucks' triumph over Knicks

Source: (The Philippine Star)

NEW YORK – Andrew Bogut had 24 points and 20 rebounds in his third career 20-20 game as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks, 83-67, on Monday for their third straight victory.

Limited to just 5 1/2 minutes at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago because of a migraine, Bogut played 36 minutes this time and overwhelmed the Knicks’ smaller front line. He shot 12 of 15 from the field in his first 20-20 game since Dec. 13, 2008, against Indiana, according to STATS, LLC.

John Salmons scored 15 points for the Bucks, who forced the Knicks into their worst offensive performance of the season and completed a three-game sweep of the series.

Tracy McGrady scored 15 points in his second game with the Knicks, but shot only 5 of 14. He wasn’t alone in struggling, as the team hit just 33.8 percent from the field in its season-high seventh straight loss.

At Washington, Andray Blatche scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds to lead Washington over Chicago, 101-95.

Blatche, averaging 25 points in the four games since the trades of Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, helped Washington to its first three-game home winning streak since April 4-12, 2008. He also made all nine of his free throws.

Early in the third quarter, the Wizards scored 14 straight to take a 62-58 lead, holding Chicago scoreless for 6 minutes, 10 seconds. Blatche, Al Thornton and James Singleton each scored four points in the run.

Derrick Rose scored 22 points for the Bulls. (AP)

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Howard powers Magic to 101-95 win over Cavs

Source: By ANTONIO GONZALEZ, Associated Press Writer (sports.yahoo.com)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Howard(notes) sat on a chair in front of his locker and plopped his son, Braylon, onto his lap. The 2-year-old was wearing a blue shirt with the Superman emblem stamped on the chest.

Statement? Hardly. The big man did that on the court.

Howard had 22 points and 16 rebounds in a bruising battle with Shaquille O’Neal(notes), and the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland 101-95 on Sunday for the Cavaliers’ first three-game losing streak in two years.

“He’s a big load,” Howard said of O’Neal, who had taken offense recently to Howard being called Superman. “You just got to get in there and fight him. You got to get out there and wrestle with him. You got to make him work.”

They both did plenty of that.

Howard was 8-for-13 shooting and added four blocks, and Vince Carter(notes) had eight of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Magic beat Cleveland for the first time this season.

O’Neal made his first eight shots and finished with 20 points, and LeBron James(notes) had 33 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were eliminated by Orlando in last year’s Eastern Conference finals.

“Dwight is one of the only true big men left. I’m sure he doesn’t mind a little bit of physicality,” said O’Neal, who avoided any verbal jabs at Howard after this one. “I darn sure don’t mind it. Two big, strong guys. Old ball, young ball going at it. Fun game to watch.”

Stayed tuned. Might be plenty more matchups this season.

Although the Cavaliers’ losing skid - all since acquiring Antawn Jamison(notes) from Washington - comes on the heels of a 13-game winning streak, they still lead Orlando by five games. And with the Magic starting to play their best basketball, a conference finals rematch might be in store.

“We play the way we’re playing, they play the way they’re playing, we’ll eventually meet,” Howard said.

The hoopla surrounding the Howard-Shaq squabble over the Superman nickname finally lived up to the billing, and for a February game it sure felt like June.

Carter made a two-handed dunk over heavy traffic, and followed that with a layup over Jamison, pumping his fist to the crowd in celebration. Jameer Nelson(notes) came back with a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead 96-88 with about 2 minutes left.

O’Neal tipped in a missed shot, and Anthony Parker(notes) made a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to three. But after James missed a 3-pointer on Cleveland’s next possession, Rashard Lewis(notes) made a 3 - from the same spot where he sent the Game 6 clincher into overtime last year - with 20.1 seconds remaining to seal the Magic’s win.

Jamison, acquired from Washington earlier this week, had 19 points - after starting his Cleveland career 0 for 12 - but still doesn’t know what it feels like to win with his new team.

“I think Antawn is really going to benefit us, we are just going through a little transition period right now trying to figure out lineups and figuring out certain sets,” James said.

Until the last few minutes, though, it was Superman vs. Superman.

O’Neal has been known as the comic book superhero for most of his 17-year NBA career, and he had taken exception with Howard getting the same nickname. It didn’t help that Howard has erased much of O’Neal’s shadow in Orlando - where he spent four years in the mid-90s - and has restored the Magic to prominence.

“I am not concerned with that,” said O’Neal, who has called Howard an “impostor” among other things. “When I am done playing, I will have four, five or six (titles). I am not concerned with useless titles.”

He’ll also be remembered for putting on quite a show.

O’Neal grabbed a rebound and caught Howard under the basket, hammering a powerful one-handed dunk over the young center in the opening quarter. Shaq added a put-back dunk, an alley-oop tip and a three-point play over Howard all before the half.

At the other end of the floor, Howard used his youth and agility to wiggle around O’Neal almost at will, slicing through the paint for layups and hook shots and making the elder center sprint down the court. Howard also banked a jumpshot from the wing and his defensive presence helped Orlando go ahead 46-35 late in the second quarter.

“I don’t think he smiled tonight so that should make everybody happy,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, referring to how some perceive Howard as a happy-go-luck center. “He’s playing as well as anybody in the league.”

And suddenly, so are the Magic.

“Sometimes people do forget that we’re the defending Eastern Conference champions,” Lewis said. “That’s OK. We just got to keep playing hard, because we know we might see them again.”

NOTES: Gina Marie Incandela sang the national anthem, the same 7-year-old girl the Magic had perform for most of their surprising NBA finals run last season. Orlando was 7-0 when she sang until losing consecutive home games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. … Howard and O’Neal bumped fists before the opening tip.

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