Time wires
Sunday, December 23, 2012
ORLANDO — With one of his veteran floor leaders sidelined for an unknown amount of time, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin wasn't exactly sure how his team would respond against Orlando after two lopsided losses.
He got a welcome surprise.
Paul Millsap scored 18, Gordon Hayward added 17 and the Jazz survived a fourth-quarter rally to slip past the Magic 97-93 on Sunday night.
Utah snapped a two-game skid with its fifth straight regular-season victory over Orlando. The Jazz played without point guard Mo Williams, out indefinitely after spraining his right thumb in Saturday's loss to Miami.
Veteran Jamaal Tinsley played well in his place, scoring 11 and dishing out four assists.
"It is tough, you don't wish that on anybody," Tinsley said of Williams. "This is just the nature of the beast. I get another opportunity to go out there and play. We want him to get well and come back soon. This is just the NBA. Somebody goes down and somebody else get the opportunity to play. … We just have to figure out a way to win ballgames and do the right thing."
Arron Afflalo had 20 points and Nik Vucevic 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead Orlando, which has lost back-to-back games since losing starting forward Glen Davis to a shoulder injury.
The loss also ended the Magic's three-game home winning streak.
Williams' return in unknown after an MRI exam on Sunday revealed damage to the thumb. He will have it re-evaluated in Salt Lake City.
Corbin has reason to be optimistic going forward, though.
The Jazz trailed by as many as 16 in the first half against the Magic before closing that gap to just a point at halftime.
They scored 22 off 20 turnovers and also got 43 points from their reserves, including 12 from Derrick Favors. All of this came on the second night of a back-to-back and following two losses by a combined 36 points.
"Jamaal and Earl (Watson) came in and did a tremendous job for us," Corbin said. "They pushed the pace, they were getting the ball up the floor, advancing the ball, (and) they did a good job attacking the basket."
GAME HIGHLIGHTS: Danny Green scored a career-high 25 and the host Spurs spoiled former MVP Dirk Nowitzki's season debut with a 129-91 rout of the Mavericks. After missing the first 27 games with a right knee injury that required surgery, Nowitzki entered with 6:28 left in the first quarter. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 20 minutes. … Blake Griffin scored 23, Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists and the Clippers extended a franchise record with their 13th consecutive victory, 103-77 over the host Suns. … Carmelo Anthony scored 19 of his 33 in the fourth quarter, rallying the host Knicks to a 94-91 victory over the Timberwolves. … Joe Johnson scored 22, Gerald Wallace had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists and the Nets held on to beat the 76ers 95-92 and end a six-game home losing streak against Philadelphia.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: The Mavericks signed guard/forward Chris Douglas-Roberts off their NBA Development League team. Douglas-Roberts is leading the D-League in scoring at 22.5 points per game in 11 games.
Jazz 97, Magic 93
UTAH (97): Ma.Williams 1-6 0-0 3, Millsap 6-12 5-8 18, Jefferson 6-14 0-0 12, Tinsley 3-9 2-2 11, Foye 3-8 2-2 10, Hayward 7-10 3-3 17, Carroll 0-0 0-0 0, Watson 0-2 2-4 2, Favors 5-8 2-3 12, Kanter 2-7 0-0 4, Burks 3-7 2-3 8. Totals 36-83 18-25 97.
ORLANDO (93): Harkless 3-4 0-2 7, Ayon 3-7 3-6 9, Vucevic 7-10 2-2 16, Nelson 5-13 0-0 14, Afflalo 9-19 1-2 20, Redick 5-10 2-3 14, Moore 1-5 0-0 3, Nicholson 4-7 0-0 8, O'Quinn 1-1 0-0 2, Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-76 8-15 93.
Utah 18 28 25 26— 97
Orlando 30 17 26 20— 93
3-Point Goals—Utah 7-18 (Tinsley 3-8, Foye 2-4, Ma.Williams 1-1, Millsap 1-2, Jefferson 0-1, Watson 0-1, Burks 0-1), Orlando 9-20 (Nelson 4-7, Redick 2-5, Harkless 1-1, Afflalo 1-3, Moore 1-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Utah 45 (Jefferson 9), Orlando 54 (Vucevic 16). Assists—Utah 21 (Watson 8), Orlando 25 (Nelson 9). Total Fouls—Utah 17, Orlando 22. Technicals—Utah defensive three second, Redick. A—17,721 (18,500).
Knicks 94, Timberwolves 91
MINNESOTA (91): Shved 7-16 0-0 18, Kirilenko 2-6 0-0 4, Pekovic 7-16 7-8 21, Barea 4-14 3-3 12, Ridnour 5-13 3-3 14, Cunningham 6-10 0-0 12, Rubio 2-6 1-2 5, Williams 1-3 2-2 5, Stiemsma 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-84 16-18 91.
NEW YORK (94): Brewer 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony 10-25 10-11 33, Chandler 4-7 8-10 16, Felton 7-15 1-1 15, Kidd 0-3 0-0 0, Smith 7-15 3-4 19, Thomas 2-2 0-0 4, Novak 1-3 2-2 4, Prigioni 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 32-72 24-28 94.
Minnesota 29 26 18 18— 91
New York 22 24 25 23— 94
3-Point Goals—Minnesota 7-22 (Shved 4-9, Williams 1-2, Ridnour 1-5, Barea 1-5, Kirilenko 0-1), New York 6-26 (Anthony 3-10, Smith 2-6, Prigioni 1-2, Novak 0-2, Felton 0-3, Kidd 0-3). Fouled Out—Kirilenko. Rebounds—Minnesota 52 (Pekovic 17), New York 44 (Chandler 9). Assists—Minnesota 20 (Ridnour 5), New York 17 (Smith 7). Total Fouls—Minnesota 22, New York 20. Technicals—Smith, New York Coach Woodson. A—19,033 (19,763).
Spurs 129, Mavericks 91
DALLAS (91): Da.Jones 2-4 2-4 7, Marion 2-7 0-0 4, Kaman 5-9 0-0 10, Do.Jones 1-7 3-6 5, Mayo 3-8 1-2 7, Nowitzki 3-4 1-2 8, Collison 6-9 3-4 15, Brand 1-4 0-0 2, Carter 5-9 1-1 13, Crowder 3-6 2-2 9, Douglas-Roberts 0-0 3-4 3, Wright 3-5 2-4 8, Beaubois 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-74 18-29 91.
SAN ANTONIO (129): Leonard 6-11 2-2 17, Duncan 7-15 1-2 15, Splitter 1-4 3-4 5, Parker 5-9 6-7 18, Green 9-10 0-0 25, Diaw 3-5 0-0 7, Ginobili 2-4 1-1 6, Jackson 5-8 2-3 14, Neal 1-4 0-0 3, De Colo 1-3 0-0 2, Mills 3-4 0-0 7, Bonner 3-3 0-0 8, Blair 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 47-84 15-19 129.
Dallas 26 26 14 25— 91
San Antonio 33 31 36 29— 129
3-Point Goals—Dallas 5-14 (Carter 2-5, Nowitzki 1-1, Da.Jones 1-1, Crowder 1-1, Do.Jones 0-1, Marion 0-1, Mayo 0-2, Beaubois 0-2), San Antonio 20-30 (Green 7-8, Leonard 3-7, Parker 2-2, Bonner 2-2, Jackson 2-5, Ginobili 1-1, Diaw 1-1, Mills 1-1, Neal 1-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Dallas 48 (Nowitzki 6), San Antonio 44 (Splitter 7). Assists—Dallas 22 (Mayo 6), San Antonio 33 (Ginobili 9). Total Fouls—Dallas 18, San Antonio 22. Technicals—Mayo. A—18,581 (18,797).
Nets 95, 76ers 92
PHILADELPHIA (92): Turner 7-16 0-0 15, T.Young 8-14 2-2 18, Allen 6-11 0-0 12, Holiday 9-16 3-4 24, Richardson 2-10 0-0 5, Hawes 2-9 1-2 5, N.Young 2-4 0-0 5, Wright 2-8 2-2 8, Wilkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-88 8-10 92.
BROOKLYN (95): Bogans 5-6 0-0 13, Wallace 3-7 7-8 14, Lopez 5-14 4-6 14, Williams 5-11 5-7 16, Johnson 8-17 3-6 22, Stackhouse 2-8 0-0 4, Shengelia 0-0 0-0 0, Blatche 4-7 2-2 10, Evans 0-1 0-0 0, Watson 1-3 0-1 2. Totals 33-74 21-30 95.
Philadelphia 17 24 23 28— 92
Brooklyn 24 19 26 26— 95
3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 8-18 (Holiday 3-3, Wright 2-6, N.Young 1-1, Turner 1-3, Richardson 1-5), Brooklyn 8-22 (Bogans 3-4, Johnson 3-5, Wallace 1-2, Williams 1-3, Blatche 0-1, Watson 0-2, Stackhouse 0-5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Philadelphia 55 (T.Young 10), Brooklyn 47 (Wallace 9). Assists—Philadelphia 19 (Holiday 9), Brooklyn 18 (Wallace 6). Total Fouls—Philadelphia 22, Brooklyn 11. Technicals—Hawes. A—17,732 (17,732).
Clippers 103, Suns 77
L.A. CLIPPERS (103): Butler 3-7 0-0 8, Griffin 8-12 6-6 23, Jordan 2-5 0-2 4, Paul 7-12 1-1 17, Green 2-5 0-2 4, Odom 0-1 0-0 0, Barnes 5-7 2-2 15, Crawford 8-12 3-5 22, Bledsoe 1-4 0-0 2, Turiaf 0-2 2-8 2, Hollins 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 38-71 16-29 103.
PHOENIX (77): Dudley 5-10 9-10 19, Scola 5-11 1-2 11, Gortat 4-7 0-0 8, Dragic 2-8 3-4 7, Brown 3-13 1-1 7, Telfair 3-10 0-0 8, Morris 5-9 0-2 10, O'Neal 0-3 0-2 0, Tucker 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 1-2 2-3 5, Zeller 0-3 0-0 0, Marshall 0-2 0-0 0, Garrett 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-80 16-24 77.
L.A. Clippers 28 30 33 12— 103
Phoenix 24 19 17 17— 77
3-Point Goals—L.A. Clippers 11-21 (Barnes 3-4, Crawford 3-6, Butler 2-4, Paul 2-4, Griffin 1-1, Green 0-1, Bledsoe 0-1), Phoenix 3-17 (Telfair 2-5, Johnson 1-2, Zeller 0-1, Marshall 0-1, Dragic 0-2, Brown 0-3, Dudley 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—L.A. Clippers 55 (Griffin 11), Phoenix 50 (Gortat 12). Assists—L.A. Clippers 26 (Paul 13), Phoenix 18 (Brown 6). Total Fouls—L.A. Clippers 19, Phoenix 21. Technicals—Jordan, Turiaf, Phoenix Coach Gentry 2, Gortat, O'Neal. A—14,741 (18,422).