10B SPORTS
NBA
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY DECEMBER 3,2009
Magic scores 41 in third to defeat hapless Knicks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rashard Lewis scored 17 of his 20 points in the third quarter, helping the Orlando Magic pull away for an easy 118-104 victory against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Dwight Howard added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mickael Pietrus had 17 points as Orlando scored 41 points in the decisive third quarter. The Magic have won nine of their past 10 games.
Wilson Chandler had 24 points, and Danilo Gallinari added 20 points for the struggling Knicks, who have lost six of their last seven games. Reserve Nate Robinson didn't play for the Knicks even after the guard scored 24 points
— 22 in the fourth quarter — in
a loss to the Magic last week in New York.
It took the Magic time to find their mark.
After a slow start from beyond the arc, Orlando's potent 3-point shooters finally came alive. And the Knicks' shaky defense didn't do much to stop them.
Lewis and Pietrus highlighted a big third-quarter push, making a flurry of 3-pointers during a stretch that had Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni stomping his foot and screaming for timeouts.
The breaks did little to slow the Magic's run.
Lewis followed one of D'Antoni's timeouts by making a running layup, then back-to-back 3-pointers that only frustrated New York's coach. With every make, D'Antoni kept crossing his arms and looking
down the bench for answers, but his team couldn't do much to slow Orlando.
New York wasn't the only team struggling early.
The Magic (14.3 percent) and the Knicks (18.2 percent) shot poorly from 3-point range in the first half, and defense in the paint was spotty at best. Orlando's crowd was largely lethargic for most of the half until Lewis swatted a fast-break layup by Gallinari from behind in the final minutes.
Wearing their old black pinstripe uniforms, the Magic sprinted out to a 12-point lead on a pair of dunks by Howard only to watch that cushion dwinkle. But Orlando's big man was enough to help his team go ahead 51-39 at intermission until the Magic poured it on late.
New York Knicks forward Al Harrington, center, is fouled by Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes, right, while driving to the basket as Orlando's Ryan Anderson watches during the first half in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. The Knicks have lost six of their last seven games while the Magic have won nine of their past 10.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NBA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, right, shoots over the New Jersey Nets' Josh Boone, left, Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J. Nowitzki scored 24 points, and Jason Kidd had 16 in Kidd's second trip back to New Jersey. Dallas shot 81 percent in the first half.
With loss, Nets set record for futility to begin season
ASSOCIATED PRESS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New Jersey Nets were pounded into NBA infamy Wednesday night, falling 117-101 to the Dallas Mavericks for their 18th straight loss to start the season.
The Nets passed the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers, who both dropped their first 17 games. New Jersey's next chance to end the streak comes Friday at home against Charlotte.
The Mavericks made 17 of 19 shots and opened a 27-point lead in a nearly flawless second quarter, burying the Nets early in former New Jersey captain Jason Kidd's second trip back to his old home.
If the Nets defend the way they did Wednesday, the streak could last awhile.
Dallas shot 81 percent in the first half, the first
Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Kidd had
NBA team to make 80 percent of its shots in a half since the Denver Nuggets hit 82 percent against the Clippers on April 4, 2006, according to STATS, LLC.
16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who led by 31 points in the third quarter. Erick Dampier added 18 points and 11 boards.
In a nightmarish season where they've earned praise for often being competitive despite an injury-depleted roster, the Nets didn't put up a fight in this one.
The NBA's worst team in scoring and shooting could only blame its defense this time, which gives new coach Kiki Vandewegh
Vandweeghe, the Nets' general manager, replaced the fired Lawrence Frank and will coach the team the rest of the season — but not quite yet. Though his hiring was announced Tuesday, Vandweeghe won't coach his first game until Friday, leaving assistant Tom Barrise in charge one more time.
something to address when he
runs his first practice Thursday.
"Nobody likes to lose. Period. And obviously we made it clear and you all know this is a developmental year."
In a strange arrangement, Vandeweghe handled the pregame coach's meeting with reporters, then sat in a seat above center court with Del Harris, the former Dallas assistant who will join him on the bench.
"Nobody likes to lose. Period. And obviously we made it clear and you all know this is a developmental year, but nobody expected to be 0-17." Vandeweghe said. "That's just obviously not acceptable and I think that it's
KIKI VANDEWEGHE New Jersey Nets coach
not acceptable to anybody and especially the players."
The longtime losers had their chances to avoid history. They led Minnesota by 19 in the third quarter on opening night before losing 95-93 on Damien
New Jersey hung around for a quarter in this one. The Mavs shot 71 percent in the first period, but the Nets turned six Dallas turnovers into 11 points and fought their way to a 28-all tie.
Wilkins' putback at the buzzer, and lost 81-80 on Nov. 14 at Miami when Dwyane Wade made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left.
It was over a few minutes later. Dallas shot 89.5 percent in the second, hitting its final nine shots and making all 10 free throws
while ringing up 49-22 points and building a 77-50 lead.
There were only a few boos, but then again there weren't many fans. The Nets have been plagued by poor crowds for years, and a chance to see history or Kidd wasn't enough to change that. Attendance was announced at just 11,689.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
No.20 Louisville overwhelms Stetson
-
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jerry Smith broke out of a shooting slump to score 17 points and lead No. 20 Louisville to an 80-48 victory over Stetson on Wednesday night.
Samardo Samuels added 15 points and seven rebounds while Edgar Sosa had 15 points and five assists for the Cardinals (5-1), who had little trouble bouncing back from a loss to UNLV last Saturday.
A. J. Smith led the Hatters (2-5) with 18 points, but Stetson shot 35 percent from the field and was simply no match for Louisville once the Cardinals got going midway through the first half.
Louisville used an 11-0 run to take control after a sluggish start, holding the Hatters without a field goal for over 6 minutes. The
The senior came in shooting 30 percent from the field over his last four games, but he was 6 of 8 from the field against the Hatters while focusing on driving to the basket instead of settling for 3-pointers.
It's a good sign for the Cardinals, who need Smith's leadership to help calm a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores.
Cardinals led 37-21 at halftime and wasted little time pulling away behind the revitalized Smith.
Coach Rick Pitino has been critical of Smith's shot selection in recent weeks, saying he felt Smith was settling for too many 3-pointers whether he was open or not.
Smith spent extra time in the team's practice facility over the last week to work out the kinks on his jumper, but it was his determination to get to the basket that pleased
his coach.
Smith wasted little time heeding Pitino's advice, getting fouled on his way to the rim on Louisville's second possession then immediately following it up with a layup while getting fouled.
Still, it took awhile for the Cardinals to get going against the overmatched Hatters. Louisville led 13-10 seven minutes into the game before coming to life behind Sosa and Smith.
The seniors sparked an 11-0 burst capped by another layup by Smith as Louisville went up 24-10 and cruised from there.
It's exactly what Pitino was looking for following the tough loss at UNLV, in which the Cardinals rallied from a 19-point deficit to tie the game only to fall in the final minutes.
Don't Put Your Health in DANGER
Get a Seasonal Flu Shot
LAST SEASONAL FLU CLINIC Watkins Memorial Health Center Tuesday, December 8th 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Open to all KU students, faculty, staff, retirees and university affiliates.
Flu Shot is $15 (age 18+)
Nasal Spray Vaccine is $20.50 (ages 9-49 only)
Visit www.studenthealth.ku.edu for more information.
KU STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES The University of Kansas
Watkins Memorial Health Center
1200 Schwegler Drive  • (785) 864-9500
www.studenthealthku.edu
Contributing to Student Success
1