Malone wins in his first game against Jazz

Karl Malone finally got the chance to face the Utah Jazz, and beating the team he played with for 18 seasons didn't feel so good.

``It was kind of bittersweet,'' Malone said. ``They're friends _ friends for life.''

Malone had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and needed an X-ray on his hand after getting knocked around in the Los Angeles Lakers' 91-84 win over the Jazz Sunday.

Malone, the NBA's second-leading career scorer, missed the Lakers' first game against Utah because of a suspension and the last two due to a knee injury that caused him to miss 39 games.

On Sunday, Malone shot 5-of-10 and 9-of-12 from the foul line while playing 34 minutes. And he was elbowed in his shooting hand, banged the knee he injured in December and got hit in the head. X-rays on the hand were negative.

``We have all the respect in the world for Karl, and we wish him the best of luck whatever he does because of what he gave us for the time that he was with us,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. ``I'm happy for him to have a chance to be on a great team.''

In other games, it was: Memphis 94, Toronto 88; Dallas 118, Orlando 88; Houston 111, Milwaukee 107, OT; Indiana 87, Miami 80; Boston 89, Philadelphia 65; and Golden State 105, L.A. Clippers 77.

Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 34 points in the last two minutes; Gary Payton added 17 points, and Shaquille O'Neal had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers (50-23), who reached 50 wins for the eighth straight season not counting 1998-99 campaign, shortened to 50 games because of labor problems.

The Lakers trail Sacramento, 100-92 winners over the Washington Wizards, by two games for first in the Western Conference. The Jazz are tied with Portland for the final spot.

Raja Bell scored 16 of his career-high 26 points in the fourth quarter for the Jazz (38-36), who lost for just the third time in 10 games.

Mavericks 118, Magic 88

At Orlando, Fla., Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points and nine rebounds as Dallas handed the Magic, playing without Tracy McGrady, their eighth straight loss.

Rookie Josh Howard tied a season high with 19 points, and added 12 rebounds and five assists before fouling out, while Steve Nash had 12 points and 11 assists for Dallas, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Grizzlies 94, Raptors 88

At Toronto, Pau Gasol had 23 points and 18 rebounds, and Jason Williams scored eight points in the last three minutes to lead Memphis to its fifth straight win.

The Grizzlies clinched the first playoff berth in the franchise's nine-year history.

Vince Carter scored 16 points on 6-for-22 shooting as Toronto lost its fourth straight.

Rockets 111, Bucks 107, OT

At Milwaukee, Yao Ming finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Houston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat the Bucks in overtime.

Steve Francis finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Maurice Taylor and Cuttino Mobley each added 19 points for Houston.

Michael Redd had 36 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for the Bucks, while Joe Smith scored a season-high 25 points.

Pacers 87, Heat 80

At Indianapolis, Jermaine O'Neal returned after missing two games with a knee injury and had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead Indiana over Miami.

Caron Butler, Eddie Jones and Dwyane Wade each scored 14 points for the Heat, which had their seven-game winning streak end.

Celtics 89, 76ers 65

At Boston, Philadelphia set franchise records for fewest points in a half and in three quarters in a loss.

Another sign of Philadelphia's futility: it missed 65 shots while Boston took only 77.

The Celtics were led by Mark Blount, Ricky Davis and Jiri Welsch with 13 points each.

Kenny Thomas had 18 points for Philadelphia, which was playing without Allen Iverson for the fifth straight game.

Kings 100, Wizards 92

At Sacramento, Calif., Peja Stojakovic had 29 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Kings snap a two-game losing streak.

Chris Webber made four straight free throws in the final 41 seconds to hold off the Wizards. He finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Warriors 105, Clippers 77

At Oakland, Calif., Erick Dampier had 16 points and a career-high 25 rebounds to lead Golden State to its seventh straight win, the Warriors' longest streak since they won eight in a row April 1994.

Jason Richardson scored 20 points and rookie guard Mickael Pietrus added 17 as the Warriors handed the Clippers their eighth straight loss.

Corey Maggette led Los Angeles with 21 points.

Via Associated Press

General Basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz

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Posey leads Grizzlies over Hawks

Missing three key players just 24 hours after earning the first postseason berth in franchise history, the Memphis Grizzlies could have been forgiven for losing a tough game.

But the once-horrible Grizzlies aren't thinking that way any longer.

``We refused to lose,'' James Posey said.

He had plenty to do with that.

Posey scored a career-high 38 points _ including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force a second overtime period _ and the rampaging Grizzlies beat the Hawks in Atlanta 136-133 on Monday night in the highest-scoring NBA game of the season.

In six years in Vancouver and two in Memphis, the Grizzlies never finished better than sixth in their division.

Posey also had 11 rebounds, and Jason Williams scored 22 points in the Grizzlies' sixth straight victory. Memphis is 5-0 in overtime games, 13-2 this month and an NBA-best 24-5 since Feb. 1.

Posey was dehydrated and badly in need of fluids after starring in a game that lasted 3 hours, 15 minutes. He played 49 of a possible 58 minutes because of injuries to Pau Gasol, Stromile Swift and Bonzi Wells.

``It was a whole team effort,'' Posey said. ``Everybody accepted the challenge. Everybody contributed. That's what it takes to get to the next level.''

Gasol, the leading scorer and rebounder for the playoff-bound Grizzlies, sprained the arch in his right foot near the end of the first half.

The Grizzlies already were without Swift, out with a dislocated finger, and Wells, who has a dislocated shoulder.

Elsewhere in the NBA, it was Miami 105, Chicago 96; Boston 84, New Jersey 80; New York 92, Portland 91; San Antonio 101, Cleveland 93; Minnesota 94, Houston 88, and Phoenix 101, Washington 94.

Officials reviewed the play to confirm that Posey's 35-foot shot at the end of the first overtime was launched before time ran out. Posey also hit two free throws with 10.7 seconds left in the second overtime, and the Hawks missed two late 3-point attempts.

Posey said his big shot was a planned play.

``I told Shane (Battier) I was going to go up the sideline and to hit me,'' Posey said. ``I saw a second was on the clock and I was going to give it a chance. It felt good, but a lot of shots feel good and don't go in.''

Gasol, on the bench, realized he didn't like being a spectator.

``It was bad for my nerves,'' he said.

Stephen Jackson led the Hawks with 28 points. Bob Sura added 23 points with 13 rebounds, and Jason Terry had 23 points. Chris Crawford scored 22 points before fouling out.

The 269 combined points surpassed by seven the total between Atlanta and Washington when the Hawks beat the Wizards 138-124 on March 12.

``It was terrific basketball,'' Hawks coach Terry Stotts said. ``We were in a position to win it in regulation. We should have won in regulation and we should have won at the end of the first overtime.''

Knicks 92, Trail Blazers 91

In New York, Vin Baker made a jump hook over the outstretched arm of Theo Ratliff _ the league's leading shot blocker _ with 38 seconds left to win for the Knicks.

Tim Thomas returned after a four-game injury absence and scored 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Stephon Marbury added 23.

Damon Stoudamire had 20 points and Zach Randolph 19 for the Blazers.

Heat 105, Bulls 96

In Miami, Caron Butler scored 12 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter and pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds to lead the Heat.

Dwyane Wade finished with 21 points as Miami won its ninth consecutive home game. Kirk Hinrich scored 20 points to lead the Bulls, who have lost five straight.

Celtics 84, Nets 80

In East Rutherford, N.J., Paul Pierce overcame early foul trouble to score 18 of his 21 points in the second half for Boston.

Ricky Davis added 17, and Mark Blount had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Celtics. Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 24 points, and Lucious Harris added 18. The Nets played their sixth game without injured All-Stars Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd, and fell to 1-5 without them.

Spurs 101, Cavaliers 93

In San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 21 points for the Spurs, who dropped Cleveland 1{ games behind Boston in the race for the final playoff spot in Eastern Conference.

Tim Duncan added 18 points for the Spurs, 1{ games behind leader Minnesota in the Midwest Division.

Rookie LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 18 points each for the Cavaliers.

Timberwolves 94, Rockets 88

In Houston, Kevin Garnett scored six of his 27 points in the last two minutes, and Sam Cassell added 24 points for Minnesota.

The Timberwolves had lost four straight games in Houston since a 90-88 victory on Nov. 3, 2001.

Maurice Taylor, Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley had 17 points apiece for Houston.

Suns 101, Wizards 95

In Phoenix, Shawn Marion had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Suns.

Joe Johnson added 18 points, and Amare Stoudemire 15 in the fourth win in six games for Phoenix.

Washington's Larry Hughes scored 32 points and Gilbert Arenas added 30, but made only one of three free throws with 31 seconds remaining in the Wizards' 10th loss in 12 games.

Via Associated Press

General Basketball

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Minor-league system could help young guys

Is it about time the NBA got serious about establishing a viable minor-league system? While the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League are nice, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes they are just not doing enough for the game.

Imagine how much it would have benefited Magic rookie point guard Reece Gaines to be sent down for seasoning? Or Magic center Zaza Pachulia? Or Detroit center Darko Milicic, the No. 2 pick in last year's draft?

Instead of languishing on the bench, Gaines could have repaired his broken confidence -- and maybe his shot. Then he could have been called back up from the minors to the majors without the Magic losing his rights.

Players in the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League, which has NBA ties, are brought up routinely in a procedure similar to those in baseball and hockey. But it's never worked the other way with youngsters and rookies already in the NBA.

"I like the idea. That would be terrific," Magic Coach Johnny Davis said. "I think that's something that is needed for our league. Baseball does it."

Chicago is experiencing first hand the effects of players coming into the league too young and taking longer than expected to develop. While Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford have all shown flashes - some bright - in their young NBA careers thus far, all three would have benefited from a minor system which allowed them to hone their skills under the watchful eye of the Bulls rather than lose big and often.

Maybe Portland would not have given up on a young teen named Jermaine O'Neal if there was a minor-league alternative.

The idea would have its rules. Schmitz' idea is to limit the concept to a player's first two seasons. Or maybe even expand NBA rosters or allow flexibility. Teams would retain rights to players, maybe several clubs -- say Orlando, Miami and Atlanta -- could field a farm team in a joint venture.

As one league scout and former coach says, "It would be a win-win deal. We really need it now with all the young guys coming in. Guys who sit on the bench for a year or two lose their value."

With yet another draft containing a strong High School representation something has to be done.

Via Orlando Sentinel

General Basketball, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers

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