NBA Scoreboard 12/30/2011

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Dwyane Wade hit a jumper from the wing, then scored on an inbounds pass from LeBron James with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the undefeated Miami Heat to a 103-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Playing on a sore foot, Wade finished with 19 points, while James had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on his 27th birthday.

Ricky Rubio had 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love had 25 points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who led 100-99 with 55 seconds to play.

But Wade hit a jumper and then lost Rubio on an inbounds play to make the winning bucket, one game after beating the Charlotte Bobcats with a last-second shot.

———

BULLS 114, CLIPPERS 101

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Derrick Rose had 29 points and 16 assists, and Chicago pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Los Angeles.

Luol Deng and Joakim Noah added 19 points apiece and Richard Hamilton had 16 for the Bulls against their former coach, Vinny Del Negro.

Blake Griffin had 34 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who kept it close most of the way coming off a 25-point loss at San Antonio. Caron Butler added 16 points and Chris Paul had 15 points and 14 assists in his matchup against Rose, the NBA’s MVP last season.

———

CELTICS 96, PISTONS 85

BOSTON (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal scored 19 points as he and Boston ended a dismal start to their season by beating Detroit in their home opener.

O’Neal, who played passively in totaling just eight points in the first three games, all losses, was aggressive throughout. He had 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston and Paul Pierce had 12 in his debut after being sidelined with a bruised right heel. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds.

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

———

MAVERICKS 99, RAPTORS 86

DALLAS (AP)—Reserve center Ian Mahinmi scored a career-high 19 points, Dirk Nowitzki contributed 18, and reigning NBA champion Dallas rallied for its first victory of the season.

Jason Terry added 10 of his 17 points in the final quarter for the Mavericks (1-3), who hadn’t started 0-4 since the 2006-07 season.

The last defending NBA champs to open a season at 0-4 were the 1969-70 Boston Celtics.

Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points and Leandro Barbosa had 20 for the Raptors, 1-2 under first-year coach Dwane Casey, Dallas’ top assistant and defensive architect last season.

———

GRIZZLIES 113, ROCKETS 93

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Zach Randolph scored 23 points, Marc Gasol added 20, and Memphis earned its first victory of the season.

Randolph shot 11 of 14 and grabbed nine rebounds. Gasol and Rudy Gay, who finished with 10 points, each had eight boards as Memphis outrebounded the Rockets 42-33.

Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 21 points, while Kyle Lowry had 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Chandler Parsons scored 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, all in the fourth quarter.

Memphis shot 56 percent and forced 20 Houston turnovers.

———

SUNS 93, HORNETS 78

NEW ORLEANS (AP)—Hakim Warrick scored 18 points in a reserve role, and Phoenix won for the first time this young season while handing New Orleans Hornets its first loss.

Channing Frye added 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Suns, who had opened the season with two losses, one to New Orleans in their home opener Monday night. Jared Dudley added 16 points, while Steve Nash dished out 12 assists.

Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon missed a second straight game with a bruised right knee, and this time New Orleans could not compensate for the prolific scorer’s absence.

Carl Landry led New Orleans with 17 points, while Emeka Okafor had 10 points and 16 rebounds, but the Hornets shot only 29 percent (26 of 90).

———

PACERS 98, CAVALIERS 91, OT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime to help Indiana beat Cleveland.

Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards for Indiana. George Hill scored 15 points for the Pacers, who improved to 3-0.

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation.

Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.

———

MAGIC 100, BOBCATS 79

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Dwight Howard had 20 points and 24 rebounds, Ryan Anderson scored 23 points, and Orlando beat Charlotte for its third straight victory.

Orlando jumped to an 11-0 lead and never trailed, eventually leading 56-43 at halftime and building the lead up to as many as 21 in the second half. Charlotte never got closer than nine points in the second half.

Anderson was 5 of 12 from 3-point range, as the Magic shot 43 percent from beyond the arc. Howard also had four blocked shots and four assists. The Magic also got 16 points from Jason Richardson, 15 from Hedo Turkoglu and 11 from J.J. Redick.

Corey Maggette led Charlotte (1-2) with 20 points.

———

BUCKS 102, WIZARDS 81

MILWAUKEE (AP)—Brandon Jennings scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Milwaukee over winless Washington.

Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points, and Carlos Delfino, who missed the first two games of the season with a sprained right wrist, added 15 off the bench for Milwaukee (2-1). Andrew Bogut had 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Jordan Crawford, benched in favor of Nick Young after scoring one point in a loss at Atlanta on Wednesday, led Washington (0-3) with 24 points. John Wall had six points on 1-of-9 shooting and four turnovers.

Washington also got a technical foul when Roger Mason Jr., who was not on the active list, checked into the game.

———

JAZZ 102, 76ERS 99

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Derrick Favors scored a career-high 20 points and added 11 rebounds in his first start for Utah, and the Jazz avoided their first 0-3 start in 32 years.

Paul Millsap added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Jazz, who have beaten the 76ers seven straight times at home and in 21 of the last 23 meetings in Salt Lake City.

Favors started at center for Utah in place of Al Jefferson, who did not play because of an inflamed right ankle.

Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 22 points for the Sixers and reserve Lou Williams added 20 but missed what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

———

HAWKS 105, NETS 98

ATLANTA (AP)—Jeff Teague scored 22 points, Joe Johnson added 21 and Atlanta won its third straight game to open the season, beating New Jersey.

Deron Williams finished with 23 points and rookie MarShon Brooks added 21 to lead the Nets, who have dropped three straight and fell to 1-3.

The Hawks, who earned a 36-point victory at New Jersey earlier this week, were in a tight game for the first time this season. Their biggest lead was nine early in the fourth quarter before Brooks’ 17-footer made it 95-94 with 2:18 remaining.

Atlanta Hawks Dancers

Atlanta Hawks Dancers seriously need an upgrade!!!  
Ask me Why?
Please check the Dancers of Miami, Lakers and Other Teams and you know why! Agree?

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 30: The Atlanta Hawks dancers perform during the game against the New Jersey Nets at Philips Arena on December 30, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

As i said above check below Miami Dancers and Lakers as examples!

Now look at the Lakers!!! till me if I'm wrong.

Miami wins again!

Miami(103) vs. Minnesota (101)
Friday, Dec. 30,2011

Wade has not been productive on he's game recently but still come up big when you need him the most.  


- Nba Fan 2012


From Yahoo Sports:



MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—LeBron James has always put up big numbers when he comes to Target Center to play the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he rarely has to break a sweat—or play in the fourth quarter—to do it.


Now that Ricky Rubio is running the point and Rick Adelman is calling the shots for the Timberwolves, James and the rest of the NBA are going to have to work for everything they get when they come to town.


Dwyane Wade hit a jumper from the wing, then scored on an inbounds pass from James with 4.6 seconds to play to lift the undefeated Heat to a 103-101 victory over the Wolves on Friday night.




Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstr… 
AP - Dec 31, 12:05 am EST
1 of 2Mia-Min Gallery

Playing on a sore foot, Wade finished with 19 points, while James had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds on his 27th birthday.


“I’m glad we played them early because later they’re going to be trouble,” Wade said. “So I think Timberwolves fans will have something to cheer about for a while here.”


Rubio had 12 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love had 25 points and 12 boards for the Timberwolves, who led 100-99 with 55 seconds to play.


But Wade hit a jumper and then lost Rubio on an inbounds play to make the winning bucket, one game after beating the Charlotte Bobcats with a last-second shot. Wade said he suggested the play after the Celtics used it to beat the Heat in a playoff game in 2010.


“We stole it,” James said. “And D-Wade, that’s two game-winners back to back, right? Good for him. I like it.”


It was a crushing defeat for the upstart Wolves, who had the mighty Heat on the ropes all fourth quarter thanks to Rubio’s brilliance. The Spanish rookie fed open teammates for easy buckets and hit a 3-pointer with 2:28 to play that gave them a 98-94 lead.


But James scored on a crucial three-point play and Anthony Tolliver missed two key free throws in the final minute to give Wade a chance to steal it.


“We did a lot of good things tonight,” said Adelman, whose Wolves have lost their first three games of the season by a combined nine points. “It’s just sooner or later you have to keep through it and give yourself a win at the end. If they stay with, they’ll do that.”

Anthony Randolph had 14 points and Wayne Ellington added 11 off the bench for Minnesota.


Chris Bosh had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Norris Cole scored 12 for the Heat.


It was a thrilling back-and-forth between a star-studded team that counts a loss in the NBA finals as a failure and the young up-and-comers who have lost 18 straight games dating back to last season.


Playing without veteran guard J.J. Barea, who tormented the Heat in the finals with Dallas, because of a strained right hamstring, the Wolves ripped off an 11-0 run in the final period for an 88-83 lead with 7:20 to play.


Bosh kept the Heat in it with some sharp shooting, hitting jumper after jumper just over Love’s out-stretched hand.


James turned 27 on Friday, and he said earlier in the day he always plays with a little extra juice on his birthday and the numbers support that. He entered the game averaging 35.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in four previous birthday games.


True to form, he scored 15 points in the first quarter, and the Heat flustered the young Wolves into six turnovers and 39 percent shooting. Cole then scored six of the Heat’s first eight points in the second quarter for a 39-26 lead, and it looked like Miami was pulling away.


But Rubio, Randolph and Ellington spearheaded a 14-0 run to put the Wolves back in front. Criticized for his shooting before coming to the NBA, Rubio hit an open jumper and added a three-point play for a 49-45 lead. Then he threw an alley-oop pass high over the rim that Randolph threw down, sending the packed Target Center crowd into a frenzy.

“We want to win and we are young and we have to learn from these experiences,” Rubio said.


James turned the third quarter into a one-man dunk contest, soaring through the air for three straight that put the Heat back in control. He threw down a windmill, a baseline lob from Cole and a final one-handed hammer for a 78-72 lead.


Rubio also had a costly turnover with 1:36 to play and Ellington missed a forced jumper at the buzzer for another loss. But for the first time in a long time, the Wolves see better days right around the corner.


“They’re going to be a really good team,” James said. “If it’s not this year, soon.”


NOTES: The Heat are 4-0 for the second time in franchise history, and first since 2004-05. … The Wolves have now sold out both home games, the first time they’ve sold out two in a row to start a season since 1991-92. It’s their first consecutive sellouts since 2003-04, when they went to the Western Conference finals. … James registered his 400th career regular season victory. Since he came into the league, only eight other players have been on the floor for at least 400 wins. … Timberwolves G Malcolm Lee will miss the next six weeks after having surgery on Friday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

NBA Recap: Dallas vs. Heat 12.25.2011

DALLAS (AP)—While Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks were on the court celebrating the championship they won over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade last season, the Miami Heat were gathered in another part of the building.


It wasn’t because they dreaded watching the ceremony, they insisted.

Dirk Nowitzki

They were simply getting ready to show everyone why they are favored to win it all this season.




LeBron James helped the Heat to leads of as much as 35 points over the defending NBA champs.
(US Presswire)
James and Wade led a series of scoring waves that put Miami ahead by 35 points midway through the third quarter, the lead peaking when James soared to the rim and tipped an alley-oop pass to Wade so he could have the dunk instead. The game was essentially over then, although the Mavs reserves fueled a late rally that made the final score look close, 105-94.




Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk … 
AP - Dec 25, 6:42 pm EST
1 of 43Mia-Dal Gallery


“We tried to play aggressive,” James said. “We’re a focused team. We had a great training camp. We came in with the same mindset we had at practice, use our speed and play with mental focus.”


[Y! Sports Shop: Buy gear of your favorite NBA team]


James finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Wade had 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Miami scored at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters.


“Celebration or not, we had a game plan and implemented it,” Wade said. “We came out and played a good game.”


Maybe the pregame festivities left the Mavs emotionally drained because they were down by 15 after one quarter and 21 at halftime. They then gave up 14 straight points early in the third quarter.


The blowout had less to do with an emotional hangover and more to do with exposing the slow process of breaking in a new rotation. Dallas lost center Tyson Chandler and backup point guard J.J. Barea and added guard Vince Carter, do-it-all Lamar Odom and backup guard Delonte West.


“We’re going to have to forge an identity with this team; it’s a different team,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s work, and it’s going to take honesty, and it’s not going to be easy.”


Carter took Dallas’ first two shots, an 18-footer and a layup. Both missed. West started the second half in his place and finished with 10 points. Carter had five points, two rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes.


Odom—the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, who was acquired from the Lakers a few weeks ago for merely a trade exception—entered to a standing ovation, and got fans roaring again when he made a 3-pointer that tied the game at 11. He missed his next five shots before getting ejected midway through the third quarter, but still left to loud cheers. He had four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Lebron James

“We’ve got to get better and it will take a little time to get better,” Odom said.


Jason Terry sparked a Dallas rally, that started after Odom was tossed, and wound up leading Dallas with 23 points. Nowitzki scored 21 in three quarters. Shawn Marion scored 12 and broke the pinky finger on his left hand.


NBA Commissioner David Stern attended the game and took part in the banner raising ceremony. Fans greeted him with boos, perhaps showing disgust over the lockout that delayed the start of the season from Nov. 1 and shrunk the season by 16 games.


[Game tickets: Watch your favorite NBA team in action]


Fans had plenty more to cheer, such as Terry proclaiming, “Thirty-one years you waited—31 years!—to call your team a champion, ladies and gentlemen. A champion!”


Nowitzki, Terry, Jason Kidd and many more players, coaches and staff each got a strand to yank as part of the unveiling of the banner at court level. Nowitzki and Kidd seemed awed as they watched it rise to the rafters. They couldn’t take their eyes off it—or didn’t want to.


Championship tie-ins were everywhere, from the Mavs’ warmup jackets proclaiming them the 2011 NBA Champions to jerseys featuring a patch of the championship trophy, with the words on the front and back of their jerseys all outlined in gold. Terry even wore gold high-tops.


But Dallas was more style than substance, especially compared to a Miami team that returns the core of its rotation.

Dwayne Wade

The Heat scored 18 points in the paint in the first quarter, while the Mavs scored a total of 17 that period—none in the paint. Both Miami’s 18 and Dallas’ 0 are an indication of how badly the Mavs will miss Chandler.


Miami went on a 12-0 run late in the first quarter, a 15-1 spurt in the second quarter, then the 14-0 binge in the third period. At the end of that final surge, James made a spin move to free himself for a 17-foot jumper off the glass, then followed with his alley-oop tip to Wade.


“It was showtime,” said Heat point guard Mario Chalmers, who had the initial pass to James. “That comes from playing a whole season together last year and working out during the offseason with each other.”


NOTES: Miami had lost 14 straight regular-season games to the Mavericks and nine straight in Dallas, dating to March 2004. … The Mavericks were sold out for the 400th straight regular-season game, extending their NBA record. … The championship-defense-opening rout might seem familiar for Heat fans. After Miami beat Dallas in the 2006 finals, the Heat were clobbered 108-66 at home by the Bulls in the 2006-07 opener. … The Mavericks had fun connecting Christmas and their championship, such as a parody of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that kept coming back to the line “and a Larry O’Brien tro-phy.” … The Heat showed their holiday spirit by wearing green laces with their red shoes.

Must See: Clippers Vs. Chicago Bulls

PREVIEW:

Los Angeles believes the offseason acquisition of Chris Paul can transform the Clippers from longtime losers into the NBA elite.

Derrick Rose’s development over the past few seasons with Chicago has quickly helped the Bulls move into that realm.

Bulls Fans

The starting point guards from last season’s All-Star game square off Friday night when Rose’s Bulls visit Paul in the Clippers’ home opener.

In one of the biggest trades in franchise history, Los Angeles (1-1) acquired Paul from New Orleans on Dec. 14. The move pairs the four-time All-Star with the high-flying Blake Griffin and suddenly has the Clippers poised to put years of frustration behind them.

Paul had a solid debut for the Clippers, finishing with 20 points and nine assists in a 105-86 win over Golden State on Christmas, but struggled a bit in Wednesday’s 115-90 loss to San Antonio. He had 10 points on 3 of 10 shooting with nine assists.

“We are going to practice and figure out what we did right and figure out what we did wrong,” Paul said. “First things first, we need to start with me.”

Fans would certainly like to see Paul feed Griffin a bit more. The two have not yet hooked up for an alley-oop, something many were envisioning when the trade was made.

Cheer Leader

Griffin has still made his presence felt, combining for 50 points in the first two games. He totaled 61 points and 25 rebounds against the Bulls last season to help the Clippers split the two-game series.

Although Los Angeles was one of just five teams to win at the United Center in 2010-11, Paul has never defeated Rose, losing all four head-to-head matchups. In his lone game against the Bulls last season, Paul had 15 points on 3 of 10 shooting with six assists in a loss with the Hornets.

Rose averaged 33.0 points and 9.5 assists against the Clippers last season. The Bulls (2-1) went an NBA-best 62-20 a year ago after winning 41 in each of Rose’s first two seasons under current Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro and are again considered championship contenders.

Rose, however, hasn’t played up to his lofty standards in Chicago’s last two games. The two-time All-Star had 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting in a 99-91 loss to Golden State on Monday, and finished with 19 points and six turnovers while being plagued by foul trouble in Thursday’s 108-98 win over Sacramento.

“I wanted to be more aggressive and attack the hole. (Fouls) are something I have to get through and can’t worry about,” he said. “I’m just happy we won the game.”

Although Rose never seemed to find his rhythm against the Kings, the Bulls still finished with season highs in scoring and field goal percentage (53.8). Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton each scored 16, while Luol Deng and Ronnie Brewer finished with 12 points apiece.

Chicago’s offense now looks to frustrate a Los Angeles team that allowed the Spurs to shoot 56.3 percent and score 48 points in the paint.

“Our defense needs to be better, and it can get better,” Griffin said. “The good thing about the mistakes out there is that they are easily correctable.”

NBA Scoreboard 12/29/2011

Scores and Schedule

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Kevin Durant scored 30 points and hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

The Thunder let Dallas wipe away a five-point deficit in the final 46 seconds to go ahead on Vince Carter’s 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining. That was just enough time for Oklahoma City to get the ball to Durant, who drilled a 3 from the right wing that improved his team to 4-0.

Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mavericks, whose title defense is off to an 0-3 start.

 Russell Westbrook had 16 points and seven turnovers in another subpar performance, but he made up for it with a few critical plays down the stretch.

ROCKETS 105, SPURS 85

HOUSTON (AP)—Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Luis Scola added 18 and Kyle Lowry had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Houston.

The Rockets took advantage of the Spurs’ poor shooting at the start to build a big lead. First-year Houston coach Kevin McHale was able to rest his starters in the fourth quarter, with his team playing the first of three games on consecutive nights.

DeJuan Blair scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for San Antonio, which shot 38 percent (35 of 93) and went 2 for 17 from 3-point range. Tim Duncan went 1for 8 from the field and scored four points and Richard Jefferson went 2 for 10 and with five points.

MAGIC 94, NETS 78

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Ryan Anderson scored 22 points, Dwight Howard had 16 points and 24 rebounds and Orlando had little trouble handling New Jersey.

Jason Richardson added 16 points for the Magic—including 15 in the first half—and J.J. Redick scored 15 points off the bench.

It was the 49th career 20-rebound game for Howard, who neared his career high of 26 rebounds.

Rookie forward MarShon Brooks led the Nets with 17 points. Deron Williams missed his first six shots and finished 2 of 12 from the field with 10 points.

LAKERS 99, KNICKS 82

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant scored 28 points in yet another dynamic performance against the Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter for their ninth straight victory over New York.

Pau Gasol had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers, who have won two straight after a 0-2 start to the compressed season.

Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points in his first showdown with Bryant since joining the Knicks, and Amare Stoudemire had 15 points on 4-for-17 shooting as New York again struggled down the stretch in the middle stop of a three-game West Coast road trip.

Steve Blake scored 11 points and hit two big 3-pointers while the Lakers opened the fourth quarter with a 17-3 run, taking a 22-point lead and forcing the Knicks to miss nine of their first 10 shots while committing seven turnovers. Bryant didn’t even need to score in the fourth quarter, contributing three assists as Los Angeles roared away.

The Lakers have dominated this rivalry between the signature teams from the nation’s two largest cities in recent years, winning every meeting since February 2007 with Bryant averaging more than 34 points per game.

Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his hometown for the Knicks, whose nine-game skid against the Lakers is their longest current stretch against any opponent.

TRAIL BLAZERS 111, NUGGETS 102

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Wesley Matthews had 25 points, including five 3-pointers in the second half, and Portland defeated Denver to stay undefeated after three games this season.

Raymond Felton had 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:45 left as the Blazers pulled away from the Nuggets, who knotted the game at 98 midway through the fourth quarter.

Portland, which opened the season with wins over Philadelphia and Sacramento, led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but the team was plagued by 25 turnovers.

Ty Lawson had 25 points and eight steals for the Nuggets, who dropped their first game of the season. Denver was coming off a 117-100 victory over Utah on Wednesday night.

BULLS 108, KINGS 98

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Derrick Rose had 19 points and eight assists and Chicago earned a victory over Sacramento.

The Bulls ran off 15 straight points early in the game and never trailed again in defeating the youthful Kings, the NBA’s youngest team.

Carlos Boozer had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls (2-1). Richard Hamilton also had 16 points, while reserve Ronnie Brewer led a productive Chicago bench with 12 points. Luol Deng also scored 12 points.

Marcus Thornton had 20 points and Tyreke Evans had 19 for Sacramento (1-2). DeMarcus Cousins, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored 14 points and John Salmons had 12.

NBA Capsules

By The Associated Press

NBA Lock-out is over

It took a 15-hour session pitched between the NBA and player representatives in New York that spilled over from Friday into early Saturday morning. It took nearly half a year, from pre-Draft negotiations in early summer spread nearly into the precipice of a chilly East Coast winter. But it's over. Good god almighty it's over. The NBA and its players have come to a tentative agreement, and the NBA lockout is over.

Details are scarce at this point, though ardent followers of this mess no doubt have an idea of where both sides stand a week from December, but one can certainly conclude that the NBA will begin playing basketball on Christmas Day, embarking on a 66-game season.

How the league's makeup, the way teams put together rosters and attempt to secure consistent revenue streams, remains to be seen. The reaction of the fans, alienated by a work stoppage in the midst of one of the worst global economic crisis of the last century, is easier to anticipate. Still, nearly all of that is washed away because of the promise of actual NBA basketball, set to tip off about a month from now.

From here, and in the comments section, you're right to rant about the needless, enervating mess that was this labor negotiation between the NBA and its players.

You're right to rave, though, as well. You're correct in picking fights with Celtics fans, or pointing out that Kobe was swept out of the playoffs last May. Point to the Mavericks' tired legs, the fact that Chicago can't shoot, or the idea that Miami is "Hollywood as hell."

For once, though, you're going to get to talk about basketball with an endgame in mind. We, as fans, barely got to do that even in the heat of a spectacular 2010-11 season because of the uncertainty of the long-anticipated lockout. And though we won't know which free agent is going where and under what financial terms for a few days; we do have basketball to prepare for. If you're not giddy at this point, even after being let down too many times to count, then I don't even know why you're on this site.

This is where we come in. Follow Ball Don't Lie, and the menschs that supply us with the honest-to-goodness reporting at Yahoo! Sports, for whatever follows.

For the first time in half a year, cats and kittens, we've got something to follow. Our long, needless nightmare is over. React accordingly.

- Kelly Dwyer

Greatest Player

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. After a standout career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' National Championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.[2] In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.[3] Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.

Jordan is sometimes referred to simply by his initials MJ.[4]