DeRozan, Gay lead Spurs to victory over Jazz

DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, and Rudy Gay added 23 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs pulled away late for a 110-97 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Sunday.

The win was the second straight for the Spurs and allowed them consecutive victories for the first time since winning four straight in an eight-day span Oct. 27-Nov. 3.

Back-to-back buckets by the Jazz's Donovan Mitchell to start the final period cut San Antonio's advantage to 82-76 and his jumper at the 9:33 mark made it a five-point game, but that's as close as Utah would get.

Two baskets by LaMarcus Aldridge keyed a 9-4 Spurs' run before a turnaround jumper by Gay staked San Antonio to a 101-91 lead with 4:53 to play.

The Jazz then missed their next four shots while Gay hit a basket and a free throw, and Derrick White hit a jumper to grant San Antonio a 106-99 advantage that was more than enough to carry it to the finish line.

Aldridge added 20 points for the Spurs, with Bryn Forbes scoring 15 points and Marco Belinelli hitting for 10 for San Antonio, which shot 52.8 percent from the floor.

Mitchell led the Jazz with 27 points, while Ricky Rubio scored 26 and Rudy Gobert added 12 for Utah, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

San Antonio led by five at the end of the first quarter but took the game right at the Jazz in the second, reeling off the first seven points to assume a 30-18 advantage.

The Spurs led 54-36 at halftime as DeRozan scored 16 and Aldridge hit for 14 points. Thabo Sefolosha paced the Jazz with just nine points at intermission.

Mitchell hit his first basket of the game on the Jazz's opening trip of the third quarter and his 3-pointer with 7:32 to play in the period pulled Utah to within 12 points, at 67-55. When Rubio hit a spinning layup with 2:51 left in the third, the Jazz cut the lead to 10 points.

San Antonio returns to the floor for the third of a six-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts Phoenix. The Jazz play the second game of a demanding road back-to-back on Monday in Oklahoma City.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Raptors down Celtics to snap opening night drought

TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors finally sent an opening night crowd home with a smile and a win when they held on to beat the Boston Celtics 93-87 to raise the curtain on a new National Basketball Association season on Wednesday.

Rudy Gay had 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds to pace the Raptors while Amir Johnson and DeMar DeRozan each chipped in with 13 as Toronto ended a run of three straight home opening losses.

"It was the first game of the season and we're coming off a whole week without playing," Gay said.

"So I think we were a little rusty at the beginning. We shook the rust off and came back."

The loss was the first of what is expected to be many for the Celtics after they dismantled their team in the wake last year's first round playoff exit by trading away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce - the last two members of the Big Three who had led them to two NBA finals and one title.

The Celtics fielded a lineup of unfamiliar names and Jeff Green led the scoring with a game high 25 points, while Brandon Bass added 17 and Brazilian Vitor Faverani 13.

"We had some sloppy moments but a lot of them were out of effort," said Celtics first-year coach Brad Stevens.

"A lot of them while we were flying down the court at two levels too fast and we made a few errors.

"But you know you can live with a few errors like that, you can live with errors when you are playing hard."

Celtics supporters can only hope they will not be tested in the same way Raptors fans have since the last time the franchise made the playoffs in 2008.

For a moment on Wednesday it was as if nothing had changed, the Celtics raced to 6-0 lead to take the buzz out of the opening night festivities even before the smoke from the pre-game pyrotechnics had lifted from the court.

But by the half the party was back in full swing at a soldout Air Canada Centre with the Raptors comfortably ahead 49-37.

A third quarter fight back saw the Celtics erase a 16 point Toronto lead to pull level at 71-71 and keep things interesting through the fourth but it was Toronto celebrating the win.

"We fought," said Green. "We fought, it didn't matter how many we were down.

"We tied the game and then we took the lead. But we had a few costly turnovers that set us back. But as long as we keep fighting I think we'll be in a lot of games." (Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com