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Bayi edges off Dongguan to advance into CBA playoffs

Bayi Fubang took the full advantage of the loss of the Shandong Gold, advancing into the playoffs after beating the Dongguan Marco Polo 110-102 on Sunday in the final round of the regular season of the 2009-2010 Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).

Wang Zhizhi (R) of Bayi Fubang drives to the basket during the game on March 14, 2010. [Photo/Souhu.com] 

Shandong lost to the Fujian SBS 118-110, their six losses in the last seven matches, and finished ninth by 14-18, one game behind the eighth Bayi (15-17).

Bayi, which needed a win and a loss from Shandong, avoided to be excluded from the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
They will face the defending champions Guangdong Hongyuan (30-2), which beat the Shanghai Sharks 114-104.
Wang Zhizhi had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Xu Zhonghao added 31 points and six rebounds while Delehei chipping in 26 points for Bayi.
The military team kept on attacking throughout the game as they shot 40-out-of-68 in the field, compared to Dongguan\’s 29-out-of-48.
They led in most of the game and put the game beyond doubt when they led 15 points in the fourth quarter when Dongguan finally had two overseas players on the court.
Meanwhile, Shandong\’s last-quarter surge-up was not good enough to make up a 17-point deficit of the third quarter though Andre Emmett and Stromile Swift were combined of 60 points.
A 8-0 run down the stretch closed it on 103-100 in the final minute, but Fujian scored the next five points to call the game.
Top teams cruised in the final round as the second-placed Xinjiang Guanghui crushed Tianjin Ronggang 121-99, while the Zhejiang Guangsha defeated the Jiangsu Dragons 115-95.
Xinjiang will face Fujian, Guangsha will take on Jiangsu, while the Sharks will meet the Liaoning Panpan, which beat the Beijing Ducks 103-87, in the first round of the playoffs on March 24.
The first-round and semi-final matches will be best-of-five series, while the final will be decided in seven games.
The league will take a ten-day break, during which the All-Star weekend will be held at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing on March 20-21.
In Sunday\’s other matches, Qingdao Double Stars beat Shanxi Zhongyu 120-110 while Zhejiang Chouzhou beat Jilin Northeast Tigers 115-110.

Orlando pushes winning streak to 7

The Orlando Magic stormed to a season-high seventh consecutive win with a 111-82 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Thursday in Florida.
Vince Carter scored a team-high 23 points in just 26 minutes as the Magic outscored their opponents 65-33 during the first half to quickly put the contest out of reach.
Orlando (46-20) posted five players in double-figures for scoring to maintain its Southeast Division lead at four games over the Atlanta Hawks.
It was a sixth straight loss for the Bulls (31-33), whose night started badly when point guard Derrick Rose hurt his wrist in the first quarter after a collision with Dwight Howard and did not return.
Rose\’s injury was the latest for Chicago, who were without leading defender Joakim Noah, sidelined with a foot ailment, and Luol Deng, who has a calf strain.
\”They started the game a little undermanned, and then obviously when Rose went down, they were very undermanned,\” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
James Johnson scored a team-high 13 for the Bulls, who shot just 39 percent as they fell to their longest losing streak since 2006.
The slumping Bulls are currently outside of the playoff picture in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando, however, are on the rise and hitting form as the postseason approaches. Matt Barnes put in 14 points and Brandon Bass notched 13 off the bench during a complete team effort.
\”Right now we\’re trying to play the best basketball we can, hopefully roll it into the playoffs,\” Carter said.
\”We\’re hitting the floor running, playing at a high level, and each and every night the opponent doesn\’t matter, it\’s more about what we need to do to get better.\”
In Thursday\’s only other NBA game, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Washington Wizrds 105-99 in Washington.
Jamal Crawford scored 29 points to help Atlanta win its first game in three matches.
Joe Johnson and Al Horford each scored 18 points in Atlanta\’s first trip to the nation\’s capital this season for the makeup of a game that was postponed on February 6 due to a blizzard.
Andray Blatche had 30 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, in the midst of a stretch of three games in three nights because of the schedule change.
Crawford scored 12 points in the final 3:37 of the third quarter, making six free throws and connecting on two of his four made 3-pointers.

Magic roll past Bulls 111-82 as Rose sprains wrist

Vince Carter scored 23 points to help the Orlando Magic pull away early and cruise to a 111-82 win over the Chicago Bulls last night for a season-high seventh straight win.
Matt Barnes added 14 points, and reserve Brandon Bass scored 13 in another blowout victory against a struggling team for the Magic.
All-Star point guard Derrick Rose sprained his left wrist in a collision with Dwight Howard in the first quarter and didn\’t return for the Bulls, the latest setback in a season that is quickly going sour. Taj Gibson and Hakim Warrick had 12 points apiece, not nearly enough to prevent Chicago\’s sixth consecutive loss.
Hawks 105, Wizards 99
At Washington, Jamal Crawford scored 29 points to help Atlanta win for the first time in three matches.
Joe Johnson and Al Horford each scored 18 points in Atlanta\’s first trip to the nation\’s capital this season for the makeup of a game that was postponed Feb. 6 due to a blizzard.
Andray Blatche had 30 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, in the midst of a stretch of three games in three nights because of the schedule change.
Crawford scored 12 points in the final 3:37 of the third quarter, making six free throws and connecting on two of his four made 3-pointers.

Mavs top Nets for 13th straight

The Dallas Mavericks rallied after a stuttering start to extend their league-leading winning streak to 13 games with a 96-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.
Jason Kidd recorded 20 points and nine assists as the Mavericks survived an off-night for Dirk Nowitzki to overturn an 18-point second-quarter deficit.
\”Our defensive disposition was stronger, we were more physical and we were more alert,\” Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said of his team\’s third quarter performance.
Dallas (45-21) matched the Cleveland Cavaliers for the longest win streak in the league this year and moved within two games of the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference.
Devin Harris tallied 21 to lead New Jersey (7-57), who scored 17 of the first 20 points and looked to be on their way to a rare victory before Dallas rallied.
Shawn Marion grabbed 13 rebounds and scored eight of his 14 points in the third period as the Mavericks took a 31-15 advantage to take control of the game.
Elsewhere in the National Basketball Association, it was: Grizzlies 111, Celtics 91; Thunder 98, Hornets 83; Jazz 115, Pistons 104; Spurs 97, Knicks 87; Heat 108, Clippers 97; Nuggets 110, Timberwolves 102; Bobcats 102, 76ers 87; and Kings 113, Raptors 90.

Rockets notch road victory over Wizards

Jordan Hill (L) of Houston Rockets shoots during the NBA game between Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards in Washington, the United States, on March 9, 2010. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)

Cavaliers resting James again

LeBron James insists he\’s \”good.\” The Cleveland Cavaliers don\’t want their superstar to play again until he\’s great.
James sat out his second consecutive game on Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs to rest a tender right ankle he twisted on Friday against Detroit. He missed Saturday\’s game in Milwaukee and the Cavs, who don\’t play again until Friday, are being extra cautious.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said in addition to having a bum ankle, James has some soreness in his back. However, it\’s nothing he couldn\’t play through, Brown said, and if this were the playoffs, James would be on the floor.
James did not take part in the morning\’s shootaround, opting to lift weights while his teammates went through preparations for the Spurs. As he left the building with a custom-designed Snuggie draped over his left shoulder, James was asked how he felt.
\”I\’m good,\” he said.
Earlier, Brown said it would be a game-time decision whether James would play, but it seemed both sides had agreed long before tip-off.
\”This is an opportune time for him to get some rest,\” Brown said. \”My gut feeling is that this is the right time for this to happen. He wants to play. He doesn\’t like sitting.\”
James was not available to reporters before the Cavs hosted the Spurs.
Cleveland is 0-7 in the past three seasons when James doesn\’t play.
\”We miss a lot when he\’s not in there,\” Brown said. \”He makes me look like I know how to coach a little bit better.\”
Brown said Cleveland\’s postseason seeding is not a factor in any decisions he makes about James, who is averaging 39 minutes per game. The Cavs have a five-game lead over Orlando for the best record in the Eastern Conference, and they hold a three-game advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers for the league\’s best mark, which would guarantee Cleveland home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
\”If I was concerned about that, then I would\’ve said, \’Tape that bad boy up against Milwaukee,\’\” Brown said. \”He could play if it was a playoff game. With all the bumps and bruises he does have and the minutes he\’s logged … I know he wouldn\’t say this, but his body has to be feeling the effects from playing all those minutes.\”
The Cavs can\’t survive long without James, but Brown is confident a few games won\’t hurt.
\”This group is capable of winning games without him,\” he said.
Cleveland is still without center Shaquille O\’Neal (thumb) but the Cavs got back guard Daniel Gibson, who missed four games after the birth of his first child.

No surgery for Parker\’s hand injury

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker won\’t need surgery on his broken right hand, the NBA team said Monday.
The Spurs confirmed what coach Gregg Popovic said Sunday night, that the 27-year-old French guard broke the fourth metacarpal, a bone between the wrist and lower knuckle, and will miss about six weeks.
Parker hurt his shooting hand while diving for a loose ball in a victory at Memphis on Saturday.
The expected recovery time means Parker could be back in the Spurs backcourt in time for the playoffs, provided San Antonio qualify.
The Spurs, 36-24, are seventh in the Western Conference but only one game ahead of eighth-place Portland.

Celtics beat Wizards 86-83


Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards in third quarter action during their NBA Basketball game in Boston, Massachusetts March 7, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Chinese star Yi sustains ankle sprain

New Jersey forward Yi Jianlian sprained his left ankle in Nets\’ 113-93 victory at New York on Saturday in an NBA game.
Yi was helped off the court just nine minutes into the first quarter after the Chinese ace stepped on a rival player\’s foot.
Yi took an X-ray check and Nets said it revealed negative for any broken bones according, but there was no indication of how long Yi might be sidelined.
It was the third time that Yi was injured in five months following a sprained left ankle and a busted upper lip where he had to take 50 stitches.
Yi, 22, is averaging 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. The 7-foot (2.13m) forward is averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a game for his NBA career.

Nets beats Knicks 113-93


Yi Jianlian (C) of New Jersey Nets shoots during the NBA game against New York Knicks in New York, the United State, Mar. 6, 2010. Nets won 113-93. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)