Wizards conjure up win against Blazers
After the lead changed hands for the fourth time in 40 seconds, the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers called timeout and set up a play with second-year player Richie Frahm inbounding the ball – a dangerous move against a Washington Wizards team that leads the league in steals.
Gilbert Arenas, who had just given Washington the lead, intercepted the bounce pass by Frahm, the Gonzaga University product, and scored on a breakaway dunk with 21 seconds to play to help lift the Wizards to a 104-100 victory Wednesday night.
“When you have a rookie taking the ball out of bounds, and it’s coming down to the wire, he doesn’t want to make that play,” Arenas said. “I just shot the lane when he was making the pass.”
Arenas finished with 26 points, and Larry Hughes had 26 points, nine assists and six steals as Washington completed a perfect five-game homestand.
Damon Stoudamire had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who are 1-2 midway through a six-game road trip.
Rockets 124, Mavericks 114: At Dallas, Tracy McGrady hurt a toe early in the game, so he stayed outside and scored most of his 30 points on 3-pointers and matched his season high with 11 assists, helping Houston end Dallas’ six-game winning streak. McGrady, who scored 48 in his last game in Dallas, left for several minutes in the second quarter to have his left big toe bandaged. It didn’t hurt his aim as he finished 6 of 8 on 3-pointers Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 28 points, but 11 came in the first quarter. He had an 18-minute scoreless drought over the middle two periods.
Raptors 104, Celtics 93: Morris Peterson was shooting so well from long range that he made one from 40 feet. Peterson made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 37 points to lead Toronto over Boston at Toronto. Chris Bosh added a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who are 6-6 since trading Vince Carter to New Jersey on Dec 17.
Bulls 110, 76ers 78: At Chicago, rookie Ben Gordon matched a career high with 31 points and Eddy Curry added 24 as Chicago routed Philadelphia for its fifth straight win. Gordon scored 19 in the fourth quarter, going 6 for 6 from the field, including four 3-pointers and a three-point play as the Bulls pulled away and opened a 35-point lead. Allen Iverson scored 21 but shot only 8 of 21, and as a team the Sixers hit just 38 percent.
Spurs 94, Bucks 79: Tim Duncan scored 21 points and the San Antonio bench contributed 31 points in a victory over Milwaukee in San Antonio. The Spurs, who won for the fourth time in its last five games, placed four players in double figures as Tony Parker added 20 points, Manu Ginobili 15, and Brent Barry 11.
Magic 87, Timberwolves 80: At Minneapolis, Hedo Turkoglu scored 26 points in his first start of the season, Grant Hill added 20 and Orlando snapped its seven-game road losing streak, beating Minnesota. Steve Francis had 17 points for the Magic, who withstood a 19-point, 25-rebound night from Kevin Garnett to win their first road game since Dec. 10 at Golden State.
Pistons 90, Hornets 76: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Ben Wallace had seven points, six rebounds and three blocks in the first quarter, and Detroit defeated New Orleans. Chauncey Billups added 25 points for Detroit, while Richard Hamilton had 20 points and a season-high 10 assists. Baron Davis and Lee Nailon led the Hornets with 16 points each.
Jazz 115, Suns 108: At Salt Lake City, Mehmet Okur had 21 points and 17 rebounds, and Utah beat Phoenix for its second straight win over one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Utah, which beat San Antonio on a last-second shot by Okur on Monday, rallied from an early 14-point deficit and never gave up the lead after taking it late in the second quarter.
Heat 98, Warriors 91: At Oakland, Calif., Shaquille O’Neal had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Miami avoided its first three-game losing streak of the season with a win over Golden State. Troy Murphy had 22 points and matched his season high with 17 rebounds for the cold-shooting Warriors, who have lost their last seven games.
Nuggets 95, Lakers 83: Playing in Colorado for the first time since sexual assault charges against him were dropped, Kobe Bryant was expected to have a big night. Denver never gave him much of a chance. The Nuggets built a big early lead and held Bryant mostly in check, ending a five-game losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles. Denver’s Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting.