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	<channel>		<title>RUWT? News - NBA</title>
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		<description>RUWT? News - NBA</description>
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		<lastBuildDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:38:10 GMT</lastBuildDate>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:38:10 GMT</pubDate>
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			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Bulls-Nuggets Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By KATE HEDLIN
STATS Writer

Chicago (6-5) at Denver (8-4), 9:00 p.m. EDT

When the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls met earlier this month
at the United Center, the final result was decided on an
overturned basket at the buzzer.

Chicago's recent visits to Denver have been just as frustrating.

The Nuggets look to beat the Bulls for the 10th time in 11 home
contests Saturday night.

Denver (8-4) beat Chicago 90-89 on Nov. 10 after Chauncey
Billups hit a go-ahead free throw with six-tenths of a second
left. Brad Miller's jumper at the buzzer was overturned
following a lengthy replay review.

Not that Billups had a doubt about the decision.

"As soon as I saw the flight of the ball, I knew it was good,"
he said. "Then, I was sitting and laughing. Not so much about
the shot, but looking at their reaction. They were dancing and
jumping around like they had just made the Sweet 16."

While the Nuggets and Bulls have alternated decisions in the
last 11 games, Denver has been much more consistent in recent
matchups at home, winning three straight and nine of 10 going
back to the 1999-2000 season.

Six of the 10 games, though, have been decided by 10 or fewer
points, including four separated by four or less.

Denver, which is 4-0 at home this season, lost 106-99 Friday to
the Clippers in Los Angeles. Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points,
including 17 in the first quarter, but the Clippers led 56-46 at
the half. The Nuggets opened the fourth with a 19-4 run that
narrowed the gap to 92-90 with 6:10 to play, but Los Angeles
pulled away after that.

Anthony finished 12 of 20 from the field. He's shooting 63.6
percent in the last three games.

Denver was coming off back-to-back double-digit wins over the
Lakers and Toronto. The Clippers had lost five of six.

"We have to somehow realize that we are everybody's big game,"
Billups said. "It's a very tough loss, but we have to forget
about this game and focus on tomorrow night."

The Bulls (6-5), meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after a
108-93 loss to the Lakers on Thursday. Chicago gave up 100
points for only the second time this season as it struggled to
contain Los Angeles' big men. The Bulls trailed by as many as 24
points and gave up a season-high 60 in the paint.

Derrick Rose finished with 20 points, but was held to only four
in the first half. He finished 9 of 20 from the field as he
continues to struggle early in his second season. The reigning
rookie of the year, who was limited in the preseason because of
a strained tendon behind his right ankle, averaged 12.7 points
on 39.5 percent shooting in his previous three games.

"He's frustrated because he's a competitive kid," coach Vinny
Del Negro told the NBA's official Web site. "He's not physically
100 percent, not in the condition he was (last season) just
because of the injury. You just have to take a step back, give
him some time."

Del Negro's team has four more games left on the annual Circus
Trip, which began with a 101-87 victory over Sacramento on
Tuesday. Chicago is 2-4 on the road this season.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135956-Bulls-Nuggets-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135956-Bulls-Nuggets-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:04:28 GMT</pubDate>
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			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Butler leads Clips to 106-99 win over Nuggets]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES(AP) -- The first player off the Los Angeles Clippers'
bench led them in scoring, something that doesn't happen with
this club except when there are injuries - which is most of the
time.

Forward Rasual Butler had 27 points, Al Thornton added 18, and
the Clippers withstood an early scoring spree from Carmelo
Anthony to beat the Denver Nuggets 106-99 on Friday night.

"We're so deep that anyone can lead us in scoring, and tonight
was Rasual's night," teammate Baron Davis said. "He played with
aggression, we played at a pace and a speed that was great for
us, and it got him a lot of wide-open shots. If we continue to
play like that, I think we're going to have different leading
scorers every night."

Chris Kaman had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for
the Clippers. Davis had 12 points and nine assists.

The defending Northwest Division champion Nuggets, coming off
one-sided victories over the Lakers and Toronto Raptors, lost to
the Clippers for the first time since Nov. 11, 2007. They had
won the previous seven meetings, including a four-game sweep
last season. Anthony led Denver with 37 points, and Nene had 18
points and 12 rebounds.

"It's not like a few years ago, where you play the Clippers or
somebody and it's just another game," Denver's Chauncey Billups
said. "We have to somehow realize that we are everybody's big
game. It's a very tough loss, but we have to forget about this
game and focus on tomorrow night."

The Clippers, who set an ignominious franchise record last
Friday by blowing a 22-point lead in a home loss to Toronto, led
Denver by 19 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. The
Nuggets opened the fourth with a 19-4 run that narrowed the gap
to 92-90 with 6:10 to play and gave the crowd of 18,155 a sense
of impending doom.

"We needed this win. It was a nationally televised game, and we
didn't want to be embarrassed," said Butler, who was 8 for 15
from the field after coming in averaging 9.5 points with a 36.7
shooting percentage.

"I just hadn't been shooting the ball lately. I've been playing
a pretty good floor game, but my shot just was off," Butler
said. "My teammates and the coaching staff have supreme
confidence in my ability to shoot the ball and they continue to
be positive with me. I was able to just put those other games
behind me and give myself a fresh start."

The Clippers missed six of seven shots during Denver's rally,
but grabbed the momentum back with 3-pointers by Butler and
Davis 32 seconds apart to take a 98-90 edge with 5:18 left. The
Nuggets got as close as 104-99 on a 3-pointer by J.R. Smith with
1:09 left.

"We gave them some turnovers and easy scores and had some missed
defensive assignments," Butler said. "During the timeout, we
just talked about tightening back up and refocusing. We were
able to do that and started getting stops and rebounds. Marcus
Camby came up with two big stops for us, getting the charge
after the timeout and then a blocked shot that started the fast
break for us."

Anthony, who scored 17 points in the opening quarter, made his
first six shots before Kaman blocked his attempted layup with
8.9 seconds left in the period. The rejection led to a 3-pointer
by Butler at the other end with less than a second on the clock,
slicing Denver's lead to 26-21.

The Clippers took the lead for good at 28-26 on a layup by
Sebastian Telfair with 9:50 left in the second quarter. Davis,
who missed his first four shots, ended the drought on a
3-pointer with 1:20 left in the first half to increase Los
Angeles' margin to 53-42. Butler followed with a three-point
play 28 seconds later to cap a 7-0 spurt.

NOTES: Clippers longtime play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler and
color analyst Michael Smith did not work Friday's broadcast,
after the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network suspended them
for one game because of some off-the-cuff comments they made
during Wednesday night's telecast from Memphis about
Iranian-born Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi. The on-air banter
offended one viewer who e-mailed Fox to complain. Michael Eaves
and former NBA and UCLA player Don MacLean, who regularly serve
as halftime and postgame analysts on the Clippers telecasts,
substituted for Lawler and Smith at courtside. ... Davis
recorded his 5,000th regular-season assist in the NBA when he
set up Kaman's 15-foot jumper with 3:19 left in the first
quarter. ... Anthony has scored at least 30 points in eight of
his first 12 games. He and Miami's Dwyane Wade are the only
players in the league who have had 20 or more in all of their
teams' games so far. ... Denver coach George Karl got a
technical foul from referee Marc Davis with 4:40 left in the
third quarter after Anthony was called for a foul on Thornton
with the Nuggets trailing 75-60. .]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135939-Butler-leads-Clips-to-106-99-win-over-Nuggets</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135939-Butler-leads-Clips-to-106-99-win-over-Nuggets</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:45:33 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
			<item>
				<title><![CDATA[Timberwolves-Trail Blazers Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By MATT BECKER
STATS Senior Writer

Minnesota (1-11) at Portland (9-5), 10:00 p.m. EDT

Since winning their season opener 3 1/2 weeks ago, the Minnesota
Timberwolves have yet to notch their second victory of the
season.

The Portland Trail Blazers have been responsible for two of the
defeats on that lengthy losing streak.

Trying to bounce back from a disappointing defeat, the Trail
Blazers seek their third victory over the Timberwolves in two
weeks when the Northwest Division clubs meet Saturday night at
the Rose Garden.

Minnesota's season started in solid fashion with a 95-93 win
over New Jersey on Oct. 28, but the team has dropped 11 in a row
since.

The Timberwolves (1-11) suffered some narrow losses to Phoenix,
the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston at the beginning of the
skid, but the scores have rarely been close lately.

Minnesota, in the midst of its longest losing streak since a
13-game slide from Nov. 29-Dec. 23, is coming off Wednesday's
97-84 loss to Houston, its seventh straight defeat by at least
10 points.

"We haven't came close in any of the games since the fourth or
fifth game," Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes said. "After that,
every other game has been double-digit losses. We want to get
off this losing streak, but it's going to have to come from
within."

Two of the losses during Minnesota's skid have come against the
Trail Blazers, and neither was close.

Portland (9-5) defeated the Timberwolves 116-93 on Nov. 8 and
won 107-84 at Minnesota three days later.

The victory at the Target Center on Nov. 11 was the Blazers'
10th straight over the Timberwolves since a 94-93 loss on March
25, 2007. Portland has also won the won the last eight meetings
at the Rose Garden since an 84-74 defeat on Dec. 7, 2005.

In the two meetings this season, the Blazers have enjoyed a
balanced scoring attack with LaMarcus Aldridge (15.0), Andre
Miller (15.0), Greg Oden (14.5), Travis Outlaw (14.0), Martell
Webster (12.0) and Rudy Fernandez (10.0) all averaging in double
figures.

Portland's offense struggled to get in gear in Friday's 108-94
loss to Golden State, though. The Blazers turned the ball over
23 times and made only 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range in their
second defeat in nine games.

"Everything we talked about doing, we didn't do," coach Nate
McMillan said.

Greg Oden's foul trouble in the second half impacted Portland's
effectiveness on both sides of the floor. The Blazers yielded
their second-most points of the season after holding their six
previous opponents to 85 points or fewer in regulation.

While Portland's defense wasn't particularly sharp against the
high-powered Warriors, it has done a solid job of shutting down
Minnesota leading scorer Al Jefferson, limiting him to an
average of 13.0 points.

Jefferson, who is averaging 15.6 points on the season, returned
to the court for the Timberwolves on Wednesday after missing the
previous two contests due to the death of his grandmother. The
6-foot-10 forward made his first eight shots and finished with
20 points and 10 rebounds. He also suffered an inadvertent kick
to the head by Houston's Carl Landry in the fourth quarter but
remained in the game.

"We're going to have to fight, frustrated or not," Jefferson
said. "We're getting paid a lot of money to do our job. We can't
do it half the time. We have to do it for 48 minutes."

The Blazers and Timberwolves won't meet again until Feb. 27 in
Minnesota.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135948-Timberwolves-Trail-Blazers-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135948-Timberwolves-Trail-Blazers-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:38:12 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Clips' broadcasters suspended for Haddadi remarks]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[LOS ANGELES(AP) -- Clippers longtime play-by-play announcer Ralph
Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith were suspended one game
by the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network for their comments
about Memphis center Hamed Haddadi.

Lawler and Smith made their off-the-cuff comments about the
Iranian-born center during Wednesday night's telecast from
Memphis. The on-air banter offended a viewer who e-mailed Fox to
complain.

The duo did not work Friday's night telecast against the Denver
Nuggets at Staples Center. Michael Eaves and Don MacLean, who
regularly serve as halftime and postgame analysts on the
Clippers telecasts, substituted for Lawler and Smith at
courtside.

"That's unfortunate. It was pretty strange not seeing them
there," Clippers point guard Baron Davis said after the 106-99
victory. "Ralph and Mike are very classy guys, and they didn't
do it to hurt anyone.

"A lot of times when you're commenting on games, it's a source
of entertainment. And a lot of times, people may take offense.
But the viewers need to understand that it's entertainment, and
people are entitled to their opinion. I stand by Ralph and Mike
because they're great guys and they only want to support and
help everybody in the league."

Lawler, 71, is in his 31st season doing Clippers games, and
Smith is in his 12th. Lawler has surpassed 2,400 regular season
and playoff Clippers broadcasts in his career, according to the
team's Web site.

"We regret the remarks made by Clippers announcers Michael Smith
and Ralph Lawler during Wednesday's telecast," Fox said in a
statement about 2 1/2 hours before the game. "While we believe
that Michael and Ralph did not intend their exchange to be
offensive, the comments were inappropriate.

"We extend our apologies to Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis
Grizzlies and to anyone who was offended. We have addressed the
situation with Michael and Ralph and have taken appropriate
action."

The Clippers did not comment.

The transcript of the conversation between Lawler and Smith,
which occurred late in the game, was printed on the Los Angeles
Times' Web site:

Smith: "Look who's in."

Lawler: "Hamed Haddadi. Where's he from?"

Smith: "He's the first Iranian to play in the NBA." (Smith
pronounced Iranian as "Eye-ranian," a pronunciation that
offended the viewer who complained.)

Lawler: "There aren't any Iranian players in the NBA," repeating
Smith's mispronunciation.

Smith: "He's the only one."

Lawler: "He's from Iran?"

Smith: "I guess so."

Lawler: "That Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "The real Iran?"

Smith: "Yes."

Lawler: "Wow. Haddadi that's H-A-D-D-A-D-I."

Smith: "You're sure it's not Borat's older brother?"

Smith: "If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I'm going to
get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part."

Lawler: "Here's Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess
those Iranians can pass the ball."

Smith: "Especially the post players.

Lawler: "I don't know about their guards."]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135882-Clips-broadcasters-suspended-for-Haddadi-remarks</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135882-Clips-broadcasters-suspended-for-Haddadi-remarks</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:04:30 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Ellis leads Warriors over Blazers]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[OAKLAND, Calif.(AP) -- Monta Ellis doesn't think he gets enough
credit for his defense. Portland's Brandon Roy might disagree.

Ellis scored a season-high 34 points, tied his career high with
six steals and played stifling defense against Roy to lead
Golden State to a 108-94 victory over the Trail Blazers on
Friday night, ending the Warriors' three-game losing streak.

"It definitely gets overlooked," Ellis said. "I hear people say
Monta can't play defense, but if you go back and look at the
tapes, you don't see Monta getting burned. I can do that day-in
and day-out."

The Warriors were playing their first home game since trading
disgruntled forward Stephen Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats
earlier in the week. Jackson had been at odds with coach Don
Nelson and had been seeking a trade for weeks.

Ellis also had his issues with Nelson and the two got into an
argument on the Warriors' most recent road trip. But he came up
with his best game of the season, particularly when it came to
shutting down Roy, Portland's All-Star guard.

Nelson's plan was to double-team Roy, who went into the game
averaging 20.3 points, but Ellis proved he didn't need the extra
help while holding Roy to 17 on 6 of 17 shooting, 1 of 5 from
3-point range.

"He had an All-Star performance tonight," said Golden State's
Anthony Randolph, who had 15 points and 11 rebounds. "To stop a
scorer like that, he really stepped up to the challenge and
proved why he's our captain."

Anthony Morrow scored 23 points, Corey Maggette added 13 points
and Stephen Curry had 12 for the Warriors, who won their ninth
straight home game against the Blazers.

Rudy Fernandez had 19 points and five assists, and Greg Oden had
16 points but was plagued by foul trouble throughout the second
half for Portland, which lost for just the second time in nine
games.

The Blazers committed 23 turnovers and shot just 33.3 percent
over the final three quarters.

"Everything we talked about doing, we didn't do," Portland coach
Nate McMillan said. "The way (the Warriors) play, you can't
continue to make those turnovers. They do a lot of things that
can get a team frustrated and I think we lost our composure."

The Warriors (4-8) trailed by eight points early but turned the
game around when Oden got in foul trouble midway through the
first half.

Ellis, who also had eight assists, did the most damage while
recording the 17th 30-point game of his career. He had 19 points
in the first half, then scored 11 in the fourth quarter when the
Warriors led by as many as 20.

Portland, which had held its six previous opponents to 85 points
or less in regulation, had no answer. The Blazers (9-5) also
struggled McMillan's three-guard offense going despite Golden
State playing short-handed.

The injury-riddled Warriors were without injured starters Andris
Biedrins (back) and Kelenna Azubuike (patellar tendon) and were
forced to sign Chris Hunter from the NBA Development League
before the game just to meet the NBA's minimum of eight players.

Hunter started the second half at center and scored four quick
points early in the third quarter when Golden State, which led
by four at halftime, extended its lead to 64-55. He also helped
hold Oden to five points over the final three quarters.

"That guy belongs in the NBA," Nelson said. "Hopefully we find a
way to keep him. He's stronger than anybody I have at that
position."

Morrow also provided a boost with nine straight points in the
third quarter as the Warriors outran and outhustled the Blazers
while handing Portland its most lopsided loss of the season.

Oden had 11 points, two assists and a block of Ellis in the
first nine minutes of the game but picked up back-to-back fouls
in a five-second span in the second quarter and spent the rest
of the half on the bench.

Portland, which led 37-29 after the first quarter, struggled
offensively without its 7-footer and the Warriors took full
advantage.

"We had too many missed opportunities in the second half," Roy
said. "We made a lot of turnovers and we were forced into their
game. They did a great job of knocking down shots and forcing
the tempo."

Morrow and Randolph combined for 12 points, Randolph scoring on
a soaring dunk down the lane with 33 seconds remaining, and
Golden State closed out the half with a 17-4 run to take a 56-52
halftime lead.

NOTES: Portland's 37 points in the first quarter were the most
by the Blazers in any quarter this season. ... Portland's last
win at Golden State came on Nov. 3, 2004.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135906-Ellis-leads-Warriors-over-Blazers</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135906-Ellis-leads-Warriors-over-Blazers</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:56:01 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Friday's National Basketball Association Capsules]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[BOSTON(AP) -- Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16
points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston
Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.

Dwight Howard grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14
points for Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's
Eastern Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

Paul Pierce scored 21 for Boston, which has lost three of its
last four, and three of five at home. Kevin Garnett scored 13
points with 11 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 15 points for the
Celtics.

Cavaliers 105, Pacers 95=

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points,
and Cleveland rallied to beat Indiana.

James also had nine rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland
(9-4).

Danny Granger had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Dahntay Jones
added 17 points for the Pacers (5-5), who lost their second in a
row.

Hawks 105, Rockets 103=

ATLANTA (AP) - Josh Smith soared through the lane to drop in a
missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and Atlanta won its
seventh in a row, beating Houston to maintain the NBA's best
record.

Marvin Williams scored a season-high 29 points and Jamal
Crawford added 21 points for the Hawks. Carl Landry led five
Houston players in double figures with 18.

The Hawks improved to 7-0 at Philips Arena, their best start at
home since 1997, and snapped the Rockets' two-game winning
streak on the road.

Raptors 120, Heat 113=

TORONTO (AP) - Chris Bosh had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Andrea
Bargnani had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Raptors snapped a
three-game losing streak.

It's the second straight game that Bosh and Bargnani each had a
double-double. Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points, with Jarrett Jack
scoring 17 and Jose Calderon recording 10 assists.

Dwyane Wade shook off a recent slump to score 30 points for the
Heat, who have lost three straight and four of five. Mario
Chalmers added 30 points, Michael Beasley had 21 points and 12
rebounds, and former Raptors star Jermaine O'Neal finished with
17.

Bucks 95, Bobcats 88=

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 29 points to
lead Milwaukee over Charlotte, with minority owner Michael
Jordan on hand to witness his Bobcats drop their seventh
straight.

Milwaukee (7-3) finished the homestand 5-1 and is off to its
best start since going 9-1 in 2001, even though the Bucks were
without guard Michael Redd (sprained left knee) and center
Andrew Bogut (strained left leg).

Stephen Jackson, in town for the second time in seven days after
being traded from the Warriors to the Bobcats, scored 22 points
in his third game with his new team. Gerald Wallace added 22
points and 10 rebounds, and Flip Murray had 17 points for
Charlotte.

Mavericks 104, Kings 102=

DALLAS (AP) - Jason Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the
fourth quarter, and Dallas got 52 points from the bench in
winning its fifth straight.

Terry had six points during a 12-4 run that gave the Mavericks a
cushion in the fourth.

Dirk Nowitzki added 20 points, Drew Gooden pulled down a
season-high 16 rebounds, and Jason Kidd and reserve Kris
Humphries each added 15 points.

Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points, seven rebounds and
a season-high 10 assists.

Warriors 108, Trail Blazers 94=

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Monta Ellis scored a season-high 34
points and had eight assists, Anthony Morrow added 23 points,
and Golden State beat Portland to snap a three-game losing
streak.

Anthony Randolph had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Corey Maggette
added 13 points and Stephen Curry had 12 for the Warriors, who
won their ninth straight home game against the Blazers.

Rudy Fernandez had 19 points and five assists, Brandon Roy added
17 points and Greg Oden had 16 points but was plagued by foul
trouble throughout the second half for Portland, which lost for
just the second time in nine games.

Clippers 106, Nuggets 99=

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Reserve forward Rasual Butler scored 27
points, Al Thornton added 18 and Los Angeles withstood an early
scoring spree from Carmelo Anthony to beat Denver.

Chris Kaman had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for
the Clippers.

The Nuggets, coming off one-sided victories over the Lakers and
Toronto Raptors, lost to the Clippers for the first time since
Nov. 11, 2007. They had won the previous seven meetings,
including a four-game sweep last season. Anthony led Denver with
37 points and Nene had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Grizzlies 102, 76ers 97=

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Rudy Gay tied his season high with 33
points, including a clutch jumper with 19 seconds remaining,
Zach Randolph added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis
registered its their first road win of the season.

Marc Gasol had 19 points and O.J. Mayo 12 for the Grizzlies
(4-8), who have won three straight and improved to 1-6 on the
road. It was their first three-game winning streak in November
since 2005, and their first victory in Philadelphia since Feb.
9, 2005.

Lou Williams scored a career-high 31 points, Elton Brand added
22 and Andre Iguodala had 15 for the Sixers (5-7).

Thunder 127, Wizards 108=

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Russell
Westbrook added 26 and Oklahoma City had its highest-scoring
output of the season.

Rookie James Harden followed his 24-point performance by hitting
his first three 3-pointers and finishing with 25 points to set
another career best. Jeff Green had 19 points and 14 rebounds,
and Thabo Sefolosha added 16 points.

Caron Butler scored 24 for the Wizards, who have lost seven of
eight.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135874-Fridays-National-Basketball-Association-Capsules</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135874-Fridays-National-Basketball-Association-Capsules</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:41:22 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Bucks-Grizzlies Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Senior Writer

Milwaukee (6-3) at Memphis (3-8), 8:00 p.m. EDT

For the second consecutive season, the Milwaukee Bucks are
trying to overcome injuries to some key players. Thanks to
Brandon Jennings, they've fared well through the adversity so
far.

Coming off a successful homestand, Jennings and the Bucks open a
four-game road trip Saturday night against the surging Memphis
Grizzlies.

Milwaukee (7-3) begins the trip with starters Michael Redd,
Andrew Bogut and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute all nursing injuries.

While Redd expects to return at some point on the trip, he'll
likely miss his ninth straight game with a strained left knee
Saturday. Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot) could miss a third
straight contest. Bogut, who was averaging 16.1 points and 9.2
rebounds, is out two to four weeks after straining a ligament in
his calf during a 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday.

Last season, the Bucks went 10-23 without Bogut and Redd, who
both missed a large portion of the schedule.

"You don't ever want times like this, that's for sure,"
Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "Last year when it happened
we weren't able to hold it together, so hopefully having a
deeper team that we have we can weather it a little bit better."

So far they have. The Bucks are 6-2 without the high-scoring
Redd, and they won 95-88 over Charlotte on Friday in their first
game without Bogut.

Jennings, the 10th overall pick in June's draft, had 29 points
against the Bobcats and Hakim Warrick added 16 as Milwaukee
concluded a 5-1 homestand to continue its best start since
opening 9-1 in 2001.

Jennings is averaging 25.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists
while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from
3-point range. He scored 55 points for a Milwaukee rookie record
in a win over Golden State last Saturday.

"You'd be hard pressed to find a rookie's first 10 games better
than this," Skiles said.

Averaging 10.3 points per contest, Warrick returns to Memphis
after spending his first four seasons with the Grizzlies.

Though Memphis (4-8) snapped a five-game losing streak in this
series with a 107-102 road win in the teams' last meeting April
4, the Bucks have won three in a row at the FedEx Forum.

Milwaukee, 1-2 on the road, plays four games in seven days on
its first lengthy stretch away from home. After Memphis, the
Bucks visit San Antonio, New Orleans and Oklahoma City.

"We're going to try to go in and get all the wins we can,"
Jennings said. "It's going to be a long week."

Milwaukee could be in for a tough time against a Memphis team
that won 102-97 at Philadelphia on Friday for its third straight
victory since losing seven in a row.

Rudy Gay tied his season high with 33 points and Marc Gasol
added 19 with eight rebounds as the Grizzlies shot 51.9 percent
for their first road win.

"It really helps to build confidence, which a young team needs,"
said Gasol, who's averaging 15.3 points and 10.8 boards this
season.

Gasol averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games against
the Bucks last season. Gay, meanwhile, is averaging 21.6 points
this season and 24.3 on 50.7 percent shooting in his last four
versus Milwaukee.

Memphis won a season-high four consecutive games twice last
season.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135907-Bucks-Grizzlies-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135907-Bucks-Grizzlies-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:08:41 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Kings-Rockets Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By DAN PIERINGER
STATS Editor

Sacramento (5-5) at Houston (7-5), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings may have anticipated
some early struggles with their top players injured. It's safe
to say both clubs are weathering the storm better than expected.

Each coming off a close loss to one of the top teams in the NBA,
the Rockets and Kings square off for the second time in nine
days Saturday night in Houston.

The Rockets came into this season with stars Tracy McGrady and
Yao Ming each recovering from major surgery. Their top returning
scorer is Luis Scola, who averaged 12.7 points in 2008-09.

Despite its inexperienced and relatively anonymous lineup,
Houston (7-6) has remained competitive. It has the second-best
record in the Southwest Division, and despite a tough early
schedule has only lost by a double-digit margin once - 121-103
at Dallas on Nov. 10.

Sacramento (5-6) has also fared better than expected without a
star in its lineup, winning four of six since losing leading
scorer Kevin Martin to a wrist injury early this month.

Without Martin, the Kings have relied heavily on Tyreke Evans,
the fourth overall pick in June's draft. The 20-year-old point
guard came up big again Friday night, scoring 29 points with
seven rebounds and 10 assists to keep Sacramento close in a
104-102 loss at the Southwest-leading Mavericks.

"To come in here and have a chance to knock off Dallas and play
them the way we did, I was very impressed with our young group,"
first-year Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "When we learn to
take care of the ball a little bit better, I think we'll come
our with our share of wins in these types of games."

Houston is also hoping to rebound from a narrow loss. The
Rockets overcame a 10-point deficit with 2:07 remaining to pull
into a tie with league-best Atlanta on Friday night, but Josh
Smith made a putback with 0.7 seconds left to send Houston to a
105-103 defeat.

"The guys battled back, but we had a bad stretch in the fourth
quarter and it cost us," said coach Rick Adelman, who coached
the Kings from 1998-2006, and remains their franchise leader
with 395 wins.

The Rockets hit a similar rough patch in the second quarter
against the Kings on Nov. 13. They were outscored 33-22 in the
period en route to a 109-100 loss in Sacramento. Jason Thompson
led the Kings with a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds,
Evans had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Beno
Udrih added 22 points.

The Rockets also had three players score at least 20 points in
that game, with Trevor Ariza, Shane Battier and Scola combining
for 71. However, Houston shot 41.6 percent from the field and
made only eight of its 27 3-point attempts (29.6 percent).

The Rockets are shooting 39.9 percent from beyond the arc in
their seven wins and 30.0 percent in their six losses.

McGrady thinks he can step in and make a difference for Houston
immediately, but the team isn't as convinced. McGrady insists
he's fully recovered from microfracture surgery on his left knee
and that he could return to play the Kings. The Rockets believe
the seven-time All-Star needs more time and would risk hurting
his knee again if he comes back too soon. The next step is an
MRI on Monday.

"We have a difference of opinion," Adelman said. "He wants to
play. He's not ready to play. It's as simple as that."

The Kings, losers of four of five on the road this season, have
dropped five straight in Houston.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135904-Kings-Rockets-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135904-Kings-Rockets-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:03:25 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Reserves spark Mavericks to fifth straight win]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By DAVID JIMENEZ
Associated Press Writer

DALLAS(AP) -- Jason Terry is accustomed to carrying the load for
the Dallas bench.

With the Mavericks missing three starters, the reigning Sixth
Man of the Year got some much needed help from his fellow
reserves Friday night.

Terry scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, Dallas
got 52 points from the bench and the Mavericks beat the
Sacramento Kings 104-102 for their fifth straight win.

Dallas' reserves scored 25 of the team's 36 points in the fourth
quarter as the Mavericks beat the Kings for the 12th consecutive
time at home.

"The emphasis has been on the bench guys from the start," said
Mavericks backup Kris Humphries, who scored 15 points. "It
starts with Jason Terry coming off the bench first. We've got to
bring energy. It's an important part of the team."

The Mavericks were playing without Shawn Marion (left ankle),
Erick Dampier (unknown illness) and Josh Howard (left ankle),
the second straight game they've been without three starters.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points, Drew Gooden pulled down a
season-high 16 rebounds, and Jason Kidd had 15 points and 11
assists.

Nowitzki hit the 20-point mark for the eighth game in a row on 6
of 15 shooting.

The Mavericks were shooting less than 40 percent through three
quarters before hitting 13 of 20 in the fourth to hold off the
Kings.

"That was a scrappy team," Terry said. "They didn't let us put
them away like we wanted to, but we'll take the win."

Sacramento rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points, seven rebounds and
a season-high 10 assists. Beno Udrih added 20 points and Jason
Thompson scored 18.

The Kings hit 53 percent of their shots, but was offset by 21
turnovers, which equaled a season high.

"To come in here and have a chance to knock off Dallas and play
them the way we did, I was very impressed with our young group,"
said Sacramento coach Paul Westphal, a former Mavericks
assistant. "When we learn to take care of the ball a little bit
better, I think we'll come our with our share of wins in these
types of games."

Humphries scored 10 in the first half to help give Dallas a
47-42 edge at halftime.

Dallas built a 10-point lead in the third quarter before
Sacramento closed the gap in the final 4 minutes. Behind six
points from Thompson, the Kings went on a 10-3 spurt to get
within 68-65 after three.

"We played hard enough to make a run in the last five minutes,"
Kings forward Andres Nocioni said. "For a young team like this
one, these kinds of games will help us a lot."

Terry had six points in a 12-4 run that gave the Mavericks a
cushion in the fourth.

Sacramento cut the deficit to 83-80 on Evans' step back jumper
with 5 minutes left, before Terry answered with back-to-back
jumpers and spun past Evans to nail a 15-footer and put Dallas
ahead 91-82.

Nowitzki, off an assist from Terry, hit a jumper and two free
throws to extend the advantage to 95-84 with 2:02 left. Evans
hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to bring Sacramento within
three, but Terry hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining
to keep the Kings winless in Dallas since Feb. 27, 2003.

"The bench was great." Nowitzki said. "We needed a little pickup
there. We were coasting along and couldn't get much going.
(Terry) did a good job getting three, four pullups in a row and
got the separation we needed."

NOTES: Dampier has been attending games and sitting on the bench
in a suit. "We'll know something next week," Mavericks coach
Rick Carlisle said. "There are still tests to be done. We're
going to let this battery of things go on and be absolutely sure
of the prognosis." ... Evans reached at least 20 points for a
sixth straight game. ... The Kings scored 26 of their first 28
in the paint.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135869-Reserves-spark-Mavericks-to-fifth-straight-win</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135869-Reserves-spark-Mavericks-to-fifth-straight-win</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:25:30 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Jennings does it again with 29, Bucks top Bobcats]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By COLIN FLY
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE(AP) -- Bucks coach Scott Skiles rarely gives glowing
compliments. Even he's having a tough time containing his
excitement for rookie Brandon Jennings.

"You'd be hard pressed to find a rookie's first 10 games better
than this," Skiles said. "Maybe somebody has, but he's had as
good a 10-game start as anybody I've been aware of in my 20-plus
years in the league."

Jennings scored 29 points to lead Milwaukee to a 95-88 victory
over Charlotte on Friday night, with minority owner Michael
Jordan on hand to witness his Bobcats drop their seventh
straight.

Jennings had no idea Jordan was in the crowd until late in the
game, when the Hall of Famer appeared on the JumboTron. By that
point, Jennings had already put on quite a show.

"I was wondering who everybody was clapping for, so I had to
peek up there a little bit during the timeout and there he was,"
Jennings said.

Milwaukee (7-3) is off to its best start since 2001 and finished
its homestand 5-1 even though the Bucks were missing guard
Michael Redd (sprained left knee) and center Andrew Bogut
(strained left leg).

"We deserve to be winning games right now," Jennings said.
"Michael Redd should be back Wednesday, so that'll give us
another piece, which I'm really happy he'll be back to take the
pressure off me a little bit."

Seems like the 20-year-old is handling the pressure just fine
between the crush of national media interviews and the constant
physical play he's faced so far.

Jennings models his game after Allen Iverson. Bobcats coach
Larry Brown, who coached Iverson, believes they share a few of
the same qualities.

"Allen is more of a scoring guard. (Jennings) is more of a combo
guard. But they both love the game. They both play with a
passion, so that's a nice thing to be saying," Brown said. "If
he continues like this and has the kind of career Allen has,
that would be pretty special."

Jennings will take his show on the road during a four-game road
trip that starts against Memphis, the team Iverson briefly
played for before the sides mutually parted ways this week.

"First road trip, we're going to try to go in and get all the
wins we can," said Jennings, who was disappointed he won't play
against Iverson. "I really can't wait until it's over. It's
going to be a long week."

Jennings has already had a long week after he became the
youngest player in NBA history to score at least 50 with his
55-point effort in a win over the Warriors on Saturday night.

He's averaging 25.2 points and has reached double figures in all
but one game, when he scored nine. Lew Alcindor, later known as
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, averaged 27.8 points over his first 10
games as a rookie with Milwaukee.

Jennings' lone problem had been turnovers, but Jennings only
committed two and his three offensive rebounds were more than
the entire Charlotte team, which had two.

"He's got a great deal of confidence in his game," Bobcats guard
Raymond Felton said. "He's pretty much doing everything."

Stephen Jackson, in town for the second time in seven days after
being traded from the Warriors to the Bobcats, scored 22 points
in his third game with his new team. Gerald Wallace added 22
points and 10 rebounds, and Flip Murray had 17 points for
Charlotte.

"This was one of the first times we actually shot pretty good
from the field," Wallace said. "(But we) missed 17 free throws.
We're at this point right now where we dig ourselves out of one
hole and end up finding ourselves off in another hole."

Milwaukee's Hakim Warrick had 16 points and Ersan Ilyasova
chipped in 13.

The Bobcats (3-9) went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth and cut
it to 93-85 with just over two minutes to go on a layup by Boris
Diaw, but Murray missed two free throws and Jackson missed a
3-pointer to keep Charlotte from getting closer than the final
margin.

Jordan, a managing partner in the franchise who oversees the
team's personnel decisions, watched intently from about five
rows beyond Charlotte's bench.

For his part, Jackson seems happier with his new team.

"The team has accepted me with open arms so everything is good
on that part, I just think as far as us coming together and
figuring out how hard we've got to play to win games is the
biggest thing right now," he said. "Had we played like we played
in the fourth quarter all game, we would have won."

NOTES: Brown tied Pat Riley for fifth-most NBA games coached at
1,904. Brown has coached 2,239 pro games when combining his ABA
experience. ... Bogut is expected out two to four weeks. ...
Bucks F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot) is in a
walking boot. He said before the game he's day-to-day, but
likely will not play against Memphis.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135870-Jennings-does-it-again-with-29-Bucks-top-Bobcats</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135870-Jennings-does-it-again-with-29-Bucks-top-Bobcats</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:21:18 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Wizards-Spurs Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By MATT BEARDMORE
STATS Writer

Washington (3-7) at San Antonio (4-6), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The San Antonio Spurs aren't ready to panic, but they're
definitely not thrilled with how their season has played out so
far.

Off to their worst start in 13 years, the injury-plagued Spurs
try to avoid their longest losing streak in two seasons Saturday
night, when they go for their 10th straight home win over the
Washington Wizards.

San Antonio (4-6) dropped its third straight game Thursday -
90-83 to Utah to open its four-game homestand.

The Spurs, who had won 20 straight at home versus the Jazz, have
not lost four straight since March 12-17, 2008.

"It's tough," first-year Spur Antonio McDyess said of the team's
worst 10-game start since opening 2-8 in 1996-97, the season
before Tim Duncan's rookie year. "When you've got a good team
expecting to win a lot of games and you're not in the beginning,
it's kind of disappointing."

Injuries have added to that disappointment as Duncan, Manu
Ginobili and Tony Parker have combined to miss seven games with
a variety of ailments.

Parker has been sidelined for four of the last five contests
with a sprained ankle and is questionable for Saturday. Ginobili
missed his first game of the season Thursday with a strained
left groin and is expected to be out for a week.

"(Injuries are) a part of the league, and I believe that's why
(the Spurs) brought in some more people to try and weather those
storms when you do have injuries," said San Antonio forward
Richard Jefferson, who was acquired from Milwaukee in the
offseason. "Right now, it's our job to bear down and get it
right."

Taking on Washington could be what the Spurs need to get back on
track. San Antonio has won seven straight over the Wizards since
a 111-95 loss in the nation's capital Nov. 11, 2005.

The Spurs won the two matchups last season by an average of 26.5
points, while holding Washington to 37.7 percent shooting from
the field.

This season, opponents are averaging 98.8 points and shooting
45.8 percent against San Antonio.

"If the playoffs started tomorrow, I think we'd be in trouble,"
said Duncan, who missed two games earlier this month due to a
swollen left ankle. "But we've got a long way to go."

So do the Wizards (3-8), who have lost seven of eight.

Washington dropped its fifth straight on the road Friday,
127-108 to Oklahoma City.

It was the most points allowed by the Wizards since a 128-96
loss at Phoenix on March 21.

"We need to start coming out aggressive," guard Gilbert Arenas
said Friday. "I don't know what it is, but we need to come out
and start getting stuff going."

Arenas did not play in Washington's last four games versus the
Spurs due to lingering knee problems. After missing 80 games in
2008-09 and 69 the previous season, Arenas continues to struggle
with his shot, hitting 39.0 percent from the field.

He shot 7 for 20 Friday and finished with 23 points.

In his second game back after missing the first nine of the
season due to a right shoulder injury, two-time All-Star Antawn
Jamison had 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Thunder.

Jamison averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 boards in two losses to the
Spurs in 2008-09.

Washington's last victory in San Antonio was a 99-89 win Dec.
11, 1999.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135892-Wizards-Spurs-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135892-Wizards-Spurs-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:20:14 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Thunder fend off Wizards 127-108]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY(AP) -- Scott Brooks spent his first year as the
Thunder's coach trying to turn Oklahoma City into a
defensive-minded team.

While that's still a work in progress, at least he's made his
team a winner.

Kevin Durant scored 35 points, Russell Westbrook added 26 and
the Thunder had their highest-scoring output of the season in a
127-108 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

"We have to get it straight: Our players understand that you get
burned more times than not if you play this style of basketball
with our group right now, where we are as a team," said Brooks,
who finished his first 82 games with a 29-53 record. "We have to
continue to get better defensively, but it was a good win."

Oklahoma City started 2-17 under Brooks following the firing of
P.J. Carlesimo, but has since gone 27-36 - including 7-6 to
begin this season.

"He's made our identity for us," Durant said. "Last year, we
didn't know what kind of team we were. This year, we're a
defensive-minded team that plays hard every night.

"Of course, you're going to have slip-ups through the year."

After watching Washington answer every Thunder run for the
better part of three quarters, Brooks changed the game when he
went with a three-guard lineup. Oklahoma City immediately went
on a 9-0 burst to stretch its lead to 91-81 on Durant's
three-point play.

Then Brooks went even smaller, going without a center and
leaving the 6-foot-9 Green as his tallest player on the court.
The move worked, as Oklahoma City continued to pull away.

"It made it easier on the defensive end, and we also got out
quick on the break and got some easy points," Durant said.

The Thunder's top-5 draft picks from the last two drafts hooked
up on the game's most electrifying play to help seal it.

Harden tipped the ball away from Caron Butler along the left
sideline and kept it inbounds by whisking it behind his back to
Westbrook, who returned the favor by tossing the ball behind his
head to set up Harden's left-handed jam that made it 111-94 with
6 minutes left.

"They've been playing with each other since they were probably 9
and 10 years old, so they already had that connection," Durant
said. "It was an unbelievable play."

Butler scored 24 for the Wizards, who have lost seven of eight.
Gilbert Arenas had 23 points, Antawn Jamison contributed 22
points and 12 rebounds in his second game of the season, and
Brendan Haywood had 14 points and 16 rebounds.

Washington fell behind early and spent the whole night playing
catch-up.

"That's been our motto for at least seven out of our 10 games.
We've been playing uphill," Arenas said. "We need to start
coming out aggressive. I don't know what it is, but we need to
come out and start getting stuff going."

Oklahoma City opened an early 28-16 lead, only to let Washington
claw back to tie the game at 32 on Butler's 3-pointer to start
the second quarter. Sefolosha had a 3-pointer and a right-handed
jam in an 8-0 surge that put the Thunder up 46-38, but again the
Wizards got back within two before the deficit grew back to
nine.

Arenas' 3-pointer from the right wing got Washington within
66-65 in the third quarter before the Thunder extended their
lead again with a 16-6 spurt, capped by Sefolosha's 3-pointer
that made it 82-71.

Naturally, the Wizards countered by reeling off 10 straight
points - getting within one before Brooks' strategic move helped
Oklahoma City take control for good, whether he liked doing it
or not.

"Some teams play this way. We can't get baited into playing this
way," Brooks said. "Sometimes we have to continue to get better
at playing our style of basketball. We have to do things who we
are, and we are a defensive team that gets stops and gets
excited on the defensive end."

Oklahoma City finished with a 28-10 advantage in fast-break
scoring, including 17-2 in the second half.

"They've got so many jumpers where they can go small and get
rebounds still. So, that's an advantage for them," Arenas said.
"Keep the lane spread open while Kevin Durant, Westbrook and
Green just attack the rim with no big. That's just what they did
to try to keep Brendan out of the game."

NOTES: Among the things Brooks has learned in his first full
year since switching from an NBA assistant to the head coach?
"You can't wear the same suit for 82 games," Brooks said. "Look
back at some old tapes. I had like a three or four rotation."
... Wizards G Mike Miller went to the locker room with his left
arm dangling at his side after a spill in the first quarter, but
returned midway through the second quarter. He had missed three
games earlier this month with a sprained joint in his left
shoulder. ... After scoring a season-low 12 points in Oklahoma
City's last game, Durant had 12 in the first 14 minutes. ...
Thunder C Etan Thomas, who was acquired from the Wizards in an
offseason trade, didn't score and had two rebounds in his first
game against his old team.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135852-Thunder-fend-off-Wizards-127-108</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135852-Thunder-fend-off-Wizards-127-108</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:54:58 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Magic win 4th straight, beating Boston 83-78]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON(AP) -- Kevin Garnett missed last season's playoff series
against Orlando with a knee injury. Rasheed Wallace signed with
Boston after it was over.

But the Magic made a key offseason pickup of their own.

Vince Carter scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter,
including a tiebreaking fadeaway jumper with 2:33 left to give
Orlando an 83-78 victory over Boston on Friday night.

Carter, who came to Orlando in the offseason as part of a
five-player trade, took 29 shots, a season high and his most in
almost three years.

"I'm just glad I was able to deliver," he said. "This type of
basketball game, you don't want to let down. This is what it's
all about. This is the bar. It's great to see we were able to
buckle down and persevere."

Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Dwight Howard
grabbed 15 boards and Mickael Pietrus added 14 points for
Orlando, which won the rematch of last season's Eastern
Conference semifinal for its fourth consecutive victory.

"This is a big game for us, a confidence booster," Lewis said.
"We rode Vince a lot tonight."

Paul Pierce scored 21 points, Garnett scored 13 with 11 rebounds
and Ray Allen had 15 points for the Celtics, who have lost three
of their last four games and three of five at home. Wallace had
13 rebounds, but he was 0 for 8 from 3-point range and Boston
was 2 of 19 from beyond the arc as a team to contribute to a
34.5 percent overall shooting percentage.

"I think that our team is playing awful," coach Doc Rivers said.
"I've been saying it for a week now. We're going to win some
games still, but we're not going to win against good teams."

The game was the first meeting between the teams since the
playoffs, when Orlando rallied from a 3-2 deficit to advance
and, after beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers,
reach the NBA finals. It was the first time in franchise history
that the Celtics lost a series after going into Game 6 with a
chance to clinch.

The teams seemed destined to meet up again next postseason: They
had matching 9-3 records entering Friday night's game that were
tied for the second-best in the conference to Atlanta. Now the
Magic, who already held bragging rights thanks to last year's
playoff win, took the early lead in the race for this year's
seeding.

"We're not a team that takes losing well," Garnett said. "We're
still trying to figure it out."

Kendrick Perkins picked up his fifth foul - and a technical to
go with it - with 7:25 left in third and played only 15 minutes
in all. Wallace took most of his minutes, hitting from under the
basket with 2:53 left to tie the game 78-all.

Carter made a 12-footer to break the tie with 2:33 to play and
give the Magic the lead for good. Lewis made a pair of free
throws with 59 seconds left, then Jason Williams stole the ball
from Allen to clinch the victory.

The Magic scored 12 straight points after trailing 6-5, the
Pietrus made a 3-pointer and a 19-footer at the end of the first
quarter to make it a 16-point game. But Boston scored seven in a
row to start the second, then went on a 12-3 run just before the
half to make it a 41-40 deficit.

Orlando led by 10 in the third, and 66-59 heading into the
fourth before Boston cut it to one point when Wallace had a
steal, leading to Pierce's fast-break layup that made it 75-74
with 5:16 to play.

NOTES: The Celtics shot 33 percent in the first half. ... Carter
passed Rick Barry and moved into 53rd on the career scoring list
with a driving jumper with 9:34 left in the first half that made
it 31-20.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135860-Magic-win-4th-straight-beating-Boston-83-78</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135860-Magic-win-4th-straight-beating-Boston-83-78</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:49:42 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[76ers-Cavaliers Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By MATT BECKER
STATS Senior Writer

Philadelphia (5-6) at Cleveland (8-4), 7:30 p.m. EDT

While the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't about to rush back aging
superstar Shaquille O'Neal from a shoulder injury, LeBron James
is not letting a sore wrist slow him down.

Coming off his highest-scoring game of the season, James looks
to help the Cavaliers win for the 10th time in 12 contests
Saturday night when they host the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.

James banged his left wrist on the basket while dunking late in
Wednesday's 108-91 loss to Washington, but the injury didn't
seem to bother him much in Friday's 105-95 win at Indiana. The
reigning league MVP scored 10 of his season-high 40 points in
the final 7:07, and also had nine rebounds and seven assists to
help the Cavaliers (9-4) continue their surge after back-to-back
losses to open the season.

"When you have a guy as talented as him, sometimes your best
coaching on the offensive end of the floor is staying out of his
way," coach Mike Brown said.

After a slow start, James has found his rhythm over the past two
weeks. He's averaging 32.7 points on 54.0 percent shooting in
his last seven games, up from 22.6 points on 46.9 percent
shooting in his previous five.

He could have trouble building on his latest performance,
though.

Although Cleveland has had little trouble lately beating
Philadelphia (5-7) with James on the floor, the five-time
All-Star hasn't had a 30-point game against the Sixers since
recording 39 in a 118-115 double-overtime loss on Jan. 24, 2007,
a span of seven games.

The Cavs had a five-game winning streak over Philadelphia end
with a 111-110 overtime defeat in the 2008-09 regular-season
finale. Cleveland wasn't at full strength, though, as James,
Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams sat out to rest in
preparation for the playoffs.

After sweeping Detroit and Atlanta, the Cavs were eliminated in
six games by Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland acquired the 37-year-old O'Neal in the offseason with
hopes the 15-time All-Star could help bolster the team's inside
game to make a championship run, but he has missed the last four
games with a strained right shoulder.

O'Neal is averaging 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds, and Brown
didn't give a timetable for his return.

Like Cleveland, the Sixers were also bounced from last season's
playoffs by the Magic in six games. Philadelphia was knocked out
in a first-round series, and hasn't been playing like a
playoff-caliber team lately.

The Sixers are coming off Friday's 102-97 home loss to lowly
Memphis, their fifth defeat in seven games, and are now set to
open a three-game road trip with seven of their next eight away
from Philadelphia.

They've had trouble getting their offense in gear on the road
lately, averaging 83.7 points on 25.9 percent shooting from
3-point range in the last three away from the Wachovia Center.

"We've got to find a way to regroup," said Andre Iguodala, who
finished with 15 points on 5 of 17 shooting against the
Grizzlies.

Iguodala averaged 23.3 points on 61.5 percent shooting in four
games against Cleveland last season while guard Lou Williams
averaged 19.3 points in three games.

Williams finished with a career-high 31 points on 12 of 16
shooting Friday, and is emerging as a legitimate scoring threat
for Philadelphia.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135877-76ers-Cavaliers-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135877-76ers-Cavaliers-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:31:49 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Bosh, Bargnani lead Raptors to 120-113 win over]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[TORONTO(AP) -- The Toronto Raptors snapped their three-game skid
Friday night, while the Miami Heat kept on stumbling.

Chris Bosh had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani had 24
points and 10 boards and the Raptors beat the Heat 120-113. It
was the second straight game that Bosh and Bargnani each had a
double-double, after doing it in Wednesday's 104-91 loss at
Utah.

"One thing I wanted to challenge Andrea to do this year, and
challenge myself, was rebounding the basketball," Bosh said. "We
did a good job."

Dwyane Wade shook off a recent slump to score 30 points for the
Heat, who have lost three straight and four of five after
opening the season 6-1.

"One thing you learn in this league is you don't get too high,
you don't get too low," Wade said. "When we were 6-1, if you'd
asked me I'd say we've got to continue to get better. Now we're
7-5 and we've got to continue to get better."

Mario Chalmers added a career-high 30 points, Michael Beasley
had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and former Raptors star Jermaine
O'Neal finished with 17 for the Heat.

Toronto looked to be in command of this one after scoring 43
points and shooting 19 of 24 in the second quarter to lead by 20
at the half. Miami battled back and twice cut it to one in the
fourth, but was never able to take the lead.

"I think we were slacking in the first half a little bit,"
Chalmers said. "We took a while to get into the flow of the
game. Once we did, it was a little bit too late."

O'Neal's two free throws made it 102-101 with 3:27 left, but
Toronto responded with a 13-2 run. Bargnani started it with a
3-pointer and, after Beasley hit a jumper, Turkoglu made two
free throws and Jack followed a Miami shot clock violation with
a 3-pointer. Bosh responded to a Wade miss with a turnaround
jumper and Jack hit another 3 to make it 115-103.

"We held our ground," Bosh said. "They cut it very close but we
kept fighting, we kept scratching and we got the stops when it
counted."

Wade was held to a season-low 15 in Wednesday's 105-90 defeat at
Atlanta, ending a streak of 23 straight regular-season games
with at least 20 points. He was better in this one, making 10 of
24 shots and finishing with five rebounds and eight assists.

Wade scored 12 points in the first, making an acrobatic layup
and a reverse slam dunk, but Bosh had nine points and the
Raptors led 26-24.

Toronto rookie DeMar DeRozan had the basket of the quarter,
rising over Jones to throw down an alley-oop pass from Calderon,
then finishing the three-point play at the foul line.

Bargnani had nine and Bosh had eight in Toronto's big second,
with Turkoglu adding a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the
Raptors their biggest first half of the season and a 69-49 edge
at intermission.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called the second quarter
"horrendous."

"To just let out the floodgates and allow them 69 points in the
first half, that is not our game," Spoelstra said. "We have to
take notice and take it to heart. ... We've worked too hard and
fought too hard for this identity to just surrender it this
quickly."

Wade said Toronto's offense ranks among the league's best.

"They're like the Phoenixes, the Orlando Magics, the teams like
that, those high-powered offensive teams that are very tough to
defend," Wade said.

The Heat chipped away in the third, cutting it to 87-79 on
back-to-back baskets by Beasley, then making it 89-83 on a
jumper by Wade. Shavlik Randolph missed a shot as the quarter
ended.

Miami played without Quentin Richardson, who left Wednesday's
game with a sore back. Jones started in place of Udonis Haslem,
who missed his second straight with a sore left shoulder.

"They both wanted to (play)," Spoelstra said before the game.
"In fact, Udonis went through the walkthrough today but he's not
100 percent. There's still pain in his shoulder when it's up."

Both could return in Miami's next game, Sunday against New
Orleans.

NOTES: Toronto's Antoine Wright (left ankle) sat for the third
time in four games. ... Raptors F Reggie Evans (sprained left
foot) has not played since the preseason and remains sidelined
indefinitely. ... Jack scored 12 of his 17 in the fourth. ...
The Raptors made a season-high 20 turnovers. ... Toronto's bench
outscored Miami's 36-10.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135828-Bosh-Bargnani-lead-Raptors-to-120-113-win-over</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135828-Bosh-Bargnani-lead-Raptors-to-120-113-win-over</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:30:44 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Hawks-Hornets Preview]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By MATT BROWN
STATS Editor

Atlanta (10-2) at New Orleans (5-8), 8:00 p.m. EDT

One week ago, the surging Atlanta Hawks easily beat a New
Orleans Hornets club struggling to find its footing under new
head coach Jeff Bower.

Neither team has lost since.

Seeking their longest winning streak in 12 years, the Hawks
visit New Orleans on Saturday night for a rematch with Bower's
revitalized Hornets.

Atlanta (11-2) hasn't won its division since 1993-94, but
currently owns the NBA's best record thanks to its winning
streak, which reached seven Friday night with a 105-103 home
victory over Houston. Josh Smith had nine points - failing to
reach double figures for only the second time this season - but
scored the winning basket on a putback of a Mike Bibby miss with
0.7 seconds remaining.

Now, Atlanta has an opportunity to win eight in a row for the
first time since opening the 1997-98 season with 11 straight
victories.

Marvin Williams led the Hawks with a season-high 29 points and
nine rebounds while shooting 13 of 19 from the field.

"He was phenomenal," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "He was
solid from beginning to end. We went to him. He continued to
make them."

Williams was quiet against the Hornets last Saturday, finishing
with seven points, but it didn't matter against a New Orleans
club searching for an identity without fired coach Byron Scott
and injured point guard Chris Paul - sidelined indefinitely
after spraining his left ankle Nov. 13 in a loss to Portland.
The Hawks beat the Hornets 121-98, putting them in position to
sweep this two-game series for the second consecutive season.

That loss dropped New Orleans to 0-2 under Bower, the general
manager who assumed the head coaching role after last week's
firing of Scott. The Hornets (5-8) have played much better
since, following Tuesday's 110-102 victory over the Los Angeles
Clippers with a 110-103 win over Phoenix on Thursday.

Peja Stojakovic led the way against the Suns with 25 points - 21
of them on seven 3-pointers - and 13 rebounds.

"It's still the regular season, (but) for us it was a very
important win," he said. "We are too good to quit. We have good
talent on this team and you can't give up. ... We did struggle
in the beginning of the season. Hopefully we can just raise our
level of playing and get some consistency."

Rookie Marcus Thornton added 19 points Thursday. Thornton, a
second-round draft pick out of LSU, is averaging 15.8 points in
the four games since Bower took over. He failed to reach double
figures in any contest while Scott was coaching.

Darren Collison, also a rookie, had 15 points and five assists
while replacing Paul as the starting point guard.

"Darren and Marcus - I don't know what to say about those kids,"
Stojakovic said. "They're showing maturity out there on the
court and I'm really happy for them. Darren has really stepped
up in CP's place and Marcus coming off the bench - he's instant
offense."

Stojakovic had 25 points in the loss in Atlanta last Saturday,
while Hawks guard Joe Johnson had 26 to lead all scorers.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135873-Hawks-Hornets-Preview</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135873-Hawks-Hornets-Preview</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:23:22 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Smith's last-second shot gives Hawks another win]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA(AP) -- Josh Smith spent most of the fourth quarter
cheering on his teammates from the bench.

He was on the court, though, for the biggest play of the game.

After sitting for all but 44 seconds of the final period because
of foul trouble, Smith soared through the lane to drop in a
missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks won
their seventh in a row, beating the Houston Rockets 105-103
Friday night to maintain the NBA's best record.

Marvin Williams scored a season-high 29 points, but it was Smith
who came through at the end for the Hawks (11-2).

Carl Landry hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left to cap
Houston's 11-1 run that tied the game at 103. The Hawks got the
ball to Mike Bibby, whose 17-foot jumper bounced off the front
of the rim. But Smith flew right down the middle of the lane,
grabbed the rebound with both hands and softly it back in while
the Rockets screamed for basket interference.

Replays showed the ball had cleared the cylinder before Smith
touched it.

"All I wanted to do was crash the boards," Smith said. "In case
he missed, I wanted to be there. I wanted him to make the shot,
but I was there for the miss."

Smith went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with
4:03 left in the third quarter. He returned early in the fourth
and lasted only 30 seconds before getting his fifth foul. Back
to the bench, where he stayed until the final minute - long
enough to win the game.

Obviously, he was fresher than everyone else on the court. It
showed.

"He hustled," Houston's Luis Scola said. "Everyone knows how
high he jumps. It was a great play."

Williams had been one of the few disappointments in Atlanta's
brilliant start to the season. He had not scored more than 14
points in a game, but he had 13 in the opening quarter and
passed his previous high before halftime. He finished 13 of 19
from the field.

"He was phenomenal," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "He was
solid from beginning to end. We went to him. He continued to
make them."

The Hawks needed Williams to come up big with Smith in foul
trouble - he had only nine points in less than 24 minutes - and
Joe Johnson held to 19 points on 6-of-18 shooting after two
straight 30-point efforts.

Jamal Crawford added 21 points for the Hawks, while Landry led
five Houston players in double figures with 18.

The Hawks improved to 7-0 at Philips Arena, their best start at
home since 1997, and snapped the Rockets' two-game winning
streak on the road.

Houston outworked the Hawks on the boards much of the night -
getting 20 offensive rebounds - and had a commanding 29-14 edge
in second-chance points. The Rockets led 88-82 with 7 minutes
remaining after Aaron Brooks blew right by Johnson for a layup.

"They have a lot of guys who are not very athletic," Smith said.
"But they get offensive rebounds. They killed us all night
getting offensive rebounds."

Atlanta took over from there, turning up the defensive pressure
and ripping off a 13-0 spurt. Brooks finally broke up the run,
but Williams had a thunderous jam off a missed shot, a steal set
up another dunk by Al Horford and Crawford's falling-down
3-pointer pushed the home team to a 102-92 lead with 2:07
remaining.

"The guys battled back, but we had a bad stretch in the fourth
quarter and it cost us," Houston coach Rick Adelman said.

It seemed over, but the pesky Rockets battled back. Kyle Lowry
exploded to the hoop, banked it in and was fouled by Williams.
The free throw completed the three-point play and pulled Houston
to 103-101.

Bibby missed a 3-pointer, Houston called time and got the ball
in Brooks' hands. He passed off to Scola, who fumbled it away
but watched it go straight to Landry, who drew Horford's sixth
foul and calmly made both free throws sandwiched around a Hawks'
20-second timeout.

But Smith made sure Atlanta stayed perfect at home.

"They have the best record in the league," Houston's Trevor
Ariza. "If we could have come back and gotten this one, it would
have been really big."

NOTES: In the second quarter, Ariza and Johnson scrambled for a
loose ball that wound up bouncing out of bounds along the
sideline, not far from the Hawks bench. While the officials
briefly conferred to make a call, Ariza pleaded, "I swear to God
I didn't touch it." The Rockets got the ball. ... Houston shot
just 42 percent but took 14 more shots than the Hawks, who made
half their attempts. ... Williams also led the Hawks in
rebounding with nine. ... Scola had 17 points and 10 rebounds
for the Rockets.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135845-Smiths-last-second-shot-gives-Hawks-another-win</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135845-Smiths-last-second-shot-gives-Hawks-another-win</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:10:41 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[LeBron's 40 leads Cavaliers past Pacers]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS(AP) -- Cleveland's offense was stagnant, and the
Indiana Pacers had turned a five-point halftime deficit into a
five-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers went back to their tried-and-true formula -
LeBron, LeBron and more LeBron - and it got the usual result.
James scored 10 of his season-high 40 points in the final 7:07,
and Cleveland beat the Pacers 105-95 on Friday night.

"When you have a guy as talented as him, sometimes your best
coaching on the offensive end of the floor is staying out of his
way," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.

The Pacers' poor shooting didn't give them a chance to take
advantage of Cleveland's lapse in the early part of the final
period. James didn't play for nearly five minutes to start the
quarter, yet the Cavaliers erased Indiana's lead while he was
out.

James sucked the life out of the Pacers and sent the crowd to
the exits with a 3-pointer over Dahntay Jones as the shot clock
expired that gave the Cavaliers a 101-94 lead with 53 seconds
left.

"That was huge," Cleveland forward J.J. Hickson said. "I always
have confidence in his shot, but that kind of sealed the game
for us."

Jones, brought in as a free agent to be the team's defensive
stopper, had no answer for James all night.

"He had a good game, and that's what great players do," Jones
said. "He shot the ball well, he made his teammates better. You
got to tip your hat to him."

James also had nine rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland
(9-4).

Cleveland center Shaquille O'Neal missed his fourth straight
game with a strained right shoulder. He did not travel with the
team, and Brown didn't give a timetable for his return.

Cleveland forward Anderson Varejao played after he missed two
games with a bruised hip. He finished with 10 points and seven
rebounds in 28 minutes.

Danny Granger had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Jones added
17 points for the Pacers (5-5), who lost their second in a row.
Indiana forward Troy Murphy played after missing six games with
a bruised lower back. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds
in 24 minutes.

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien was ejected with 5:20 left in the first
quarter after drawing two technical fouls for walking out to
near midcourt to argue with officials. He said was objecting to
a play in which he said James "leveled" Indiana point guard T.J.
Ford.

The Pacers nearly won one without him, but they shot 32 percent
in the second half, and 22 percent in the fourth quarter.

"Offensively, we got some decent looks, but they played good
defense and pushed us to the shot clock," Granger said. "We
really didn't get that many shots in rhythm."

James made his first eight shots and didn't miss a field goal
until the final three minutes of the second quarter. He finished
the first half with 22 points and five assists as Cleveland led
66-61 at the break. The Pacers shot 63 percent in the first
half, yet trailed because they were outscored 15-8 from the free
throw line.

Indiana took its first lead, 70-68, when James was called for
goaltending on a shot by Roy Hibbert with just over eight
minutes left in the third quarter. It was part of a 17-2 run at
the start of the second half that gave Indiana a 78-68 lead.
Cleveland shot 3 for 18 from the field with seven turnovers in
the quarter, and the Pacers led 82-77 at the end of the period.

"I wouldn't say frustrated, but the third quarter has been like
the only time we've had (consistent trouble) the past three or
four years," James said. "We can't get our hand on it. We're
going to figure it out."

Cleveland tied the game at 82 on a 3-pointer by Jamario Moon
early in the fourth quarter, and the game was competitive until
the final minutes.

James said the Cavaliers wouldn't have won without their
commitment to defense.

"That's what it's about," James said. "Our team is all based on
defense, and when we get stops like that, it makes offense a lot
easier. It was a great way to finish the game off like we did in
the fourth quarter."

NOTES: The Pacers announced Friday that guard Travis Diener had
surgery on the big toe on his left foot and is expected to miss
at least four weeks. ... Both teams shot 68.2 percent in the
first quarter, and the game was tied at 38-all at the end of the
period. ... Former Pacer Haywoode Workman was one of the
officials.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135827-LeBrons-40-leads-Cavaliers-past-Pacers</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135827-LeBrons-40-leads-Cavaliers-past-Pacers</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:55:52 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Grizzlies beat 76ers for third straight victory]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[PHILADELPHIA(AP) -- Rudy Gay received the pass and never
hesitated.

When the shot swished through the net, the giddy Memphis
Grizzlies had plenty to celebrate.

Gay tied his season high with 33 points, including a clutch
jumper with 19 seconds remaining, Zach Randolph added 21 points
and 11 rebounds, and the Grizzlies registered their first road
win of the season with a 102-97 victory over the Philadelphia
76ers on Friday.

"My jump shot felt good all night, said Gay, who shot 14 of 22
and added 10 rebounds. "I didn't force anything. I just had a
good feel the whole night."

Marc Gasol had 19 points and O.J. Mayo 12 for the Grizzlies
(4-8), who have won three straight and improved to 1-6 on the
road. It was their first three-game winning streak in November
since 2005, and their first victory in Philadelphia since Feb.
9, 2005.

No member of the current Grizzlies team was on the roster for
that last win.

"It's great to get a road win," said Gasol, who also contributed
eight rebounds. "It really helps to build confidence, which a
young team needs."

Lou Williams scored a career-high 31 points, Elton Brand added
22 and Andre Iguodala had 15 for the Sixers (5-7).

"It was about team versus non-team," Philadelphia coach Eddie
Jordan said.

With the Grizzlies leading 98-95, Gay connected on a 17-foot
jumper from the right wing with a second remaining on the shot
clock to seal the victory. Gay scored 12 points in the fourth
quarter on 5-of-7 shooting and finished the game with 10
rebounds.

"I wanted the ball in my hands," Gay said. "I got that big shot
within the flow of the offense."

A number of Allen Iverson jerseys were visible throughout the
arena as the crowd anticipated the return of the former Sixers
All-Star guard. Though Iverson was waived by the Grizzlies on
Tuesday, a larger-than-usual crowd of 14,269 still showed up at
the Wachovia Center.

Without Iverson, the young Grizzlies raced past the Sixers en
route to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

A jumper by Iguodala cut the lead to 92-86 before Marcus
Williams hit a jumper and Gay followed with a fast-break layup
for a 96-86 advantage with 4:08 remaining.

The Sixers scored five straight to get within 96-91 before Mike
Conley hit a layup, his first field goal, for a 98-91 lead with
1:52 left. Though the Sixers did close within three, it wasn't
enough.

"It's definitely a tough loss," Iguodala said. "They just put it
to us. We've got to find a way to regroup."

Leading 72-71, the Grizzlies went on to score the final six
points of the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Mayo, a free throw
by Williams and a driving layup by Williams for a 78-71
advantage.

Williams scored 16 points for the Sixers as they held a 50-49
advantage at halftime.

NOTES: Sixers C Primoz Brezec was called on for the first time
this season, playing four minutes in the first half. He was 0
for 3 with two rebounds. ... Memphis missed all four of its
3-pointers in the first half. ... The Sixers play seven of their
next eight games on the road. ... Memphis outrebounded the
Sixers 48-28.]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135824-Grizzlies-beat-76ers-for-third-straight-victory</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135824-Grizzlies-beat-76ers-for-third-straight-victory</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:26:23 GMT</pubDate>
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				<title><![CDATA[Bogut out 2 to 4 weeks with leg injury]]></title>
				<description><![CDATA[By COLIN FLY
AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE(AP) -- Bucks center Andrew Bogut will be out two to four
weeks after the former No. 1 pick was kicked in the left leg in
a recent win.

Bogut said Friday night before Milwaukee played Charlotte that
he had hoped he just had a charlie horse bruise after he left a
99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday.

Bogut stayed in the game for several minutes after he was
kicked, but the pain grew worse and an MRI taken Thursday
revealed that he had strained a ligament on the outside of his
left calf to go along with a bruise.

"It's very disappointing. I don't want to be hurt," said Bogut,
who is averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds since missing more
than half of last season with a stress fracture in his lower
back. "It wasn't like I stepped wrong, or I did it running. I
got hit."

The injury came after one of Bogut's best performances of the
season with 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Nets. He
didn't mention the injury after the game and stood throughout
his interviews even though he said he knew something was wrong.

"I had shooting pain all the way down my leg. I knew it was
bad," the 24-year-old Bogut said. "I was hurting after the game,
I could barely walk to my car and could barely walk after the
game. I thought maybe I'd wake up and feel better, but I woke up
and felt worse."

Milwaukee is already missing guard Michael Redd (strained left
knee) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot). Now,
Bucks coach Scott Skiles is dealing with another injury.

Milwaukee didn't have Redd and Bogut for a large portion of last
season, and went 10-23 without the pair after Redd was injured
on Jan. 24.

"You don't ever want times like this, that's for sure," Skiles
said. "Last year when it happened we weren't able to hold it
together, so hopefully having a deeper team that we have we can
weather it a little bit better."

Bogut won't travel on Milwaukee's upcoming four-game road trip
that begins Saturday night in Memphis. Mbah a Moute said he's
day-to-day. Redd was out again Friday night, but running and
working out before the game.

"He looked better today than he did yesterday. He seems to be
getting noticeably better," Skiles said. "I would imagine (he'd
return) sometime on this trip."]]></description>
				<category><![CDATA[nba]]></category>
				<link>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135806-Bogut-out-2-to-4-weeks-with-leg-injury</link>
				<guid>http://areyouwatchingthis.com/nba/news/135806-Bogut-out-2-to-4-weeks-with-leg-injury</guid>
				<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:35:32 GMT</pubDate>
			</item>
		
	
			
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