Sacramento Kings stun Los Angeles Lakers 113-97

By Luther Jefferson

SACRAMENTO, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 22, 2012: A late flurry of points helped Sacramento Kings deliver the final punch as they prevailed over Los Angeles Lakers by 113-97 amid their worst-ever start to the NBA season.

It all started with a three-pointer by Marcus Thornton which filled the Kings with extra energy and they looked all set and ready to go that extra yard to achieve the victory as their appetite was visible with the way they executed their plans.

This is the first defeat for the Los Angeles Lakers under their new coach Mike D’Antoni and it also snapped their three-game winning run.

Sacramento Kings are the worst performers in the NBA Western Conference this season but victory over a strong side like LA Lakers will provide them enough boost in confidence to undo the early season defeats.

The Sacramento Kings made full use of the home advantage and kept their lead healthy and strong right throughout the second half but the Los Angeles Lakers were able to trim it down to only four points with only three minutes left when Marcus Thornton started a flurry that was simply unstoppable.

He delivered a three-pointer with 2:50 to play which sparked a 17 points streak for the Sacramento Kings as against five points hit by the Los Angeles Lakers which put an end to any chances of the visitors of achieving their fourth straight victory.

While Tyreke Evans added 18 points for the hosts, Marcus Thornton was exceptional right throughout the game as he hit 8-of-13 shots from the field and scored 23 points off the bench to augment the Sacramento Kings who have won their first game after five straight losses.

The NBA star Kobe Bryant was brilliant as usual as he scored 38 points, hitting 11-of-20 from the field and 11-of-13 from the foul line but lacked support from the other guys as the LA Lakers’ victory-run came to an end.

Read More

Phoenix Suns derail Portland Trail Blazers 114-87 in NBA

By Luther Jefferson

PHOENIX, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 22, 2012: The Phoenix Suns snapped a three-game losing run on Wednesday when they routed the Portland Trail Blazers by a huge margin of 114-87 in their home game of the NBA 2012-13 season.

The victory was largely attributed to a super hot shooting performance by Marcin Gortat who made 11-of-14 shots from the field and ended the game with 22 points. As a team, the Phoenix Suns shot 59 percent and kept the opponents to 40 percent shooting as Portland Trail Blazers had no answer to aggression put on display by the home side.

Phoenix Suns were in control of the proceedings right from the start as they outscored the Trail Blazers in all the four quarters and were leading by 13 points at the halfway stage.

Portland Trail Blazers found it tough to stage a comeback and succumbed to strong performance by the hosts who were also assisted by Markieff Morris with 19 points.

The only bright point for the Portland Trail Blazers was the performance of Damian Lillard who scored 24 points while Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum both delivered 13 points apiece.

This was the first defeat for the Portland Trail Blazers in their last four games.

Read More

Houston Rockets edge Chicago Bulls 93-89 in NBA thriller

By Luther Jefferson

HOUSTON, TEXAS, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 22, 2012: Flu had no impact on James Harden who played a central role in a thrilling victory for the Houston Rockets over Chicago Bulls in their NBA 2012-13 game in Houston on Wednesday.

James Harden scored 28 points which also included a late points supply which helped the home side clinch a classy victory over the high-flying visitors.

The Houston Rockets kept saving it for the finishing moments and Chicago Bulls lost it all in the decisive moments as the Rockets scored 14 points against Bulls’ four points in a phase where visitors succumbed to away game pressure and missed 11 consecutive shots.

James Harden, who was available in the center for just over 17 minutes in Houston’s loss to Utah on Monday, played for 42 minutes Wednesday delivering 8-of-14 as well as five steals which made a huge difference in the end of the hosts.

With this victory, the Houston Rockets have bucked a three-game losing run while on the other hand Chicago Bulls delivered their third straight loss as they are 1-3 on a five-game road trip which ended on Friday against Milwaukee Bucks.

Apart from James Harden, Patrick Patterson scored 20 points while Chandler Parsons hit 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to make it a team effort.

On the flip side, Chicago Bulls looked likely to win the away game against Houston Rockets in the final quarter before literally giving it away in the final moments.

Nate Robinson hit 21 points, Luol Deng scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer delivered 15 rebounds for the Chicago Bulls who have lost three in a row for the first time since 2009-10 season when they had gone on to lose 10 straight games.

Read More

Chris Bosh powers Miami Heat to 97-88 win over Phoenix Suns

By Luther Jefferson

PHOENIX, OREGON, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: Miami Heat completed a six-game road swing with 4-2 advantage on Sunday when they outplayed Phoenix Suns by 97-88 in the NBA game played in Phoenix, thanks to a sterling performance by Chris Bosh.

Chris Bosh hit 24 points and was equally assisted by the NBA star LeBron James who knocked off flu symptoms to deliver 21 points while Shane Battier also showed great skills with three-pointers as he connected four of them to end the game with 12 points.

The exuberance of Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Shane Battier never let the Miami Heat absence of their star performer Dwyane Wade who was not playing in the game due to a sprained ankle.

Another Miami Heat star Mario Chalmers also stayed in the limelight for the reigning NBA champions as he struck 11 points in the last of the six road games for the Heat.

As far as the Phoenix Suns are concerned, they received the best effort by Markieff Morris in shape of 16 points while Michael Beasley also contributed 14 points and eight rebounds but they couldn’t stop the Suns from their third straight loss.

Read More

Toronto Raptors record third victory in NBA 2012-13

By Luther Jefferson

TORONTO, Canada (TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: Toronto Raptors recorded their third victory in the NBA 2012-13 and only the second in their last seven games here Sunday when they used the home advantage to their liking against Orlando Magic.

A glittering show by DeMar DeRozan, who struck 20 points besides delivering nine rebounds, made sure that the hosts Toronto Raptors keep the visiting Orlando Magic at bay as they won the game by 97-86.

Apart from DeRozan, Jose Calderon was also in a mood of going that extra yard as he scored 18 assists for the Toronto Raptors who broke open a close game with a 24-12 run down the stretch to win going away.

Andrea Bargnani also delivered the goods with 17 points for the Toronto Raptors who are languishing at the last position in the NBA Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando Magic dearly missed the services of JJ Redick who was not available for the game due to illness as E'Twaun Moore took most part of the work-load and scored 16 points while Glen Davis hit 16 to go with 12 rebounds.

This is the sixth defeat for the Orlando Magic in their last seven games as they are at fourth position in the NBA Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference with three victories from nine games this season.

Read More

Jamal Crawford propels LA Clippers to 103-90 win over Trail Blazers

By Lindy Rumer

PORTLAND, Oregon United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 9, 2012: Jamal Crawford hit 25 points off the bench to help the Los Angeles Clippers defeat the Portland Trail Blazers by 103-90 in their first away game of the NBA 2013 on Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Clippers made their point clear in the first half of the game in Portland as they were 21 points ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers at halfway stage and then held their nerves to see off their opponents despite of a late challenge by the hosts.

The early hard work paid huge dividends for the LA Clippers as they raced to 60-39 after first two quarters and despite of the fact that Portland Trail Blazers outscored completely in the third quarter winning it by 32-17 the visitors came good in the final quarter to take it by 26-19 and with it a well-earned victory at Portland.

Apart from Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul also played their crucial part in the victory as both of them scored 21 points each for the Los Angeles Clippers in its first game away from Staples Center.

With this victory, the Los Angeles Clippers have won two straight games in the NBA 2013 season and now have the record of 4-2 and are fourth placed in the NBA Western Conference.

De'Andre Jordan also put in eight rebounds while Chris Paul delivered six assists for the Los Angeles Clippers.

On the other hand, Nicolas Batum hit 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists but couldn’t stop the Portland Trail Blazers from second consecutive defeat.

Damian Lillard also scored 16 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 points for a losing cause.

The Portland Trail Blazers had stormed their way back into contention after third quarter with score of 77-71 in favor of the visitors but they had cut down the massive deficit of the first two quarters a great deal.

At one stage in the final quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers managed to cut down the deficit to only four points at 86-82 but this is where their rally faded and when Paul hit a jumper with only 2:51 left in the final buzzer the home fans started leaving the arena with home side trailing at 98-85.

It is important to mention here that it was only the seventh victory for the Los Angeles Clippers in 32 appearances in Portland.

Read More

Kevin Durant on top of game as Thunder tame Bulls in NBA

By Lindy Rumer

CHICAGO, Illinois, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 9, 2012: The NBA star Kevin Durant was on top of his game for Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night when they recorded 97-91 victory over Chicago Bulls in their road game of the NBA 2013.

The game’s fate hanged in balance until third quarter where Chicago Bulls were leading by 72-66 but Kevin Durant came on to his own in the final quarter and scored eight of his total 24 points in the game to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

At one stage in the fourth quarter, both teams were tied at 86 points each and it looked all set for an overtime but Kevin Durant looked completely unstoppable as he finished the game with an off-balance jumpers off one foot with only 35.1 seconds in the final buzzer.

The game started with both teams scoring 24 points each in the first quarter but Oklahoma City Thunder did just a point better as they were leading the Chicago Bulls by 48-47 at halfway stage.

The home side gathered themselves in the third quarter and made a huge push which enabled them an advantage of six points at 72-66 at the end of third quarter and it looked as if Chicago Bulls would be able to edge out the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it wasn’t to be the case.

Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka led the OKC Thunder to a massive effort in the final quarter where they outscored the Chicago Bulls by 12 points at 31-19 and won the game with a six-point advantage.

Apart from Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka was also among the high-point-scoring form as he collected 21 points for the visiting Thunder out of which he scored 15 points in the first half. Serge Ibaka also delivered nine rebounds for the Oklahoma City Thunder who have now defeated the Chicago bulls for third time in their last four encounters at Chicago.

Russell Westbrook also proved his worth for the Thunder as he hit 16 points and coupled it with 12 assists.

The home side was led by Luol Deng who scored the game-high 27 points while Richard Hamilton also was in tremendous point-scoring form with total of 20 points and eight rebounds. Joakim Noah hit nine points, 13 rebounds and a team-high six assists but all of these efforts failed to ensure a home victory for the Chicago Bulls.

Read More

NBA 2013: Oklahoma City Thunder maul Toronto Raptors 108-88

By Lindy Rumer

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 7, 2012: Oklahoma City Thunder posted their second victory in four games in the NBA 2013 on Tuesday when they mauled visiting Toronto Raptors by 108-88.

It was Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka once again who served the massive blows for the OKC Thunder as they teamed up for 36 points which helped the hosts to record a comfortable victory in the end.

Russell Westbrook scored 19 points as well as delivering eight assists while Serge Ibaka hit 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting as the OKC Thunder surged to eighth position in the NBA Western Conference leader-board.

Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin also injected their inputs in the impressive victory with both of them scoring 15 points each.

Toronto Raptors who have now lost three out of their four games were paced up by rookie center Jonas Valanciunas with 18 points and Andrea Bargani with 16 points but they never had the resources to severely challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder in their backyard.

Read More

NBA 2013: Denver Nuggets beat Detroit Pistons 109-97

By Lindy Rumer

DENVER, Colorado, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 7, 2012: Denver Nuggets notched up their first victory of the NBA 2013 season on Tuesday when they outclassed Detroit Pistons by 109-97 with six of the Denver players scoring in double digits.

The Denver Nuggets were led by Andre Iguodala who scored 17 points and further revved it up with 10 rebounds while JaVale McGee also produced gutsy effort as he contributed 16 points into the victory.

Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried also played their due part in the triumph with performances of 15 points with nine assists and 15 points with eight rebounds, respectively.

Moreover, Kosta Koufos and Corey Brewer also ended up in double figures by scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively for the Denver Nuggets.

This is the first victory for Denver Nuggets this season after losing their first four games.

Their opponents Detroit Pistons succumbed to their fourth straight loss this season despite of Greg Monroe’s game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Read More

NBA 2013: Chicago Bulls see off Orlando Magic 99-93

By Lindy Rumer

CHICAGO, Illinois (TheSportsNEXT) November 7, 2012: Chicago Bulls recorded their third victory in four games in the NBA 2013 on Tuesday when they defeated Orlando Magic by 99-93.

This was the first defeat in three games for the Orlando Magic this season and they didn’t fall short by much as only six points made the difference in the end.

Luol Deng was the top-performer for the home side as he scored 23 points and eight rebounds while Joakim Noah hit 20 points, nine boards, five blocks, and four assists for the Chicago Bulls who are ranked fourth now in the NBA Eastern Conference.

It is important to mention here that the Orlando Magic had defeated Chicago Bulls in their previous meeting but this time Chicago Bulls’ support staff was also there to come up with the goods as Carloz Boozer and Taj Gibson also provided 12 points for the hosts.

On the other hand, Arron Afflalo delivered a massive performance by 28 points but he lacked the able support from other players as Nikola Vucevic and Glen Davis each supplied 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Orlando Magic.

Read More

Brooklyn Nets give Sandy-victims a victory to cheer

By Lindy Rumer

WASHINGTON, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 4, 2012: Brooklyn Nets began their NBA stint on a winning note on Saturday as they gave the Sandy-stricken fans something to cheer about with 107-100 victory over Toronto Raptors at the Barclays Center.

Super-storm Sandy devastated the US states located on the eastern coast last week and inflicted an estimated 50 billion US dollars worth of economic losses in shape of severe property damage, shut-down subways and power outages. The loss to human life was way bigger than the financial losses and as the New York City returns to life at a snail’s pace, the Brooklyn Nets added some motivation to it by winning the first game in their new home.

Brooke Lopez provided the lethal punch for the Brooklyn Nets as he scored 27 points including the late 3-pointer which he connected with only 59 seconds left to give his side a 100-97 lead which proved quite timely and effective for the home side.

Brooklyn Nets, who were playing their first-ever game in Brooklyn after relocating from New Jersey, had to wait for making their debut at the Barclays Center as the Hurricane Sandy forced the organizers to postpone the scheduled game from Thursday to Saturday.

Apart from Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson scored 14 points while CJ Watson went 6-of-9 off the bench for 15 points as the New York City celebrated the return of professional sports back to Brooklyn for the first time since the baseball Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1957.

The Toronto Raptors remained in the reckoning till final minutes of the game as Kyle Lowry hit 28 points and eight rebounds while DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points but they lacked the execution to seal the deal.

Read More

NBA 2013: Boston Celtics edge Washington Wizards out 89-86

By Lindy Rumer

WASHINGTON, United States (TheSportsNEXT) November 4, 2012: The Boston Celtics recorded their first victory in three games in the NBA 2013 on Saturday when they withstood the threat posed by Washington Wizards to eventually win the game by 89-86.

The game went to the wire as Jason Terry sank two clutch foul shots with only 1.2 seconds left in the game which ensured the Boston Celtics bounce back from a flat game earlier this week.

This is the second defeat for the Washington Wizards in as many games after they started off slowly and despite they caught up much of the gap in the later stages of the game they fell short by not too much but were left on the losing side.

Paul Pierce was the star of the night for Boston Celtics as he scored 27 points other than delivering seven rebounds. Kevin Garnett also produced the goods for the Celtics by hitting 15 points and seven boards while Rajon Rondo injected 12 points as well as 12 assists.

The Washington Wizards were staging first home game of the NBA 2012-13 season and the local fans were hoping for a rebound after defeat in the first game. However, despite of 21 points from Jordan Crawford and 19 points as well as seven rebounds from Kevin Seraphin, the Wizards failed to achieve the victory.

Read More