NBA Final Scores & Recap

(Saturday, February 2nd)

Final Score: Atlanta 104, New Jersey 92

Atlanta, GA - Marvin Williams scored 24 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks past the New Jersey Nets, 104-92, at Philips Arena. Josh Childress and Josh Smith poured in 23 points apiece for the Hawks, who ended a three-game skid and won for only the second time in their last nine games. Al Horford contributed 14 points, while Joe Johnson tallied 10. Richard Jefferson scored 23 points for the Nets, who had their two-game win streak broken and lost for the 10th time in their last 12 contests. Bostjan Nachbar added 16 points, while Vince Carter and Josh Boone each gave 14 points apiece. Carter also had 10 assists. Jason Kidd grabbed 10 boards in the loss.

Final Score: Orlando 121, Indiana 115

Indianapolis, IN - Dwight Howard scored 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to pace Orlando to a 121-115 win over the Indiana Pacers. Hedo Turkoglu added 23 points and eight assists for the Magic, who stretched their winning streak to four games. Rashard Lewis scored 19 and Keith Bogans came off the bench for 16 more, as the Magic also snapped a four-game skid at Indiana. Orlando finished the game 14-of-25 from three-point range. The Magic gave up 60 points in the first half Friday at Philadelphia, but pulled out a 108-106 win. Danny Granger scored 29 points and Mike Dunleavy had 19 for Indiana, which has lost six in a row. The Pacers allowed the Magic to shoot 55.7 percent from the field.

Final Score: Cleveland 98, LA Clippers 84

Cleveland, OH - LeBron James returned from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle and finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the ailing Los Angeles Clippers, 98-84. The Clippers, who have played their entire season without forward Elton Brand and guard Shaun Livingston, were without the services of their two leading scorers — forward Corey Maggette and center Chris Kaman. Both were sidelined with the flu. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which has won three of four. Drew Gooden had 14 points and 12 boards for the Cavs, who have won 12 of 15 in 2008. Al Thornton came off the bench to score 23 points and rake in seven rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost two in a row and five of six. Cuttino Mobley scored 19 points, and Tim Thomas added 15 points for LA.

Final Score: Utah 110, Memphis 91

Memphis, TN - Carlos Boozer scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz past the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-91, at FedExForum. Deron Williams and Ronnie Brewer had 16 points each for the Jazz, who have won eight in a row and 12 of their last 13 contests. Williams also dished out 11 assists, while Mehmet Okur scored 15 and grabbed 13 boards. Matt Harpring tallied 12 points. Kyle Korver had 14 points off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor in the win. Rudy Gay totaled 15 points and had 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have lost three in a row and five of their last six. Hakim Warrick and Mike Miller each netted 14 points, while Darko Milicic gave 12 points to match his 12 rebounds.

Final Score: Houston 91, Milwaukee 83

Milwaukee, WI - Tracy McGrady had his strongest game in two months with 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, overshadowing the matchup between Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks, 91-83. Yao had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets in the second battle of Chinese titans. Yi was limited to six points and seven rebounds on 1-of-10 shooting for the Bucks. Bonzi Wells had 10 points, and Rafer Alston chipped in 10 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who beat Milwaukee for a seventh straight time. The Rockets have also won three in a row overall and seven of their last eight contests. Andrew Bogut led the way with 21 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third straight game. Bucks leading scorer Michael Redd missed his fourth straight game due to a strained left knee.

Final Score: Denver 117, Charlotte 101

Denver, CO - Linas Kleiza came off the bench to score 23 points — including 16 in the fourth quarter — as Denver rallied past Charlotte, 117-101, at the Pepsi Center. Carmelo Anthony returned from an ankle injury to score a team-high 25 points for the Nuggets, who have won two straight and four of their last six games overall. Anthony also had 10 rebounds, while Allen Iverson added 24 points to go along with 13 assists. Anthony missed five games with a sprained left ankle after landing on Kobe Bryant’s foot on January 21. The Nuggets went 3-2 with Anthony out of the lineup. Jason Richardson poured in 38 points for Charlotte, which has lost three straight and four of five. Emeka Okafor had 20 points and 18 boards, while Raymond Felton ended with 14 points and nine assists.

Final Score: Sacramento 105, Chicago 101

Sacramento, CA - Ron Artest scored 28 points, including a key dunk in the waning seconds, to lead the Sacramento Kings past the Chicago Bulls, 105-101, at ARCO Arena. Kevin Martin poured in 26 points, including an 8-for-8 performance from the foul line, for the Kings, who have won four games in a row. Brad Miller accounted for 22 points and 20 boards. In the win, Mike Bibby managed just four points on 1-of-9 shooting and seven assists in 30 minutes. Ben Gordon scored a game-high 33 points for the Bulls, who have lost two in a row and four of their last five contests. Kirk Hinrich gave 18 points, while Joakim Noah had 10, but the Bulls lost to the Kings for the 16th time in the last 18 meetings.

Final Score: Seattle 86, New York 85

Seattle, WA - Kevin Durant scored 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer in the last minute, and Nate Robinson’s missed three- pointer in the final seconds capped an 0-for-9 night from the field as the Seattle SuperSonics edged the New York Knicks, 86-85. Chris Wilcox scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Sonics, who have won three straight for the first time this season. Nick Collison had 12 rebounds and nine points off the bench for Seattle. Zach Randolph scored 24 points for the Knicks, who capped an 0-5 road trip with a heartbreaking loss. Jamal Crawford scored 23 points, and David Lee had 10 points and 10 boards for New York, but Robinson scored only five points on a night when he couldn’t make a shot from the field, including the potential game-winner.

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