Celtics win as James misses 2nd straight game
BOSTON: With NBA scoring leader LeBron James missing his second straight game with a sprained finger, the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 80-70 on Sunday.
On Tuesday, James and the Cavaliers handed the Celtics one of their two losses of the season. Five days later Boston improved to an NBA-best 14-2 and was led by Ray Allen with 20 points and Rajon Rondo with 12. Kevin Garnett had only nine points in 26 minutes and Paul Pierce scored seven in 30 minutes.
Cleveland was led by Zydrunas Ilgauskas with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Sasha Pavlovic with 11 points. Drew Gooden had a double-double at halftime and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
In San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 27 points, and San Antonio beat Portland 100-79 after losing Tim Duncan in the second quarter with an injured knee and ankle.
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Boston Celtic Paul Pierce (left) talks with injured Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James during the first half of a basketball game in Boston on Sunday. James was sitting out the game due to a sprained left index finger. AP |
Brent Barry added 17 points for the Spurs in their third straight victory.
Duncan bruised his right knee and sprained his right ankle in the first half and did not return to the game. The team said all of Duncan's ligaments appeared stable, but that he would undergo an MRI exam on Monday.
Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw had 17 points each for Portland.
At Los Angeles, Jamaal Tinsley scored 10 of his 29 points in the final four minutes, and Jermaine O'Neal added 20 points and 15 rebounds for Indiana, which defeated the Clippers 101-95.
Chris Kaman had 22 points and 22 rebounds for Los Angeles, 2-9 since a win at Indiana on November 7 that capped their 4-0 start.
The Clippers' injury woes grew a bit worse when No 1 draft pick Al Thornton sprained his left ankle and left the game with 1:22 to go in the first half.
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Jason Maxiell had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton added 19 points for Detroit's 118-95 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
With Antonio McDyess in early foul trouble, Maxiell came off the bench and pulled down six offensive rebounds in the first half. Detroit won for the sixth time in seven games, and beat New Jersey for the fifth straight time.
Vince Carter led New Jersey with 22 points.
In Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points, and Kenyon Martin added a season-high 20 for Denver as the Nuggets cooled down the Heat 115-89.
Allen Iverson also scored 20 points, and Marcus Camby had 21 rebounds - his fifth 20-rebound game of the season - for the Nuggets, who led by 33 in the second half.
Dwyane Wade had 13 points for Miami, and Ricky Davis and Daequan Cook had 11 each.
At Los Angeles, Hedo Turkoglu sparked a pivotal 9-0 run with a three-pointer that put Orlando ahead to stay and added a layup with 55 seconds left. The Magic beat the Lakers 104-97.
Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 18 points, and Dwight Howard had 17 points and eight rebounds. Orlando is off to a 15-4 start in its first season under coach Stan Van Gundy, matching the best start in the franchise's 19-year history.
Turkoglu finished with 14 points, and is the only Orlando player to reach double figures in every game this season.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points, 19 in the first quarter. Lamar Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds.
Agencies
(China Daily 12/04/2007 page24)
