NBA Recap-November 16th

Atlanta 99, Portland 95 (OT)

 

Studs: Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 35 points and 9 assists, and Josh Smith added 20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, as Atlanta clipped the Blazers in overtime.  Rudy Fernandez had team-highs with 19 points and 4 steals off Portland's bench.

Duds: Steve Blake had 11 assists, but recorded his third straight poor shooting game.  He was 3-for-11 against Atlanta, and is now 6-for-28 in his last three outings.  Jamal Crawford was 2-for-10 for the Hawks, with 6 points, 1 assist, and 3 turnovers in 26 minutes.

Game Notes: Atlanta has now won five straight and sits at 9-2, tied with Phoenix for the best record in the NBA.  The win snapped a 6-game winning streak by the Blazers and closed out the season series for the two teams.  The Hawks swept the 2-game set for the first time since the 1996-1997 season… Portland led by 12 in the third quarter and 9 at the beginning of the fourth before Atlanta stormed back to take a three point lead with seconds to play.  Fernandez hit a fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer to force the overtime… Johnson had 8 points in overtime as the Hawks outscored Portland 14-10 in the extra 5 minutes.

 

Orlando 97, Charlotte 91

 

Studs: Orlando was finally at full strength against Charlotte, as Rashard Lewis got his first start after a league-imposed 10-game suspension and sharpshooter Ryan Anderson returned from injury in a reserve role.  The Magic had seven players in double figures, led by Jameer Nelson with 16 points.  Flip Murray led the Bobcats with 31 points on 13-for-21 shooting, and Boris Diaw added 21 points.

Duds: Stephen Jackson made his first Bobcats' appearance (more about that in a moment), posting 13 points and 9 rebounds, but he shot just 4-for-14 from the field.  Lewis was just 4-for-15 in his first action of the season, and Matt Barnes was 1-for-7 off Orlando's bench.

Game Notes: Earlier in the day, Jackson and point guard Acie Law IV were traded to the Bobcats, in exchange for Raja Bell and Vlad Radmanovic.  Jackson said he was pleased with the opportunity to start over.  He played 45 minutes… Orlando made 11-of-32 3-point attempts, and made 20 free throws (although they shot just 64.5% at the line) to overcome a 50.7% to 42.9% field goal shooting deficit.

 

Dallas 115, Milwaukee 113 (OT)

 

Studs: Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 32 points and added 11 rebounds, as Dallas survived with an overtime victory over the Bucks.  Drew Gooden had another strong performance, posting 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Jason Kidd came up 1 point shy of a triple-double, with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists.  Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists; and Ersan Ilyasova added 19 points and 12 rebounds off Milwaukee's bench.

Duds: Jennings got off to a slow start offensively, and ended up just 8-of-22 from the field.  Teammate and fellow rookie Jodie Meeks shot just 2-for-7.

Game Notes: Nowitzki rattled home a fade-away 18-footer to send the game to overtime, and then scored 7 of the Mavericks' 11 overtime points to secure the win… Shawn Marion is day-to-day after leaving in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle.