NBA News

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Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby will miss at least the first six weeks of the regular season after tearing a ligament in his left thumb.

Bibby was injured during Thursday's practice, and an MRI revealed the tear Friday night. The injury could sideline the point guard for two months or longer, the team said.

Bibby averaged 17.1 points and 4.7 assists last season while playing in all 82 games for the Kings, who missed the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. The 10th-year pro, a former No. 2 overall draft pick, has been with Sacramento for the past six seasons, missing just two games over the previous four years.

Bibby played through a serious injury to his right thumb last season. With a tendon detached from the bone, he finished with the worst shooting percentage of his career.

The Kings already lost rookie center Spencer Hawes to a knee injury during training camp, and forward Ron Artest is suspended for the first seven games of the regular season after pleading no contest to a charge related to domestic violence.

Quincy Douby, a second-year pro from Rutgers, will take Bibby's place in the starting lineup. He scored 12 points while starting in the Kings' preseason finale in Las Vegas on Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Give him time. Don't rush him.

That was the message Carmelo Anthony had for anyone who expected immediate greatness out of Seattle rookie Kevin Durant.

Durant's shot was off in his NBA debut, and the Denver Nuggets beat the SuperSonics 120-103 on Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams.

Durant scored 18 points in just over 31 minutes, but shot just 7-of-22.

"He's going to be all right," Anthony said. "I've been in that situation. I hope nobody puts too much pressure on him and makes him take that team to the NBA finals this year."

Anthony bottled up the rookie on defense, and showed him a move or two on offense. Anthony finished with 32 points, making three 3-pointers.

"It's tough when you have to start off your first game against Carmelo Anthony," said Allen Iverson, who had had 25 points and 14 assists. "The future is bright for him and the sky's the limit for him. He's going to be great."

Durant didn't feel so great after the game.

"I'm always hard on myself even if I played well," he said. "My team did a great job of getting me some open shots. I need to knock them down. I had a lot of open shots I should have knocked down."

Durant was taken by the Sonics with the No. 2 pick in the draft last June. He scored his first NBA point on a free throw about 1 1/2 minutes into the game, and had his first airball two minutes later on a short jumper in the lane. Durant's initial basket came on a driving layup late in the first quarter. He showed no effects of a gimpy ankle, which he sprained on Oct. 23.

"I thought he played all right for a 19-year-old kid playing his first game," Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "It ain't about how individuals play. It's how our team played. We got beat."

Kenyon Martin contributed seven points and three blocked shots in 18 minutes. Martin was back in Denver's starting lineup after missing 106 games over the last two seasons due to microfracture surgeries on both knees.

"I know a lot of people didn't expect him to look that good," Anthony said. "He showed us a lot out there."

Before the game, Martin got on the public address system and told the revved-up crowd, "We're going to bring the Nuggets their first championship."

Anthony, the league's second-leading scorer last season, has predicted the Nuggets will win 60 games this season.

But in order to do that, the Nuggets had to adjust their way of thinking a little bit. Denver coach George Karl preached defense in training camp, and he saw glimpses of it in the season opener.

"Our defense in the third and fourth quarters was the reason we won the game," Karl said.

It sure helped. Seattle had a 79-78 lead with 3:05 left in the third quarter, but Denver went on a 28-11 run to put away the game midway through the fourth quarter. Linas Kleiza had four of his five 3-pointers to fuel the run. He finished with 18 points.

Durant's every move was chronicled before the game. A film crew came into the locker room and trained the lens on him as he tied his black Nike shoes with yellow and green trim, slipped on his warmups and answered text messages.

The intense scrutiny has started.

"I've been playing this all of my life," the rookie out of Texas said. "I reminded myself to go out and have fun. I had fun."

Notes

The Sonics were without Robert Swift (right knee tendinitis) and forward Kurt Thomas (strained right hamstring). ... Seattle didn't play G Luke Ridnour, who's trying to get used to a plastic mask that he's forced to wear after breaking his nose in a preseason game. ... Damien Wilkins had 21 points and reserve Delonte West chipped in 19 for Seattle. ... Nuggets G J.R. Smith sat out the first of three games after being suspended by Denver for "conduct detrimental to the team" before the season. ... Denver snapped a three-game losing streak on opening night. ... Denver C Marcus Camby had 15 rebounds and five blocked shots.

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Shannon Brown missed all five shots, made two turnovers and didn't score in six minutes of Cleveland's 92-74 season-opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

After the game, he got swatted -- by the Cavaliers.

The club decided not to pick up its contract option for 2008-09 on Brown, a former first-round draft pick from Michigan State whose rookie season was slowed by injuries. The Cavs had until midnight to exercise the guard's $1.1 million salary for next season.

It was assumed the club would extend Brown's deal, but general manager Danny Ferry opted otherwise.

"I really don't know how disappointed I am," Brown said after practice Thursday. "I really don't know what the future will bring. All I can do right now is play for now and see what happens."

Brown played in just 23 games last season because of a serious leg injury. The 6-foot-4 slasher figured to get more playing time this season, but the Cavs' signing of Sasha Pavlovic to a three-year contract and addition of rookie Demetris Nichols may have altered plans for Brown.

"We really like Shannon," Ferry said. "At this point, we haven't used him a whole lot. We figured this was the right decision for now and we can still readdress it at the end of this year."

Brown will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

A few days before training camp opened, Brown was involved in a fight at a Cleveland night club. No charges have been filed related to the incident. A video filmed by a witness showed Brown pinned to the ground and handcuffed by the club's staff.

The Cavaliers did pick up the $1.7 million contract of forward Cedric Simmons for next season. Simmons was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets in September.

Meanwhile, the Cavs got back to work following the ugly loss, which came on the night they unfurled a banner celebrating their Eastern Conference championship from last season.

While the loss was disappointing, the Cavaliers are far from panicking.

"It's a marathon in this league," LeBron James said. "It's not the best impression you want to make, but it's not the last."

Pavlovic officially signed his new deal, which reportedly averages between $4 million and $5 million per season, during Wednesday's game. The Serbian swingman had been holding out for more money and the Cavs finally worked out an agreement.

"It's really good to have him back," Ferry said. "He can help us from a scoring standpoint and a depth standpoint."

However, Pavlovic can't help the Cavs until he gets other important paperwork completed.

On Thursday, he was in Buffalo, N.Y., to get a new visa. On Friday, he'll be in Toronto for another visa before he can cleared to play. It's unlikely he'll have everything in order in time for Friday's game against New York.

"Doubtful is how we would list him and not due to injury," Ferry said, "due to immigration."

Ferry reported no change in talks with restricted free agent forward Anderson Varejao, who is also holding out. Varejao is seeking a deal worth $9 million per season.

"It's a guy we respect and like and would like to have back with our team," Ferry reiterated. "We've made fair proposals, several times. We've got to make decisions based off not just the short term, but the long term of the franchise."

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They raised a championship banner. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers then collapsed.

Jason Terry made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 15 and the Dallas Mavericks, whose NBA title pursuit last season ended with a stunning first-round exit against Golden State, opened 2007-08 with a 92-74 victory over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks held a foul-plagued James scoreless in the first half -- and to 10 points overall -- in an impressive debut against the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are being given little chance of getting back to the finals.

Jerry Stackhouse added 17 points and Devin Harris 13 for Dallas, which went 9-of-18 behind the arc.

James, who carried the Cavs as far as he could last season before they were swept by San Antonio in the finals, had the worst opening night of his brilliant career. He shot just 2-of-11 from the field, made five turnovers and was mostly a non-factor in the Cavs' most lopsided home loss since April 5, 2005, and their worst loss in a home opener in six years.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 17 points and 18 rebounds for Cleveland, which before the game unfurled the franchise's first Eastern Conference championship banner.

"It's the first game, hopefully we can put it behind us," James said. "We didn't play well -- at all. It's kind of how we have been playing in the preseason. We didn't do anything right. We didn't play hard. We didn't execute."

The Mavericks made it tough on James, but they weren't about to credit their defense for stopping him.

"It's not so much what we did," Eddie Jones said. "He just missed shots. We contested shots, but he just missed them. Believe me, that won't last long, him scoring 10 points. He's too good."

Last season, Dallas seemingly had it all: a playoff-tested roster, the league's best record and in Nowitzki, the MVP. Then came the playoffs, and it all meant nothing against the only-small-in-stature Warriors, who stunned the Mavericks in six games.

It was a second straight playoff meltdown for Dallas, which blew a 2-0 lead against Miami in the previous year's finals.

The Mavericks looked poised to make another run at a title as they schooled the Cavs with ball movement, help defense and a go-for-the-throat attitude from the start. Dallas led by 14 after one quarter, 20 at halftime and eventually built a 25-point advantage before the Cavs closed down the stretch.

"We got off to a good start offensively and defensively," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "We were in a good flow in the first half. When we were open, we were popping our shots. And we were moving the ball well."

The Mavericks rolled despite playing without All-Star swingman Josh Howard, serving a two-game suspension for his role in an altercation with Sacramento's Brad Miller in a preseason game.

Dallas was also missing center Erick Dampier (shoulder surgery) and forward Devean George (injured foot).

None of them was needed, as the Mavericks had little trouble with the Cavaliers, who had downplayed a 1-6 exhibition season by saying they would be ready for their opener. They didn't look like they were.

"We got our behinds kicked," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Dallas came in here and did what they wanted to do offensively and defensively."

One of the few bright spots for Cleveland fans was a Sasha Pavlovic sighting. A restricted free agent, Pavlovic ended his contract holdout on Tuesday by agreeing to terms on a three-year deal.

However, Cleveland remains without frizzy-haired forward Anderson Varejao, another restricted free agent who is asking for a $9 million per year contract.

Booing, and not Halloween-related booing, ushered the Cavaliers to the locker room when they fell behind 54-34 at halftime.

James was 0-for-4 from the field when he committed his third personal foul and spent the final 6:27 of the second quarter on the bench. Without their superstar, the Cavs briefly cut Dallas' lead to 13 before the Mavericks closed the quarter with a 14-4 run.

Cleveland was still in it late in the third, but Terry drained a 3-pointer and Harris hit a 24-foot jumper at the horn to give the Mavericks a 78-59 lead entering the fourth. ^Notes: James arrived in costume a few hours before the game, appropriately dressed as "Business LeBron," one of the four characters he plays in his popular Nike commercials. ... After the Cavs were swept by the Spurs, Brown called Johnson, a close friend, who was able to put things in perspective by reminding him that only two teams made the finals. "After that, I felt better for the rest of the summer," Brown said. ... Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, recently voted off "Dancing With the Stars," was the target of several in-game skits on the arena scoreboard. Cuban was a good sport, laughing and waving at the camera from his seat behind Dallas' bench. ... Ilgauskas is the first Cavs player to start eight openers.

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Guard Beno Udrih signed with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, potentially filling a hole in the club's lineup while Mike Bibby is out with a thumb injury.

Udrih, who won two NBA championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs, was waived Monday by the Minnesota Timberwolves after they acquired him in a trade with San Antonio earlier in the day.

The Spurs got rid of the backup point guard, who spent three years with the club, after he lost his job to Jacque Vaughn during last season's run to the title. The Slovenian guard also broke his left index finger during training camp last month.

But the Kings need Udrih, who might become their starting point guard while Bibby heals his injured right thumb, which could keep him out for two more months.

The only other point guard on the Kings' roster was newcomer Orien Greene. The Kings waived guard Mustafa Shakur on Wednesday night, creating a spot on their 15-man roster.

Udrih appeared in 207 regular-season games in San Antonio, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 assists. He was chosen by the Spurs with the 28th overall pick in 2004.

The Kings, who lost their season opener at New Orleans on Wednesday, visit San Antonio on Friday night.

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Pistons guard Richard Hamilton missed Detroit's season-opener at Miami on Thursday because of what the team called "a family matter."

Rookie Arron Afflalo started in Hamilton's place.

Hamilton was expected to rejoin the Pistons in Orlando on Friday. He averaged a team-high 19.8 points last season.

Miami also was without its starting shooting guard for the opener; Dwyane Wade (knee, shoulder) isn't expected back for a couple more weeks, at least. Joel Anthony and Earl Barron were the other Heat inactives.

Rodney Stuckey (broken left hand) and Cheikh Samb joined Hamilton on Detroit's inactive list.

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Practice had long since ended Thursday, and Charlotte Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor was still on the court, playing a competitive, rotating one-on-one competition with three teammates.

The first draft pick in franchise history was laughing and joking as sweat soaked through his jersey. There was little evidence that just hours earlier Okafor had turned down a contract offer from the Bobcats, meaning he'll become a restricted free agent on July 1.

"I definitely want to be here long-term, and the Bobcats want me to be here long-term," Okafor said after the workout. "It's just the way things go sometimes. Everyone is in a great mood. Everybody is cool."

Still, the stalemate was unexpected. In a news conference in March, Bobcats part-owner Michael Jordan listed "tying up Okafor" as one of the top offseason priorities. The day before training camp began, Okafor said "there's no doubt in my mind we'll get something done" before the Oct. 31 deadline.

But early Thursday morning, the key cog in the Bobcats' defense was without a deal.

"Our offer was commensurate with our respect for Emeka as a basketball player, his overall character and what he brings to the Charlotte community," Bobcats vice president of basketball operations Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We both had different ideas on economic value, but we both agree that neither were insulting."

The 6-foot-10 Okafor will make just over $5.4 million this season in the final year of his rookie scale contract. The two sides can't negotiate again until July 1.

And while the Bobcats can match any offer from another team next summer, the uncertainty of Okafor being in the last year of his deal weighs upon the Bobcats as they begin the season Friday at home against Milwaukee.

"I don't think it's going to be a distraction for me, the team or for Emeka," insisted Bobcats coach Sam Vincent. "He knows what he has to do."

Bickerstaff and Okafor wouldn't reveal the financial figures of the Bobcats' proposed deal. Okafor's agent, Jeff Schwartz, did not return repeated phone messages during the negotiating period.

"The Bobcats made a fair offer," Okafor said.

But it was less than the maximum amount the Bobcats could give the No. 2 pick in the 2004 draft. In July, Orlando gave Dwight Howard, the No. 1 pick in that draft, the maximum five-year deal worth about $85 million.

Okafor's numbers don't match up to Howard's. The former Connecticut star has averaged 14.5 points and 10.9 rebounds in three seasons. He's not the offensive threat Howard is, and there are questions about his durability after he missed all but 26 games of the 2005-06 season with an ankle injury.

Still, he's the anchor of the Bobcats' defense. The Bobcats lost seven straight games late last season when he was sidelined with a calf injury to end their slim playoff hopes.

Okafor, who has 347 blocks in three seasons, is not alone among the rookie class of 2004 that didn't come to terms. Chicago's Luol Deng and Ben Gordon are without new deals, so is Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala.

Note

Bobcats F Adam Morrison is tentatively scheduled to undergo surgery on Nov. 10. Morrison is out for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a preseason game.

[abadani69]

Al Jefferson could have waited until next summer to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In fact, that was what his agent advised him to do, hoping that a big season and his status as a restricted free agent would have brought the 22-year-old power forward the highest contract allowable under league rules.

Jefferson ignored that advice and signed a five-year, $65 million deal just before the deadline Wednesday night. In the era of "Show me the money!" and "bling bling," Jefferson's reason was stunningly humble.

"I didn't even think I was worth max (money) this year anyway," Jefferson said at a press conference on Thursday. "I would've been a fool to go up there and ask for max, having not really proved myself for that. So the number I got was the number that was my goal from Day 1. And I think it was a win, win situation."

At an average salary of $13 million per season that starts next year, Jefferson certainly won't be starving. But Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said that had Jefferson signed a max deal, he would have been entitled to 25 percent of Minnesota's salary cap.

Depending on where the cap is set in each of the next six years, Jefferson likely would have made more than $15 million per season.

"I can tell you around the league, 85 percent of the people feel they're worth max," McHale said with a chuckle. "Al's in the minority of 15 percent that doesn't believe he deserves max."

The young Timberwolves desperately need Jefferson to evolve into the max-contract type of player if their massive rebuilding project is going to succeed.

Jefferson was acquired at the end of July from Boston along with four other players -- Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff -- and two first-round draft picks for Kevin Garnett, the only superstar the Timberwolves have ever had.

After 12 years of trying, and failing, to surround Garnett with veteran talent to get them to the NBA finals, McHale decided it was time to let the face of the franchise go and start over.

So he pulled the trigger on the unprecedented 7-for-1 trade, with Jefferson being the lynch pin of the deal. The 6-foot-10, 265-pounder has been a beast on the low block for the Wolves in the preseason, leading the team with 17.9 points and 13.4 rebounds per game.

McHale adoringly calls him "truly a throwback, low-post, offensive rebound, punch-you-in-the-mouth and score around the paint type guy."

He has long had an affinity for Jefferson's game, but it took some convincing before McHale decided to sign him long term. Jefferson's agent, Jeff Schwartz, pushed for an extension as soon as the trade transpired, but McHale didn't bite.

After eight preseason games, a training camp trip to Europe, and countless hours on the practice court, McHale is sure now was the right time.

"I knew Al was good," McHale said. "Al's better than I thought he was. When you're around him every day, you see his character, you see his personality, you see his work ethic and you see his ability. It's really a package that's very, very impressive."

Establishing a young core including Jefferson, Randy Foye, Corey Brewer and Rashad McCants, McHale has completely revamped a team that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons. He traded veterans Mike James, Trenton Hassell, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount and bought out the contracts of Troy Hudson and Juwan Howard.

With KG gone to Boston, it's Jefferson's team now. After four years with the Celtics, Jefferson thinks he is ready to become a star.

"I told Kevin. I'm prepared for this. I'm ready for this," Jefferson said earlier in training camp. "This is what I want. Every guy in the NBA wants to get the opportunity that I have right now and I want to take advantage of it."

[abadani69]

Kobe Bryant won't be joining the Chicago Bulls anytime soon.

General manager John Paxson basically squashed the notion that the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar will wind up in Chicago, saying the teams were never on the verge of a deal and talks were over for now.

"There's not a deal done," he said Thursday. "There's not going to be a deal done. All the things that were out there were really unfair to all of us who were trying to do our jobs. The misinformation ... I think gets in the way of the process. It's just such a complicated thing and we kind of put it to rest now."

Paxson said they discussed "parameters," but the sides "never got down to the nuts and bolts of it because there was never a deal to be done."

"That's the reality of it," he said. "People can make what they want of it, but what I know is that part of it is over with."

Paxson's comments came a day after a flurry of rumors. Speculation picked up Wednesday, with one report saying the Bulls, Sacramento Kings and Lakers were discussing a three-way deal that would bring the superstar to Chicago.

That scenario had Paxson sending Ben Gordon and a signed-and-traded P.J. Brown to Sacramento, with Chicago's Ben Wallace and the Kings' Ron Artest heading to Los Angeles. Paxson dismissed the rumor, saying a deal involving Brown would send the Bulls over the luxury tax threshold -- something they're reluctant to do.

Bryant, speaking before news of Paxson's comments reached the Lakers' El Segundo, Calif., practice facility, said he is monitoring the rumors "just to keep tabs on how my teammates are reacting to it."

"We've been doing a pretty good job of staying focused," he said. "I've talked to them. From that standpoint, I don't think it's that difficult. If you didn't speak to them or kind of fill them in, it would get a little confusing."

Bryant drew some boos during introductions before the Lakers' season-opening 95-93 loss to Houston on Tuesday, after calling the front office a mess and asking to be traded during the offseason. The jeers turned to cheers as Bryant scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to lead a comeback.

The trade deadline isn't until February, so it's possible talks between the Lakers and Bulls could resume.

"Who knows?" Paxson said. "The reality is that right now, it's done."

Paxson was concerned the issue would become a distraction, so he decided to put it to rest.

"I think today sends a message that our guys don't have to worry about anything right now," Paxson said.

Then again, coach Scott Skiles wondered: "What's resolving anything in all sports until the trading deadline?"

"Just because this rumor at some point dies down, does that mean another one's not going to crop up in two weeks?" he asked. "It's ongoing, it's all the time. Now, this is one that involves a very, very high profile player, so I understand the extra attention on it."

With the rumors swirling, Chicago played a flat first half and was just as bad at the end in losing the season opener 112-103 at New Jersey on Wednesday. Just about every Bull's name has surfaced in rumors, and Luol Deng acknowledged the Kobe questions are wearing on him.

"I am," he said when asked if he's annoyed by them. "But you guys want to get to the bottom of it so I've just got to keep answering your questions."

Several issues stand in the way of a Bryant deal.

Bryant has a no-trade clause and can opt out in the summer 2009, although he has said he wouldn't mind playing in Chicago. Paxson does not want to gut his roster or part with Deng, who appeared to be on the verge of stardom last season.

Would Bryant want to go to a Bulls team without Deng?

And if there's no deal with Chicago, where does that leave the Lakers?

"Maybe having our cake and eating it, too," said coach Phil Jackson, speaking after word of Paxson's comments had reached the Lakers' facility. "Dr. (Jerry) Buss reiterated many, many times that we do not want to trade Kobe Bryant but we'll listen to any comments that come our way that would give us equal parity for him."

Paxson and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Bryant when he was a free agent in 2004. He wound up re-signing with the Lakers for seven years and $136.4 million, with that opt-out clause.

"He liked what he heard," Paxson said. "For that reason, he likes the Chicago Bulls, which is obviously flattering."

But he apparently won't be joining them in the near future.

[abadani69]

ميامي روز دوشنبه به سومين شكست متوالي خود در فصل جديد رقابت*هاي بسكتبال حرفه*اي باشگاه*هاي آمريكا (ان.بي.اي) دست يافت.

به*گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه، تيم ميامي امروز در سالن اختصاصي تيم شارلوت با نتيجه نزديك ۸۸بر۹۰مغلوب ميزبان خود شد و با كسب سه شكست در قعر جدول رده بندي منطقه جنوب شرقي قرار گرفت.

"جيسون ريچاردسون"گارد فوروارد تيم شارلوت با كسب ۲۹امتيازوپنج ريباند نقش بسزايي در پيروزي اين تيم مقابل ميامي ايفا كرد.

در ساير ديدارها نتايج زير بدست آمد :
- بوستون ۹۸تورنتو ۹۵
- سياتل ۱۰۱كليپرز ۱۱۵
- مينه سوتا ۹۳نيويورك ۹۷
- آتلانتا ۹۱ديترويت ۹۲
- نيواورلئان ۹۳دنور ۸۸
- كليولند ۹۲فونيكس ۱۰۳
- يوتا ۱۰۹ليكرز ۱۱۹
جدول رده بندي:
كنفرانس شرق
منطقه آتلانتيك : -۱بوستون، -۲تورنتو، -۳نيوجرسي
منطقه مركزي : -۱ديترويت، -۲اينديانا، -۳كليولند
منطقه جنوب شرقي : -۱شارلوت، -۲اورلاندو، -۳آتلانتا
كنفرانس غرب:
منطقه جنوب غربي : -۱سن آنتونيو، -۲نيواورلئان، -۳هوستون
منطقه شمال غربي : -۱دنور، -۲يوتا، -۳مينه سوتا
منطقه پاسيفيك : -۱كليپرز، -۲فونيكس، -۳ليكرز

[abadani69]

Still not clicking on all cylinders, the Phoenix Suns are still winning.

Steve Nash scored 30 points and had 10 assists and the Suns -- playing without Amare Stoudemire -- rallied from a 12-point second-quarter deficit and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-92 on Sunday night.

Stoudemire, the Suns' All-Star center, was sidelined because of soreness in his right knee. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee Oct. 2. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire was day to day.

Despite Stoudemire's absence, the resilient Suns were able to overcome the Cavs and LeBron James.

"I feel like the first three games, we haven't had good rhythm, we haven't had cohesion," Nash said. "Tonight we scrapped a little tougher in the second half. We have to work together and find the rhythm that we've been successful with."

Shawn Marion had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns. Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points, and Boris Diaw, who started in place of Stoudemire scored 16. Nash had 22 points in the second half.

"We got more lively in the second half," Marion said. "We got out of the sand dune.

"We're playing good defense, but we can play better defense. The perception is we don't play defense, but we do."

LeBron James led Cleveland with 27 points, 21 the second half, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden each scored 22. Gooden had 14 rebounds and Ilgauskas 13.

Mike D'Antoni, who became the fastest Phoenix coach to 200 victories, wasn't ecstatic with the win, but he was satisfied.

"It wasn't pretty, but it was effective," he said. "We're not there yet, but we'll get there. In the second half, we scored 65 points and still didn't shoot very well, so that's encouraging."

The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, who was being guarded by the 6-8 Diaw or 6-9 Brian Skinner, dominated the first half, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds en route to the 150th double-double of his career.

Gooden, also enjoying a two-inch height advantage over Grant Hill, chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Cavaliers to a 45-38 halftime advantage. At one point, the Cavaliers led 39-27.

While Ilgauskas and Gooden were manhandling the short-handed and ailing Suns, James didn't join in the fun much. Coming off a 45-point effort against the New York Knicks on Friday night, he was held to six points on 3-of-12 shooting in the half.

Marion was the only bright spot for the Suns, scoring 13 points, including Phoenix's only two 3-pointers.

The rejuvenated Suns picked up the pace in the third period and took a 69-64 lead into the fourth quarter. Nash ignited the comeback with a 3-pointer and finished with 10 points in the period. Phoenix went ahead for good 55-53 on a turnaround bank shot by Diaw.

James also got rolling in the quarter, scoring 11 points, including a tomahawk dunk, but didn't get much help from his teammates and the Cavaliers were outscored 31-19. Nash made sure the Suns didn't lose the lead in the fourth period, scoring 12 points.

The Cavaliers had 22 turnovers, leading to 21 Phoenix points, and that dismayed James.

"We had a few careless mistakes ..." he said. "We had some unforced ones that were uncharacteristic of us."

Cleveland coach Mike Brown also was unhappy with his team's play.

"For some reason, we did not drive the ball," Brown said. "We swung it, swung it, swung it and then settled for a jump shot. If we play that way, we'll get beat in a lot of games."

Notes

: Jerry Colangelo, the founder of the Suns, was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime. ... This was the start of a six-game Western road trip for the Cavaliers. ... The Suns now will go on a four-game Eastern road swing. ... Sasha Pavlovic suited up for the first time this season for Cleveland, after ending his contract holdout. ... Anderson Varejao still has not played for the Cavs because of a contract dispute. ... Cleveland also was missing two other key reserves, both with injuries -- Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Eric Snow (sprained left knee). ... The victory was the Suns' ninth straight at home against Cleveland.

[abadani69]

تيم دنور صدرنشين منطقه شمال غربي رقابت*هاي بسكتبال حرفه*اي باشگاه*هاي آمريكا روز چهارشنبه مقابل تيم نيويورك تن به شكست داد.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فرانسه، در اين ديدار كه در سالن اختصاصي تيم دنور برگزار شد ، اين تيم به*رغم درخشش "آلن ايورسون" گارد سرشناس خود با نتيجه ۱۱۲بر ۱۱۹مغلوب حريف خود شد.

ايورسون در اين بازي ۳۲امتياز، ۴ريباند و ۵پاس منجر به گل براي دنور بدست آورد.

درساير ديدارها نتايج زير بدست آمد :
فونيكس ۱۱۵شارلوت ۸۳
آتلانتا ۸۲نيوجرسي ۸۷
اورلاندو ۱۱۱مينه سوتا ۱۰۳
تورنتو ۸۵ميلواكي ۱۱۲
سن آنتونيو ۸۱هوستون ۸۹
كليپرز ۹۷شيكاگو ۹۱
سياتل ۹۸ساكرامنتو ۱۰۴
نيواورلئان ۱۱۸ليكرز ۱۰۴
كليولند ۱۰۸گلدن استيت ۱۰۴
جدول رده بندي
كنفرانس شرق
منطقه آتلانتيك : -۱بوستون، -۲نيوجرسي ، -۳نيويورك
منطقه مركزي : -۱ديترويت، -۲اينديانا، -۳ميلواكي
منطقه جنوب شرقي : -۱اورلاندو ، -۲شارلوت، -۳آتلانتا
كنفرانس غرب
منطقه جنوب غربي : -۱نيواورلئان، - ۲هوستون ، -۳دالاس
منطقه شمال غربي : -۱دنور، -۲يوتا، -۳مينه سوتا
منطقه پاسفيك : -۱كليپرز، -۲فونيكس، -۳ليكرز

[abadani69]

Steve Nash scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 to go with eight assists, and the Phoenix Suns added to Miami's season-opening misery by rallying past the Heat 106-101 Friday night.

Leandro Barbosa finished with 17 points, Raja Bell scored 16 and Shawn Marion added 17 points and 24 rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 15-for-33 from 3-point range.

Shaquille O'Neal had season-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which led by as many as 12 points before falling to 0-5. The Heat had a chance to tie with 9 seconds left, but Ricky Davis' 3-pointer bounced off the rim.

Davis and Jason Williams each had 21 points, Williams added 10 assists, and Udonis Haslem finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat.

Phoenix was down by five with 4:53 left when Nash simply took over.

The two-time MVP hit a 3-pointer with 4:30 left, added another in transition a couple minutes later to give the Suns the lead, and added a layup that put the Suns up 101-98.

And after O'Neal -- who was 11-for-19 -- missed with about 1:30 left, Nash delivered the dagger. His sixth and final 3-pointer of the night sealed his personal 11-0 spurt, gave Phoenix a 104-98 lead and kept Miami out of the win column.

Suns center Amare Stoudemire, who missed the past three games with a sore knee, started and scored nine points before being ejected early in the third quarter.

Phoenix went up 10-2 after the first 2 1/2 minutes, and a blowout looked rather possible. But Miami -- the league's lowest-scoring team entering the night -- went on its best spurt of the season after that rocky start.

Williams had seven unanswered points in a 44-second span to kickstart what became a 29-11 Miami run over the next 7 1/2 minutes, a burst that ended when O'Neal scored to give the Heat a 31-21 edge.

How stunning was that?

Well, it was the first time all season Miami led by double digits.

Miami matched a franchise record with 17 field goals in the opening quarter, and its 37 points in the first 12 minutes were one shy of what it managed in the first half two nights earlier at San Antonio.

The Heat took a 12-point lead on a layup by Williams midway through the second, but Phoenix rode an 11-point period by Barbosa to close it to 60-55 at intermission.

And 56 seconds into the second half, Miami's lead was gone.

Bell made a 3-pointer, Nash followed with a jumper to knot the game and the Heat called time-out with 10:57 left in the period. It didn't help: Stoudemire's three-point play put Phoenix on top one trip later.

That would be his final highlight of the night. Stoudemire was ejected with 9:20 left in the third for arguing a foul call -- drawing his second technical. With him gone, Miami rebuilt its lead to eight points late in the third before settling for an 84-79 edge entering the frantic and final 12 minutes.

Notes

Best miss of the night: All in one motion, Stoudemire grabbed a loose ball away from Alonzo Mourning with 1 second left in the half and threw it 90 feet in a desperate effort to beat the buzzer. The shot hit the backboard, a tad right of the rim. ... It was the first start for Miami forward Penny Hardaway's since late in the 2003-04 season. ... Rory Sparrow, who made the first basket in Heat history, sat courtside. Now a vice president of player development for the NBA, Sparrow presented Dwyane Wade with an award honoring his community service during a brief halftime ceremony.

[abadani69]

Grant Hill isn't used to being the bad guy. He inherited the role Saturday against his former team.

The All-Star shrugged off relentless boos from his former fans for 14 points and eight rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 106-96 Saturday night. While the crowd focused on Hill, Leandro Barbosa scored a career-high 39 points and all five Suns starters cracked double figures to break the Magic's four-game winning streak.

"That's what fans are supposed to do -- they're supposed to boo opposing teams," Hill said. "When I used to watch ball back in the day, the 80s, Maurice Cheeks went into the Garden and he didn't get cheered, he got booed.

"We're trying to win a championship, and in order to do that we have to go on the road against other teams," Hill said. "You're going to get booed, you're going to get called all types of names -- you've got to be really strong."

The Suns withstood a 33-point, 18-rebound effort by Dwight Howard, partly by keeping him at the foul line. Howard was 7-of-16 on free throws and missed four straight late in the third quarter as Orlando fell behind 23 points. Besides two attempts in the second quarter by Hedo Turkoglu and one late by Trevor Ariza, no Orlando player but Howard even tried a free throw.

Steve Nash had 19 points and 11 assists and Shawn Marion added 11 points and eight rebounds. Amare Stoudemire had 13 points and six rebounds in his second outing after missing three games with a sore knee.

The teams entered the game first and second in the NBA in 3-point attempts -- 27.7 a game for Phoenix and 25.7 for the Magic. Orlando went the whole first quarter without trying a 3, falling behind 34-27 before eventually shooting 8-for-19.

"I thought they did a pretty good job switching pick and rolls and stuff," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their energy level was very high, and I thought they did a very good job of closing out and getting to our 3-point shooters."

Barbosa started in place of Raja Bell, who didn't dress after spraining an ankle late in the fourth quarter Friday against Miami. He scored 16 in the first quarter and missed only two shots in the period -- one of them a 39-footer just before the buzzer that nearly went in.

"As quick as Nash is, he can't even match Barbosa's quickness," Van Gundy said. "Leandro Barbosa is the fastest man in the NBA."

Barbosa made 15-of-26 shots, including 8-for-13 from 3-point range.

"Coach always tells me to keep shooting," he said. "He says if you are open to shoot it. Today I was feeling great -- maybe I am not struggling anymore. You have to be patient when you are struggling."

Carlos Arroyo had 13 points and eight assists for Orlando, Keyon Dooling scored 10 and Turkoglu and Ariza each added 11. Rashard Lewis struggled from the field with 3-of-14 shooting and finished with seven.

"I think they stayed a little closer to me out on the wings when they were rotating on the double team on Dwight," Lewis said. "They made sure they paid a lot of attention to me. But at the same time I missed a lot of easy shots -- just couldn't get into a rhythm all night."

Both teams were playing their fourth game in five days. Orlando was 2-2 after playing the night before, while the Suns were 0-2.

Notes

Tiger Woods, who lives in area, watched from courtside. Both teams shot 47 percent from the field, but Phoenix attempted nine more shots. ... Nash was 9-of-13, one night after scoring 11 points in a row against the Heat.

[abadani69]

Trying to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter, Shawn Marion heaved a wild hook shot from the top of the key. The ball rattled around the rim and dropped in.

It was that kind of a night for the Phoenix Suns.

Marion had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Steve Nash had 19 points and 15 assists and the Suns beat the Houston Rockets 115-105 on Saturday night for their fifth straight win.

Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire had 21 points apiece for the sharp-shooting Suns, who shot 62 percent (43-of-69) and went 10-for-19 from 3-point range, both season-high percentages.

"I never felt the game was close," Nash said. "We controlled the tempo all game."

The scary part is they think they should've scored more -- the accurate shooting masked 25 turnovers, also a season high.

"I don't think we're quite where we should be," Marion said. "We've still got another notch to get to."

Grant Hill also had 18 points for the Suns, who've won seven of the last eight meetings with Houston. Phoenix improved to 8-2, its best start since 2004-05.

Mike James scored 17 in place of Tracy McGrady, who missed his second straight game because of a sprained right elbow. Houston is 11-41 without McGrady since he joined the team before the 2004-05 season.

Luis Scola had 20 points and 11 rebounds, but Yao Ming had only 12 on 4-for-17 shooting for the Rockets, who have lost four in a row. Marion and Stoudemire double-teamed Yao much of the night.

"We just swarmed him and tried to make it difficult for him," said Marion. "We did the best we could. We just tried to make him feel uncomfortable."

The Suns led 69-57 at halftime after shooting an astonishing 73 percent in the first half (27-of-37) -- and only missing four shots inside the 3-point arc.

Phoenix missed 5 of its first 11 shots in the third quarter and Houston chipped away at the lead. Yao sank a free throw and James scored on a drive to pull the Rockets to 78-72.

Marion drove for a layup at the other end just five seconds later to start a decisive 16-4 Phoenix run. Marion had a two-handed dunk to put Phoenix up 88-72, then finished the third quarter with a wild hook shot from the top of the key that rattled in to put the Suns up 94-76.

The Rockets started the fourth quarter with a quick 9-0 burst. But Stoudemire scored twice to push the lead back over 10 and Nash's fadeaway with 6:31 left put the Suns up 100-87. Phoenix is 8-0 this season when it reaches 100 points.

Already short-handed without McGrady, the Rockets were further depleted when Yao and Shane Battier each picked up their second fouls in the first six minutes of the game and went to the bench.

Phoenix outscored Houston 18-13 without them and led 37-30 after one quarter. The Suns shot 75 percent in the quarter (15-of-20) and their only misses came from 3-point range.

Steve Francis started the second quarter, his long-awaited debut with the Rockets. Francis signed a two-year deal in July, but had been relegated to the bench since the season began, the third-string point guard behind Rafer Alston and Mike James.

The fans cheered when Francis brought the ball up the court for the first time and they gasped when he drove the basket and took a hard foul from Boris Diaw. Francis sank two free throws with 10:32 left in the half to cut Houston's deficit to 41-35.

"It's been great," Francis said of the crowd's reaction. "They've been sticking behind me no matter what. Hopefully, this is a start for me to continue to get playing time, trying to help this team win."

The Rockets closed to 44-42, but Nash returned after a long rest and Phoenix outscored Houston 25-15 the rest of the half.

Notes

Rockets coach Rick Adelman said McGrady is likely to play in Houston's next game, against Dallas on Wednesday. "He really wants to play and I really want him to play," Adelman said. "But the doctor is just not comfortable. He's just thinking, if he gets a couple more days (to rest), it's going to be much smarter and wiser on our part. So that's what we're going to do." ... Suns guard Raja Bell sat out with a sprained right ankle. D'Antoni was hoping Bell would be ready for the Suns' next game, at Sacramento on Tuesday. "We do want to be cautious with it and we do have three days off until the next game," D'Antoni said. ... The Suns' 69 first-half points were a season high. ... The Rockets' four-game losing streak is their longest since April 2006.