Results tagged “vincecarter”

For basketball fans in New York, the upcoming NBA season is really all about next year. July 1, 2010, to be precise; the exact moment when free agents like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh hit the market. It’s a strange year because you won’t have much to root for and apart from a few core players; the Knicks and Nets will be willing to trade away players in exchange for cap space next summer. And don’t forget Knicks’ fans, former GM Isiah Thomas traded away the 2010 number one pick for Stephon Marbury, so the draft lottery isn’t a possibility.

The Nets have made a bold move hours before the NBA draft, agreeing to trade Vince Carter to Orlando for three players. The move sets the Nets up to be a major force in the 2010 free agent frenzy. In addition to Carter, the Magic will receive Ryan Anderson. In return the Nets receive Rafer Alston (a Jamaica, Queens native), Tony Battie and Courtney Lee. Alston, who is known as "Skip to My Lou" for his streetball skills, and Battie are free agents after the upcoming season; meaning New Jersey has cleared about $18 million of their cap after 2010. Combine this trade with the approval by the MTA of the revised Atlantic Yards deal and it is clear the Nets will be doing everything they can to get LeBron James to come and join them in Brooklyn.

• Boston Bruins 1 Rangers 0: A good effort wasn't enough for the Blue Shirts, who were blanked by the Bruins in Boston. The lone goal was a "weird" one 9 minutes 4 seconds in—the NY Times described, "Blake Wheeler followed through on a slap shot at the blue line, striking the puck while it was on end. The shot sliced through the air at a diagonal pitch and swerved between the pads of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist." The Rangers are currently 8th in the Eastern conference; if they remain there, they'll face the Bruins in the playoffs.
• Devils 3 Buffalo Sabres 2: The Devils got their second win in a row by keeping their 3-0 lead, in spite of Buffalo charging back with two goals in the third period. Zach Parise scored his Devils-leading 44th goal of the season and Martin Brodeur got his 555th win.
• Islanders 3 Tampa Bay Lightning 1: The Isles scored 23 seconds into the game and the kept the momentum throughout the meeting. Goals game from Richard Park, Radek Martinek (the game-winner, during a second period power play) and Josh Bailey. Of course, the Islanders' and Tampa Bay's meeting was notable because the two teams, along with the Colorado Avalanche, are in contention for the worst record in the league—and a number 1 draft pick.
• Toronto 102, Knicks 95: Well, it's official. The Knicks have been mathematically eliminated from any possibility of sneaking into the playoffs this year. The Raptors beat them last night amidst a run of their own to try and avoid the same—Toronto's won six in a row to keep themselves just barely alive. Al Harrington and Chris Duhon each scored 22 points; the Knicks are sure ending the year on a whimper, having lost 10 of the last 11.
• Chicago 103, Nets 95: The Nets made a late run and took the lead with just under three minutes left after trailing throughout. But the team went cold down the stretch and didn't get much from Vince Carter, who went two-for-ten while playing with a sore left Achilles tendon he injured during a Friday practice. Carter is expected to play against the 76ers today, as the Nets do whatever they can to hold off joining the Knicks in making their absence from the playoffs official. Brooke Lopez put up 20 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.

“It’s just unacceptable,” said Vince Carter. Enough said. The Nets lost a 108-99 decision to the lowly Timberwolves, losers of seven straight. Remember that the Nets are theoretically in the playoff hunt and this loss becomes a lot more distressing. The Wolves had lost 18 of 20. Carter had 36 points, but he was basically a one-man show. Devin Harris had four turnovers to go with his 19.

• Kings 121, Knicks 94: The circus isn't in town yet, but Madison Square Garden already stinks — the Knicks were blown out at home for the second game in a row. Friday night, it was the Western Conference doormat Kings, who were searching for their first win against a Eastern Conference team, that gave the Knicks a drubbing. The game was ugly from the start, with the Kings jumping out to a 15-0 lead and the Knicks missing their first nine shots. All the starters for Sacramento scored in double digits with Kevin Martin leading the way with 30. Nate Robinson led the Knicks with 19 points in the loss. Al Harrington, the Knicks' leading scorer was out with a sore Achilles. It's hard to believe that just a week ago, this team was playing well and had playoff hopes.
• Nets, 96, Heat 88: Who needs Devin Harris? With the All-Star guard sitting out another game due to injury, Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Nets to their second straight game, scoring a career high 18 points. NBA scoring leader Dwayne Wade, who sat out the Heat's previous loss, had 27 points in the loss. Vince Carter narrowly missed a triple double with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The Nets are now two games behind Chicago for the final playoff spot.
• Devils 4, Wild 0: Martin Brodeur had no problem winning his 553rd game as he and the Devils blanked Minnesota. The win put Brodeur closer to yet another record — the shutout record currently held by Terry Sawchuk, with 103 shutouts.
• Hurricanes 5, Islanders 4: Four 2nd period goals weren't enough for the last place Islanders to beat Carolina. Chad Larose scored the go ahead goal for Carolina with 4:21 left in the game.

      

• Nets 115, Knicks 89: Want a sign that Coach Mike D'Antoni is upset with the Knicks? How about some playing time for Demetris Nichols and Cheikh Samb, two players on 10-day contracts? In the second and third quarters, the Nets lit up the scoreboard for 70 points -- they made 16 of 22 shots in the third -- and they did all this without All-Star Devin Harris. Vince Carter had 29. Keyon Dooling, starting in place of Harris, had 17 points. After a disastrous four-game swing through the west, the Nets got the final game of this road trip in the win column. Despite wearing green St. Patrick's Day uniforms a day late, the Knicks had no luck, making two of 15 three pointers. Al Harrington had 21 points.
• Hurricanes 4, Devils 2: Even Martin Brodeur needs a day off every once in a while. He had started 10 consecutive games since returning from his biceps injury -- and set the NHL wins record in the process. Kevin Weekes is no Martin Brodeur. Who could blame the Devils for being emotionally drained after celebrating their goaltender Tuesday in New Jersey and then traveling to Raleigh, N.C., for a game the next night? Zach Parise and Brian Gionta had the goals in the loss.

Every day brings more bad news for the Nets, losers of 12 of 16 after a 121-96 loss to Denver on Monday. Devin Harris didn't play with a sprained shoulder, and Sean Williams got arrested for allegedly staring an altercation at a Denver area cell-phone dealer. Nice. The Nets lost the four games of this five-game road trip against Western Conference teams. They play the Knicks on Wednesday. The Nets now trail New York by half a game and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, two games out of a playoff spot.

• Cavaliers 98, Knicks 93: Only the Lakers have beaten the Cavaliers in Cleveland this year. So the Knicks didn't have that great a chance of knocking the LeBron James gang's home record to 28-2. The tough part about this game? James, who had three triple-doubles in his past four games, didn't even play that well. He had 19 points but only shot three free throws and went 9-of-17 from the floor. Al Harrington's 26 wasn't enough for the Knicks. Nate Robinson had 20 but went 1-for-5 from 3-point range.
• Clippers 107, Nets 105: Normally losing to the Clippers is bad enough. But losing on a last-second 3-pointer after seeing an All-Star point guard leave the game just adds injury to insult. Devin Harris departed with a sprained shoulder and not even Vince Carter's 41 points could save them. The Nets have lost 11 of 15.
• Rangers 4, Flyers 1: What struggling power play? The Rangers entered this contest having converted on zero of their previous 12 man-advantages. Playing the Flyers for the second straight day, the Rangers got power-play four goals, including two from Sean Avery in eight chances. Avery also drew two penalties. As Avery continues to get under the skin of opponents, he keeps making the Rangers better.
• Islanders 4,Blackhawks 2: How about Peter Mannino? He made 40 saves in his first NHL start to give the Islanders another win. Mark Streit scored twice on the power play.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Not Enough in Cleveland"

Devin Harris had 35 points for New Jersey while Vince Carter added 25. David Lee had another double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead New York.

• Devils 3, Flyers 0: Martin Brodeur is eager to make up for lost time on his march toward records. Sunday's win over the Flyers saw the goaltending legend pick up his second shutout in three games since returning from a biceps injury. That means he has 100 of them in the regular season, three shy of Terry Sawchuk’s mark of 103. He is four victories shy of tying Patrick Roy for the all-time lead in that category. Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Gionta and Johnny Oduya had the Devils' goals.
• Hornets 99, Nets 96: Devin Harris had 26 points and 14 assists, but his six turnovers proved critical in this loss. The Nets held a one-point lead with a minute to go, but Harris had his pocked picked by Chris Paul in a play that led to the go-ahead basket. The Nets, who had their two-game winning streak snapped, also got 26 from Vince Carter.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Shutout No. 100"

• Knicks 127, Raptors 97: Nate Robinson is calling it the "funnest basketball of his career." Luckily his on-court skill exceeds his grammatical ability. He had 26 to go along with a career-high 32 from Wilson Chandler and a measly 24 from David Lee. The Knicks never trailed, led by as many as 38 and have now equaled last season's win total of 23. They did all this with Chris Wilcox dressed but on the bench. Larry Hughes was in street clothes and ineligible to play since the players sent to Chicago have yet to clear their physicals. The two teams meet again Sunday in Toronto.
• Wizards 107, Nets 96: Things are not as rosy for the Nets. They lost to the lowly Wizards one day after making no moves at the trade deadline. Vince Carter, too expensive to swap, had 17 points. Devin Harris had 26 points and 10 assists. For reference, Washington improved to 13-42 with the win. The Nets aren't world-beaters, but they should take care of the Wizards at home.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: A Blowout for the Knicks"

Robinson had 32 points including the tying shot in regulation and the first six Knicks’ points in overtime. The 5’9” guard also pulled down ten rebounds. David Lee and Al Harrington both added double-doubles.

• Spurs 108, Nets 93: The Spurs have the Nets' number, that much is clear. Tuesday's win was the 13th straight by San Antonio over New Jersey. Brook Lopez can feel good about his 18 points, but he did allow Tim Duncan to dominate the game to the tune of 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Matt Bonner's mini explosion to start the third quarter took much of the suspense out of this one. Vince Carter had 25 points and Devin Harris had 21.
• Warriors 144, Knicks 127: Teams should not score 127 points in regulation and lose. But that didn't happen with the Knicks on Tuesday. They allowed the most points in any NBA game this season en route to their fifth straight loss. Don Nelson plus Mike D'Anonti will always equal a shootout. Al Harrington had 22 in the first-half but just 24 overall in his return to Golden State.
• Kings 4, Islanders 3 (SO): Yann Danis got beat once in the shootout, but that was one time too many. The Islanders blew leads of 2-1 and 3-2. At least the Kings are as hot as any team in the NHL. Doug Weight, Tim Jackman and Andy Hilbert scored for the home team.

The Rangers were lucky to even be in a position to tie the game because Atlanta had a shot to score on an empty net and missed. But, New York’s luck ran out in the shootout when Henrik Lundqvist looked very ordinary and let in two goals and the Rangers only scored one.

• Hawks 105, Nets 88: At one point this game was tied at 61. Then the Hawks backcourt took off. Devin Harris (20 points) and Vince Carter (18 points) combined to make only 11 of 31 shots. Joe Johnson (an All-Star) and Mike Bibby did their work well. Even Atlanta's Flip Murry had 23 points. Just as the Nets seemed as if they were making progress, they have stumbled again. This was their eighth loss in nine games and third straight.
• Devils 4, Penguins 3 (OT): Break up the Devils! Or at least take away Jamie Langenbrunner. He has scored overtime winners in two straight games. He also tied the game with 31 seconds left in regulation. The Penguins are probably seeing him in their sleep. The Devils trailed by two at the 8:01 mark, but Brendan Shanahan scored on the ppwer play to bring it to one. Pittsburgh finished with only 16 shots. Announcer Mike Emrick was honored before the game.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Nets Grounded vs. Hawks"

• Buffalo 2 Rangers 1 (Shootout): You almost wonder if the Rangers should have Henrik Lundqvist in net every shootout. To be fair, that sells Stephen Valiquette short. Valiquette was wonderful in net stopping 33 shots, but Ryan Miller was better. Miller stopped 44 shots and sent the game to a shootout. And that’s where the Sabres scored and the Rangers didn’t, sending New York to their first shootout loss this season.
• Milwaukee 104 Nets 102: Bobby Simmons had a huge three-pointer to tie the game with time running out, but the Bucks weren’t done. Luke Ridnour scored as time ran out to give Milwaukee the win. Vince Carter had 23 points and 14 assists in the loss.

• Rangers 4, Penguins 0: Most things that didn't work during a recent slump clicked Monday at the Garden. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots, got his first shutout of the season and became the fifth NHL goalie to start a career with four seasons of 20 or more wins. The Rangers converted on two power-play opportunities -- they went 1-for-17 during their 1-3-1 stretch entering this game -- and came up with a big win. Goals from Nigel Dawes, Paul Mara, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez helped the Rangers regain first place, but they have played more games than the Flyers and the Devils.
• Nets 98, Kings 90: Yep, that's what an 8-27 team looks like. The Nets have to be worried about Devin Harris, who sat out the second half after aggravating an injury. But at least they can smile at Vince Carter's 29 and Yi Jianlian's 22. The Kings led at the 5:21 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Nets woke up in time. Harris, who missed Saturday's game against Miami, will need to feel better if his team is going to be competitive against teams better than the Kings.
• Oilers 3, Islanders 2: This quote from Andrew Cogliano, who scored the go-ahead goal for the Oilers, sums up the Islanders' state of affairs. “We just couldn’t lose this game. When a team comes in the way they did, you have to win it.” The Islanders held a 2-0 lead at one point, but that vanished into the wind.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Power in Power Play"

• Heat 101, Nets 96 (OT): For the second night in a row, the Nets played an overtime game. This time, however, the Nets were unable pull out the victory. Leading Nets scoring and assists leader Devin Harris sat out the game with a sore hamstring. Harris' replacement Keyon Dooling led the Nets with 23 points, including a shot to force overtime, and Vince Carter added 20 points in the losing effort. The Heat, who were playing without Shawn Marion, trailed by 16 points in the first quarter and were led by Dwyane Wade with 29 points. The win by the Heat was their biggest comeback win of the season.
• Capitals 2, Rangers 1: Things were tied with the 2nd period coming to an end before Caps winger Alex Ovechkin broke that tie. Ovechkin scored with 32 seconds left on a shorthanded goal, beating Steve Valiquette. The goal proved to be the difference.
• St. John's 71, Notre Dame 65: The Redmen Storm upset the #7 Irish in Coach Norm Roberts' biggest win of his career at St. John's.
• Sharks 5, Islanders 3: The Islanders were out shot by the Sharks 47-24 in the loss.

• Pistons 83, Nets 75: This wasn't a good game for North Carolina products. Vince Carter got ejected in the second quarter, and Detroit's Rasheed Wallace didn't play in the second half after hurting his foot. If Carter hadn't argued, the Nets may have had a fighting chance. Richard Hamilton missed the game, leaving the Pistons short-handed. Alas, their run at the end came up short as Allen Iverson took the home team on his shoulders. Brooke Lopez had 23 points and 12 rebounds. Devin Harris poured in 19. There's always next year.
• Islanders 4, Panthers 2: Doug Weight didn't get his 1,000th career point. But Mike Comrie did score twice and the Islanders bid adieu to Uniondale -- for a while, at least -- with a nice win over the Panthers. After giving up a goal at the tail end of the first period, the Islanders struck for four straight. Weight had an assist on one of Comrie's goals. Sean Bergenheim and Mark Streit also scored. The Islanders now visit Phoenix, San Jose, Edmonton and Calgary.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Something to Improve Upon"

• Rangers 3 Carolina 2 (Shootout): The Rangers rebounded nicely from Friday’s debacle, but the biggest events of the night occurred off the ice. Matt Sundin spent the night in a luxury box watching the game as part of a promotional event, but he has a meeting with Glen Sather at some point in the near future. Will the Rangers add Sundin to the mix? It remains to be seen, but they did just fine Saturday with Chris Drury winning the shootout with a nice backhand.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Rebounding"