INDIANAPOLIS, 30 November 2003 — Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal continued to sparkle as the Indiana Pacers thumped the Philadelphia 76ers 90-77 for their eighth straight win on Friday.
O’Neal notched 21 points and Artest 20, with Al Harrington adding 17 more while grabbing 12 rebounds. Indiana moved to an NBA-best 14-2 record with the victory.
Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson, the 2001 MVP, had a miserable night, scoring a season-low 12 points on 4-of-19 shooting.
Kenny Thomas had 14 to top the 76ers, who are now just 8-9 on the season.
Raptors 87 Magic 86
In Orlando, the Toronto Raptors blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead before rallying to edge the Magic 87-86, handing them their 15th straight loss. The Magic, who were led by Tracy McGrady with 31 points, are only two losses short of the franchise record for futility set in 1991-92.
Vince Carter, who paced Toronto with 20 points, offered hope for Orlando, saying: “They’re not going to lose all 82 games.”
He was apparently unaware that the Magic won their opener before their slide began.
Pistons 92 Cavaliers 88
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard Hamilton poured in a career-best 44 points as the Detroit Pistons edged Cleveland 92-88, handing the Cavaliers their 31st straight road loss. They are just 12 shy of the NBA record set by the Sacramento Kings from 1990-92. Ricky Davis returned to action after falling out of favor with coach Paul Silas and paced the Cavs with 25 points. Rookie sensation LeBron James was held to a mere six.
Hawks 95 Heat 83
In Atlanta, Shareef Abdur-Rahim exploded for 34 points on 11-of-14 shooting and also grabbed 12 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks survived a late Miami surge to down the Heat 95-83. The Heat used a 14-0 run to make a game of it. Veteran Eddie Jones paced Miami with 28 points.
Celtics 106 Bucks 96
In Boston, Paul Pierce notched 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his first triple-double of the season as the Celtics romped 106-96 over the Milwaukee Bucks, winning every quarter but the fourth. It was Boston’s first 100-point night this campaign. Michael Redd had 20 points to top the Bucks.
Timberwolves 102 Grizzlies 98
In Memphis, Sam Cassell scored 25 points and Latrell Sprewell had 24 as the Minnesota Timberwolves edged the Grizzlies 102-98. Kevin Garnett added 21 more points while pulling down a whopping 18 rebounds. Jason Williams had 24 points and 11 assists to pace Memphis.
Jazz 98 SuperSonics 81
In Salt Lake City, Raja Bell counted 25 points and Matt Harpring added 24 as the Utah Jazz routed the Seattle SuperSonics 98-81. Utah, 1-5 on the road, improved to 8-1 at home. Brent Barry had 24 points for the losing Sonics.
Nuggets 113 Mavericks 103
In Denver, rookie Carmelo Anthony poured in 26 points as the Nuggets thumped the Dallas Mavericks 113-103, improving to 7-1 at home. Six Mavs were in double figures, with newcomer Antoine Walker best of the bunch with 30 points as well as 15 rebounds. Michael Finley added 20 points for Dallas.
Warriors 92 Suns 83
In Phoenix, Jason Richardson notched 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors upset the Suns 92-83 for their first road victory of the season. Mike Dunleavy added 16 points for the Warriors, while Penny Hardaway paced the Suns with the same number.
Lakers 103 Spurs 87
In Los Angeles, Karl Malone registered his fourth triple-double as the Lakers made amends for their loss to San Antonio in last season’s playoffs with a convincing 103-87 win over the Spurs. Malone notched 10 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists as Los Angeles (13-3) won its 24th straight home game dating back to last season. Shaquille O’Neal returned to action after sitting out a couple of games and counted seven points in 24 minutes. Emanuel Ginobili had a mere 13 points to pace the Spurs, now just 9-7 for the season.
Kings 103 Rockets 74
In Sacramento, Brad Miller notched a season-best 29 points as the Kings thumped the Houston Rockets 103-74 for their seventh straight win. Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson added 18 points apiece. Cuttino Mobley topped the Rockets with 17 points, with Steve Francis getting 15 more as Houston shot a mere 36 percent.
Trail Blazers 97 Nets 93
In Portland, 1996 Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire poured in 28 points and Zach Randolph had 26 more as the Trail Blazers rallied to down the New Jersey Nets 97-93. Jason Kidd was high-scorer for the Nets with 27 points, going 12-of-18.
Skiles Named as Chicago Bulls Coach
Scott Skiles was named as the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
The Bulls, 4-12 for the season, have dropped their past seven games, the last two under interim coach Pete Myers.
Myers took over after the Bulls axed Bill Cartwright. “It’s a challenge that I look forward to and I am eager to get at it,” the 39-year-old Skiles said.
Skiles compiled a 116-79 record in two and a half seasons as coach of the Phoenix Suns, but is more renowned for his intense demeanor as a player and coach.
Skiles once went after Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal during an altercation and reportedly clashed with Jason Kidd and Rodney Rogers in Phoenix before resigning as coach during the 2000-01 season.
“Scott Skiles personifies what you look for in a basketball man,” Bulls general manager John Paxson said.
“As a player I know competing against him, he was tenacious, intelligent and had great heart.”
