Raptors spoil Bibby's return

TORONTO: Chris Bosh scored 31 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 116-91 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Bosh added nine rebounds to give the Raptors a fourth win from five games and spoil the return of Mike Bibby, who had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb in November.

Bibby played for the first time this season having missed Sacramento's first 36 games.

He entered the game off the bench late in the first quarter and played 29 minutes, scoring 19 points and grabbing six rebounds.

"We haven't played with each other in a long time and I have to get my wind back," Bibby said. "I'll be all right once I get back in the swing of things with the guys."

Despite Bibby's return, the Kings couldn't keep pace with Bosh and the Raptors, who led 58-50 before pulling away in the second half.

"Any kind of a win is good after a loss," Bosh said. "We played well and I was really happy with our game tonight."

Carlos Delfino had 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Toronto (21-18), which shot 52 percent from the floor and made 19 of 22 free throws.

"It's a lot of fun being on the court and playing more and being able to contribute more to this team," Delfino said.

Jose Calderon had 17 points and dished out 14 assists for the Raptors, who went on a 12-4 run at the start of the third quarter to take a 16-point lead. Anthony Parker added 12 points for the winners.

Kevin Martin led the Kings with 22 points, two nights after scoring 39 points in a win over Dallas. Brad Miller added 16 points for Sacramento, scoring only two in the second half.

In Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut is finally turning into the low-post presence the Milwaukee Bucks desperately needed.

Bogut, the former No 1 pick in his third season, continued his recent NBA tear with 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Milwaukee beat the cold-shooting Atlanta Hawks 87-80 on Wednesday.

Bogut's recent surge in production came after several meetings with coach Larry Krystkowiak, which led to more plays for the Aussie in the offense.

"They said they were going to get the ball into me a bit more. It's definitely good to hear a coach say that, it gives you confidence," Bogut said. "If I take 20 shots, I'm pretty sure I'll make 50 percent of them or more, so the more shots, the better."

Bogut was 8-of-14 from the field against the Hawks and had 14 points in the second half.

The Miami Heat lost for the 11th game in a row when the Chicago Bulls crushed them 126-96. Shaquille O'Neal returned to the Miami lineup after missing eight games and had 24 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/18/2008 page24)