bjtheman1
Bench Warmer
MIAMI (AP)—Paul Millsap(notes) scored a career-high 46 points, including a putback at the buzzer to force overtime, and the Utah Jazz got two free throws from Francisco Elson(notes) with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Miami Heat 116-114 on Tuesday night.
Utah erased a 22-point deficit, plus overcame a 39-point night from Dwyane Wade(notes) and LeBron James’(notes) 29th career triple-double—20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds—to hand the Heat their first home loss.
The Heat missed five shots in the final two minutes of overtime that either would have tied the game or given them the lead, including Eddie House’s(notes) desperation jumper at the buzzer.
Deron Williams(notes) had 21 points and 14 assists for the Jazz before fouling out late in regulation. Andrei Kirilenko(notes) had 16 points.
Millsap’s 46 were by far the most by any player to face Miami this season— and he might have been a most surprising candidate to top that list. In eight previous games against the Heat, Millsap averaged just 6.9 points.
Hornets 101, Clippers 82
NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Willie Green(notes) scored 19 points and fellow reserve guard Jarryd Bayless added 15, helping New Orleans remain unbeaten.
With Chris Paul(notes) on the bench, Bayless and Green took over in the fourth quarter, combining to score the Hornets’ first 19 points in the period to put New Orleans up 89-69.
Paul added 13 points and eight assists for New Orleans, which is now off to a franchise-best 7-0 start. Emeka Okafor(notes) and Trevor Ariza(notes) each scored 12 for the Hornets, whose rookie coach, Monty Williams, still hasn’t lost.
Al-Farouq Aminu(notes) scored 20 for the Clippers, who played most of the game without starting center Chris Kaman(notes) after he sprained his left ankle.
Pacers 144, Nuggets 113
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Pacers made their first 20 shots of the third quarter, missing out on a perfect period when Josh McRoberts(notes) was off on a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left.
Mike Dunleavy scored 24 of his 31 points in the Pacers’ 54-point period. Indiana, which shot 64 percent overall, led 113-76 at the end of the third quarter.
Darren Collison(notes) scored 29 points, Tyler Hansbrough(notes) had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Danny Granger(notes) added 19 points for the Pacers (3-3). Indiana set league season highs for points, field goals made and field-goal percentage.
Ty Lawson(notes) led Denver with 19 points and Arron Afflalo(notes) added 17. Carmelo Anthony(notes) scored 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting for the Nuggets (4-4).
Cavaliers 93, Nets 91
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Antawn Jamison(notes) and Anthony Parker(notes) hit late 3-pointers and Cleveland got 52 points from its reserves in its third consecutive victory.
J.J. Hickson(notes) led the Cavaliers’ balanced attack with 18 points. Ramon Sessions(notes) and Jamison each added 15 points and Daniel Gibson(notes) had 14 as Cleveland beat the Nets for the ninth straight time.
Travis Outlaw(notes) scored a season-high 27 points for the Nets, who have lost five in a row after opening the season with two wins. Devin Harris(notes) added 18 and Brook Lopez(notes) had 16 for New Jersey, which got 17 points from its reserves.
Cleveland made five of its nine 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, none being bigger than the ones by Jamison and Parker in the final 2:28.
Bucks 107, Knicks 80
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Brandon Jennings(notes) scored 19 points, Drew Gooden(notes) added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Milwaukee broke out of an early season shooting slump.
The Bucks (3-5) used 68 percent shooting in the first quarter to grab the lead and never trailed in defeating the Knicks (3-4) for the fourth straight time. The Bucks, who came in averaging an NBA-worst 89.6 points, passed that point total by the end of the third quarter. The final point total was also a season high.
Corey Maggette(notes) finished with 14 points for Milwaukee.
Amare Stoudemire led the Knicks with 19 points and Wilson Chandler(notes) added 11.
Trail Blazers 100, Pistons 78
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Portland ended Detroit’s two-game winning streak.
Nicolas Batum(notes) added 17 points for the Blazers.
Portland’s three-time All-Star Brandon Roy(notes) raised eyebrows when he left for an extended period in the first half and iced his right leg. The Blazers were plagued by injuries last season and are still without centers Joel Przybilla(notes) and Greg Oden(notes).
The Pistons, who opened the season with five straight losses before winning their last two, were led by Rodney Stuckey(notes) with 17 points.
Stuckey started his second game after an issue with coach John Kuester put him on the bench against Charlotte last Friday. He apparently refused to acknowledge Kuester during a game at Atlanta.
The Pistons dropped to 0-4 on the road.
Lakers 99, Timberwolves 94
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 33 points, Pau Gasol(notes) added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Los Angeles improved to 8-0 for just the third time in franchise history.
Lamar Odom(notes) overcame foul trouble and scored two important late baskets to finish with 15 points for the Lakers, who matched the 1987-88 team for the second-best start in club history. Only the 1997-98 Lakers were better, starting 11-0.
Yet the Lakers never pulled away from the rebuilding Timberwolves, who lost their sixth straight. Kevin Love(notes) had 23 points and a career-high 24 rebounds for Minnesota, which lost its 12th straight to the Lakers despite getting within two points in the final minutes.
Love, the one-season UCLA star, finished two points shy of his career high while battling with Ron Artest(notes), who scored 13 points.
Michael Beasley(notes) scored 17 points for the Wolves, and Sebastian Telfair(notes) had 13 points and nine assists.
Utah erased a 22-point deficit, plus overcame a 39-point night from Dwyane Wade(notes) and LeBron James’(notes) 29th career triple-double—20 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds—to hand the Heat their first home loss.
The Heat missed five shots in the final two minutes of overtime that either would have tied the game or given them the lead, including Eddie House’s(notes) desperation jumper at the buzzer.
Deron Williams(notes) had 21 points and 14 assists for the Jazz before fouling out late in regulation. Andrei Kirilenko(notes) had 16 points.
Millsap’s 46 were by far the most by any player to face Miami this season— and he might have been a most surprising candidate to top that list. In eight previous games against the Heat, Millsap averaged just 6.9 points.
Hornets 101, Clippers 82
NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Willie Green(notes) scored 19 points and fellow reserve guard Jarryd Bayless added 15, helping New Orleans remain unbeaten.
With Chris Paul(notes) on the bench, Bayless and Green took over in the fourth quarter, combining to score the Hornets’ first 19 points in the period to put New Orleans up 89-69.
Paul added 13 points and eight assists for New Orleans, which is now off to a franchise-best 7-0 start. Emeka Okafor(notes) and Trevor Ariza(notes) each scored 12 for the Hornets, whose rookie coach, Monty Williams, still hasn’t lost.
Al-Farouq Aminu(notes) scored 20 for the Clippers, who played most of the game without starting center Chris Kaman(notes) after he sprained his left ankle.
Pacers 144, Nuggets 113
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Pacers made their first 20 shots of the third quarter, missing out on a perfect period when Josh McRoberts(notes) was off on a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left.
Mike Dunleavy scored 24 of his 31 points in the Pacers’ 54-point period. Indiana, which shot 64 percent overall, led 113-76 at the end of the third quarter.
Darren Collison(notes) scored 29 points, Tyler Hansbrough(notes) had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Danny Granger(notes) added 19 points for the Pacers (3-3). Indiana set league season highs for points, field goals made and field-goal percentage.
Ty Lawson(notes) led Denver with 19 points and Arron Afflalo(notes) added 17. Carmelo Anthony(notes) scored 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting for the Nuggets (4-4).
Cavaliers 93, Nets 91
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Antawn Jamison(notes) and Anthony Parker(notes) hit late 3-pointers and Cleveland got 52 points from its reserves in its third consecutive victory.
J.J. Hickson(notes) led the Cavaliers’ balanced attack with 18 points. Ramon Sessions(notes) and Jamison each added 15 points and Daniel Gibson(notes) had 14 as Cleveland beat the Nets for the ninth straight time.
Travis Outlaw(notes) scored a season-high 27 points for the Nets, who have lost five in a row after opening the season with two wins. Devin Harris(notes) added 18 and Brook Lopez(notes) had 16 for New Jersey, which got 17 points from its reserves.
Cleveland made five of its nine 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, none being bigger than the ones by Jamison and Parker in the final 2:28.
Bucks 107, Knicks 80
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Brandon Jennings(notes) scored 19 points, Drew Gooden(notes) added 17 points and eight rebounds, and Milwaukee broke out of an early season shooting slump.
The Bucks (3-5) used 68 percent shooting in the first quarter to grab the lead and never trailed in defeating the Knicks (3-4) for the fourth straight time. The Bucks, who came in averaging an NBA-worst 89.6 points, passed that point total by the end of the third quarter. The final point total was also a season high.
Corey Maggette(notes) finished with 14 points for Milwaukee.
Amare Stoudemire led the Knicks with 19 points and Wilson Chandler(notes) added 11.
Trail Blazers 100, Pistons 78
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Portland ended Detroit’s two-game winning streak.
Nicolas Batum(notes) added 17 points for the Blazers.
Portland’s three-time All-Star Brandon Roy(notes) raised eyebrows when he left for an extended period in the first half and iced his right leg. The Blazers were plagued by injuries last season and are still without centers Joel Przybilla(notes) and Greg Oden(notes).
The Pistons, who opened the season with five straight losses before winning their last two, were led by Rodney Stuckey(notes) with 17 points.
Stuckey started his second game after an issue with coach John Kuester put him on the bench against Charlotte last Friday. He apparently refused to acknowledge Kuester during a game at Atlanta.
The Pistons dropped to 0-4 on the road.
Lakers 99, Timberwolves 94
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 33 points, Pau Gasol(notes) added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Los Angeles improved to 8-0 for just the third time in franchise history.
Lamar Odom(notes) overcame foul trouble and scored two important late baskets to finish with 15 points for the Lakers, who matched the 1987-88 team for the second-best start in club history. Only the 1997-98 Lakers were better, starting 11-0.
Yet the Lakers never pulled away from the rebuilding Timberwolves, who lost their sixth straight. Kevin Love(notes) had 23 points and a career-high 24 rebounds for Minnesota, which lost its 12th straight to the Lakers despite getting within two points in the final minutes.
Love, the one-season UCLA star, finished two points shy of his career high while battling with Ron Artest(notes), who scored 13 points.
Michael Beasley(notes) scored 17 points for the Wolves, and Sebastian Telfair(notes) had 13 points and nine assists.
