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Three injured Pistons to sit out tonight against Hornets
The Detroit Pistons are still shorthanded.
Ben Gordon (groin), Tayshaun Prince (left knee) and Will Bynum (left ankle) will sit out the game tonight when the Pistons host the New Orleans Hornets.
That could make for a tough matchup for the Pistons, who ended a 13-game losing streak Tuesday with a win over the Washington Wizards. The Hornets have won seven of their last eight and beat Detroit 95-87 last month in New Orleans.
Nets Waive Shawne Williams
The New Jersey Nets have requested waivers on forward Shawne Williams, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.
Williams was acquired on January 11 via trade from Dallas along with Kris Humphries in exchange for Eduardo Najera. Currently in his fourth NBA season, Williams has career averages of 5.2 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 126 games with Indiana and Dallas. The former first round draft pick (17th overall) of the Pacers in 2006 has not played in a game this season.
Shorthanded Pistons host Hornets
The Detroit Pistons will be missing three players for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Hornets.
Small forward Tayshaun Prince (knee) and guards Ben Gordon (groin) and Will Bynum (ankle) are sitting out. Bynum has missed eight straight games, while Gordon has only played in 25 of Detroit’s 38 games and Prince has been active in just nine.
Detroit snapped a 13-game losing streak with Tuesday’s win in Washington but hasn’t won at home since Dec. 12.
Boris Diaw had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Gerald Wallace added 21 points and the Charlotte Bobcats used stifling second-half defense to beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-76 on Friday night for their franchise-record sixth straight home win.
With Wallace collecting acrobatic blocks, the Bobcats took control with a dominant defensive stand that bridged the third and fourth quarters. The Spurs went more than nine minutes without a field goal, and the Bobcats' 19-2 run put them ahead 70-57 and secured their sixth win in seven games overall.
San Antonio snapped a three-game winning streak with Tim Duncan struggling in his return after the veteran was given a game off to rest. Duncan hit just 4-of-12 shots and had 10 points. DeJuan Blair had 16 rebounds for the Spurs.
Sam Dalembert made a $100,00 donation to help relief efforts in Haiti, then had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 98-86 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
Thaddeus Young scored 20 points for the Sixers and Allen Iverson had 17. Dalembert made all seven of his shots and had three blocks.
The Sixers are a modest 3-2 since team president Ed Stefanski refused to guarantee coach Eddie Jordan would last the season. They could be headed toward their usual pattern of getting off to a miserable start before regrouping in January and February and sneaking into the playoffs.
Danny Granger scored 22 of his 28 points in a 72-point first-half blitz and the Indiana Pacers posted their third straight win with a 121-105 victory over the woeful New Jersey Nets on Friday night.
Troy Murphy added 21 points and 14 rebounds, Brandon Rush had 15 points and Mike Dunleavy 14 for the Pacers, who took a different approach after rallying from 20-plus point deficits in winning their last two games. Roy Hibbert also had 12 points.
Devin Harris had 22 points and nine assists for the Nets, who lost their seventh straight.
Rudy Gay scored 21 points, Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo added 20 apiece and the Memphis Grizzlies won their seventh straight home game with a 135-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
Mike Conley added 18 points and eight assists, and Sam Young scored 17. Marc Gasol finished with 12 points. Memphis has won 10 of its past 13.
Corey Brewer led the Timberwolves with 22 points, while Al Jefferson scored 21, all in the first half. Wayne Ellington had 17 points and Kevin Love finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota dropped its fourth straight.
Andrea Bargnani had 24 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Toronto Raptors get off to a sizzling start in a 112-104 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Jose Calderon matched a season high with 21 points, rookie DeMar DeRozan scored 19 and Chris Bosh had 18 for the Raptors, when bounced back from consecutive losses and got back to .500 at 20-20. Bargnani hurt the Knicks inside and out, making five 3-pointers and shooting 9 of 13 from the field.
Toronto shot 53 percent and opened a 28-point lead that was trimmed to eight early in the fourth quarter before Calderon made consecutive jumpers and Hedo Turkoglu knocked down another to push it back to 14.
Jamal Crawford hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap an Atlanta comeback in the final seconds, giving the Hawks a 102-101 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
The Suns failed to block out when Josh Smith missed the second of two free throws with six seconds to go, allowing Crawford to slip inside for the rebound. His putback made it 100-99.
Amare Stoudemire was fouled quickly and missed one of his free throws. After a timeout, Mike Bibby inbounded the ball to Crawford, who put up a 28-footer over Jared Dudley.
Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 32 points and Rodney Stuckey scored eight of his 13 points in overtime and the Detroit Pistons beat the New Orleans Hornets 110-104 Friday night.
Detroit, which has won two straight after losing 13 in a row, also got 21 rebounds from Ben Wallace.
Chris Paul had 24 points and 14 assists for the Hornets before fouling out, and David West scored 25 points.
Derrick Rose scored a career-high 37 points and hit the go-ahead basket with 5.4 seconds left in the second overtime Friday night as the Chicago Bulls overcame an inspired effort by the Washington Wizards for a 121-119 victory.
Just hours after teammate and suspended star Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty back in D.C. to a felony gun charge, the Wizards put everything they had into getting a victory before falling short.
Antawn Jamison had a season-high 34 points and 18 rebounds, Caron Butler added 27 points, Randy Foye had 22 points and Brendan Haywood grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds and scored 16.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and Jason Terry added 21 to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-98 on Friday night.
Nowitzki and Terry scored 16 of the final 18 points for the Mavericks.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points on 6 of 18 shooting and grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook added 18 points and six assists.
Dwyane Wade scored 37 points, his second consecutive big game since spraining his wrist, and the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 115-106 on Friday night.
Rafer Alston had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting against his former team and Jermaine O'Neal added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat, who snapped Houston's eight-game home winning streak.
Luis Scola and rookie Chase Budinger scored 17 points apiece for the Rockets, who looked sluggish after a triple-overtime win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Aaron Brooks, who scored a career-high 43 points against the Timberwolves, went 1 for 6 from 3-point range and scored 14 on Friday night.
Austin Daye's future at power forward? It's possible, says Pistons coach John Kuester
At 6 feet, 11 inches tall, Detroit Pistons rookie Austin Daye is not a “small” forward. But on the court, he is a small forward. And sometimes a shooting guard.
And, in the future, a power forward, according to Pistons coach John Kuester.“You’ve seen the league evolve more into different types of fours,” Kuester said. “His length -- not his strength -- but his length allows him to play a number of people position-wise.”
Daye is averaging 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game. He scored 10 points in two of his previous three games heading into the game Friday night.
Jerebko finds way into lineup
When Prince returned to the lineup recently, rookie forward Jonas Jerebko found himself spending a lot of time on the bench and didn’t play that well when he was on the court.
But in the two games prior to Friday night, Jerebko played a lot and played well. “He likes playing,” Kuester said with a smile. Jerebko had 15 points and nine rebounds in Monday in a loss to Chicago, then came back Tuesday with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Jerebko started again Friday in place of Prince. “He’s in the mix, and he’s a major part of our future,” Kuester said. “He’s got a big chance to be very, very good."
Pistons gut one out against Hornets in overtime
Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 32 points and Rodney Stuckey scored eight of his 13 points in overtime and the Detroit Pistons beat the New Orleans Hornets 110-104 Friday night. Detroit, which has won two straight after losing 13 in a row, also got 21 rebounds from Ben Wallace.Chris Paul had 24 points and 14 assists for the Hornets before fouling out, and David West scored 25 points. Detroit led by 18 in the first half, but needed Hamilton’s buzzer-beating jumper to take a 76-69 lead into the fourth. New Orleans pulled within 76-75 early in the fourth, but Hamilton answered with a jumper and Darius Songalia missed a layup. Moments later, Songalia was called for a technical after arguing a call, and the free throw gave Detroit an 81-75 lead.
The Hornets took an 83-82 lead on Paul’s 3-pointer with 7:50 to play, and were aided when Wallace shot an airball on a free throw that would have tied the game. The Pistons missed three more free throws, but they still moved out to a 96-94 lead with 1:48 left. Paul missed a tying jumper, and after a Detroit miss, Hamilton stole the ball from Emeka Okafor under the basket. Stuckey missed a shot, giving New Orleans another chance, and Paul’s layup tied the game with 24.9 seconds left. Hamilton missed a game-winning shot with three seconds left and Jonas Jerebko’s desperate tip hit the rim. Stuckey’s back-to-back 3-point plays gave the Pistons a 106-101 lead, and Detroit still had a 107-104 advantage after Wallace made one of two free throws with 48.6 seconds to go. West turned the ball over, and the Pistons held on for the win.
NOTES: The Pistons were missing Ben Gordon (groin), Tayshaun Prince (knee) and Will Bynum (ankle). Detroit has lost 79 games to injury this season — more than two per game. ... Michigan native Morris Peterson (knee and back) did not dress for New Orleans. ... Austin Daye outscored Paul and Peja Stojakovic 12-10 in the first half. ... The Hornets had just two offensive rebounds in the game.
Rodney Stuckey stars in overtime as Pistons upset Hornets for second consecutive victory
Rodney Stuckey didn’t do much in regulation. But he made up for it in overtime. Stuckey scored eight points in overtime Friday night as the Detroit Pistons upset the New Orleans Hornets 110-104 for their second consecutive win. The Pistons had lost 13 consecutive games prior to beating Washington on Tuesday. The Hornets, one of the hottest teams in the NBA, had won seven of their previous eight games heading into Friday’s matchup. Stuckey had five points in regulation before turning in an outstanding performance in overtime. He made two free throws to give the Pistons a 100-98 lead, then scored, was fouled and made a free throw on consecutive possessions to put Detroit up 106-101. Richard Hamilton had 32 points, 10 assists and three steals to lead the Pistons, while Ben Wallace had 13 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
Stuckey had 13 points and four assists, while Jonas Jerebko added 13 points and eight rebounds. Charlie Villanueva had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Austin Daye scored 12 points. The Pistons were aggressive from the start and jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first quarter.The Pistons led 31-13 late in the first and had their first 30-point first quarter since Dec. 4. The Hornets went on a 17-2 run to cut their deficit to three points midway through the second quarter before the Pistons got rolling again. The Pistons scored just two points in the first 5 minutes, 40 seconds of the second, but they had 22 points in the final 6:20 to take a 55-44 lead into halftime.
Charlotte eventually battled all the way back, taking their first lead since scoring the game’s first basket when Chris Paul buried a 3-pointer with about eight minutes left in the game.The Pistons had the ball with the game tied 96-96 and 24.9 seconds left in regulation. But a Hamilton jumper bounced off the rim, and the Pistons couldn’t regain possession and get a good shot off before time ran out. The Pistons entered the game 29th in the NBA in assists per game with 17.3. But they had 10 in the first quarter, 16 in the first half and 27 for the game. David West had 25 points and nine rebounds to lead New Orleans. Chris Paul had 24 points, 14 assists and four steals.
Pistons edge Hornets in OT
Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 32 points and Rodney Stuckey scored eight of his 13 points in overtime and the Detroit Pistons beat the New Orleans Hornets 110-104 Friday night. Detroit, which has won two straight after losing 13 in a row, also got 21 rebounds from Ben Wallace.Chris Paul had 24 points and 14 assists for the Hornets before fouling out, and David West scored 25 points.
Detroit led by 18 in the first half, but needed Hamilton's buzzer-beating jumper to take a 76-69 lead into the fourth. New Orleans pulled within 76-75 early in the fourth, but Hamilton answered with a jumper and Darius Songalia missed a layup. Moments later, Songalia was called for a technical after arguing a call, and the free throw gave Detroit an 81-75 lead. The Hornets took an 83-82 lead on Paul's 3-pointer with 7:50 to play, and were aided when Wallace shot an airball on a free throw that would have tied the game. The Pistons missed three more free throws, but they still moved out to a 96-94 lead with 1:48 left. Paul missed a tying jumper, and after a Detroit miss, Hamilton stole the ball from Emeka Okafor under the basket.
Stuckey missed a shot, giving New Orleans another chance, and Paul's layup tied the game with 24.9 seconds left. Hamilton missed a game-winning shot with three seconds left and Jonas Jerebko's desperate tip hit the rim. Stuckey's back-to-back 3-point plays gave the Pistons a 106-101 lead, and Detroit still had a 107-104 advantage after Wallace made one of two free throws with 48.6 seconds to go. West turned the ball over, and the Pistons held on for the win.
Video in the link above^.Steal and Slam
Charlie Villanueva steals the pass and finishes with authority.
Video in the link above^.Hornets vs. Pistons: First half
Richard Hamilton scores 15 first-half points as the Pistons lead the Hornets 55-44 at the break.