NBA Roundup: Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers win – (Part 5)
Atlanta Hawks 97 – Phoenix Suns 105
The free falling Atlanta Hawks have been busy this week in a bid to shake up their roster. Wednesday night’s 105-97 defeat against the Phoenix Suns was an unwanted outcome though.
Severely shorthanded due to the non-availability of starting point guard Mike Bibby, reserve swingman Maurice Evans and reserve guard Jordan Crawford - due to their imminent transfer to the Washington Wizards - the Hawks slumped to their second defeat in
as many nights.
Phoenix though, were not concerned about their opponents’ woes, as they pulled off a moral boosting win before heading into a difficult road trip.
Even without their full cast, the Hawk did put up a valiant fight though.
After staying within striking distance of the surging Suns throughout the match, the Hawks finally managed to tie the scores at 92, five minutes before the end of regulation time. They lost steam during the ensuing stretch though, as the Suns’ carved out
a 13-5 run to pull away with the victory; their fifth out of the last seven.
For the Suns, Channing Frye led the charge with 20 points while Jared Dudley fetched 17 off the bench. Steve Nash had all his 13 points in the second half. He also dished out 10 assists but was charged with seven turnovers. The Hawks were led by Josh Smith
who scored 26 points. Meanwhile Jamal Crawford had 19 points and Al Horford added 17 for Atlanta.
Los Angeles Clippers 87 – New Orleans Hornets 98
Blake Griffin was a major reason why the Los Angeles Clippers ended a long losing streak against the New Orleans Hornets in their last meeting. This time though, the Hornets were ready for the slam-dunking sensation.
The Hornets turned the screws on Griffin in particular and the Clippers’ offence in general, right from the tip-off as they condemned the Los Angeles franchise to a 98-87 defeat.
The Clippers enjoyed the lead in the early minutes of the game, but after the Hornets finished the first quarter with a 12-0 spurt to go 23-16 up, the game was virtually decided. The Hornets were never threatened after that as they out-rebounded, out-shot
and out played the Clippers to roll onto a comfortable win.
Chris Paul returned from the All-Star break completely energised, as he marshalled the Hornets with 19 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals. David West also chipped in with 22 points and 8 rebounds.
For the Clippers, Blake Griffin shot 8-of-17 to score 21 points and 13 boards. Los Angeles also turned the ball over 23 times, leading to 25 Hornets points.
Los Angeles Lakers 106 – Portland Trail Blazers 101
The Portland Trail Blazers missed their last seven shots in regulation time, including three close-range attempts by LaMarcus Aldridge in the final minute, as they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 106-101 at the Rose Garden on Wednesday night.
Leading by as many as 10 points with just under six minutes to hold on for in regulation time, the home team simply failed to hold their nerves. Kobe Bryant made a jump bank shot a few seconds later and followed it with a pull-up jumper, as the Lakers sprinted
to a 12-2 run to take the game into overtime. Kobe scored 8-points in that spurt.
Bryant then continued his scoring form in overtime. With the Lakers leading by 98-97 on the back of Pau Gasol’s three point play, Kobe took the game by the scruff of the neck, pounding eight consecutive points in the last 28 seconds. The All-Star game MVP
finished with 37 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Pau Gasol had 18 points and 14 boards while Ron Artest finished with 24 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, while Nicolas Batum and Wesley Mathews finished with 22 apiece.
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