Webber’s 40 Points Upstages Smith’s Maryland Return
NBA
Many of the fans at the soldout USAir Arena came to see the return of NBA rookie sensation Joe Smith. They all went home talking about Chris Webber.
Webber scored a career-high 40 points against his former teammates, and the Washington Bullets snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 115-94 Wednesday night.
Webber made 18 of 25 shots, including three of his four 3-point attempts, to top his previous career best of 37 points. He also had 10 rebounds and 10 assists in overshadowing the homecoming of Smith, who enjoyed two stellar seasons as the University of Maryland before becoming the No. 1 pick in last June’s NBA draft.
Smith finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes. He scored 27 points last week in the Warriors’ 132-117 home rout of Washington.
“I had a lot of incentive. There were a lot of people teasing me about Joe doing so well against us,” Webber said. “I knew he’d be excited about coming home, but this is our house. We don’t want to get embarrassed in our home.”
Smith played well, but he just couldn’t keep up with Webber. He wasn’t alone, though, as Webber pretty much had his way against anyone the Warriors threw at him.
“I am very disappointed,” Smith said. “I wanted to get the win because it’s on the road, it’s my homecoming and we need to improve our record. Anytime you lose, it’s hard.”
Juwan Howard scored 24 points from the Bullets, who never trailed in their first victory over Golden State in seven games since February 1993.
Webber, who played his first NBA season with the Warriors before coming to Washington last year, had 32 points in the first three quarters as the Bullets built an 82-73 lead.
Bullets 115, Warriors 94
Landover, Md.
GOLDEN STATE (94)
Kersey 3-5 0-0 6, Smith 7-11 1-2 15, Seikaly 5-8 7-12 17, Sprewell 3-14 0-0 7, Armstrong 5-9 4-6 15, Mullin 2-7 0-0 5, Hardaway 4-12 2-2 12, Gatling 3-8 2-2 8, Rozier 3-3 0-2 6, Barry 0-0 0-0 0, Marshall 1-2 1-2 3, Wood 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-80 17-28 94.
WASHINGTON (115)
Howard 11-21 2-2 24, Webber 18-25 1-4 40, Muresan 0-5 0-0 0, Eackles 2-6 0-0 4, Pack 5-12 4-4 14, McIlvaine 2-4 2-4 6, Legler 5-6 6-6 20, Wallace 1-3 0-0 2, B.Price 0-4 2-2 2, Butler 1-1 1-2 3, McCann 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 45-89 18-24 115.
Golden State 28 27 18 21 - 94
Washington 36 25 21 33 - 115
3-Point goals-Golden State 5-12 (Hardaway 2-3, Armstrong 1-2 Mullin 1-2, Sprewell 1-4, Marshall 0-1), Washington 7-13 (Legler 4-5, Webber 3-4, Eackles 0-1, Pack 0-1, Wallace 0-1, B.Price 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Golden State 56 (Seikaly 11), Washington 49 (Howard, Webber 10). Assists- Golden State 11 (Hardaway 3), Washington 27 (Webber 10). Total fouls-Golden State 24, Washington 24. Technicals- Kersey, Golden State Illegal defense.
A-18,756 (18,756). T-2:10.
Clippers 116, Hornets 107
Charlotte, N.C.
Brian Williams scored 25 points and Los Angeles never trailed in ending Charlotte’s six-game home winning streak.
L.A. CLIPPERS (116)
Murray 7-12 1-2 17, Vaught 10-14 2-2 22, Williams 11-18 3-4 25, Sealy 7-15 5-5 19, Richardson 6-13 4-4 18, Outlaw 0-1 0-0 0, Dehere 3-6 1-1 8, Tower 0-2 0-0 0, Barry 2-3 0-0 5, Piatkowski 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 47-87 16-18 116.
CHARLOTTE (107)
Johnson 8-14 4-8 20, Burrell 8-19 5-5 23, Zidek 1-1 0-0 2, Rice 11-21 6-8 29, Gill 4-9 2-3 10, Geiger 4-6 4-4 12, Curry 4-12 2-2 11, Sutton 0-1 0-0 0, Beck 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 40-84 23-30 107.
L.A. Clippers 40 29 19 28 - 116
Charlotte 25 27 27 28 - 107
3-Point goals-Los Angeles 6-20 (Murray 2-4, Richardson 2-4, Barry 1-2, Dehere 1-3, Piatkowski 0-1, Sealy 0-6), Charlotte 4-19 (Burrell 2-8, Rice 1-4, Curry 1-6, Gill 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Los Angeles 44 (Williams 13), Charlotte 49 (Johnson 11). Assists-Los Angeles 33 (Richardson 12), Charlotte 23 (Johnson 7). Total fouls-Los Angeles 26, Charlotte 19. Technical-Gill. A-24,042 (23,698).
Bucks 99, Timberwolves 93 (OT)
Minneapolis
Sherman Douglas sent the game into overtime on a basket with 4.9 seconds left, and Glenn Robinson scored five of his 19 points in overtime for Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE (99)
Baker 8-19 6-8 22, Robinson 7-19 5-5 19, Benjamin 2-4 2-2 6, Newman 1-3 0-0 2, Douglas 9-14 5-6 24, Cummings 4-9 3-4 11, Keys 2-3 0-0 4, Mayberry 1-4 1-1 3, Reynolds 3-3 2-6 8, Conlon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-78 24-32 99.
MINNESOTA (93)
Mitchell 6-12 6-7 18, Gugliotta 5-11 1-4 12, Laettner 4-13 9-11 17, Rider 7-20 4-7 18, Porter 4-11 1-1 12, West 2-4 2-4 6, Garnett 2-8 0-0 4, Rooks 1-3 3-6 5, Allen 0-3 1-2 1, Smith 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-86 27-42 93.
Milwaukee 26 17 20 24 12 - 99
Minnesota 21 23 24 19 6 - 93
3-Point goals-Milwaukee 1-9 (Douglas 1-2, Baker 0-1, Mayberry 0-2, Robinson 0-4), Minnesota 4-20 (Porter 3-8, Gugliotta 1-2, Mitchell 0-1, Laettner 0-1, Allen 0-2, Rider 0-6). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Milwaukee 56 (Baker 13), Minnesota 63 (Rooks 9). Assists-Milwaukee 22 (Robinson 8), Minnesota 21 (Porter 9). Total fouls-Milwaukee 33, Minnesota 29. Technicals-Laettner, Gugliotta, Milwaukee illegal defense. A-17,101 (19,006).
Suns 105, 76ers 90
Phoenix
Charles Barkley had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and helped key a third-period spurt that carried Phoenix to a win.
A.C. Green and rookie Michael Finley added 19 points apiece and Elliot Perry 15 for the Suns. They beat the Sixers for the ninth straight time overall and 10th in a row at home.
PHILADELPHIA (90)
Stackhouse 7-15 7-7 24, Weatherspoon 6-9 4-5 16, Brown 1-3 2-4 4, Maxwell 10-20 4-4 30, Skiles 3-7 0-0 7, Ruffin 2-9 2-2 7, Dumas 0-1 0-0 0, Alston 0-3 0-0 0, Malone 1-1 0-0 2, Walters 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-68 19-22 90.
PHOENIX (105)
Green 7-13 5-5 19, Barkley 10-16 3-6 25, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Finley 7-13 3-5 19, Perry 7-13 1-1 15, Tisdale 3-11 6-6 12, Smith 4-10 0-0 9, Person 2-6 1-1 6, Kleine 0-1 0-0 0, Rusconi 0-0 0-0 0, Carr 0-1 0-0. Totals 40-85 19-24 105.
Philadelphia 27 25 14 24 - 90
Phoenix 29 31 23 22 - 105
3-Point goals-Philadelphia 11-20 (Maxwell 6-6, Stackhouse 3-7, Skiles 1-3, Ruffin 1-4), Phoenix 6-16 (Barkley 2-4, Finley 2-4, Smith 1-3, Person 1-3, Perry 0-2). Fouled out-Brown. Rebounds-Philadelphia 40 (Brown 13), Phoenix 51 (Barkley 14). Assists-Philadelphia 22 (Maxwell 6), Phoenix 25 (Barkley 7). Total fouls-Philadelphia 20, Phoenix 22. Technicals- Maxwell, Philadelphia illegal defense. A-19,023 (19,023).
Trail Blazers 135, Celtics 109
Portland, Ore.
Clifford Robinson scored all of his 30 points in the first three quarters as Portland snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Boston.
Robinson, who also had 10 rebounds, made six of eight 3-point attempts - including four of five in the third quarter. Rod Strickland added 15 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and rookie Gary Trent scored a career-high 19 points.
Todd Day’s 25 points led the Celtics, who lost their second road game in as many nights.
BOSTON (109)
Fox 3-8 0-0 6, Radja 3-9 7-8 13, Montross 2-4 0-0 4, Brown 4-8 0-0 9, Barros 3-9 0-0 7, Day 9-19 3-4 25, Ellison 3-3 3-4 9, Minor 6-11 2-3 15, Lister 0-2 4-4 4, Wesley 5-10 1-2 13, Smith 1-1 1-2 3, Burrough 0-1 1-4 1. Totals 39-85 22-31 109.
PORTLAND (135)
Grant 2-5 1-2 5, C.Robinson 9-17 6-8 30, Dudley 1-3 0-0 2, McKie 6-10 2-2 14, Strickland 5-12 5-6 15, J.Robinson 6-9 0-0 15, Sabonis 3-6 3-3 9, Trent 6-12 7-10 19, Childress 3-8 5-6 11, Williams 2-6 4-5 8, Wingfield 2-2 0-0 6, Cook 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 45-91 34-44 135.
Boston 25 18 32 34 - 109
Portland 36 26 43 30 - 135
3-Point goals-Boston 9-22 (Day 4-6, Wesley 2-5, Minor 1-1, Brown 1-4, Barros 1-5, Fox 0-1), Portland 11-21 (C.Robinson 6-8, J.Robinson 3-4, Wingfield 2-2, McKie 0-1, Strickland 0-1, Trent 0-1, Childress 0-2, Sabonis 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Boston 48 (Day 6), Portland 63 (C.Robinson 10). Assists-Boston 19 (Wesley 7), Portland 32 (Strickland 10). Total fouls-Boston 31, Portland 20. Technicals-Lister, Trent. Flagrant fouls-Day. A-21,401 (21,401).
Bulls ready for new streak
Although the Chicago Bulls’ winning streak ended a victory short of matching a team record, coach Phil Jackson wasn’t the least bit upset.
“In a way, it’s a relief to have our winning streak over,” Jackson said after Tuesday night’s 103-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The way the Bulls (23-3) have started, any loss is unusual. This one ended a 13-game run, leaving the Bulls one victory short of the record set in 1991, when Jackson led Chicago to the second of three consecutive NBA championships.
Fans favorites in the East
Michael Jordan, Grant Hill and Shaquille O’Neal led their positions after the second week of fan voting for the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Hill, of Detroit, led all vote-getters with 151,077 votes at the forward position, ahead of Chicago’s Scottie Pippen with 100,366.
Jordan, also of Chicago, led guards with 130,950, and Anfernee Hardaway of Orlando was second with 107,383.
O’Neal, also of Orlando, had 100,876 votes at center, followed by Alonzo Mourning of Miami with 46,731.
The game will be played Feb. 11 at San Antonio.