PAGE 10
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 19, 2013
NBA
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brooklyn Nets forward Paul Pierce (34) reacts as he is sandwiched between Portland Trail Blazers point guard Mo Williams (25) and Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews (2) while driving toward the basket in the first half of their NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Monday, in Brooklyn.
Trail Blazers surge past Nets in seventh straight win
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points, Wesley Matthews added 24 and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-98 Monday night for their seventh straight victory.
Portland (9-2) is just a halfgame behind San Antonio and Indiana for the NBA's best record. The Blazers will try to complete a perfect 4-0 road trip Wednesday at Milwaukee.
shaun Livingston scored 23 points for the Nets, who stormed out to their best first quarter of the season and then seemed to run out of gas against the younger Trail Blazers. Kevin Garnett made all six shots in the 40-point first period,
Damian Lillard finished with 19 points and nine assists as the Trail Blazers withstood the Nets' blistering start to win seven in a row in the same season for the first time since a 13-game run in December 2007.
then went 2 for 13 from there to finish with a season-high 16 points. Garnett and Paul Pierce were back in the starting lineup after missing Saturday's loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles with injuries, though Brook Lopez and Deron Williams continued to rest sprained left ankles.
Pierce, who had a sore left groin, played as if he was still hurting, managing just 11 points on 2-for-12 shooting.
Portland turned the game around in the third quarter, limiting the Nets to 3-of-18 shooting and outscoring them 27-12 to take an 83-78 lead. They then opened the fourth with a 12-4 spurt to open a 95-82 advantage when Mo Williams was credited with a basket on a goaltending call.
Matthews was 5 of 8 from 3-point range, improving to 30 for 57 for the season (52.6 percent). He kept the Blazers in the game in the first quarter, when the Nets made 14 of 19 shots for a 40-31 lead.
Garnett, who hadn't been in
double figures yet in the Brooklyn black and white, got there in this one by hitting five jumpers in less than 3 minutes at the start. He took a seat after starting for 6 and then Livingston took over. He made all three of his shots in the period, including a driving, left-handed slam dunk over Robin Lopez that had teammates leaping up off the nearby Nets bench.
But they fell apart in the third, just as they have in all their losses, Brooklyn (3-7) has won the third quarter in all three victories and been outscored in the period in every loss.
NOTES: Aldridge grabbed eight rebounds, ending his streak of five straight double-doubles. ... The Nets were also without reserve forward Andrei Kirilenko, who continues to be bothered by back spasms. ... Brooklyn's previous high was 33 points in the first quarter at Washington. The Nets also lost that game after a bad third quarter.
NBA
Deng helps Bulls edge Bobcats
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — LuoL Deng scored 21 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame a rough shooting night to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 86-81 on Monday for their fifth straight win.
Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, which is on its longest winning streak since taking eight in a row from Feb. 20-March 7, 2012. Jimmy Butler had 14 points and Derrick Rose finished with 12.
Deng's 3-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining gave the Bulls an 85-81 lead. Gerald Henderson then missed for the Bobcats, and Rose had a free throw to help Chicago wrap it up.
Rose, who hit a career-high six 3-pointers in the Bulls' 110-94 win Saturday over Indiana, went 4 for 13 from the field. The Bulls shot 27 of 75 (36 percent) overall.
The 2011 NBA MVP played 31 minutes in his second game back after missing Chicago's win at Toronto on Friday with a sore right hamstring.
Butler missed part of the game with a right toe injury but came back with 6:35 left in the fourth.
Charlotte was looking for its fourth consecutive road victory and third in four games overall, but it was unable to take advantage
ot the Bulls' poor shooting. Once again, the Bobcats struggled from the floor despite a strong effort in the paint.
The Bobcats were shooting a league-worst 40.2 percent from the field coming into the day, and they were 28th from 3-point range at 29.3 percent. On Monday, they shot 36.3 percent as a team.
Playing without injured center Al Jefferson, the Bobcats outscored the Bulls 38-28 in the paint.
Jeffery Taylor led Charlotte with a career-high 20 points and Henderson had 16 in a game that featured two of the league's top defensive teams. Entering Monday, the Bulls were third in opponents scoring at 90.0 points per game, while the Bobcats were fourth at 93.6.
Jefferson missed his third consecutive game with a bone bruise in his right ankle. Coach Steve Clifford said he hopes Jefferson can play Wednesday against Brooklyn, but he will more likely play Friday against Phoenix.
Jefferson, who signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Bobcats in July, has played in three of Charlotte's 11 games and is averaging 15 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Charlotte trailed by as many as 10 early on but took a 42-40 lead with 2.18 left in the first half on a Kemba Walker layup, and led 44-40 at halftime. The Bobcats forced 10 Chicago turnovers in the first half while committing only two of their own.
And for a while, it looked as if Charlotte would be fine without Jefferson.
The Bulls moved in front again with 8:52 left in the third on a Joakim Noah basket and kept the advantage the rest of the second half.
A Henderson 3-pointer made it 80-79 with 1:27 left but Rose responded with a layup. Henderson then made two free throws with 51.3 seconds left.
NOTES: It was the Bulls' last home game before they host New Orleans on Dec. 2. Their next six are away from Chicago as they go on their annual circus trip. ... Clifford and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau were on the New York Knicks' coaching staff from 2001-2003 and in Houston from 2003-2007. Thibodeau said Clifford has done an "unbelievable" job in his first year with Charlotte. ... Charlotte plays five of its next six at home. ... Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver were in attendance.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Bulls' Luo Deng (9) goes up for a shot against against Charlotte Bobcats' Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14), and Jeff Adrien (4), during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday.
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