Pacers, Pistons pummel
Indiana’s Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson charged into the stands and fought with fans in the final minute of their game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, and the brawl forced an early and ugly end to the Pacers’ 97-82 win at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Officials stopped the game with 45.9 seconds remaining after pushing and shoving between the teams spilled into the stands once fans got involved by throwing things at the players near the scorer’s table.
“It’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen as a coach or player,” said Pistons coach Larry Brown, who was in the middle of the confrontation, trying to break it up.
After several minutes of players fighting with fans in the stands, a chair, beer, ice, and popcorn were thrown at the Pacers as they made their way to the locker room in one of the scariest brawls in an NBA game.
The Palace announcer said the game was being stopped and pleaded with fans not to throw things.
It all started when Detroit’s Ben Wallace went in for a layup and was fouled hard by Artest from behind.
Wallace wheeled around and pushed Artest in the face. The benches emptied and punches were thrown.
As the players continued shoving each other near center court and coaches tried to restore order, Artest sprawled out on his back on the scorer’s table, looking relaxed.
Just when it appeared tempers had died down, Artest was struck by a full cup thrown from the stands. He jumped up, and charged into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.
Fans were punching back, and Jackson and another teammate joined Artest in the melee.
Heat 107, Jazz 105 (OT): Dwayne Wade capped a career-high 39-point night with a jumper over Raja Bell at the buzzer in overtime, giving Miami a victory over visiting Utah.
The second-year guard had 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading the Heat past a Western Conference opponent for the first time in four tries this season. Shaquille O’Neal had 22 points, with 2-of-10 foul shooting, and 11 rebounds for Miami before fouling out with 1:19 left in OT.
Suns 107, Lakers 102: Amare Stoudemire scored 33 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 51.8 seconds remaining, to power Phoenix over visiting Los Angeles.
Mavericks 103, Knicks 101: Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead Dallas over visiting New York.
The Mavericks were without three key players: Michael Finley (sprained ankle), Erick Dampier (strained hip flexor) and Jason Terry (sprained ankle). Reserve guard Dan Dickau (Gonzaga University) also missed the game because of food poisoning.
Trail Blazers 110, Bucks 98: At Portland, Ore., Damon Stoudamire scored 33 points and Zach Randolph added 22 points and 18 rebounds to lead Portland over Milwaukee.
Spurs 92, Celtics 84: Tim Duncan scored 26 points to stay unbeaten in all 14 of his games against Boston, and visiting San Antonio capitalized on fourth-quarter turnovers to secure its sixth consecutive win.
Nuggets 99, Bulls 81: At Denver, Earl Boykins matched his career high with 32 points and Carmelo Anthony added 18 despite foul trouble, as Denver dropped Chicago to 0-7.
Kings 107, Grizzlies 105: At Sacramento, Calif., Chris Webber scored 31 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the floor and Sacramento overcame an eight-point, third-quarter deficit to defeat Memphis.
Around the league
Jason Kidd‘s recovery from surgery on his left knee is on schedule and the All-Star point guard hopes to practice next month with the struggling New Jersey Nets. … Indiana forward Jonathan Bender is expected to be out six weeks with an injured left knee. The 7-0, 235-pound forward has averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds during his first five seasons. … The New Orleans Hornets signed 6-10 forward Matt Freije and waived guard Tim Pickett, their second-round draft pick out of Florida State. Freije was Miami’s second-round pick, out of Vanderbilt, but he was waived last Sunday.