Shaq’s Return Spells Doom For Jazz
NBA
So much for Shaquille O’Neal gradually working his way back for the Orlando Magic.
The defending NBA scoring champion returned from a thumb injury that sidelined him the first six weeks of the season Friday night and scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to pace a 111-99 victory over the Utah Jazz.
His performance overshadowed a 24-point, 21-rebound night for Utah’s Karl Malone.
Playing his first game since fracturing his right thumb in an exhibition game, O’Neal played 24 minutes as a backup to Jon Koncak, who started the 22 games O’Neal missed.
Dennis Scott scored 26 points, Nick Anderson had 17 and Anfernee Hardaway, who helped Orlando to a 17-5 record without O’Neal, contributed 16 points and 11 assists for the Magic.
Utah got 21 points from Chris Morris and 12 assists but just 7 points from John Stockton, who missed his first seven shots and didn’t score until midway through the fourth quarter.
Magic 111, Jazz 99
UTAH (99)
Russell 3-3 0-0 7, Malone 10-21 4-6 24, Spencer 2-3 3-5 7, Morris 6-17 7-8 21, Stockton 3-11 0-0 7, Hornacek 4-11 3-3 13, Eisley 0-0 0-0 0, Benoit 0-1 0-0 0, Carr 4-11 7-8 15, Keefe 2-4 1-1 5, Foster 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-83 25-31 99.
ORLANDO (111)
Scott 8-17 6-7 26, Grant 1-4 0-2 2, Koncak 2-2 0-0 5, Anderson 6-12 2-2 17, Hardaway 5-12 5-8 16, O’Neal 9-16 8-16 26, Shaw 4-8 0-0 8, Wolf 2-3 1-2 5, Bowie 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 40-80 22-37 111.
Utah 23 22 27 27 - 99
Orlando 32 23 28 28 - 111
3-Point goals-Utah 6-12 (Hornacek 2-2, Morris 2-6, Russell 1-1, Stockton 1-3), Orlando 9-21 (Scott 4-8, Anderson 3-8, Koncak 1-1, Hardaway 1-2, Shaw 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Utah 50 (Malone 21), Orlando 60 (Grant, O’Neal 11). Assists-Utah 24 (Stockton 12), Orlando 26 (Hardaway 11). Total fouls-Utah 27, Orlando 21. Technicals-Stockton, Utah coach Sloan, Carr, Utah illegal defenses 2, Orlando illegal defenses 3. A-17,248 (17,248).
Pistons 105, Nets 98
Auburn Hills, Mich.
Grant Hill’s second triple-double of the season led Detroit over New Jersey.
Hill finished with 19 points, a career-high 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Detroit scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to make it 89-81 and eventually led by as many as 10.
Allan Houston led Detroit with 22 points.
NEW JERSEY (98)
Gilliam 9-14 0-0 18, Brown 0-3 4-4 4, Dare 3-3 0-0 6, Edwards 11-16 1-1 26, Anderson 4-9 2-2 11, Williams 2-8 2-4 6, Bradley 1-6 0-2 2, Childs 3-7 2-2 10, Fleming 3-5 1-2 7, O’Bannon 4-4 0-0 8. Total 40-75 12-17 98.
DETROIT (105)
Hill 6-11 7-8 19, Thorpe 9-11 1-3 19, Leckner 2-2 0-0 4, Hunter 2-7 1-2 6, Houston 8-24 3-3 22, Mills 3-9 0-0 6, Dumars 6-11 6-8 20, Ratliff 4-5 1-2 9, Roe 0-0 0-0 0, Reid 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-80 19-26 105.
New Jersey 25 26 30 17 - 98
Detroit 23 29 30 23 - 105
3-Point goals-New Jersey 6-14 (Edwards 3-5, Childs 2-4, Anderson 1-4, Fleming 0-1), Detroit 6-18 (Houston 3-7, Dumars 2-5, Hunter 1-4, Hill 0-1, Mills 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-New Jersey 40 (Williams 8), Detroit 47 (Hill 10). Assists-New Jersey 19 (Anderson 7), Detroit 29 (Hill 12). Total fouls-New Jersey 27, Detroit 17. A-15,483 (21,454).
Celtics 122, Raptors 103
Boston
Dino Radja scored a season-high 31 points and had 14 rebounds as Boston surpassed the .500 mark for the first time this season, coasting to victory over Toronto.
The Celtics, who won their third straight, moved their record to 11-10, marking the first time since last Nov. 30 they’ve been over the .500 mark.
Rick Fox added 24 for Boston, and rookie Eric Williams had 17.
Zan Tabak led the Raptors with 18 points and Ed Pinckney had 16.
TORONTO (103)
Murray 5-13 2-2 13, Pinckney 7-11 2-4 16, Miller 3-5 3-4 9, Stoudamire 6-14 2-4 15, Anderson 2-10 0-0 4, Tabak 7-11 4-6 18, Robertson 4-8 0-0 9, Rogers 5-8 0-0 10, Earl 0-0 0-0 0, King 2-2 0-0 4, Esposito 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 43-87 13-20 103.
BOSTON (122)
Radja 12-18 7-8 31, Fox 8-12 5-5 24, Montross 5-8 3-8 13, Minor 1-3 0-0 2, Barros 5-11 0-0 13, Day 4-7 5-7 13, Williams 5-8 6-7 17, Wesley 2-11 3-4 7, Lister 1-1 0-0 2, Burrough 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 43-79 29-39 122.
Toronto 23 24 21 35 - 103
Boston 31 26 31 34 - 122
3-Point goals-Toronto 4-12 (Robertson 1-1, Stoudamire 1-2, Espostio 1-3, Murray 1-5, Anderson 0-1). Boston 7-19 (Fox 3-4, Barros 3-7, Williams 1-1, Wesley 0-6, Day 0-1). Fouled out- None. Rebounds-Toronto 38 (Tabak 8), Boston 39 (Radja 14). Assists-Toronto 28 (Robertson, Stoudamire 7), Boston 20 (Wesley 6). Total fouls-Toronto 31, Boston 18. Technicals- Boston illegal defense 2. A-17,580 (18,600).
Bullets 122, Lakers 114
Landover, Md.
Chris Webber scored 15 of his career-high 37 points in the fourth quarter as Washington rallied to beat Los Angeles for its third consecutive victory.
Webber had 10 rebounds and Juwan Howard added 26 points for Washington, which has won four in a row at home.
The Lakers blew a six-point lead after three quarters, allowing the Bullets to go on an 18-2 run in the fourth.
Cedric Ceballos led the Lakers, who had won six of nine games, with 33 points. Nick Van Exel added 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
LA LAKERS (114)
Campbell 8-16 3-6 19, Ceballos 15-24 3-3 33, Divac 5-9 0-2 10, Jones 2-8 2-3 6, Van Exel 10-16 0-0 25, Lynch 0-0 0-0 0, Blount 1-3 2-2 4, Threatt 3-5 0-0 8, Peeler 0-0 4-5 4, Miller 1-1 3-4 5. Totals 45-82 17-25 114.
WASHINGTON (122)
Howard 13-21 0-0 26, Webber 16-24 4-6 37, Muresan 1-5 2-2 4, Cheaney 5-10 2-4 13, Pack 5-12 11-12 21, Legler 3-4 4-5 10, Wallace 2-4 0-0 4, Butler 0-1 0-0 0, B.Price 1-2 0-0 3, McIlvaine 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 47-85 25-31 122.
LA Lakers 28 27 32 27 - 114
Washington 35 26 20 41 - 122
3-Point goals-Los Angeles 7-15 (Van Exel 5-7, Threatt 2-2, Ceballos 0-2, Jones 0-4), Washington 3-8 (Cheaney 1-1, B.Price 1-2, Webber 1-2, Pack 0-1, Legler 0-1, Butler 0-1). Fouled out- None. Rebounds-Los Angeles 41 (Campbell 8), Washington 48 (Webber 10). Assists-Los Angeles 22 (Van Exel 9), Washington 26 (Pack 10). Total fouls-Los Angeles 23, Washington 22. Technicals-Los Angeles coach Harris, Wallace, Los Angeles illegal defense 2, Washington illegal defense. A-18,756 (18,756).
Pacers 112, Bucks 95
Indianapolis
Rik Smits had 12 first-quarter points in Indiana’s most productive period of the season and the Pacers went on to defeat Milwaukee.
The Pacers led 38-18 after the first quarter, shooting 65 percent, and weren’t seriously challenged in winning their fourth straight.
Derrick McKey added 19 points and Mark Jackson finished with 12 points, 12 assists and four steals for Indiana.
Milwaukee’s Glenn Robinson had 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter.
MILWAUKEE (95)
Baker 4-9 9-10 17, Robinson 8-16 3-3 22, Benjamin 5-11 2-2 12, Newman 3-5 2-2 8, Douglas 6-8 1-2 13, Cummings 6-8 0-0 12, Respert 1-2 0-0 2, Mayberry 1-5 0-0 2. Keys 0-0 0-0 0, Conlan 2-3 2-2 6, Reynolds 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 36-67 20-23 95.
INDIANA (112)
McKey 8-12 1-2 19, D.Davis 4-7 0-0 8, Smits 6-9 4-4 16, Miller 4-7 6-6 14, Jackson 5-12 1-1 12, A.Davis 3-6 6-6 12, Pierce 5-8 0-2 12, Ferrell 0-2 0-0 0, Workman 2-4 0-0 5, Johnson 7-8 0-0 14, Best 0-0 0-0 0, Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 44-75 18-21 112.
Milwaukee 18 22 28 27 - 95
Indiana 38 22 25 27 - 112
3-Point goals-Milwaukee 3-7 (Robinson 3-4, Respert 0-1, Mayberry 0-2), Indiana 6-12 (McKey 2-2, Pierce 2-2, Jackson 1-2, Workman 1-2, A.Davis 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Miller 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Milwaukee 32 (Robinson 9), Indiana 36 (D.Davis 8). Assists-Milwaukee 17 (Douglas 6), Indiana 38 (Jackson 12). Total fouls-Milwaukee 25, Indiana 28. Technicals-Douglas, Newman, Milwaukee coach Dunleavy, Bejamin, Indiana illegal defense. A-16,263 (16,530).
Cavaliers 100, Timberwolves 88
Minneapolis
Chris Mills equaled a career high with 26 points and Terrell Brandon added 19 as Cleveland beat Minnesota.
Cleveland never trailed en route to its 10th victory in 14 games since starting the season 0-7.
Danny Ferry added 17 for Cleveland. Bobby Phills scored 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting before leaving the game with 48 seconds left in the third quarter with a bruised left quadriceps muscle.
Christian Laettner led Minnesota with 22 points and Isaiah Rider added 21.
CLEVELAND (100)
Mills 11-17 1-2 26, Ferry 6-11 3-4 17, Cage 0-3 1-2 1, Phills 6-9 0-0 14, Brandon 7-13 4-4 19, Majerle 4-9 4-4 14, Amaechi 0-0 0-0 0, Courtney 1-2 2-3 4, Crotty 0-2 5-6 5. Totals 35-66 20-25 100.
MINNESOTA (88)
Mitchell 3-8 0-0 6, Gugliotta 5-17 1-1 11, Laettner 8-12 5-6 22, Rider 8-20 0-1 21, Porter 4-6 0-0 10, West 4-6 2-3 10, Rooks 1-2 0-0 2, Allen 2-5 0-0 5, Garnett 0-1 1-2 1, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Bragg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-78 9-13 88.
Cleveland 26 28 30 16 - 100
Minnesota 19 26 25 18 - 88
3-Point goals-Cleveland 10-18 (Mills 3-6, Phills 2-2, Ferry 2-3, Majerle 2-5, Brandon 1-1, Crotty 0-1), Minnesota 9-17 (Rider 5-6, Porter 2-3, Laettner 1-2, Allen 1-2, Mitchell 0-1, Smith 0-1, Gugliotta 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Cleveland 46 (Mills, Ferry 8), Minnesota 37 (Laettner 9). Assists-Cleveland 21 (Brandon 6), Minnesota 26 (Mitchell, Porter 5). Total fouls-Cleveland 18, Minnesota 21. Technicals-Cleveland illegal defense 2. Flagrant foul- Mitchell. A-10,722 (19,006).
Kings 114, Rockets 110
Houston
Bouncing back from a season-low performance in his last game, Mitch Richmond scored 24 of a career-high-tying 47 points in a fourth-quarter comeback, leading Sacramento.
Richmond scored only eight points in Tuesday night’s 133-93 loss to Houston, but he made up for it against the Rockets, helping the Kings erase a 10-point deficit at the start of the final quarter.
Houston tried to counter with Hakeem Olajuwon, who had a run of 11 straight points over the final 5:50 and finished with 37 points.
SACRAMENTO (114)
Williams 2-6 3-4 8, Grant 4-5 0-0 8, Polynice 3-7 2-2 8, Richmond 17-29 10-13 47, Edney 2-5 4-4 8, M.Smith 3-3 0-1 6, Corbin 1-1 0-0 2, Simmons 4-4 2-2 11, Marciulionis 4-7 1-1 10, Williamson 1-4 0-0 2, Causwell 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 43-74 22-27 114.
HOUSTON (110)
Horry 2-8 9-10 13, Brown 2-2 1-2 5, Olajuwon 13-21 11-14 37, Drexler 4-9 8-11 17, K.Smith 2-5 0-0 4, Elie 5-9 0-2 11, Cassell 5-9 1-1 13, Bryant 2-4 1-2 5, Chilcutt 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 37-71 31-42 110.
Sacramento 26 25 22 41 - 114
Houston 26 32 25 27 - 110
3-Point goals-Sacramento 6-12 (Richmond 3-5, Simmons 1-1, Marciulionis 1-3, Williams 1-3). Houston 5-20 (Cassell 2-4, Chilcutt 1-3, Elie 1-3, Drexler 1-4, K.Smith 0-2, Horry 0-4). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Sacramento 36 (Polynice 10), Houston 28 (Bryant, Olajuwon, Horry 7). Assists-Sacramento 27 (Richmond, Edney 7), Houston 21 (Drexler 7). Total fouls- Sacramento 29, Houston 21. A-16,285 (16,611).
Grizzlies 104, Trail Blazers 100 (OT)
Vancouver, B.C.
Vancouver avoided tying an NBA record for futility, snapping a 19-game losing streak with an overtime victory over Portland.
The victory was the first for the expansion team after a 2-0 start and was the Grizzlies’ second this season against the Trail Blazers.
Rookie Bryant Reeves led the way for Vancouver with a season-high 25 points.
PORTLAND (100)
Grant 4-8 1-2 9, C.Robinson 8-21 1-4 19, Dudley 3-5 0-0 6, McKie 3-9 0-2 7, Strickland 12-25 1-2 29, Williams 7-12 3-4 17, Trent 2-5 3-4 7, Childress 1-3 0-0 3, J.Robinson 1-5 1-1 3, Wingfield 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 41-93 10-19 100.
VANCOUVER (104)
King 1-4 0-0 2, Avent 6-13 1-2 13, Reeves 10-20 5-10 25, B.Edwards 4-15 3-4 11, Murdock 5-13 3-6 14, D.Edwards 1-2 2-2 4, Martin 3-5 4-4 11, Mobley 3-5 2-4 8, Scott 2-8 1-2 5, Amaya 2-4 7-9 11. Totals 37-89 28-43 104.
Portland 27 19 30 20 4 - 100
Vancouver 22 24 25 25 8 - 104
3-Point goals-Portland 8-26 (Strickland 4-7, C.Robinson 2-7, Childress 1-3, McKie 1-4, Grant 0-2, J.Robinson 0-3), Vancouver 2-12 (Martin 1-1, Murdock 1-3, Scott 0-1, B.Edwards 0-7). Fouled out-Dudley, Williams, Strickland. Rebounds- Portland 65 (Dudley 13), Vancouver 63 (Reeves 17). Assists- Portland 20 (Strickland 13), Vancouver 23 (Murdock 12). Total fouls-Portland 33, Vancouver 24. Technicals-Amaya, Vancouver illegal defense 2. A-15,236 (20,049).