Roundup: Artest scores 18, helps Rockets turn away Spurs
CBSSports.com wire reports
HOUSTON -- Ron Artest had 18 points and five rebounds and Luis Scola added 13 points as the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed San Antonio Spurs 85-78 on Thursday night.Yao Ming scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in two quarters for the Rockets, while Tracy McGrady was in uniform, but did not play because of a sore left knee.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich used mostly reserves in the Spurs' preseason opener. Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley all watched in street clothes and Tony Parker scored eight points in 14 minutes, all in the first half.
Yao played the first quarter and had one basket and three rebounds. Artest and Scola scored six points each for the Rockets (2-0) in the quarter, but Jacque Vaughn's pullup jumper with 1.4 seconds left tied it at 22.
Parker played five minutes in the first quarter, then returned in the second, with Darryl Watkins and rookies Devin Green, Anthony Tolliver and Malik Hairston rounding out the lineup. At that point, Houston countered with Aaron Brooks, Chuck Hayes, Luther Head, Von Wafer and rookie Joey Dorsey.
Wafer, who signed as a free agent just before training camp began, finished a fast break with a slam and hit a 20-footer to put the Rockets up 31-26. Spurs (0-1) regulars Fabricio Oberto and Ime Udoka rejoined Parker later in the second quarter. Artest also returned and hit two 3-pointers during a 15-0 spurt that pushed the Rockets' lead to 46-30.
Wafer had nine points in the first half and Houston led 50-34 at halftime. Wafer finished with 14 points. Full story
Nets 100, Heat 98 (OT)
PARIS -- Devin Harris scored 21 points to lead the New Jersey Nets to an overtime victory over the Miami Heat.
Michael Beasley, the second overall draft pick in June, scored 21 points for the Heat but missed a chance to force a second overtime when he the second of his two free throws rattled out in the closing seconds.
Dwyane Wade also scored 21 points for Miami and was largely rested in the third and fourth quarters. Vince Carter was limited to only eight points for the Nets.
The Heat led 41-29 in the second quarter, but the Nets rallied to take an 87-77 lead with less than 5 minutes left in regulation. Miami fought back before Stromile Swift's dunk put the Nets ahead 91-89 with 30 seconds to play. Miami's Daequan Cook scored to send the game to overtime.
Suns 96, Jazz 89
SALT LAKE CITY -- Matt Barnes scored 21 points and Alando Tucker added 19 as the Phoenix Suns beat the Utah Jazz.
The Suns, who didn't make a 3-pointer in their opening loss to Atlanta on Wednesday, went 9-of-21 from beyond the arc against Utah (1-1) and didn't trail after the opening minutes of the first quarter.
Raja Bell scored 11 points for Phoenix (1-1).
Kyle Korver scored 16 points and Mehmet Okur had 12 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which opened with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Mavericks 110, Bulls 102
CHICAGO -- Gerald Green scored 18 points to lead six Dallas players in double figures, helping the Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls.
Bulls rookie Derrick Rose, last spring's No. 1 draft pick, played nearly 27 minutes and scored 10 points in Chicago's preseason opener.
Dallas (2-0) never trailed, using an 11-1 run in the first quarter to establish an early edge. Josh Howard scored six points during that span and finished with 10.
The Mavs' lead ballooned to 19 points by halftime, then slipped to seven after the Bulls opened the second half with a 12-0 run. Rose had a pair of long-distance jumpers during the surge, which ended with Dallas guard Gerald Green's 20-foot field goal at the 6:59 mark.
Clippers 107, Lakers 80
FRESNO, Calif. -- Rookie Mike Taylor was 9-of-12 from the field and scored 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was the Lakers' worst preseason loss since a 31-point defeat to the Golden State Warriors in 2005 and it kept the Lakers (0-2) winless this preseason. Lakers star Kobe Bryant played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points and three assists. He left midway through the third quarter and did not return.
Baron Davis, who signed the Clippers in the offseason after spending the past three seasons with the Warriors, played 17 minutes and finished with 12 points and seven assists.
Ricky Davis had 17 points for the Clippers (1-1), who led by as many as 13 points in the first half and began distancing themselves again early in the fourth after the Lakers got as close as 79-74 on Jordan Farmar's 3-pointer. Farmar, who finished with 12 points, was one of five Lakers in double figures.
