Soccer Sports News & Betting

Minnesota guard Mike Miller left the Timberwolves’ game Saturday night against Houston in the first quarter because of a sprained right ankle.

Miller was hurt on a drive to the basket midway through the period. He crashed hard underneath the basket and immediately clutched his right leg. He was helped to the locker room by team officials.

Miller missed four games earlier this month with the same injury. The team listed his return as questionable.

Miller is third on the team in scoring with 11 points per game and also is averaging six rebounds.

Peja Stojakovic missed the New Orleans Hornets’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night because of back spasms.

Stojakovic also missed the Hornets’ victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night.

This time, Hornets coach Byron Scott said trainers believe Stojakovic’s condition has improved, but that some extra rest would help. The Hornets also may need the threat of Stojakovic’s outside shooting when the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers visit New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Stojakovic missed most of the 2006-07 season because of surgery to remove a disk fragment in his lower back, but came back strong last season, starting 77 games.

Stojakovic has started 20 games this season, averaging 13.1 points. He is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range and leads the team in 3-pointers with 53.

Scott said doctors have told the Hornets it is common for athletes who have undergone back surgery to have brief flareups and periods of soreness.

Scott said team doctors currently are not concerned about Stojakovic’s condition and expect him to be fine with a little more rest.

SAN ANTONIO 107, TORONTO 97

SAN ANTONIO Tony Parker had 24 points and 10 assists as the San Antonio Spurs snapped their brief two-game skid with a 107-97 victory over the sliding Toronto Raptors.

Tim Duncan had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who suffered road losses to the New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic this week.

San Antonio, which had its six-game winning streak snapped with the setback to the Hornets, avoided losing three in a row for the second time this season. The Spurs dropped three straight to begin the season from October 29-November 4.

Toronto, meanwhile, now has lost four in a row. The Raptors suffered an embarrassing 91-82 loss to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Raptors came out strong in the first quarter, looking to get the taste of that loss out of their collective mouth - taking a 25-20 advantage after the opening period.

But Matt Bonner made a jumper to give the Spurs the lead for good with 7:39 left in the second en route to a 56-48 lead at halftime. San Antonio cruised in a lackluster second half.

Jermaine ONeal, who suffered a minor shoulder injury against the Thunder, collected 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors in this one.

ORLANDO 106, LA LAKERS 103

ORLANDO, Florida For the second straight game, Kobe Bryant missed out on a shot to play the hero. The result, for the first time all season, was a two-game losing streak for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant misfired on an off-balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer - one night after his game-tying try against the Miami Heat rolled in and out - as the Orlando Magic survived for a 106-103 triumph.

The leagues reigning MVP still managed to put up a season-high 41 points, but it wasnt enough. With three seconds left and the Lakers trailing by one, Sasha Vujacic launched a 3-pointer from the corner but it rattled around the rim and rolled out. Dwight Howard grabbed the board, got fouled and buried both free throws to provide the three-point cushion.

Howard overcame early foul trouble to post 18 points and 12 boards, while Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 22 points.

MIAMI 106, NEW JERSEY 103

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey Dwyane Wade matched a season high with 43 points as the Miami Heat completed a successful back-to-back set with a 106-103 victory.

Wade first posted his season-best total in a win against the Phoenix Suns on November 29 for the Heat, who held off the Los Angeles Lakers for an 89-87 victory on Friday night.

The leagues leading scorer, Wade netted 35 points against the Lakers and followed that up by shooting 13-of-22 from the field and 16-of-18 from the free-throw line - a place where the hard-charging Wade makes his living.

Devin Harris, who scored 41 points in a win over the Dallas Mavericks - his former team - on Friday, scored 21 points for the Nets. Rookie Brook Lopez collected 22 points, 13 boards and five blocks while Vince Carter also scored 21 points.

CHICAGO 106, UTAH 98

CHICAGO For the first time since the 2004-05 campaign, the Chicago Bulls have swept the season series with the Utah Jazz.

The Bulls backcourt duo of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon combined for 50 points and the Bulls defense clamped down over the final 3 1/2 minutes of play en route to a 106-98 triumph over the Jazz on Saturday night.

After cutting the Bulls lead to three on Mehmet Okurs three-point play with 3:43 on the clock, the Jazz missed their last six field-goal attempts and committed a pair of costly turnovers as Chicago hung on.

With less than a minute to play and the Bulls leading by five, Rose - the rookie point guard who has already shown regular flashes of veteran savvy - wore some time off the clock, took Deron Williams off the dribble and dropped in a layup off the glass to extend the lead to seven.

That essentially sealed it up for Chicago, which improved to 10-3 at home. The Bulls also defeated the Jazz in Salt Lake City last month on Larry Hughes buzzer-beater.

Okur led Utah with 23 points and 13 boards, while Paul Millsap registered his 15th consecutive double-double with 22 and 10. Williams added 19 points and six assists.

PHOENIX 108, DENVER 101

PHOENIX Steve Nash hit two late 3-pointers to give the Phoenix Suns a 108-101 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

The teams battled back and forth in the final quarter. After Chauncey Billups hit a 3-point shot to tie the game at 101-101. Nash countered from long range to give the Suns a 104-101 advantage.

Billups then missed from behind the arc and the Suns had numerous chances at the hoop before Nash connected from long range to make it 107-101 with 59 seconds left.

Nash had 16 points and 11 assists in his battle with Billups, who went for 18 and eight. Billups also had seven turnovers.

Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points for the Suns, who put all five starters in double figures.

J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 23 points off the bench.

HOUSTON 109, MINNESOTA 102

MINNEAPOLIS Despite an admirable rally in the final minutes, the Minnesota Timberwolves misery continued - this time courtesy of the Houston Rockets.

Tracy McGrady scored 23 points and Yao Ming added 18 - including a clutch jumper with 22 seconds left that essentially sealed the game - as the Rockets survived Minnesotas late surge for a 109-102 triumph.

The Timberwolves pulled to within three as Randy Foye - who has struggled all season - staged an 8-0 run by himself, sandwiching a layup around a pair of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 105-102. But Yao answered on the other end, connecting from 10 feet to provide a five-point cushion.

Foye misfired from the arc on the other end and a pair of free throws from Shane Battier sealed it.

Foye finished with 24 points, while Al Jefferson registered 34 and 13 boards.

NEW ORLEANS 99, SACRAMENTO 90

NEW ORLEANS Another vintage Chris Paul performance propelled the New Orleans Hornets to their fourth victory in a row.

The superstar point guard registered 34 points, nine assists and eight steals to lead the Hornets to a 99-90 triumph over the Sacramento Kings.

Paul - who leads the NBA in assists and steals - had to put the offensive load on himself this time as many of his teammates went cold from the floor. Thankfully for the Hornets, he had the hot hand, hitting 10-of-15 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line.

The Hornets were able to take advantage of 21 turnovers by Sacramento, while committing just six of their own. James Posey provided a spark off the bench, collecting 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting. However, starters David West, Rasual Butler and Devin Brown were a combined 7-of-27.

INDIANA 95, PHILADELPHIA 94

PHILADELPHIA T.J. Ford buried a game-winning jumper with 3.8 seconds to play to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 95-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ford was able to get Andre Iguodala backing up and then pulled up and connected from 17 feet. Iguodala got into the lane with a spin move on Philadelphias ensuing possession but was unable to nail his a floater over Jeff Foster.

Indiana was playing the second game of a back-to-back and was doing it with only nine players.

Danny Granger, Marquis Daniels and Troy Murphy all sat out Saturday as they did in Indianas 117-109 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night because they were all hospitalized with flu-like symptoms.

Andre Miller had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the 76ers, who had a three-game win streak snapped.

GOLDEN STATE 110, CHARLOTTE 103

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 50 points, helping the Golden State Warriors snap a five-game skid with a 110-103 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Crawford, who was traded from the New York Knicks last month, was 14-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-8 from the arc, and 17-of-18 from the free-throw line.

Primarily a 1-on-1 scorer, Crawford has been inconsistent with the Warriors, netting just four points on back-to-back nights earlier this month after going for 40 against the Miami Heat on December 1.

He also victimized the Heat for a career-best 52 points on January 26, 2007, while with the Knicks.

Gerald Wallace scored 26 points for the Bobcats, who could not build upon a 112-83 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

MILWAUKEE 119, LA CLIPPERS 85

MILWAUKEE The Milwaukee Bucks got healthy in time to take advantage of the exhausted Los Angeles Clippers.

Richard Jefferson scored 22 points and Luke Ridnour chipped in 18 and seven assists to lead the Bucks to an easy 119-85 win over the road-weary Clippers.

Playing in their fourth road game in five nights, including Fridays double-overtime win over the Indiana Pacers and Wednesdays overtime loss in Chicago, the Clippers looked sluggish from the opening tip.

The Bucks jumped to an 8-0 lead while the Clippers went scoreless until the 8:50 mark in the first. The Bucks took advantage of the Clippers fatigue, shooting 75 percent in the quarter (15-of-20), collecting 18 points in the paint en route to a 37-15 lead at the end of one.

Los Angeles shooting woes continued in the second as it shot 6-of-17 in the quarter and scored just 17 points, trailing, 62-32, at the half.

Heat happy to be back at home after European swing.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had nothing but high praise about his team’s weeklong journey to take part in the annual NBA Europe Live tour.

That being said, he’s ready to again appreciate the comforts of home.

Now at about the midway point of the preseason, Miami returns to work at its own facility Wednesday morning, and the two close losses in Paris and London to the New Jersey Nets helped give Spoelstra a clearer understanding of issues his team needs to address before the season-opener at New York on Oct. 29.

“This is an important week for us. We really need to get more into our system,” Spoelstra said. “On defense, we made some strides in terms of what we’ve been stressing, protecting the paint, protecting the rim. And overall, rebounding has shown improvement, really from a team aspect. It’s been a major, major focus of ours.”

But the offense hasn’t exactly started clicking yet.

In the two games on the Europe swing, the Heat shot 43 percent from the field, 24 percent from 3-point range. Granted, no, the rotations Spoelstra used in those games won’t be the ones he utilizes in the regular season, and even an 0-3 preseason start - after an 0-7 exhibition record in 2007 - doesn’t have the Heat believing another doomed season awaits.

Still, it is a bit of a concern.

“Offensively we’re a little bit behind of where we are defensively, but defense was our focus going into it,” Spoelstra said. “Certainly I’d like to have more things in offensively, but I’m going to really try to be patient and stick with the details of what we already have in right now, so we can get our spacing and timing right.”

One highlight of the trip may have been the debut of the three-forward lineup that had first-round pick Michael Beasley playing alongside Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem, who became the center in that scenario.

Spoelstra said he’ll continue studying how to make that triumvirate work this week.

“We didn’t spend enough time with them together to get a great look at it, but I’m going to look at it more this week in practice,” Spoelstra said. “That lineup is a pretty good rebounding team, defensively there’s some versatility there, and offensively we need to make those guys comfortable.”

On the injury front, Miami is getting healthier.

Center Jamaal Magloire will miss at least six weeks with a broken left hand, an injury suffered in the first game against the Nets, but other injured Miami players are improving.

Haslem (foot) played on Sunday, then worked out on his own Tuesday, and had no ill effects. Point guard Chris Quinn (ankle) could return to full practice Wednesday, guard Shaun Livingston - who has missed nearly two years battling back from a major knee injury - was able to practice in Europe and forward Dorell Wright (knee) is expected to play some 5-on-5 Wednesday.

Forward James Jones (wrist) will continue doing conditioning and non-contact work, but remains day-to-day, Spoelstra said.

“We want to be judicious with that,” he said. “We want to calm that down as much as we can.”

The Heat left for Paris last week believing that a week together would bring teammates closer, and Spoelstra said that goal was clearly accomplished.

“It was a terrific trip, we spent a lot of time together as a team, more than we would have ever spent in Miami,” he said. “Bus rides, lunches, NBA Cares events, the team dinners, the team tours, the days would start at 7 o’clock in the morning and end after 9 at night, and we were always together as a team. That’s a great benefit.”

Miami’s next exhibition game is Saturday against the Orlando Magic in Jacksonville, Fla.

Economy, uncertain financing plague Brooklyn arena.
Bruce Ratner’s $4 billion dream for a new Brooklyn will have to wait, at least until next year.

The New Jersey Nets owner and developer has been plagued by a string of problems that have delayed his plans for a new NBA arena, office towers and thousands of apartments in Brooklyn.

Ratner said a recent court ruling would delay the project by up to six months, meaning the Nets won’t move in until at least 2011. Groundbreaking has been pushed back until at least next year for the arena, which will cost more than three times what Ratner paid for the entire franchise. And the financial crisis has made it tougher to raise money, potentially jeopardizing a lucrative naming rights deal with Barclays Capital.

Ratner, who has fended off years of community resistance to his plans, remains optimistic. “Let me be clear,” he said last month, “that the project will go forward.”

But financial experts and state and city officials who have heard the developer’s private pleas for more government aid say the failing economy has created a far bleaker picture for Atlantic Yards.

Ratner is heavily dependent on a pending federal decision that could determine whether tax-exempt bonds can be used to finance the $950-million arena. But even if the bonds become available, the seized-up credit market could make it impossible to attract investors to the arena, financial experts say.

“It’s got more of an economic stall than a political or a legal stall,” said Michael Rowe, a sports management expert and former president of the Nets. “I think he missed the curve on when that project was financially viable and now he has to wait for it to come back.”

A leading critic of Atlantic Yards says the project is doomed.

“I think it’s clear to everyone,” said Daniel Goldstein of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, a residents’ group suing to block the project. “This is just merely a fantasy that they’re going to build this project. Yet they’re moving forward as if everything’s fine.”

The downturn is threatening plans begun four years ago when Ratner, CEO of Forest City Ratner Cos., bought the Nets as a centerpiece of a 22-acre development on an old rail yard, industrial buildings and homes in Brooklyn. The megaproject would include an 18,000-seat sports and entertainment arena, 16 skyscrapers with hotel, office and retail space, 6,400 apartments and eight acres of open space.

Neighborhood groups vehemently protested, saying it would drive out middle-class residents and overwhelm the area with traffic jams and congestion. They have two lawsuits pending, including one challenging the state’s right to use eminent domain to take over more than a dozen properties.

A groundbreaking for the arena had been planned for December, but was delayed by a ruling last month in favor of the residents in that lawsuit.

Building has not started on any of the signature projects, and Ratner said earlier this year that the largest skyscraper - Frank Gehry’s “Miss Brooklyn” tower - wouldn’t begin construction until an anchor tenant is secured.

The arena’s financing depends largely on the ability to issue up to $800 million in tax-exempt bonds.

The Internal Revenue Service in 2006 proposed tightening the regulations of tax-exempt bonds to severely limit their use to pay for sports stadiums. A final decision, which could affect the arena as well as the bonds used to build stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets, is still pending. An IRS spokesman wouldn’t say when a ruling is expected.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the lead bond underwriter for Atlantic Yards, declined comment on prospects for the arena financing. Barclays Capital, which signed to a $400 million deal to name the arena the Barclays Center, remains committed to the project, spokesman Brandon Ashcraft said.

But parts of that deal are contingent upon the timing of the arena’s construction.

So is aid from New York City; the city and state each have contributed $100 million in subsidies, with penalties attached if Atlantic Yards doesn’t complete the first phase of the project on a set schedule.

Ratner has appealed to government officials, citing the difficulties of financing the project in a downturn, but no more help has been promised.

“Without relief from the IRS, the project will be significantly more expensive, and even more challenging,” said Janel Patterson, spokeswoman for the city’s Economic Development Corporation. “But we all remain committed to seeing the project move forward.”

Even a favorable ruling that would allow Ratner to sell bonds for the arena may not help in an economy where investors are wary of large-scale projects with uncertain completion dates, bond and sports finance experts said.

“In this credit climate, it’s going to be very challenging,” said Marc Ganis, a sports finance expert in Chicago, though he and others think Ratner will eventually succeed. “It’s made lending far more challenging and far more expensive, at least in the sports industry.”

Tuesday National Basketball Association Capsules.
LA CLIPPERS 90, OKLAHOMA CITY 88

OKLAHOMA CITY Mike Taylor and the Los Angeles Clippers spoiled the Oklahoma City Thunders first-ever home game at the Ford Center.

Taylor came up with a crucial steal and scored four points in the final minute as the Clippers held on for a 90-88 victory over the Thunder.

Taylor, a rookie point guard battling for playing time behind veterans Baron Davis and Jason Hart, came up big down the stretch as the Clippers held off a fourth-quarter rally. Tuesdays game was the only home preseason game for the Thunder, who are entering their first season here since relocating from Seattle.

Kevin Durants 3-pointer with 6:41 remaining gave the Thunder their first lead since the first quarter, and it was a back-and-forth battle from then on.

Desmond Mason put the Thunder on top with a layup with just over a minute on the clock, but Taylor didnt let them get any further. On Oklahoma Citys next possession, he stripped rookie guard Russell Westbrook and led a charge the other way.

Ricky Davis tip-in put the Clippers on top for good. With 31 seconds remaining, Taylor drove down the lane and delivered an emphatic dunk to make it a three-point game, then added a pair of free throws moments later to help put the victory on ice.

The 6-2, 165-pound guard - who in June became the first player in league history to get picked in the draft after playing in the D-League - finished with 14 points, three assists and three steals. He saw extra playing time as Baron Davis - the clubs marquee offseason acquisition - was battling flu-like symptoms and did not make the road trip.

The Clippers were also without forward-center Marcus Camby, who is nursing a bruised right heel, and forward Tim Thomas, who has a strained left groin.

Second-year forward Al Thornton led the way for Los Angeles with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six boards. Ricky Davis added 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Free-throw shooting doomed the Thunder (1-4) down the stretch, as they were just 5-of-13 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Durant led the team with 19 points but was just 6-of-18 from the floor and committed six turnovers. Johan Petro registered a double-double with 12 points and 15 boards.

NEW ORLEANS 96, WASHINGTON 80

BERLIN Chris Paul continued to show the world how good he is.

Paul scored nine points and dished out 11 assists to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 96-80 preseason victory over the Washington Wizards at the O2 World Arena.

The 23-year-old Paul, who won a gold medal with Team USA during the Beijing Olympics in August, had a breakout season in 2007-08. He averaged 21.1 points and a league-high 11.6 assists last season, finishing second to Kobe Bryant for the league MVP.

Pauls skills were on display in this one. The 6-foot guard finished 3-of-7 from the field and made two steals over 24 minutes.

Paul and the other four starters all scored before the Wizards managed to get on the board, as the Hornets jumped out to an early 18-0 lead. The game was never in doubt from that point.

Rasual Butler poured in 20 points and fellow reserve James Posey added 17 for New Orleans, which held a 61-24 advantage at the break.

DerMarr Johnson scored 19 points and DeShawn Stevenson collected 15 for Washington, which committed 18 turnovers.

SAN ANTONIO 86, DETROIT 64

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan The San Antonio Spurs picked up their first win of this preseason, riding a furious third-quarter run to an 86-64 triumph over the Detroit Pistons in a rare matchup at Van Andel Arena.

Ime Udoka scored seven points in a 21-2 run to close the third quarter, turning a four-point game into a blowout as the Pistons (4-1) dropped their first exhibition game of the year.

Once again, the Spurs (1-2) went with a limited lineup, as guard Tony Parker and swingman Michael Finley were both given the night off by head coach Gregg Popovich. Even in their absence, San Antonio registered its best offensive output of the preseason. Reserve guard Desmon Farmer led the way with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting - including 2-for-4 from 3-point range - and Tim Duncan added 10 points and eight rebounds.

After falling behind by double-digits at the half, the Pistons scored the first six points of the second half - with Richard Hamilton knocking down a pair of jumpers - to cut the deficit to 48-44. But they went cold for the rest of the quarter, missing their final 14 field-goal attempts as the Spurs took control.

With Parker resting on the sidelines, rookie point guard George Hill - the teams first-round pick in this years draft - got the start. He buried a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points and four assists in 17 minutes.

Detroit was without its floor general as well. All-Star Chauncey Billups was held out of action with a sprained right ankle, which he suffered during Saturdays 111-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The injury is not considered serious.

The rest of the Pistons had a rough night offensively. Billups replacement, second-year guard Rodney Stuckey, went 1-for-9 from the floor. Rasheed Wallace was even worse, failing to connect on any of his seven field-goal attempts. By comparison, Hamiltons 4-for-11 showing was respectable, but the Pistons as a whole shot 27.8 percent (22-for-79) from the field.

Reserve guard Will Bynum was the only Piston to reach double-figures in scoring, finishing with 10 points.

TORONTO 86, CSKA MOSCOW 78

TORONTO Chris Bosh scored 24 points and Jose Calderon added 14 as the Toronto Raptors edged CSKA Moscow, 86-78, in preseason action.

Bosh hit 7-of-16 field goals and pulled down 10 rebounds. Andrea Bargnani and Jermaine ONeal each chipped in 11 points for Toronto, which shot 48 percent (30-of-62) from the floor.

ONeal, who was acquired from Indiana in the offseason, hit 5-of-9 from the field in his fourth preseason game with the Raptors.

Ramunas Siskauskas led Moscow CSKA with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor. Former Duke standout Trajan Langdon added 14 for Moscow, which scored just 11 points in the third quarter.

BOSTON 90, CLEVELAND 86

PITTSBURGH Leon Powe scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in five days by posting a 90-86 victory.

Ray Allen scored 15 points and Paul Pierce added 14 for the defending champions, who defeated Cleveland by two points on Friday.

The Cavaliers trailed, 88-86, with under 10 seconds to play when rookie Vernon Hamilton drove the lane with an attempt to tie the contest.

But Powe came over to help, swatting away the scoop shot in the paint. Eddie House made a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Daniel Gibson scored 14 points and rookie Jawad Williams added 13 to lead the Cavaliers, who made 23-of-40 (58 percent) shots from the free throw line.

LeBron James scored 12 points in 18 minutes and sat out the entire second half for Cleveland.

PHILADELPHIA 116, NEW YORK 109

NEW YORK Andre Miller scored 22 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 116-109 victory over the New York Knicks in preseason action.

Andre Iguodala had 18 points while second-year forward Thaddeus Young chipped in 16 for Philadelphia. Free-agent acquisition Elton Brand collected 13 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers, who shot 51 percent (44-for-87) from the field.

Iguodala made 7-of-14 shots and his two biggest ones spoiled any chances of New York pulling out a victory in its first home game under new coach Mike DAntoni.

The Knicks had their last lead after Mardy Collins layup put them ahead 95-94 with nine minutes to play. Philadelphia gradually pulled back in front and Iguodalas dunk with 2:55 left and reverse layup 56 seconds later iced the win.

New York, which will run a lot more under DAntonis system, was led by Nate Robinson and Wilson Chandler.

Robinson was 4-of-9 from the arc and scored 21 points and Chandler hit 5-of-6 three-pointers and finished with 20 as the Knicks shot 47 percent (15-of-32) from the arc.

David Lee and Zach Randolph added 17 points apiece for the Knicks, who shot 47 percent (41-of-87).

Stephon Marbury went scoreless in 20 minutes and Eddy Curry scored a point in just 6:21. Marbury did have six assists and two rebounds with no turnovers.

MINNESOTA 96, CHICAGO 86

CHICAGO The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 19-point deficit to post a 96-86 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The first and second quarters could not have been more opposite. Chicago surged to a 30-13 advantage only to see Minnesota erupt in the second 12 minutes, outscoring the Bulls, 33-15, for a 46-45 lead at intermission.

Minnesota edged away to a 68-63 lead after three quarters. The Timberwolves led 86-83 late in the fourth quarter before Kevin Ollie hit two baskets to ignite an 8-0 run that salted away the victory.

Corey Brewer led Minnesota with 15 points and nine rebounds. The Timberwolves placed six players in double figures, including four off the bench.

Chicago was led by Drew Gooden with 20 points. Andres Nocioni added 18 and Luol Deng scored 15.

The Charlotte Bobcats waived guards Donell Taylor and Marcus Williams on Tuesday.
The moves reduced the Bobcats’ roster to the regular-season limit of 15 players.

Taylor appeared in two exhibition games and had two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Williams also played in two games, scoring two points to go with three rebounds in 11 minutes.

Neither player appeared in Charlotte’s preseason loss to Atlanta on Monday.

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T-Wolves PG Sebastian Telfair suspended 3 games.

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Sebastian Telfair has been suspended three games for pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon.

Telfair was sentenced last month to three years probation. He was arrested in April 2007 when police found him carrying a loaded gun in his car while he was a member of the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics traded him to Minnesota in the deal for Kevin Garnett, and Telfair had a solid and incident-free first season in Minnesota. He signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal this summer to remain with the Timberwolves. He is the top backup to starter Randy Foye.

Telfair will miss home games against Sacramento and Dallas and a road game at Oklahoma City. His first game back will be Nov. 5 against San Antonio.

Chris Paul showed no signs of fatigue as he set the tone for the New Orleans Hornets. In a 96-80 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in a preseason exhibition game in Berlin.

“I feel like I need to hold up my end of the deal, and that’s to continue to get better and take as good care of my body as possible,” the All-Star point guard said.

Paul had eight assists and scored four points to help the Hornets jump out to an 18-0 lead. He played the entire first and third quarters and sat out the other two, finishing with 11 assists and nine points.

Hornets coach Byron Scott said he was trying to keep Paul fresh after a long summer in which Paul helped the U.S. Olympic team win gold in Beijing.

“He is a competitor, but also I understand how long the season is,” said Scott. “I have to make sure he gets as much rest as possible.”

It was the first of two games between the Hornets and Wizards in the NBA’s annual preseason tour of Europe. They will meet again on Friday in Barcelona.

The injury-plagued Wizards did not score until 5 1/4 minutes into the game when Darius Songalia scored off an offensive rebound.

The Hornets built on their lead in the second quarter, relying largely on their reserves.

Hornets reserve forward Rasual Butler scored 12 points.

James Posey hit a 3-pointer as the Hornets closed the first half with a 9-0 run to take a 61-24 lead into the break.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan credited the Hornets tough defense with frustrating his squad early in the game.

“We missed some shots, and they forced us to miss some,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the lopsided score and sloppy play in the first half showed in the reaction of the sold-out crowd at the new O2 World Arena.

“I don’t know if the whistles and jeers were because we were missing shots - I thought it was because we were missing shots, and we didn’t show up,” he said.

For the Wizards, the European tour is a chance to test their rookies and learn to work with a short bench. Three key Wizards players remained in Washington to nurse injuries.

“We need to use this time to give experience to some of our young players,” said Jordan.

The Hornets opened the second half without forward Julian Wright, who had to be carried off the court with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Scott said Wright’s injury would put him on a “week-to-week” recovery plan.

“He’s hurt pretty good, and we just have to hope that at 21 years old he’s a fast healer,” Scott said.

Washington outscored the Hornets 22-15 in the third quarter, led by guard DeShawn Stevenson’s three 3-pointers. Stevenson hit five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.

“The second half gave us some confidence that if we play that way it’ll be a better game in Barcelona,” Johnson said.

The sold-out crowd of 14,000 included Detlef Schrempf, a German native and three-time NBA All-Star who retired from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2001.

Rick Carlisle sounds much more relaxed these days.
The former Pacers coach spent much of his time in Indiana answering questions about Ron Artest and the team’s chronic off-the-court problems and injuries. He went from leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004 to getting fired following the 2006-07 season after the Pacers missed the playoffs.

A drained Carlisle didn’t rush back into coaching, spending a year as a basketball analyst for ESPN. Now, he’ll return to Indianapolis as coach of the Dallas Mavericks for a preseason game on Wednesday.

He has no hard feelings about his time with the Pacers and is excited about visiting Conseco Fieldhouse.

“I’m looking forward to it,” a rejuvenated Carlisle told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in the building for a game. I worked with the Pacers for a stretch of seven out of 10 years. There’s a lot of history there, a lot of good friends and a lot of success.”

Carlisle had a 181-147 record during his four seasons with Indiana. In 2003-04, the Pacers’ first season under Carlisle, the team went 61-21 for the best record in the NBA.

But his success was overshadowed by his struggle to manage talented but volatile players.

Artest and Stephen Jackson were the two most prominent players in the 2004 brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans that started the unraveling of a team that had the potential to make several title runs. Artest requested a trade early in the 2005-06 season. The Pacers continued to have off-the-court problems, most notably involving Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley.

After all that, it was easy for Carlisle to take time off.

“It was great,” he said. “It gave me a chance to recharge the coaching batteries, spend time with the family and have a great experience at ESPN.”

Carlisle hasn’t completely stepped away from controversy. The Mavericks sent Eddie Jones to Indiana last week for Shawne Williams. Carlisle coached Williams when he was a rookie, and always thought highly of the young talent.

But Williams was among the Pacers players who had a way of finding trouble. He was arrested last September after a traffic stop when an officer found marijuana in the SUV he was driving. He pleaded guilty to driving without ever having received a license, while a drug charge was filed against a passenger. The Pacers suspended Williams for three games.

Months later, he left a game early after learning a murder suspect in Tennessee had been arrested shortly after leaving Williams’ Indianapolis home.

Though his friends did much of the damage, Williams’ reputation, and that of the Pacers, was compromised in each situation.

Carlisle believes a change of scenery will be good for Williams.

“I had a very good experience coaching Shawne his rookie year,” he said. “My feeling is that he’s a good kid and a very hard worker and a guy that has a terrific skill set and ability level to continue to get better as a player in this league.”

A bigger challenge for Carlisle will be getting the Mavericks to win a championship. The Mavericks reached the NBA finals in 2006, but they’ve lost in the first round of the playoffs the past two years. The 2006-07 team had the league’s best record and the league MVP in Dirk Nowitzki, yet lost to Golden State.

“We have a group that’s had a couple of rough years, and I know that they’re motivated and want a chance to do better than a lot of people think we’re going to do,” Carlisle said.

As excited as Carlisle is about moving forward, he’ll have no choice but to look back on Wednesday.

It won’t be the same. The stars of his Pacers era are all gone. Jermaine O’Neal is in Toronto, Stephen Jackson is playing for Golden State, Artest is with the Houston Rockets and Reggie Miller is retired.

The only player remaining on the roster who was a star for Carlisle is Tinsley - and the Pacers told him not to show up for camp after numerous off-the-court issues. Now, Indiana’s stars are Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, and the Pacers have traded for point guards T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack.

Carlisle said he expected Pacers president Larry Bird, his former boss and longtime friend, to move the team back to respectability.

“Larry Bird has a plan that’s going to lead to a lot of success,” he said. “He’s getting the right kind of players in there. I just think that they’re going to continue to get better every year.”

Miles suspended 10 games.

Boston Celtics forward Darius Miles has been suspended without pay for 10 games for violating the terms of the anti-drug program at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Miles’ suspension will begin with the first game of the 2008-09 regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play. Miles has missed the past two NBA seasons because of knee injuries. He has averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in his career.

The 26-year-old was selected third overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2000 draft.

He signed with the Celtics last month.

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Bush honors champion Boston Celtics at White House.

President Bush on Friday welcomed the Boston Celtics to the White House to celeberate the team’s 17th NBA championship, declaring “Celtic pride is back.”

Bush saluted Celtics’ captain Paul Pierce, who led the team to a title and was MVP of the finals despite suffering a knee injury early in the series.

“Playing hurt in a championship game is the ultimate sign of leadership,” Bush said during an East Room ceremony.

The team’s players, owners and coaches presented the president with a green Celtics jersey emblazoned with “43,” a nod to Bush’s standing as the 43rd president, and an autographed basketball. The team also said it would send a $100,000 check to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Ike.

Celtics fans, a few wearing Red Sox caps and many, like Vermont Sen. Pat Leahy, snapping photos with their cameras, packed the East Room.

The Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in June to end a 22-year championship drought. The title capped a dramatic turnaround for the Celtics, who had the second-worst record in the NBA during the 2006-07 season.

“There was a little bit of a drought, but sure enough that drought ended with the NBA championship,” said Bush.

Bush said that like other sports fans across the country, he was delighted that this year’s bruising final series rekindled the old Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

“For baby boomers like me, that is the - that was a reminder of a great basketball rivalry,” Bush said. “So, like, Boston fans were screaming, ‘Beat L.A.!’ at the top of their lungs, and that’s exactly what this team did in six hard-fought games.”

It was the Celtics’ first title without Red Auerbach, the famed team patriarch who died in October 2006 after being part of the other 16 championships, nine as coach.

The fortunes of the team turned around when it obtained guard Ray Allen from Seattle and forward Kevin Garnett from Minnesota in separate trades before last season.

Hosting Boston’s successful pro sports teams at White House ceremonies is nothing new for Bush.

In February, the 2007 World Series champion Red Sox were honored at the White House for the second time in four years. The New England Patriots have three Super Bowl wins, beginning in 2002. The Patriots were last honored at the White House in 2005.

Bush joked that a friend had suggested he could host a “Boston Three Party” for the city’s championship teams.

After the ceremony, Pierce said meeting the president was more nerve-wracking than the NBA finals.

“I got real nervous back there, my hands were sweaty,” he said. “I was more nervous right here today.”

Bush, who is winding down his presidency, wished the team well defending its title this season. But he added that a new president will be hosting next year’s White House event for the NBA champs.

“Should you win it, you can find me in Texas,” he said with a laugh.