Saturday National Basketball Association Capsules.

October 19, 2008

Saturday National Basketball Association Capsules.
CLEVELAND 100, PHILADELPHIA 93

CLEVELAND With LeBron James leading the cheers, the Cleveland Cavaliers used a game-ending 15-0 run to overtake the Philadelphia 76ers, 100-93, for their first win of the exhibition season.

Delonte West sparked Cleveland with 17 points and 10 assists and was key in the final surge.

Philadelphia got a lift from former Cleveland forward Donyell Marshall, who scored 15 points on five 3-pointers.

After the 76ers took an eight-point lead when Reggie Evans sank free throws with 2:54 left to play, the Cavaliers - with a lineup of West, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao, and rookie J.J. Hickson - caught fire and stole the win as Philadelphia missed its final seven shots from the floor and turned the ball over twice.

In his longest stint of the preseason, James played 27 minutes and collected 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

The Cavaliers trailed 41-28 at 7:20 of the second quarter but, with James leading the way, used a 19-7 run to close the half and trim their deficit to 48-47.

This was not your garden variety NBA exhibition game. Both teams got chippy early when Clevelands Mo Williams was tagged with two quick technical fouls midway through the first quarter and was ejected.

Williams got tangled up with Philadelphias Andre Miller and both players were given technical fouls. On the ensuing possession, the newly acquired Williams was fouled by Miller on a drive.

Williams said something as he got up, was assessed his second infraction and pleaded with the official to reconsider, but it was too late.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who contributed 17 points and eight boards, was tagged with a technical foul at 4:48 of the third quarter.

Andre Iguodala had 17 points and Louis Williams added 15 for Philadelphia.

DALLAS 124, SACRAMENTO 109

DALLAS Gerald Green, a former first round pick of the Boston Celtics in the 2005 draft, led all scorers with 29 points in an outstanding performance to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 124-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

After scoring 16 points in the second quarter alone, Green returned for the fourth quarter and scored 13, including going 3-of-4 from 3-point range. His signature moment came with 5:05 remaining when he slashed his way to the basket and finished with an authoritative slam to give Dallas a commanding 113-92 lead.

The Mavericks, who had lost two straight after winning their first three preseason contests, pulled away with a dominating fourth quarter, building up a 24-point lead over the Kings at one point.

Kevin Martin led Sacramento - which began inserting most of its back-ups and roster hopefuls in the final period - with 26 points in 36 minutes, while John Salmons and Beno Udrih added 15 each.

Josh Howard registered 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki put 21 on the board for Dallas before each left the contest after the third quarter.

Both teams played the usual rotations of players for most of the game until the final period, which Dallas entered with a 92-86 lead.

But Green, looking to add spice to the Mavericks guard position, was the story of this game. He also collected six rebounds and three steals in just over 20 minutes, while shooting 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Green now is shooting 95 percent (19-of-20) from the line in six preseason contests.

ATLANTA 102, CHARLOTTE 96

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Mike Bibby scored nine of his 14 in the fourth quarter to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-96 exhibition win over the struggling Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The veteran Bibby sparked the Hawks in the final three minutes, knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:55 left to help his team take control from there. Bibby added three more baskets down the stretch to keep the Bobcats at bay.

Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton combined for 13 of the final 14 points for the Bobcats, but the Hawks proved to be too much.

Al Horford gave Atlanta the lead for good on a dunk with 6:29 to play on a pass from Flip Murray.

The Bobcats are now 0-5 in preseason under new coach Larry Brown, with four of those losses coming against Southeast Division foes. Atlanta improved to 4-2 with the win.

The Hawks were without the services of forward Marvin Williams (left thumb sprain) and Mario West (left ankle sprain).

Atlanta had strong contributions from two of its offseason signings. Maurice Evans, brought in to replace Josh Childress, had 13 points and four rebounds off the bench while Murray added 18, including six in the final period.

The Bobcats were without forward Adam Morrison, who missed the game with tendinitis in his left knee. Morrison missed all of last season with a torn left ACL.

Felton scored 20 points and Emeka Okafor added 18 and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.

ORLANDO 100, MIAMI 92

JACKSONVILLE, Florida Dwight Howard was in midseason form, collecting 26 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 100-92 victory over the Miami Heat in a preseason contest.

Howard went 10-of-14 from the field in 34 minutes while blocking three shots for the Magic, who shot 45 percent (33-for-74) from the field in the contest. Rashard Lewis added 21 points and J.J. Redick chipped in 14 off the bench.

Howard, Lewis and Redick combined for 28 points in the second quarter, when Orlando outscored Miami, 35-17, to take a 57-42 advantage into the break.

Dwyane Wade paced Miami with 29 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 35 minutes and Udonis Haslem added 16 and 11 rebounds. Rookie Michael Beasley played well off the bench, pouring in 14 points for the Heat, who have yet to win in four preseason contests.

Miami had a good night from the free-throw line, knocking down 16-of-17.

TORONTO 93, LA CLIPPERS 89

LOS ANGELES While most teams give rookies and invited players minutes to assess their value, the Toronto Raptors let their veterans dominate in a 93-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Forward Chris Bosh had 26 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes, while center Jermaine ONeal had 20 and nine in 33 and forward Kris Humphries added 12 for the Raptors.

Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, two of the Los Angeles Clippers marquee offseason acquisitions, were scratched. Davis was battling the flu and Camby had a sore right heel.

One offseason pick-up that did play was Ricky Davis, who signed as a free agent for the Clippers in July. The former member of the Miami Heat led the team with 14 points, including two 3-pointers.

Al Thornton had 12 points, 10 of them in the first quarter for Los Angeles. The teams first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2007 draft out of Florida State showed the same explosiveness to the basket as last year when he averaged 12.7 points.

Five other Clippers scored in double figures, including Paul Davis, who saw more minutes with Cambys absence and poured in 10 points. Davis is returning after tearing his ACL in December and missing the remainder of the season.

Guards Cuttino Mobley and Jason Hart scored 11 points apiece, while center Chris Kaman and guard Eric Gordon netted 10 points each for Los Angeles.

SAN ANTONIO 106, INDIANA 98

SAN ANTONIO Tony Parker had 19 points and eight assists as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Indiana Pacers in the second half en route to a 106-98 victory.

Matt Bonner scored 15 points and Michael Finley added 13 for the Spurs, who played without superstar Tim Duncan. The franchise forward was not injured but rested in the meaningless exhibition contest.

Without guard Manu Ginobili for the first three months of the season and Duncan for this one, San Antonio unveiled its long-range game, nailing 15-of-39 shots from the arc.

Desmon Farmer scored 14 points and Roger Mason added 11 for the Spurs, who took a 12-point lead at halftime and cruised in the second half.

Newcomer T.J. Ford, who has replaced the mercurial Jamaal Tinsley as the starting point guard, had 16 points and five assists for the Pacers, who implemented coach Jim OBriens trigger-happy offense, shooting 10-of-26 on 3-pointers.

Marquis Daniels scored 18 points and Danny Granger added 17 for Indiana.

UTAH 88, CHICAGO 80

CHICAGO Andrei Kirilenko scored 18 points and Carlos Boozer added 17 and 16 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz to an 88-80 preseason victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The win means little compared to what the Jazz lost - point guard Deron Williams suffered a sprained left ankle in the first quarter.

Williams injured his ankle on an awkward fall after being fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. X-Rays were negative, but he did not return to the game.

Paul Millsap added 14 points and Ronnie Brewer finished with 11 and 10 rebounds for the Jazz.

Tyrus Thomas, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, had 15 points and 14 rebounds while No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose scored 11 points.

Ben Gordon did not play for the Bulls, missing the game with a jammed right toe.

LA LAKERS 108, FC BARCELONA 104

LOS ANGELES Kobe Bryant had 28 points and six steals as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated FC Barcelona, 108-104, in preseason action.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol each scored 13 points for Los Angeles, which shot 55 percent (41-of-74) from the field and forced 27 turnovers.

The Lakers had a 29-19 lead after the first quarter and never trailed again, although they failed to put away the international club.

After Barcelona closed within four late in the game, Chris Mihm converted a key three-point play with 33 seconds remaining to extend the Lakers lead to 104-97. The Spanish club never got closer than four the rest of the way.

Former Memphis Grizzlies guard - and Gasols teammate on the Olympic silver medal-winning Spanish squad - Juan Carlos Navarro led all scorers with 34 points for Barcelona. He made 7-of-13 from the arc.

FC Barcelona has won seven of the last 13 Liga ACB titles.