Sunday, March 24, 2002
Hawks down Bulls 112-96
Terry scores 23 to pace Atlanta; Rose hits for 26
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Jason Terry scored 23 points and matched a career high with 13 assists as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 112-96 Saturday night.
The Hawks, playing without leading scorer and rebounder Shareef Abdur-Rahim, have won six of seven.
Atlanta had seven players score in double figures, including 17 from DerMarr Johnson and 16 for Alan Henderson, who made his first start of the season with Abdur-Rahim in California for the birth of his son.
Jalen Rose's 26 points led Chicago, which has lost 11 of 12 and fell to 4-30 on the road.
The Bulls never led, but an inside basket from Rose made it 86-82 with 10:43 remaining. Atlanta, after calling time out, scored on its next six possessions, ending with Terry's 20-foot jumper and ensuing free throw that put the Hawks ahead by 15.
Johnson hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to give Atlanta its biggest lead 71-56.
Eddy Curry had 15 points, all in the first half, and eight rebounds for Chicago. A layup by Trenton Hassell cut the lead to 44-42 midway through the second, but the Hawks went on an 18-8 run that ended with 1:17 to go on Hanno Mottola's fast-break dunk.
Trail Blazers 108,Timberwolves 99
MINNEAPOLIS — Damon Stoudamire scored 21 points, and Scottie Pippen added 18 — 13 in the fourth quarter — as Portland beat Minnesota, moving ahead of the Timberwolves in the Western Conference standings.
The Blazers, a league-best 18-3 since the All-Star break, trailed by 10 at the half but got back into it by taking advantage of a balanced scoring attack and cold shooting by the Timberwolves. Minnesota shot 5-for-13 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, while Portland went 16-for-18.
Felipe Lopez hit a 3-pointer to put the Wolves up 87-85 with 4:40 to go.
But Pippen hit two free throws, and Shawn Kemp, who had eight points in the fourth, made a layup to put the Blazers in front for good.
Mavericks 111, Grizzlies 100
DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, and Michael Finley added 13 to surpass 10,000 for his career as Dallas completed a four-game season series sweep of Memphis.
Finley became the 238th NBA player to reach 10,000 points with an 18-foot jumper in the final minute of the first quarter.
Wang Zhizhi had a career-high 18 points, and Steve Nash scored 13 points for the Mavericks, who've won eight of 11 overall and 10 of 11 meetings against the Grizzlies.
HORNETS: The team has one week to sell almost 1,200 club seats and meet other requirements for its proposed move from Charlotte to New Orleans.
The deadline was a surprise to city leaders, who thought they would have until the NBA owners meet April 8.
“We need a call to action,” Mayor-elect Ray Nagin said Friday. “Somehow we've got to get everyone's attention and get a rallying cry, because we have one week.”
The team and local leaders immediately launched a plan to meet the requirements set out in a letter from NBA commissioner David Stern, said Alex Martins, the Hornets' director of business operations.
The club seats — those nearest the court — require a three-year commitment and cost $3,870 to $10,750. The Hornets must sell 1,168 more to meet the league's target of 2,400.
The NBA also told the team Friday that it must complete paperwork on all 55 luxury suite commitments, increase the number of multiyear sponsorships, and complete agreements on radio and television rights by next Friday.
But it was clear that club-seat sales are the NBA's main concern.
Most local businesses haven't bought tickets, said Bill Hines, chairman of the regional Chamber of Commerce's economic development arm, Metrovision.
“If 600 businesses buy two club seats, we've won,” Hines said. “Some are going to buy more than two, and some are going to buy none. We're just trying to piece it together.”
Martins said the one-week deadline was set because the league's relocation committee must submit its report to the NBA Board of Governors, which needs time to review it before April 8.
NBA executives and owners are expected to get the relocation committee's recommendation April 8 and vote the next day. Fifteen of the 29 NBA team owners must vote to approve the move.
“We're still very confident, and we believe we are going to be able to reach them,” Martins said of the league requirements. “They're all significant challenges.”
LAKERS:
It has taken almost five full months, but the Lakers finally have found a regular-season game that means something to them.
The Lakers trail the Sacramento Kings by 1 1/2 games heading into the teams' meeting today in Sacramento. With just more than three weeks left in the season, the Lakers know a loss today could dash their hopes for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Both teams are hurting. Lakers guard Derek Fisher suffered a sprained right index finger in Friday's victory over Detroit, but he is left-handed and is expected to play today. The Kings have larger issues: They might be without both Doug Christie (knee) and Peja Stojakovic (hamstring) for the game.
Regardless, the Lakers expect a battle.
Sacramento has the best home record (32-3) in the league and defeated the Lakers 97-91 on Dec.7 in the teams' previous meeting up north this season.
“We will play them just like we've done in the past,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We get the ball to (center Shaquille O'Neal), everything has to go through Shaq. They're a pretty good defensive team this year and they run well off of (missed shots), but we're going to put the ball inside and force them to collapse.”
“The big thing with us is transition defense, that's one of the things we always harp on, and this is one of the teams that wants to run the ball down before we get our defense set.”
MAGIC:
Tracy McGrady was released from the hospital Saturday, one day after leaving a game on a stretcher because of an injured back.
The guard will not travel to Milwaukee for Sunday's today's game, team spokesman Joel Glass said. McGrady is resting and is listed as day to day.
“His return will depend on how he responds to therapy and his treatment,” Glass said.
McGrady injured his back in the second quarter against Charlotte when he drove the lane and was sandwiched between the Hornets' Robert Traylor and George Lynch. He appeared to land awkwardly and collapsed face-down under the basket.
McGrady had severe back spasms and was taken to the hospital for an MRI and further evaluation. He missed three games in December because of a lower back strain.
McGrady entered Friday's game averaging 25.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
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Hawks down Bulls 112-96
