Greg Oden made a successful NBA debut with 13 points and five rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers buried the visiting Sacramento Kings 110-81 on Tuesday night in the pre-season opener for both clubs.
The center Oden was the top overall pick in last season’s draft, but his rookie season was delayed by one year due to right knee surgery.
“It felt good to be out there playing against someone who is not on our team,” Oden said after logging just over 19 impressive minutes.
Martell Webster led the Blazers with 15 points, Brandon Roy had 14 and LeMarcus Aldridge added 13. Flashy Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez, who played for DKV Joventut of the Spanish ACB League the last seven seasons, added six points and five assists in 20 minutes off the bench, in his NBA debut as well.
Donte Green had a game-high 18 points for the Kings, who made a woeful 29 per cent of their field goals (22-of-76) without starters Kevin Martin and Brad Miller, both nursing right quadriceps injuries.
ROCKETS 96, GRIZZLIES 93
Ron Artest, acquired in the off-season from Sacramento, scored 15 points in his Houston debut, while Aaron Brooks added 13, including the go-ahead basket with 16 seconds remaining, helping the Rockets slip past the visiting Grizzlies.
Brooks’ driving layup put the Rockets on top 94-93, and veteran Brent Barry, an off-season pickup from San Antonio, sank two free throws with two seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Houston’s Carl Landry led all scorers with 18 points. Chinese superstar center Yao Ming added 10 points with nine boards in 22 minutes, after sitting out the final third of the season with stress fracture in his left foot.
The Rockets were without starters Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier, both recovering from off-season surgeries.
Hakeem Warrick topped the Grizzlies with 15 points. OJ Mayo, the third overall pick in the draft, made his NBA debut with 14 points.
RAPTORS 104, CAVALIERS 84
Italy’s Andrea Bargnani scored 15 points off the bench, and Jermaine O’Neal added 11 in his Toronto debut as the Raptors took advantage of limited playing time by superstar LeBron James to crush the hosting Cavaliers.
James, who helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, missed all three floor shots and split a pair of free throws in just over eight minutes, before the defending scoring champ watched from the bench as his club was outscored 61-33 in the second half.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers with 16 points while newcomer Mo Williams finished with 12.
MAVERICKS 108, WIZARDS 82
German wunderkind Dirk Nowitzki and Brandon Bass scored 17 points apiece, helping Rick Carlisle make a successful Mavericks’ coaching debut as Dallas walloped the visiting Wizards.
The Wizards’ suffered a much bigger loss when two-time all-star forward Antawn Jamison had to leave after just four minutes with a strained right knee while defending Nowitzki’s drive to the basket.
Andray Blatche had 18 points for the Wizards, who played without three-time all-star guard Gilbert Arenas, recovering from his third knee operation.
JAZZ 99, LAKERS 90
Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap scored 13 points apiece, helping the visiting Jazz beat the Lakers in the teams’ first pre-season outing.
Deron Williams collected 11 points with eight assists for Utah, which was without fellow-gold medal Olympian Carlos Boozer, (sore left hamstring), and Matt Harpring (ankle injury).
Reserves Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum netted 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who were without head coach Phil Jackson (lower leg swelling). Reigning league Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes.
Bynum’s bucket pulled the Lakers within 89-84 with 5:34 to play. However, Kevin Lyde’s basket capped an 8-2 run, as the Jazz opened an 97-86 advantage, with 2:24 remaining.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS