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In the GLOBE AND MAIL, Michael Grange writes “It took nine seconds for the crowd at the Air Canada Centre to turn November into May. It was a long way to overtime in Sunday afternoon's game between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, but that didn't stop the sellout crowd of 19,800 from breaking out the 'Let's go, Raptors' chant, a staple of last year's brief playoff run. Even the Celtics' Kevin Garnett noticed.”

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 – The Indiana Pacers’ Danny Granger and the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Tuesday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 4.

Granger, in winning his first NBA Player of the Week honor, helped the Pacers open the season 3-0 for only the second time in the last 12 seasons by averaging 22.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals. The third-year forward converted half his field goal attempts, including a league-high 10 three-pointers. Granger scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.

McGrady led the Rockets to a 3-0 record, averaging a league-high 32.3 points on .500 shooting. McGrady also dished out 4.7 assists and pulled down 4.3 rebounds. In scoring 47 points at Utah Nov. 1, McGrady broke his own mark for most points by a Houston player against Utah. The Rockets opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 1996 and only the seventh time in team history.

Here is a closer look at the week for Granger and McGrady:

Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
# Oct. 31 vs. Washington: Recorded a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double in Indiana’s 119-110 overtime win. He scored seven of his points in OT.
# Nov. 2 vs. Miami: Tallied 25 points and nine boards in Indiana’s 87-85 victory.
# Nov. 3 @ Memphis: Scored 23 points in the Pacers’ 121-111 win.

Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
# Oct. 30. @ L.A. Lakers: Tallied 30 points, six rebounds and four assists in Houston’s 95-93 win.
# Nov. 1 @ Utah: Poured in 47 points to go with four rebounds and four assists in the Rockets’ 106-95 road victory.
# Nov. 3 vs. Portland: Scored 20 points and dished six assists in an 89-80 win.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Boston’s Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce; Detroit’s Chauncey Billups; New Jersey’s Richard Jefferson; New Orleans’ Chris Paul; Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu; Phoenix’s Shawn Marion and Steve Nash; and San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili.

In the SACRAMENTO BEE, Sam Amick writes “the pick and roll had gone just fine, with Spencer Hawes catching so many passes from Kings assistant coach Randy Brown and finishing with either a layup or one-handed slam. Hawes had the pick and pop down, too, sinking most of his midrange jumpers in a workout before the Kings faced Dallas on Saturday at American Airlines Center. Then, in the clearest of signs the Kings rookie center is feeling like himself and nearing a return from arthroscopic knee surgery in early October, he informed Brown he was ready to score like the best in the game.”

November 05 07
Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune argues that Shaquille O’Neal is finished:

Shaquille O’Neal is done. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sought a buyout after this season, his 16th ... O’Neal didn’t reach double figures in any category in his first two games, shooting 40 percent from the field and 14 percent on free throws. Scouts have commented on his lack of mobility.

"I did what I was supposed to," O’Neal said of passing out of double-teams.

No. Good big men can move and beat double-teams. O’Neal doesn’t seem able to do that anymore. Miami, by the way, lost again Sunday to Charlotte and is on a 16-game losing streak that includes the last two last season, a playoff sweep by the Bulls, an 0-7 mark in exhibitions and an 0-3 to start the season. Dwyane Wade had better be a combination of Jordan and Scottie Pippen when he returns.

My Quick Take: Quitting while you’re ahead isn’t the same as quitting. Miami has opened the season with three straight loses and Shaq looks like he should have quit years ago.

His mobility is gone. His athleticism is gone. His touch is gone. And his conditioning, well, that’s been gone for years, too.

O’Neal, as poorly as he’s played, isn’t hanging-on Evander Holyfield style. He still has value because he commands double-teams from opposing defenses. Throwing the ball inside to Shaq creates open looks for teammates.

And one of those teammates will soon be the great Dwyane Wade. Right now, ’Flash’ is recovering from another injury. The superstar hasn’t played regularly since the 2006 playoffs, when he led Miami to an NBA Title.

With Shaq drawing extra defenders down-low, Wade will have more room to operate. And Miami should become a different team and secure a playoff spot.

But if his reunion with Wade fails, then Shaq should seriously consider quitting. There would be no point in staying on.

Should Shaq retire? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.

November 04 07
The Wilmington News Journal reports on Maurice Cheeks’ status in Philadelphia:

The contract is an issue because 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks is in the final season of his three-year deal, and there isn’t much expected from the Sixers this season. There is no word of an extension, no promises of anything.

My Quick Take: Larry Brown is lurking in the shadows. He has to be. After all, the stage is set for the opportunistic Brown to leave his consultant role with the 76ers and return as Philadelphia’s coach.

Mo Cheeks, the team’s current coach, has no contract for next season. Ownership has no plans to offer an extension, so Cheeks is serving out his final year as a lame-duck sideline boss.

This is a shame. The 76ers aren’t a lost cause. Far from it, in fact. Samuel Dalembert is a solid center, who can anchor a defense with his rebounding and shot-blocking. Andre Miller is a nice, past-first table-setter. And Andre Iguodala, if he signs an extension, will continue impressing with his stat-stuffing game.

They’ve got other pieces: Kyle Korver, Rodney Carney, and Louis Williams. None of this is lost on Brown, who wants to change his legacy after failing in New York.

For now, Cheeks will continue being the good soldier; he has always taken bullets for others. Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Andrew Toney were credited with leading the 1982-83 Sixers to the NBA Title. And Cheeks’ anthem-singing, good guy approach didn’t matter in Portland; the team fired him for the Jail Blazers’ off-court antics.

Things won’t be different this time around with the 76ers. Cheeks and the team will part ways. And the man who hired Cheeks, GM Billy King, may be out of work, too. Expect Brown to recognize the opportunity, step-out of the shadows, and position himself back on Philadelphia’s sideline.

Will Brown replace Cheeks? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.

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CSU Braşov vs BC Mureş 85-90
Rapid Neoset Bucureşti vs BC Argeş Piteşti 85-70
BC Gresiloft Târgovişte vs Gaz Metan Mediaş 68-71
BC Râmnicu-Vâlcea vs U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca 62-78
CS Otopeni vs CSM Leonardo Oradea 98-55
CSU Sibiu vs CSU ASESOFT Ploieşti 70:74
CS Dinamo Gealan Bucureşti - BCM ELBA Timişoara was postponed due to ELBA Timisoara's game in FIBA EuroCup, against BC Dnipro.

Click on the image to zoom in.

Click on the image to zoom in.

Another successful night for the home sides was marred only by Le Mans narrow three points loss to the visiting Aris TT Bank in Group B.
BASKETBALL 2007-2008 EuroLeague Real Madrid-Roma Raúl López y Ukic - 0

GROUP A

Tau Ceramica 98-71 Virtus VidiVicic Bologna

Tau hammered Virtus in a one-sided encounter to extend their home winning streak to 29 matches. Igor Rakocevic starred for the home side with 23 points as the team raced out to a 49-34 half time lead before extending it to 98-60 late in the third quarter. Virtus made a late run but it was for pride only as Tau always looked comfortable.

Union Olimpija 87-78 Olympiacos

Union Olimpija secured their first win of their Euroleague campaign downing Olympiacos in Ljubljana. Despite not being top scorer on the night Miha Zupan was instrumental in the win as he helped them to a 57-54 lead at the half time interval before the side resorted to solid defense to dominate the game in the second half.

GROUP B

Lietuvos Rytas 92-74 Maccabi Elite

Lietuvos Rytas dominated Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv to take the top spot in Group B with a 2-0 win-loss record. Rytas used their solid defense along with outstanding displays from Arturas Jomantas (19 points, six rebounds and six assists), Mindaugas Lukauskis (16 points) and Kenan Barjamovic (12 points) to control the game from start to finish.

Le Mans Sarthe Basket 66-69 Aris TT Bank

Aris TT Bank maintained their unbeaten record this season by out-muscling Le Mans in France. Aris dictated play from the off and had built a solid lead by half time. The home side made a comeback in the final quarter to ensure a tense finish but could not find enough points to secure the win.

GROUP C

Real Madrid 89-83 Lottomactica Roma

Real Madrid joined a three-way tie, with Panathinaikos and Partizan Igokea, at the top of Group C by snatching a thrilling win over Lottomatica in the Spanish capital. Madrid took an early 25-10 lead in the first quarter before Erazem Lorbek and Roko Ukic lead a Roma comeback to tie 81-81 with less than two minutes left on the clock. But Raul Lopez hit a triple before adding free throws to seal the win.

AXA FC Barcelona 82-67 Fenerbahce Ulker

Barcelona picked up their first win of the season convincingly downing Fenerbahce. Barcelona looked to be on course for a rout as they held a 17 point lead early in the second quarter but the visitors rallied through Willie Solomon, returning from injury, and Omer Onan to cut the deficit to just eight points at half time. However, with Jaka Lakovic and Pepe Sanchez on the court Barcelona always looking confident as they held on for the win.

In the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, Rick Bonnell writes “too much, too soon. That is the Suns' hope when it comes to why center Amaré Stoudemire missed Sunday's game. Stoudemire sat out because of stiffness he felt recently in the right knee that underwent a knee scope Oct. 2. Stoudemire had some minimal swelling in recent days, something that did not happen in the days after the surgery to remove a loose body. General Manager Steve Kerr said Stoudemire's return would now be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.”

In the SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL, Ira Winderman writes “the Dwyane Wade Watch is about to turn into actual on-court viewing. Prior to Friday night's game against the Pacers, Heat coach Pat Riley revealed that the All-Star guard has been cleared by team physician Harlan Selesnick to return to full-contact work for the first time since last season. He's been going through practice the last couple of weeks competitively, but not really getting at it. Wade had spoken of needing a full week of contact before returning from his May 15 knee and shoulder surgeries.”

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has had so many buzzer-beaters and 50-point games, he's lost count. When he blocks a dunk attempt - now that's memorable.

The Los Angeles Lakers were leading by seven points midway through the fourth quarter when Bryant made the ultimate defensive stop on Utah's Andrei Kirilenko. The two-time NBA scoring champ then got six of his 33 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to secure a 119-109 victory over the Jazz on Sunday night.

"I really really enjoy that challenge, because it's a mano-a-mano type of thing where somebody challenges you to meet you at the rim,'' Bryant said after his third block of the season and 470th of his career.

"When you have that type of situation, they see that you're not going to take a charge because you're just lining them up. So they know they have to either go over the top of you or go through you. I saw him coming down on the wing, and I just tried to time it and get up there and see if I could catch him. I timed it pretty well.''

Playing their second straight game against a reigning division champion, the Lakers made it two in a row after humbling the Suns 119-98 at Phoenix on Friday night. Bryant was 13-for-19 from the field and fellow guard Derek Fisher added 19 points, including a career-high 13 free throws.

Andrew Bynum had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench before fouling out with 55 seconds to play.

"Andrew's always a little big more reserved and a little bit more shy when he plays, but it looks like he's starting to come out of his shell a little bit,'' Bryant said. "I think having games like this, - particularly against a team like Utah that's very physical - I think it helps out his confidence a lot.''

Deron Williams led Utah with 26 points and Carlos Boozer added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

"We have the talent and strength to do a lot of great things, but we have to put the game on the court,'' Boozer said.

Trailing 82-81 after three quarters, the Lakers pulled ahead 88-82 on Bynum's fast-break dunk and a pair of driving layups by backup point guard Jordan Farmar, the second one resulting in a three-point play with 10:44 remaining. Farmar finished with 12 points.

"Jordan's always had that chip on his shoulder, and I've liked him from day one because of that,'' Bryant said. "He did a fantastic job, and that's what we need him to do. He did it well for us last year and he continues to get better.''

The Lakers built their lead to 109-96 with 3:11 to play, getting a three-point play from Bynum and a pair of baskets by Bryant to help settle the outcome.

"We had a big second half,'' coach Phil Jackson said. "Our second (unit) came off the bench and really gave us a ballgame. There was good energy.''

Fisher missed all seven of his shots in the first half, but made his first three field-goal attempts in the second half and added a pair of free throws that gave the Lakers a 72-71 lead with 3:54 left in the third quarter. Fisher played the final 4:49 after Farmer gave the Lakers the spark they needed at both ends of the court.

Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, which ended with Utah taking a 51-46 lead on a 3-pointer by Williams and a dunk by Kirilenko in the final 39 seconds.

The Lakers led 25-21 after one quarter despite committing eight turnovers in the first 9 minutes. Three of them were by Bryant - two on errant passes and one on a palming violation. Los Angeles finished with 19 turnovers.

Fisher spent last season with the Jazz, playing in all 82 regular-season games. But during the playoffs, his infant daughter Tatum was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her left eye and Fisher left the team temporarily to accompany his wife Candace to New York to meet with a specialist about possible treatment.

Fisher returned to help the Jazz reach the Western Conference finals, then asked the club to release him with three years left on his contract so he could focus on getting his daughter the best medical care. The club complied, and he ended up signing a three-year, $14 million contract with the Lakers - the team he won three NBA titles with during his first eight years in the league.

Notes: The Lakers have removed press row from the floor at the baseline near the home team's bench and replaced it with 15 courtside seats, each of which goes for $2,300 per game. The total season revenue from the extra seats comes to $1,483,500 - including the two extra dates for the preseason Staples Shootout. ... The last time the Jazz played the Lakers at Staples Center, Bryant scored 52 points to fuel a 132-102 victory.

PHOENIX, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Steve Nash scored 30 points and had 10 assists and the Phoenix Suns - playing without Amare Stoudemire - rallied from a 12-point second-quarter deficit and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-92 on Sunday night.

Stoudemire, the Suns' All-Star center, was sidelined because of soreness in his right knee. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee Oct. 2. Coach Mike D'Antoni said Stoudemire was day to day.

Despite Stoudemire's absence, the resilient Suns were able to overcome the Cavs and LeBron James.

Shawn Marion had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns. Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points, and Boris Diaw, who started in place of Stoudemire scored 16. Nash had 22 points in the second half.

James scored 27 points, 21 in the second half, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden each scored 22. Gooden had 14 rebounds and Ilgauskas 13.

The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, who was being guarded by the 6-8 Diaw or 6-9 Brian Skinner, dominated the first half, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds en route to the 150th double-double of his career.

Gooden, also enjoying a two-inch height advantage over Grant Hill, chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Cavaliers to a 45-38 halftime advantage over the cold-shooting Suns. At one point, the Cavaliers led 39-27.

With their huge height advantage, the Cavaliers enjoyed a 35-17 rebounding edge in the first two periods. They also had a 12-1 bulge in second-chance points and a 30-18 margin in points in the paint.

While Ilgauskas and Gooden were manhandling the short-handed and ailing Suns, James didn't join in the fun much. Coming off a 45-point effort against the New York Knicks on Friday night, he was held to six points on 3-of-12 shooting in the half.

Marion was the only bright spot for the Suns, scoring 13 points, including Phoenix's only two 3-pointers.

The rejuvenated Suns picked up the pace in the third period and took a 69-64 lead into the fourth quarter. Nash ignited the comeback with a 3-pointer and finished with 10 points in the period. Phoenix went ahead for good 55-53 on a turnaround bank shot by Diaw.

James also got rolling in the quarter, scoring 11 points, including a tomahawk dunk, but didn't get much help from his teammates and the Cavaliers were outscored 31-19. Nash made sure the Suns didn't lose the lead in the fourth period, scoring 12 points.

Notes: Jerry Colangelo, the founder of the Suns, was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime. ... This was the start of a six-game Western road trip for the Cavaliers. ... The Suns now will go on a four-game Eastern road swing. ... Sasha Pavlovic suited up for the first time this season for Cleveland, after ending his contract holdout. ... Anderson Varejao still has not played for the Cavs because of a contract dispute. ... Cleveland also was missing two other key reserves, both with injuries - Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Eric Snow (sprained left knee).

DENVER, Nov. 4 (AP) -- David West and the New Orleans Hornets made up for their slow starts, something the Denver Nuggets couldn't do.

West missed his first eight shots before settling in and leading the Hornets over the Nuggets 93-88 on Sunday night, sinking two crucial baskets in the fourth quarter to help quash Denver's comeback as the Hornets improved to 3-0.

"On a night when he wasn't making shots he did some other good things for us on the defensive end and rebounding the ball,'' Hornets coach Byron Scott said of his power forward who had 17 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

"It's not always about making shots,'' Scott said. "Sometimes you are going to have to win them ugly. This was one of those games where neither team played particularly well and neither team shot the ball well.''

The teams combined to miss 20 of their first 24 shots.

"Our training camp was all about improving our defense,'' said Chris Paul, who scored 15 points despite shooting 3-of-11 from the floor. "Our defense was a reason we didn't make the playoffs the last two years. We could always score with the best teams in the league. We just couldn't make defensive stops.''

They made plenty of them in crunch time.

"When it got to three minutes left, we realized we were only up by six or so,'' Paul said. "(Tyson) Chandler was screaming at us in the huddle that we don't have to score any more. We have to do it on the defensive end.''

The Nuggets (2-1) haven't started a season with three straight wins since 1985-86.

Paul had 15 points, 11 assists, eight boards and four steals for New Orleans. He sank three of four free throws in the final 29 seconds after the Nuggets trimmed an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to 90-88 on Nene's putback with 46 seconds left.

Allen Iverson scored 23 points for Denver and Carmelo Anthony added 20, but they were a combined 16-for-49 from the field. Marcus Camby pulled down 21 rebounds for the second straight game for the Nuggets.

"Strange game,'' Denver coach George Karl said. "I never thought my team could be as slowed down as much as they slowed us down. We made them miss a lot of shots, had a lot of opportunities to run and no one wanted to run.''

The Hornets did. They outscored Denver 22-11 on fastbreaks.

The Nuggets lost their third point guard when Michael Wilks strained his right hamstring in the second quarter and didn't return. Wilks was re-signed after Denver lost Anthony Carter to a broken right hand and Chucky Atkins to a severe groin strain. Carter is expected to be out four to six weeks and Atkins six to eight weeks. So, Iverson ran the point and logged 46 1/2 minutes.

"It's tough when three of your point guards are injured and not playing and A.I. is playing the point all the time and you also don't have the ability to put another ball-handler on the court,'' Karl said. "And the conditioning of my team is not great. The injuries, the limited minutes on Kenyon (Martin) and Nene.''

Karl said he might put 'Melo at the point, but Anthony said Wilks expects to be back soon.

At one point in the third quarter, the Nuggets' lineup consisted of four forwards and Iverson, and Denver trimmed a nine-point deficit to 71-69 before Chandler outjumped Nene and scored on the putback to give the Hornets a 73-69 lead after the third, and they never trailed in the fourth quarter.

"Our offense was throw-up bad,'' Karl said. "I mean, it was bad.''

West made just 7-of-23 shots for the Hornets, who won their first four a year ago and can match their best start by beating the Lakers on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

Notes: J.R. Smith completed his three-game team suspension and likely will be activated for the Nuggets' return to Madison Square Garden, where he was at the center of the fight. ... New Orleans C Hilton Armstrong missed the game because of a viral infection.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 4 (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons expected Jason Maxiell to provide an undersized post presence off the bench.

They didn't know that Jarvis Hayes was going to do the same thing.

Maxiell and Hayes combined for 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to help the Pistons rally for a 92-91 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night.

"Our bench was great tonight,'' said Chauncey Billups, who hit the game-winning free throw with 1.7 seconds left. "Jarvis was hitting shots and Max was doing everything. He's our energizer.''

Hayes was known as a jump shooter in Washington, but has shown a surprising inside game since joining the Pistons as a free agent.

"I had to pull something out of my bag of tricks to make it here,'' he said. "I knew I could do this.''

Maxiell finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks on a night when the Pistons only had two starters in double figures. Billups finished with 22 points and Richard Hamilton added 21 in his season debut, but Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess combined for just 20 points on 7-for-23 shooting.

"This was Rip's first game, and he's got so much energy that I think we got discombobulated trying to keep up with him,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "He was great, but he missed the last four preseason games and the first two of the regular season, so we had to get used to his energy again.''

Atlanta led by nine points entering the fourth, but trailed by seven with a minute to play before rallying to tie the game.

"That's the best team in the East we played tonight, and we hung in there,'' Atlanta coach and former Pistons assistant Mike Woodson said. "We'll bounce back, but tonight they made the plays down the stretch and we didn't.''

Two 3-pointers by Joe Johnson pulled the Hawks to 89-88 with 40 seconds to go, but Hayes grabbed a key offensive rebound and Billups made it a 3-point game from the line.

Rasheed Wallace then fouled Josh Smith on a desperate 3-point attempt, and Smith hit all three free throws to make it 91-all with 7.7 seconds left.

Billups was fouled by Marvin Williams on a drive to the basket, and hit the first free throw. He missed the second, but Atlanta couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer.

"This was tough, because we fought so hard,'' said Johnson, who led the Hawks with 23. "We were up, but they turned up the pressure and got back in the game. We had a chance, and it was a tough call at the end.''

The Hawks took a 48-45 lead on Williams' long 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. Williams had 13 of his 22 points in the half, while Hamilton scored 14 for Detroit.

Atlanta expanded its edge to 69-60 in the third period, thanks to an eight-point quarter by Johnson.

The Pistons cut the deficit to 73-72 in the first four minutes of the fourth, and the teams traded baskets until Billups put Detroit ahead 78-77 with a fast-break layup with 5:51 to go.

Wallace followed with a jumper as the shot clock expired, but Hamilton fouled out with 4:12 to go.

"Our bench got us back in the game in the fourth quarter, and that let our starters relax,'' Saunders said. "They were able to get their composure, come back in and finish off the game.''

Notes: Hamilton missed the first two games of the season while attending the birth of his son. ... Pistons G Flip Murray made a fourth-quarter free throw despite the distraction of a steam cannon going off behind the basket as he was shooting. The device had been used moments earlier during a performance by the Detroit dance team.

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Jamal Crawford scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the New York Knicks won their home opener for the first time in six years by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-93 Sunday night.

After a loss at Cleveland in their opener, the Knicks finally had something to celebrate thanks to Crawford, who keyed the stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter that allowed New York to build enough of a cushion for the final minutes.

Zach Randolph added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost five straight home openers since beating Washington on Oct. 30, 2001. Stephon Marbury added 17 points and seven assists, and David Lee scored 14 points.

Ryan Gomes scored 19 points for the Timberwolves, who fell to 0-2 in their first season since trading longtime star Kevin Garnett to Boston over the summer. The Wolves had won four in a row and 10 of 12 against New York.

Al Jefferson, also acquired in the Garnett deal, added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was tied at 81 with 7 minutes left before Crawford's jumper gave New York the lead for good. After two free throws by Marbury, Crawford made a pair, then he made another jumper for an 89-81 lead with 5:18 remaining.

Minnesota twice pulled within three and had a chance to tie after calling timeout with 11 seconds left. But Antoine Walker missed a 3-point attempt and Randolph made a clinching free throw with 2.2 seconds to play.

The Knicks were greeted with a supportive sellout crowd. Coach Isiah Thomas received a loud, mixed reception during pregame introductions .

The Wolves started quickly, shooting 59 percent and leading by as many as 10 in the first quarter before settling for a 28-21 advantage. The Knicks turned things around with a sizzling second quarter, shooting 12-of-14 (86 percent) in a 33-point period that sent them to halftime ahead 54-50.

New York opened a four-game homestand. The Knicks host Denver on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the teams since last year's brawl at Madison Square Garden that led to seven suspensions, including a 15-game penalty for Denver's Carmelo Anthony, who led the NBA in scoring at the time.

Notes: Thomas and Minnesota coach Randy Wittman, college teammates for two years at Indiana, shared a pregame hug and chat.

"I'm here as a friend. I haven't seen him in a while and that's kind of all I'm going to indulge in,'' Wittman said. "He's going through some tough times, absolutely, and I just told him he could pick up the phone at any time and call me.'' ... The NBA players weren't the only good athletes at MSG. New York marathon champions Paula Radcliffe and Martin Lel were at the game, as was welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, who takes on Shane Mosley here Saturday.

MIAMI, Nov. 4 (AP) -- For a 10-minute stretch of the final quarter, the Charlotte Bobcats were downright awful, wasting every bit of a 16-point lead and giving the Miami Heat plenty of hope.

Over the final minute, the Bobcats were just about perfect - and made some history in the process.

Jason Richardson scored 29 points and the Bobcats forced two crucial turnovers in the final 37 seconds on the way to beating the Heat 90-88 on Sunday night. For the first time in the franchise's four-year history, the Bobcats are two games over .500.

OK, so it's only 2-0.

To Charlotte, that's worth savoring.

"It feels great,'' said Gerald Wallace, who scored 13 for Charlotte. "A lot of times we've been in big games and we've had the lead and around the fourth quarter they tie the game up, we'd get confused or the team wouldn't know what to do.''

Udonis Haslem scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds for Miami. Shaquille O'Neal scored 17 points for the Heat (0-3), avoiding what would have been the first occurrence of three consecutive single-digit scoring efforts in his career.

That had to be little consolation.

"We're close,'' O'Neal said. "We're still making a lot of silly mistakes, but once we overcome that and learn to play better with each other, we'll be all right. ... But we're close. I wish we wouldn't experiment in these games, but right now, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. So we just have to do a little bit better.''

Raymond Felton added 19 points and Emeka Okafor had a 16-point, 13-rebound effort for Charlotte, which won despite shooting 1-for-13 with six turnovers over the final 10-plus minutes.

"Our inexperience showed a little bit,'' Charlotte coach Sam Vincent said.

The Heat trailed 81-65 with 10:52 left after Ryan Hollins' three-point play, one that had more than a couple Bobcats celebrating both on the court and along the sideline in front of their bench.

But Miami came roaring back.

A 21-5 run over the next 9 minutes - with Dorell Wright scoring nine points, O'Neal adding five and Ricky Davis ending it with a 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining - pulled the Heat into an 86-all tie.

Felton made two free throws with 50.9 seconds left and could have given the Bobcats a four-point lead with 16 seconds left, but his layup was blocked by O'Neal. Miami called time-out with 10 seconds left, but Ricky Davis threw a wayward pass to O'Neal for a turnover with 2.2 seconds remaining.

"Ricky made the right play,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. "He just fired it 9,000 miles an hour.''

Charlotte sealed it with a pair of free throws from Jeff McInnis, and Haslem hit a meaningless jumper at the buzzer. Emeka Okafor finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte. Davis scored 12 and Wright finished with 11 for Miami.

"Sometimes you have to go through those growing pains,'' Richardson said. "We figured it out and we won a game tonight.''

It's the first time O'Neal has been part of three straight season-opening losses, and with a trip coming up Wednesday to San Antonio - where Miami is 1-19 all-time - followed by a home game Friday with Phoenix, things won't get easier anytime soon.

Help is on the way.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade, the 2006 finals MVP, will take part in his first full-contact practice of the season Monday. Wade said he hasn't decided when he'll officially return from offseason knee and shoulder surgeries.

At this rate, he might want to expedite that process.

"We're not going to get down about it,'' Riley said. "We're 0-3. There's no doubt about that. We play San Antonio and Phoenix coming up, so the schedule gets tougher. But we'll go back to work tomorrow.''

Notes: Even with more than a few seats empty - that New England vs. Indianapolis game surely had something to do with the turnout - it was Miami's 100th straight regular-season sellout, four shy of matching the franchise record. ... Heat forward Penny Hardaway's runner in the lane with 3:07 left in the half was his first NBA regular-season basket since Dec. 7, 2005. ... The Bobcats won their third straight against Miami. ... Wallace was shaken up after missing a dunk in the second quarter, clutching his right knee as he fell awkwardly, but returned later in the period.

TORONTO, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Ray Allen made the winning 3-pointer with less than 3 seconds to play, and finished with 33 points in the Boston Celtics' 98-95 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Kevin Garnett scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime and added 13 rebounds, giving him double-doubles in both of his games for Boston this season.

Paul Pierce added 13 points for Boston (2-0), and James Posey had 11. T.J. Ford led Toronto (2-1) with 32 points, and Chris Bosh had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Celtics played without head coach Doc Rivers, who left Toronto early Sunday after his father died in Chicago. Assistant Tom Thibodeau took over for Rivers.

Ford tied it at 95 on a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in overtime, but Allen won it with a 3 from the corner on Boston's final possession.

Allen, who made 11 of 16 shots, passed 17,000 points for his career.

Boston held a 11-point lead after three quarters before Toronto rallied behind Bosh. His basket made it 78-76 with under 1 minute left. Ford tied the game at 78 with a lay-up with 27 seconds left.

Pierce had a chance to win the game in regulation but his jumper from just outside the top of the key went wide, sending the game into overtime.

Allen scored 13 first-quarter points as Boston built a 23-14 lead. The Celtics led 38-31 at the half.

Notes: Toronto forward Joey Graham (strained left quad) was placed on the inactive list before the game. Graham, who is listed as day-to-day, was replaced by forward Jamario Moon. ... Bosh and Andrea Bargnani combined to miss all 12 of their field goal attempts in the first half.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Corey Maggette scored 27 points and Tim Thomas made three 3-pointers during a one-minute span late in the fourth quarter to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 115-101 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday.

Thomas finished with 20 points, Cuttino Mobley added 17 points and Chris Kaman had 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who were coming off a season-opening 120-114 win against Golden State on Friday night. They started out a franchise-record 6-0 at home last year before the Sonics snapped that streak with a 95-85 victory.

Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead Seattle, which is 0-3 for the first time since 1985-86. Durant is averaging 23 points and 36.3 minutes.

The Clippers used Quinton Ross, Mobley and Maggette at different times to try and defend against Durant's perimeter shooting. The rookie was 10-for-19 from the field, hitting three 3-pointers.

The Clippers entered the fourth quarter with a two-point lead and stretched it to 94-82 with 6:60 remaining. Mobley and Dan Dickau drained 3-pointers 31 seconds apart during the 16-6 run, which Mobley capped with a dunk off an offensive rebound. Seattle had only six points in the first 6:12 of the final quarter, all by Wally Szczerbiak, who finished with 13.

Thomas, who set a franchise record last season with 356 3-point baskets, hit his third in a row to make it 109-92 with 2:43 to play and put the game out of reach.

Kaman, who had a career-high 26 points along with 18 rebounds against the Warriors, picked up his third foul with 2:53 left in the second quarter. It forced coach Mike Dunleavy to go with a smaller lineup, and the Sonics capitalized on the 7-foot center's absence by outscoring the Clippers 14-4 the rest of the half and tying the score 52-all. Damien Wilkins capped the rally with a 12-foot running jumper with 1.3 seconds on the clock.

Notes: Seattle's worst start was 0-6 in 1969-70 under player-coach Lenny Wilkens, who would end up as the winningest coach in NBA history. ... P.J. Carlesimo, in his first season as Seattle's coach, spent three with Portland and never started 0-3. But in his three seasons with Golden State, the Warriors opened up 0-9, 0-5 and 0-4. ... Durant, the first freshman honored as national college player of the year, has a chance to become the first player in the Sonics' 41-year history to be named NBA rookie of the year. Gary Payton lost out to New Jersey's Derrick Coleman in 1990-91. ... Seattle C center Nick Collison missed all six shots, playing 23 scoreless minutes with 10 rebounds.