Associated Press
The NBA preseason roundup…
NEW ORLEANS ó Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman didnít miss a step in their debuts for the New Orleans Hornets.
Kaman scored 18 points and Eric Gordon added 17 in their first game with New Orleans, leading the Hornets to a 95-80 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Gordon and Kaman both came over in the Dec. 14 trade that sent All-Star point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Though it was only a preseason game, Hornets coach Monty Williams came away with a good feeling.
ěDonít want to get too excited about anything now but at the same time, if we compete like that, we give ourselves a chance to win games,î he said.
MINNESOTA 85, MILWAUKEE 84
MILWAUKEE ó The Timberwolves refused to panic down the stretch and came away with a victory.
Michael Beasley made two free throws with 9.1 seconds left to lift Minnesota to an 85-84 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
ěWe gave ourselves a chance to win, and thatís what we need to do in this league,î Kevin Love said. ěI told the guys when we came to the bench, ëHey, look at this as a challenge, a way to get better.íî
SAN ANTONIO 97, HOUSTON 95
SAN ANTONIO ó Tim Duncan scored 19 points and Tony Parker added 15 to help the San Antonio Spurs hold off the Houston Rockets for a 97-95 preseason win on Wednesday night.
Jeremy Linís driving layup capped a 10-0 run that tied it 95-all with 34.6 seconds left, but rookie Kawhi Leonard hit a 20-footer from the left wing to give the Spurs the win.
Reserve Marcus Morris scored 20 points, and Chase Budinger and Kyle Lowry each added 10 for Houston.
Duncanís block of Lowry combined with a pretty bounce pass on a James Anderson layup sparked a 6-0 run to break a 70-70 third-quarter tie.
MAGIC 104, HEAT 100
ORLANDO, Fla. ó The countdown to the NBA regular season is now in its final stages for the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
Though itís clear after their final preseason matchup Wednesday night that both teams could use a few extra days to prepare for their Christmas Day openers.
The Magic showed some late-game toughness to secure a 104-100 victory on Wednesday night, but needed a furious comeback to erase a 14-point halftime deficit. The Heat played well early before slowing in a forgettable second half.
ěI donít think it was that we didnít show life (early), we didnít make shots,î Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ě…I thought we had good life in the second half.î
Glen Davis, who had 13 points in the third quarter to ignite the comeback, finished with 18 points, and Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson each added 15 for the Magic.
ěIt felt good,î Davis said. ěThis is my new home, to come here and kind of show everybody what I can do ó because thereís a question mark.î
Orlando also got a late lift from its reserves to secure the win, including strong fourth-quarter efforts by veteran Larry Hughes and rookie Justin Harper.
LeBron James had 27 points and Dwyane Wade added 21 for the Heat. Reserve Norris Cole chipped in 11 points.
Both teams open the regular season as part of the NBAís four-game Christmas Day schedule. Miami travels to defending champion Dallas for a finals rematch and Oklahoma City hosts the Magic.
ěItís upon us,î Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ěWe have about three days to get ready … Now itís all about getting healthy and ready for Sunday.î
The Magic played without Hedo Turkoglu, who sat with a bruised left hip. The Heat also were tender, with Mike Miller (hernia), Shane Battier (quadriceps), Eddy Curry (hip) and Eddie House (knee) all resting.
Whether it was just the injury bug or something else, the rust definitely showed for both sides early on.
James badly missed on a pair of free throws in the opening minutes, including an air ball on one attempt.
Both James and his teammates were able to settle down, however, with James and Wade each scoring to push the lead to as many as 23 en route to the halftime advantage.
Orlando missed its first 12 shots from the field overall and its first 13 3-point attempts. The Magic regrouped to make 8 of its final 14 shots from beyond the arc.
The matchup of division rivals did have a small dustup late in the third quarter when Richardson was called for a technical after he was caught delivering a shoulder into Jamesí chest. The contact came after the pair collided while running down the court.
The Associated Press
12/21/11 23:07