Times wires
Saturday, April 16, 2011
ORLANDO — Joe Johnson scored 25 and Jamal Crawford 23 as the Hawks overcame a huge game by Dwight Howard to beat the Magic 103-93 Saturday in Game 1 of their East quarterfinal.
Howard tied a career high with 46 points (31 in the first half) and added 19 rebounds. Jameer Nelson scored 27, but no other Orlando player reached double figures.
"It's frustrating," Howard said. "But it's the first game. We just need to keep playing."
Atlanta was eliminated by Orlando last season in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history. And it lost its last six regular-season games.
But the Hawks won three of the four regular-season meetings against the Magic. And Saturday, they led by as many as 18.
"We're a confident group," Johnson said. "The last six games of the season, people kind of looked down on us. But now we have a plan. It's coming to fruition, and we just have to go out and play together."
Down 85-71 entering the fourth, Orlando put together a 10-1 run that cut it to 92-83 with 4:40 left. Howard banked in a hook shot with less than two minutes left to make it 98-90. But a steal by Josh Smith and an ensuing 3-pointer by Crawford essentially sealed it.
Nelson said there are no quick fixes: "I can't really put a finger on it right now."
Hawks 103, Magic 93
ATLANTA (103): Smith 6-12 2-7 15, Horford 7-14 2-2 16, Collins 0-1 1-2 1, Hinrich 6-10 0-0 13, Johnson 9-16 7-8 25, Pachulia 0-1 2-2 2, Crawford 7-14 5-6 23, Thomas 0-2 0-0 0, Williams 2-3 2-2 6, Powell 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 38-74 21-29 103.
ORLANDO (93): Turkoglu 2-9 1-2 6, Bass 0-4 0-0 0, Howard 16-23 14-22 46, Nelson 10-18 3-4 27, J.Richardson 2-8 0-0 4, Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Arenas 2-5 1-2 6, Redick 2-6 0-0 4, Q.Richardson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-75 19-30 93.
Atlanta 17 38 30 18— 103
Orlando 19 29 23 22— 93
3-Point Goals—Atlanta 6-14 (Crawford 4-7, Smith 1-2, Hinrich 1-3, Johnson 0-1, Horford 0-1), Orlando 6-22 (Nelson 4-7, Arenas 1-2, Turkoglu 1-4, Howard 0-1, Anderson 0-2, Redick 0-2, J.Richardson 0-4). Fouled Out—Collins. Rebounds—Atlanta 42 (Smith 8), Orlando 54 (Howard 19). Assists—Atlanta 19 (Crawford, Johnson 5), Orlando 15 (Turkoglu 5). Total Fouls—Atlanta 28, Orlando 24. Technicals—Howard. A—19,108 (18,500).
Late surge lifts Bulls
CHICAGO — Trailing 98-88 with 3:38 left, the Bulls closed the game with a 16-1 run to take Game 1 104-99 over the Pacers.
Derrick Rose scored seven of his 39 during the run, including a three-point play and a floater that tied it at 99 with 1:27 left. He then hit Kyle Korver with a crosscourt pass for a 3-pointer that gave the top-seeded Bulls their first lead, 102-99, with 48 seconds left.
"We knew it was going to be a hard game," said Rose, the likely league MVP who missed all nine of his 3-pointers. "From the beginning, I guess we weren't prepared for it. Next time, I think we'll be ready."
Danny Granger, who led Indiana with 24 points, missed a 3 that would have tied it. At the other end, Rose hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds left. Rose made 19 of 21 free throws and had six assists and six rebounds.
Granger said the Pacers never believed they had a safe lead.
"With Derrick Rose on the other team? No," he said. "It's like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. Every time you tell her you don't want to talk to her, she'll show up at your door again."
Bulls 104, Pacers 99
INDIANA (99): Granger 10-20 0-0 24, Hansbrough 10-19 2-3 22, Hibbert 4-7 3-4 11, Collison 7-15 1-3 17, George 1-2 0-0 2, Rush 2-3 1-2 7, McRoberts 1-6 2-2 4, Dunleavy 0-3 0-0 0, Price 3-6 0-1 8, Foster 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 39-84 11-17 99.
CHICAGO (104): Deng 7-13 2-4 18, Boozer 4-11 4-5 12, Noah 5-12 0-1 10, Rose 10-23 19-21 39, Bogans 0-3 0-0 0, Brewer 1-3 0-0 2, Thomas 3-4 0-0 6, Gibson 1-2 0-0 2, Korver 4-7 1-1 13, Asik 0-0 0-0 0, Watson 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 36-82 26-32 104.
Indiana 27 28 24 20— 99
Chicago 23 28 20 33— 104
3-Point Goals—Indiana 10-18 (Granger 4-8, Collison 2-2, Rush 2-2, Price 2-3, George 0-1, Dunleavy 0-2), Chicago 6-20 (Korver 4-4, Deng 2-3, Watson 0-1, Bogans 0-3, Rose 0-9). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Indiana 40 (Hibbert 8), Chicago 63 (Noah 11). Assists—Indiana 21 (Collison 9), Chicago 18 (Rose 6). Total Fouls—Indiana 25, Chicago 21. Technicals—Indiana Coach Vogel, Deng. A—22,986 (20,917).
Wade, Miami hold on
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored five of his 17 over the final 1:34 as the Heat beat the 76ers 97-89 in Game 1. Chris Bosh had 25 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James 21 points and 14 rebounds.
"The only number that matters right now is 1-0," Wade said.
Trailing 88-75, Philadelphia opened the fourth with a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 88-87 with 7:23 left. But it never took the lead.
Sixers coach Doug Collins spent much of Game 1 pointing out the free-throw disparity to the officials. Miami finished 31-of-39, Philadelphia 12-of-15. Asked to explain the disparity, he took the high road in order to avoid a fine from the league.
"My grandkids would lose their college fund," he said. "So I'll have to dance around that one."
Heat 97, 76ers 89
PHILADELPHIA (89): Iguodala 2-7 0-0 4, Brand 8-14 1-1 17, Hawes 2-4 0-0 4, Holiday 5-12 6-6 19, Meeks 3-6 1-2 9, Young 9-20 2-4 20, Williams 3-10 2-2 10, Turner 1-2 0-0 2, Nocioni 0-3 0-0 0, Battie 0-0 0-0 0, Speights 2-7 0-0 4. Totals 35-85 12-15 89.
MIAMI (97): James 4-14 13-14 21, Bosh 8-17 9-11 25, Ilgauskas 4-5 0-0 8, Bibby 3-9 0-0 8, Wade 6-13 5-8 17, Anthony 0-3 3-4 3, Jones 4-8 0-0 9, Miller 0-3 0-0 0, Chalmers 2-2 1-2 6. Totals 31-74 31-39 97.
Philadelphia 31 18 20 20— 89
Miami 19 35 26 17— 97
3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 7-19 (Holiday 3-5, Meeks 2-3, Williams 2-6, Young 0-1, Iguodala 0-2, Nocioni 0-2), Miami 4-17 (Bibby 2-7, Chalmers 1-1, Jones 1-4, Wade 0-1, James 0-2, Miller 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Philadelphia 43 (Young 11), Miami 61 (James 14). Assists—Philadelphia 22 (Iguodala 9), Miami 15 (Wade, James 5). Total Fouls—Philadelphia 25, Miami 16. Technicals—Philadelphia defensive three second. A—19,600 (19,600).
Around the league: Celtics center Shaquille O'Neal will miss today's opener with a right calf injury. O'Neal missed 27 games with a sore right leg then returned April 4. But he lasted 5:29 before sustaining the calf injury and hasn't played since. … The Spurs' Tony Parker said he believe it's "almost impossible" that fellow guard Manu Ginobili won't play in today's opener. Ginobili sprained his right elbow in Wednesday's regular-season finale when he collided with teammate Tim Duncan while coming off a screen. The team lists him as doubtful.