National Basketball Association Game Capsules
04.19.2005
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Final Score: Phoenix 128, Denver 114
Phoenix, AZ (Basketball News) - Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson finished with 26 points apiece and the Phoenix Suns pounded the Denver Nuggets, 128-114, at America West Arena. Before the game was even over the Suns clinched the top seed in the Western Conference playoff race when San Antonio lost in Memphis. Phoenix also sealed up the NBA’s best record and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs as a result. The Suns (62-19) have tied the franchise record for most wins in a season and can break the mark with a win in Wednesday’s regular-season finale in Sacramento. Shawn Marion added 18 points and nine rebounds and Quentin Richardson notched 16 points for the Suns, who have won five straight and 11 of their last 13 games. Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 36 points, but the Nuggets were still dealt their second straight loss. Kenyon Martin added 22 points and 11 rebounds and Andre Miller chipped in 17 points and 11 assists for the Nuggets, who will be seeded seventh in the playoffs and face the second-seeded Spurs.
Final Score: Memphis 94, San Antonio 92
Memphis, TN (Basketball News) - Mike Miller scored the final nine points of the game for Memphis, including the game-winning bucket as time expired as the Grizzlies edged San Antonio, 94-92, at FedExForum. Miller finished with 28 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, which snapped a four-game skid. Pau Gasol chipped in 20 points, while Stromile Swift had 16 points off the bench. Glenn Robinson led the way for the Spurs with 23 points and Tim Duncan added 17. Manu Ginobili tallied 16 points for San Antonio, which lost for the second time in three games.
Final Score: Orlando 92, Indiana 88
Orlando, FL (Basketball News) - Steve Francis scored 24 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists to lead Orlando past Indiana, 92-88, at TD Waterhouse Centre. DeShawn Stevenson finished with 18 points and Dwight Howard added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Tony Battie finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in the win. Fred Jones led the way for the Pacers with 19 points and Jermaine O’Neal added 16 points. Indiana has dropped three in a row and four of its last six games. Reggie Miller finished with 13 points in his last game in Orlando.
Final Score: Houston 115, LA Clippers 90
Houston, TX (Basketball News) - Yao Ming scored a team-high 24 points, Tracy McGrady posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists and playoff bound Houston pasted the lowly Clippers, 115-90, at the Toyota Center. Bob Sura and Scott Padgett each netted 15 points, while David Wesley added 13 points for streaking Houston, which has won six straight. Mike James came off the bench to chip in 11 points for the Rockets, who shot a scorching 50 percent from beyond the arc (13-of-26). Houston moved into fifth place in the West, one game in front of Sacramento, which lost to Utah Monday. Elton Brand netted a season-high 36 points to pace the dismal Clippers, who have dropped four of six.
Final Score: Utah 92, Sacramento 82
Salt Lake City, UT (Basketball News) - Matt Harpring had 24 points and a season-high 13 rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz over the Sacramento Kings, 92-82, at the Delta Center. Mehmet Okur added 21 points and 12 boards for the lottery-bound Jazz, who ended a two-game slide and won for only the second time in six outings. Mike Bibby had 26 points and six assists for the Kings, who fell one game behind the Houston Rockets for fifth place in the Western Conference playoff race. Darius Songaila had 15 points and 11 boards for Sacramento, which has dropped two in a row after winning four straight and has just one game remaining in the regular season.
Final Score: Golden State 126, LA Lakers 99
Oakland, CA (Basketball News) - Mickael Pietrus scored 25 points and Baron Davis had 24 with 13 assists, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 126-99 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers at The Arena. Troy Murphy added 19 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, which has won 13 of its last 17 games. Jason Richardson scored 17 in the win. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points to lead the reeling Lakers, who have lost five straight and 18 of their last 20 games. LA’s woes were personified by a play in the third quarter when Bryant attempted to bounce the ball to himself off the backboard for a dunk. He missed, and what was a three-point game at 72-69 quickly turned into a rout. Golden State went on to outscore the Lakers 54-30 the rest of the way, at one point leading by as many as 40 points.
Final Score: Minnesota 102, New Orleans 99
New Orleans, LA (Basketball News) - Wally Szczerbiak had 18 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the New Orleans Hornets, 102-99, at New Orleans Arena. Sam Cassell had 16 points and six assists and Kevin Garnett added 14 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who have won three of their last four, but were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday. Casey Jacobsen, in his 83rd game of the year, had 15 points for the Hornets, who lost for the eighth straight time overall and ninth in a row at home. They must win their final game on Wednesday to avoid the worst record in franchise history, which was set by the 1989-90 Hornets squad (19-63).
