NBA: Heat extend home win streak to clinch playoff berth

MIAMI – The Miami Heat won their 16th consecutive home game, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 99-93 on Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) to clinch their fourth straight NBA playoff berth.

LeBron James scored a season-high 41 points for the Heat who are an NBA best 22-2 at home this season.

James also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Heat, who have not lost at home since January 22 against Milwaukee.

The Heat’s longest home winning streak is 18 games, set between January and April of 2005.

Miami continues their five-game home stand against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time) before taking on Memphis, Detroit and Boston.

Mario Chalmers had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists as Miami rebounded from a one-sided 19-point loss to the Celtics in Boston on Sunday (Monday, PHL time).

James scored 14 consecutive Heat points in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh finished with 17 points and Udonis Haslem had 11 rebounds.

Miami played without all-star guard Dwyane Wade, who missed the game with an injured left knee. The Heat are 9-1 without Wade, who could return to play against the Thunder.

Evan Turner finished with 26 points and eight rebounds for the 76ers, who are 1.5 games back of Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia has lost five of its last half dozen road contests.

Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala had 11 points before leaving the game in the third quarter after being poked in the eye.

Turner scored 15 points in the first half as the 76ers led 54-51 at halftime. Philadelphia led 11-6 in fast-break points and shot 53 percent from the field in the opening half.

This was the fourth meeting of the season between the two, with Miami having now swept the season series by winning them all. – AFP

NBA: Lakers to fine center Bynum for ‘numerous infractions’

Andrew Bynum doesn’t just have injuries to tend to now, as the Los Angeles Lakers fined the center for “numerous infractions”.

ESPN Los Angeles reported Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) that one of the many violations Bynum committed was “blowing off a meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.”

The center, who has the league’s second best field foal percentage at 58.1 percent, also disclosed that he doesn’t participate in team huddles.

“I don’t take part in the huddles. I’m resting … getting my Zen on,” said Bynum.

One of Bynum’s recent on-court antics includes taking an ill-advised 3-pointer in their game against the Golden State Warriors, a shot that resulted in him getting benched for the rest of the game by head coach Mike Brown.

“I took one. I’ma take some more,” said Bynum in a CSB Sports report.

Bynum has also been cited for having numerous speeding violations, including parking in a handicapped spot while doing his grocery shopping in July- a serious infraction in the United States.

Due to an ankle injury suffered against the Golden State Warriors in a recent game, Bynum will sit out Tuesday’s (Wednesday, PHL time) match versus the New Jersey Nets. Pau Gasol started at center, in his place with Josh McRoberts getting the nod at the power forward spot. – AMD, GMA News

NBA: Bulls edge Raptors in final second of overtime

The Chicago Bulls edged the Toronto Raptors 102-101 in the final second of overtime to win their fourth consecutive game and their league-leading 40th of the season at the United Center on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time).

Luol Deng made a put-back shot for the Bulls as time expired following James Johnson’s block of C.J. Watson’s shot. The play was reviewed by the officials to confirm Deng had released the ball prior to the buzzer.

With score tied at 100-100, the Raptors (16-33) missed three of four foul shots in the final 15 seconds to give the Bulls their opportunity to prevail.

Carlos Boozer led the Bulls (40-10) with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Deng also registered a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Johnson and Jose Calderon led the Raptors with 20 points each and Gary Forbes had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. – Reuters

Acer bids for Jeremy Lin as brand ambassador

Computer vendor Acer Inc. is bidding to have rising NBA superstar Jeremy Lin as its global brand ambassador, the company’s chairman said Tuesday.

Acer Chairman and CEO J.T. Wang told an Acer corporate social responsibility forum they expect Lin to choose one PC maker and endorse that brand globally.

“We have submitted a proposal. Based on our understanding, there might be about four to five PC makers around the globe that have made proposals to Lin,” he said, according to a report from Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

Acer’s proposal came after it announced a marketing partnership with the Knicks on March 14.

The partnership will allow Acer’s logo to be featured courtside at the Knicks’ home games for the rest of the 2011-12 NBA season.

But Wang declined to disclose how much Acer is offering Lin, first NBA star of Taiwanese descent.

He said Lin will discuss the matter with his family and agent before making a choice.

The Acer-Knicks partnership will give Acer mileage among the nearly 20,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden, and to TV and Internet viewers following “Linsanity.”

Last January, Acer, the world’s fourth largest PC maker, announced world’s No. 1 female golfer Yani Tseng of Taiwan would act as its global spokeswoman.

It also disclosed it had renewed its contract with Major League Baseball Washington Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang of Taiwan, who will be the brand’s spokesman in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Wang said Acer will build a pavilion at the at the London Olympics Games to host visitors and feature its products.

He said they will launch Olympics-related products in the second quarter of 2012, although the volume of the new models will be limited due to Acer’s losses in 2011. — TJD, GMA News

Lakers rally to top Grizzlies in double OT

MANILA, Philippines – The All-Star tandem of Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant combined for 71 points and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a double-digit deficit to top the Memphis Grizzlies, 116-111, after two overtimes.

Bynum had 37 points and 16 rebounds and Bryant added 34 points to help the Lakers overcome a 17-point deficit in the third quarter.

Pau Gasol scored only 14 points but had a team-high eight assists.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) gets fouled as he drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) of Spain during double overtime of NBA basketball action in Memphis, Tennessee March 13, 2012. Photo by Lance Murphey, Reuters.

“There’s never been a panic with this group. The group just stayed the course, stayed the course and stayed the course,” Lakers coach Mike Brown told NBA.com.

“As a coaching staff, you like that because there is still a lot of basketball left… They played the game the whole time, nobody panicked,” he added.

After trailing by only one point after the first half, 51-52, the Lakers gave up a 20-4 run to open the third period that allowed the Grizzlies to go up 72-55.

But the Lakers chipped away at the deficit, and eventually tied the game on a three-pointer from Bryant with 1:33 to go in the final quarter.

The Lakers then took the lead on a Gasol dunk, but Memphis’ Marc Gasol scored on a hook shot to tie the game at 97-all.

The teams exchanged baskets in the first overtime, with an alley-oop from Gasol to Bynum tying the game at 103-all. Neither team made a shot in the final minute of the first extension.

The Lakers finall pulled away in the second overtime, with a jumper from Bryant giving the Lakers the lead for good, 110-109 with 1:47 to go.

Bynum stretched the lead to three-points, 112-109, after another dunk, and the two Laker All-Stars iced the game from the free-throw line.

“The big games he had at the start of the season, he was having good games, but he wasn’t being featured,” Bryant said of Bynum. “his is different. We’re featuring him, and we’re looking for him to make plays out of double teams, and make plays for others, not just himself.”

Mareese Speights had 25 points for the Grizzlies, while Marc Gasol added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Tony Allen added 18 points, but he struggled with foul trouble and left Bryant alone on a crucial possession late in the fourth period.

“We played a great game and we should have won the game,” said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins. “We had a few mental lapses at key times.”

“As I’m always telling these guys, it’s the small things that win or lose games,” he added.

The Lakers improve their record to 26-16 and are now at third place in the Western Conference, two games behind the San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies, with a 24-17 record, sit at fourth place.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-103, to give the Western Conference leaders their 10th loss of the season.

The Thunder led 102-91 with a little under 2:30 to go in the game, but the Rockets ended the game on a 13-1 run to snatch the victory.

“We shouldn’t have been down 11 there at the end, but then we executed down the stretch. It’s a good win for us,” Rockets guard Courtney Lee said.

Houston took the lead for good when Lee drilled a three-pointer with 15 seconds left.

The Thunder still had a chance to win the game, but Kevin Durant missed a jumper and Serge Ibaka missed a put-back lay-up.

“We thought the game was over. We had major breakdowns on defense,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “We turned the ball over, we gave up a couple of easy baskets. We can’t give up lay-ups.”

Durant finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Russell Westbrok had 19 points and four assists. James Harden came off the bench to tally 16 points and seven dimes.

Lee finished with 21 points for the Rockets. (ABS-CBN)

NBA: Warriors hand Mavericks another defeat

OAKLAND – The Dallas Mavericks bore little resemblance to the team that lifted the NBA title last season as they fell to Golden State 111-87 on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time), their third dispiriting defeat in as many days.

The Mavericks, facing a set of three games in three nights in the jam-packed schedule of the lockout-shortened season, couldn’t come up with a single win despite facing three opponents with sub-.500 records.

On Thursday the Mavericks surrendered a double-digit lead late in the third quarter in a 96-94 loss at Phoenix.

On Friday it was Sacramento’s turn to beat up on the champs, 110-97.

Golden State, led by the 21 first-half points of David Lee, seized their moment on Saturday and led by as many as 19 before the interval.

Lee finished with a game-high 25 points, while Nate Robinson scored 21 and Monta Ellis added 20.

In the second half, Dallas turned to NBA Finals Most Valauble Player Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, but the Mavericks couldn’t narrow the gap to less than seven points.

Terry said the tribulations were taking a toll on the Mavericks.

“Last year, we went through tough times and it brought us together,” he said. “This year we hit tough times and grow further apart. That’s the biggest difference.

“If it’s not cohesive, then you’re going to get a bad result.

“You can win some games, but every game is tough, especially on the road, and if you’re not together as a unit, you’re not going to win.” – AFP/ GMA News

NBA: LeBron, Wade carry Heat past Blazers

LeBron James had 38 points while Dwayne Wade chipped in 33 as the Miami Heat beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-93.

James added 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals to his credit with no turnovers. Teammate Wade also had a double-double, tallying 10 assists with three steals.

The Heat, who have won their ninth straight game, played without forward Chris Bosh who missed the game due to the death of his grandmother.

The Trail Blazers kept the game close in the beginning, down just three points four minutes in to the second quarter. But the Heat turned on its offensive to outscore Portland 23-8 to end the half with an 18 -point lead.

Miami continues its roadtrip as it faces the Utah Jazz Saturday [Manila time]. — Renee Fopalan/RSJ, GMA News

NBA: Evans wins Dunk Contest, Love sizzles in 3pt shootout

ORLANDO – Late replacement Jeremy Evans of Utah won the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday (Sunday, PHL time), the highlight of the festivities on the eve of the NBA All-Star game.

Evans, who entered the competition in place of injured New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, received 29 percent of the three million votes cast by fans via text message, twitter and the internet.

His three dunks included an entertaining double dunk, executed as he sailed over a helper seated in front of the basket who tossed him two balls simultaneously.

For his first dunk, Evans wore a small video camera on his headband, the replay giving fans a bird’s eye view of the slam.

In the last round, he offered a tribute to former Jazz great Karl “The Mailman” Malone — donning a Malone jersey then dunking over comedian Kevin Hart — who had “delivered” the jersey to the court dressed as a postman.

Evans beat out Houston’s Chase Budinger, Indiana’s Paul George and Minnesota’s Derrick Williams.

“It’s just amazing to come out here to give the fans what they want,” said Evans, a reserve forward for the Jazz.

The Slam Dunk contest was the finale of All-Star Saturday Night — curtain-raiser to Sunday’s All-Star exhibition between the Eastern and Western conference teams.

Earlier, Minnesota power forward Kevin Love got a chance to display his long-range shooting touch, winning the three-point contest over Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant.

Love, who is averaging 25 points and more than 9 rebounds a game for the Timberwolves, won a tiebreaker to advance from the first round, then out-shot Durant in the final round connecting on eight of nine attempts in one span.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Love, who was tied for third after the opening round and beat Miami’s Mario Chalmers in a tiebreaker to advance along with defending champion James Jones and Durant.

Love and Durant made 16 in the second round as Jones connected on 12 and was eliminated.

A dominant force inside, Love admitted that the idea that a player at his position should not go for three-pointers had motivated him to perfect the shot.

“I always knew I could shoot it and I didn’t think I had to stop, just because of my size or the position I played,” he said.

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker of France won the Skills Competition — in which players compete against the clock on an obstacle course set out on court to test their dribbling, passing and shooting skills.

Parker was the only one of six contestants under 30 seconds in the first round, with a time of 29.2sec.

His 32.8 in the final round gave him the win over Boston’s Rajon Rondo and New Jersey’s Deron Williams. – AFP

Jeremy Lin, NY Knicks feel the Heat in loss to Miami

MIAMI – Newly minted NBA star Jeremy Lin proved no match for Miami’s “Big Three” on Thursday as the Heat handed Lin and his New York Knicks a 102-88 defeat as the league heads into the All-Star break.

Miami’s swarming defence saw Lin deliver his worst numbers since his breakout run began, scoring eight points on 1-of-11 shooting with three assists and eight turnovers.

Meanwhile, Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade scored 22 and LeBron James added 20 for the Heat, who won their eighth straight game and will take a league-leading 27-7 record into the All-Star weekend that starts on Friday.

“The speed and the athleticism… credit to them,” Lin said. “Hopefully when we play then next time, it can be a different story.”

Lin has been the NBA’s biggest story this month, coming off the Knicks bench after being cut by two other clubs to put in the best performance of any NBA player in his first 10 starts since 1976.

Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan, became a phenomenon because of his scoring, averaging nearly 24 points a game, his passing skills and his clutch shooting ability, including a last-second game winner at Toronto.

Even President Barack Obama publicly expressed his regret that he wouldn’t be able to extend his stay in Miami on Thursday to watch the Knicks and Lin take on the Heat’s established stars.

Plenty of other celebrities were in attendance, including boxer Floyd Mayweather and film-maker Spike Lee.

Lee scolded Mayweather earlier this month after the fighter complained that the buzz surrounding Lin was due to his Taiwanese and Chinese heritage, rather than his basketball skills.

“The atmosphere was great,” said Miami center Joel Anthony. “We wanted to step up.”

The Heat defence certainly did, forcing 15 turnovers in the first half and limiting New York to 4-of-15 shooting in the third quarter.

“It’s not a specific plan,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Miami’s strategy to neutralize Lin. “What we wanted to do was treat him with the adequate respect he deserves.”

“We just wanted to come out and dominate the game,” Bosh said. “When we’re all three playing well, that kind of feeds energy on this team.”

Lin wasn’t the only Knicks player to struggle.

Carmelo Anthony shot 7-of-20 and power forward Amare Stoudemire committed six of the Knicks’ 19 turnovers.

“We just probably played arguably the best team in the NBA,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “That set a bar to get up to.” (AFP)

Jeremy Lin sparks New York Knicks over Atlanta Hawks

NEW YORK – Jeremy Lin scored 17 points and added nine assists to spark the New York Knicks over Atlanta 99-82 on Wednesday, improving the team to 9-2 since the Asian-American star emerged from a reserve role.

The 23-year-old point guard whose parents are from Taiwan had been cut by two other NBA clubs, but was given a chance when the Knicks lost two starters and produced record scoring and assist figures to ignite a struggling club.

Steve Novak added 17 points for the Knicks while Landry Fields added 16 and Carmelo Anthony contributed 15 points as the Knicks improved to 17-17 entering a Thursday matchup at Miami against the NBA co-leading Heat.

With J.R. Smith just signed after spending the early part of the season in China and Anthony back from an injury, the Knicks have started to come together, with Lin adding punch with timely passing as well as scoring.

“We have a lot of offensive weapons now,” Lin said. “I don’t need to shoot as much with these guys coming back. We have J.R. and ‘Melo back. We’re going to move the ball and make the defenses pay.”

Lin said he relishes the challenge presented by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

“They are so quick and athletic,” Lin said. “We need to make sure we try to get into the paint instead of just move the ball around the 3-point line.

“We’re going to play hard. Definitely we’re flying everywhere. We’re playing hard. We’re going to go down there and try to keep doing the same things.

“It’s a big game. It will be a good evaluation of where we are at. Besides that, we’re just going to try to stay consistent. We don’t want to get too high against elite teams and lose that energy against teams with weaker records.”

Lin is averaging 23.9 points and 9.0 assists a game, the best showing by any player in his first 10 starts since 1976. But his “Lin-sanity” magic will face a man-to-man test against superstar James.

“LeBron is a great player and great, great defender,” Lin said. “I’ve got to just continue to be aggressive and not change anything.”

Anthony has given Lin some advice on how to deal with James.

“Melo definitely has given me a ton of advice. He has definitely taken me under his wing,” Lin said. “We’re going to need Melo to be a playmaker and a scorer tomorrow night.”

Jeff Teague scored 18 points and Willie Green added 16 to lead the Hawks, who fell behind 60-35 at half-time and could not challenge in the second half, falling to 19-14.

“Our defense was good. Then we got sloppy,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We still have a lot of guys out of synch. We’re scratching out wins.”

D’Antoni said he has done nothing special to prepare Lin for James.

“He will find out himself. He might as well experience it,” D’Antoni said. “He will give him maximum respect if that matchup happens. Hopefully he will handle it and the Knicks will handle it.

“He’s making the right plays, smart. He’s savvy. He’s just a good point guard.” (Agence France-Presse)