Antawn Jamison scored 27 points to lead the Washington Wizards to a 113-90 win over Chicago on Friday, in a match that had an extra buzz as US President Barack Obama attended the game.
Obama is the first president in almost 10 years to attend a Washington game and it was his first game since being sworn in as the 44th president.
“We wanted to perform well in front of the president,” Jamison said. “The most important thing was getting the win. The energy in the building brought back good memories for us. It was important to come out and play well, get a win, and give a good showing in front of the president. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
PHOTO: AP
“Clearly having the president here and having the buzz from the crowd all led into a feeling that we fed off of,” Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott said.
A native of Chicago, Obama was in attendance to watch his beloved Bulls. However, it was a disappointing showing by his team, who lost for the third time in four games.
Despite a handful of moves at the trade deadline to shake things up, Chicago appeared flat early on, scoring 18 points on seven-of-21 shooting in the first half.
Obama left with more than four minutes remaining, shortly before Washington extended their lead to 20 points at 106-86.
NUGGETS 90, LAKERS 79
In Denver, Colorado, the Nuggets showed they can not be counted out of NBA title race just yet, ending a nine-game losing skid in style with a 90-79 win over the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers.
J.R. Smith scored 22 points in an impressive defensive performance by the Nuggets, who had seen their Northwest Division lead sliced to two-and-a-half games.
The Lakers had their second-worst shooting night since the franchise moved to Los Angeles — 29.8 percent. They were on pace for their worst ever until a layup with 5 seconds left saw them rise above the low-water mark of 29.4 percent set in 2004.
Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, but he needed 31 shots to do it, sinking just 10 of them.
CAVALIERS 97, SPURS 86
In San Antonio, Texas, LeBron James had 30 points and 14 rebounds, helping Cleveland beat San Antonio and bounce back from a miserable game against Houston.
James was 12-of-23 from the floor in only 32 minutes of playing time. He also had four assists after being shutout in that category against the Rockets on Thursday for the first time in his career.
The Cavaliers also lost Ben Wallace to a broken leg against Houston.
Tim Duncan missed a third straight game for San Antonio with a leg injury, but is expected back today.
CELTICS 104, PACERS 99
In Boston, new signing Stephon Marbury scored six points in a tight fourth quarter to help Boston edge Indiana.
The former New York Knicks point guard made a brief, but important appearance just hours after signing with the Celtics.
Ray Allen topped the Celtics’ scoring sheet with 30 points, while Rajon Rondo matched a career high with 17 assists.
PISTONS 93, MAGIC 85
In Orlando, Florida, Detroit snapped their eight-game losing streak with an upset win at Orlando.
Richard Hamilton had 31 points and six assists on his return to the starting lineup for the Pistons, who overcame the absence of star guard Allen Iverson, who sat out the game with a stiff back.
HAWKS 91, HEAT 83
In Atlanta, Georgia, the hosts beat Miami to extend their lead to two-and-a-half games over the Heat.
Joe Johnson scored 24 points, while Al Horford had 21 points and 22 rebounds for the Hawks.
HORNETS 95, BUCKS 94
In New Orleans, Tyson Chandler tipped in a missed shot with 3.3 seconds left to give New Orleans a win over Milwaukee.
The Hornets led by 17 points with four minutes remaining, but Milwaukee rallied to take the lead with 10 seconds left, only to be denied by Chandler.
SUNS 133, RAPTORS 103
In Phoenix, Arizona, Shaquille O’Neal scored 45 points in his biggest scoring game for six years, powering Phoenix over Toronto.
Friday’s other NBA results:
• Trail Blazers 102, T’wolves 82
• 76ers 108, Knicks 103
• Mavericks 110, Thunder 108, OT
• Bobcats 112, Warriors 109
• Kings 98, Clippers 86
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