|
|
|
| November 1, 2001 | Thursday | Shaba’an 14, 1422 |
Jordan fails to rub magic on Washington Wizards
NEW YORK, Oct 31: A slightly heavier, slower and off target Michael Jordan returned Tuesday, and couldn’t quite work the magic for the Washington Wizards against his old foes, the New York Knicks.
The 38-year-old Jordan, who has destroyed the Knicks many times in the past with late-game heroics, missed a 3-pointer to level the score with only 18 seconds left to play in the last quarter.
Jordan’s inaccurate jumper let the Knicks off the hook to win 93-91 before a sellout crowd of 19,763 at Madison Square Garden, one of 12 games scheduled on the opening night of the season.
Jordan finished the game with 19 points, shooting 7-of-21 in 37 minutes work, which included four steals, five rebounds and six assists.
In his first appearance at the Garden since scoring 42 points in the Chicago Bulls’ 102-89 victory on March 9, 1998, Jordan’s 19 points was well below his average of 32.6 in 53 games against New York.
Latrell Sprewell scored 28 points and Allan Houston added 22 and six rebounds for the Knicks, who gave up a 10-point lead in the second half.
Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal had 29 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks and Kobe Bryant also scored 29 points as the Lakers launched their quest for a third straight NBA title with a 98-87 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers have defeated Portland in the playoffs twice en route to back-to-back championships.
They have been led by the dynamic duo of O’Neal and Bryant, who opened the season in strong fashion and led Los Angeles to another convincing win over the Blazers.
O’Neal made just 10-of-23 shots from the floor and 9-of-16 free throws but controlled the glass and the paint for Los Angeles, which never trailed. Bryant shot 11-of-24 and pulled down seven rebounds.
The Lakers led by as many as 17 points in the first half and had a 68-54 lead in the third quarter before Portland went on a 12-2 run to make it 68-66 with 1:33 left.
Robert Horry followed with a 3-pointer and Bryant scored eight straight points to close the period, including a 3-pointer with three seconds left that gave Los Angeles an 11-point cushion heading into the final quarter.
The Philadelphia 76ers, last season’s Eastern Conference champions, got off to a strong start but then let Minnesota score 15 straight points en route to a season-opening 83-74 victory at the Target Center.
Beset by injuries during the exhibition season, the 76erscame out strong and led 25-17 just 27 seconds into the second quarter after a jumper by Speedy Claxton.
However, the momentum quickly swung, thanks to Chauncey Billups, who netted 11 points and dished out two assists during the 15-0 burst as the Timberwolves built a 32-25 lead with just over seven minutes to play before halftime.
Billups, who finished with 22 points, capped the spurt with a pair of free throws.
Tuesday’s results:
Boston 108 Cleveland 89
New Jersey 103 Indiana 97
Orlando 114 Toronto 85
Minnesota 83 Philadelphia 74
New York 93 Washington 91
Dallas 94 Detroit 87
Houston 89 Atlanta 84 (OT)
San Antonio 109 LA Clippers 98
Denver 99 Phoenix 96
Milwaukee 119 Utah 112 (OT)
Sacramento 101 Seattle 95
LA Lakers 98 Portland 87
—AFP
|
|
|
|
