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The Associated Press reports on last night’s battle of China between Yi Jianlian’s Milwaukee Bucks and Yao Ming’s Houston Rockets:

Yao Ming thinks Yi Jianlian will be a better player than him some day.For now, Yao still is the king of basketball in China.Yao and Yi each had their share of highlights in the much-anticipated first matchup of the country’s greatest player and its top rising star, and Yao’s Houston Rockets beat Yi’s Milwaukee Bucks 104-88 on Friday night.Yao, the five-time All-Star, had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Yi, the 20-year-old rookie, had 19 points and nine rebounds.

My Quick Take: Forget the final score. And disregard the boxsheet, too. The NBA was the unanimous winner in last night’s Bucks-Rockets game by continuing to capture the hearts, minds, and purse strings of the lucrative Asian market.

After all, 19 television stations covered the Yao-Yi duel, beaming this master-student standoff to 200 million Chinese basketball fans. The ratings were huge, especially for the regular season.

Now consider the future. Yao Ming is the NBA’s best center. Last year, the skilled post was having a stellar campaign before sustaining a mid-season injury. This year, his game has taken another step and the re-tooled Rockets are legitimate contenders.

In Milwaukee, Yi has exceeded expectations. The rookie shook off this summer’s controversies and beat established pro Charlie Villanueva for the Bucks’ starting small-forward position. His skill and height reminds fans of another international star, the great Tony Kukic.

Yao and Yi’s on-court future is bright, while their off-court future is bright green for the NBA.

Commissioner Stern gets it. 200 million Chinese citizens watched their favorite stars in a mean-nothing regular season contest. How many would watch Yao and Yi in the playoffs or NBA Finals? And how many would support a Chinese NBDL team or an NBA sponsored league?

Last night’s final score and boxsheet really are irrelevant, when stepping back and considering the possibilities in China. More and more, it appears the future of the NBA is overseas.

Should the NBA expand to China? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (AP) -- Stumped that the Washington Wizards have matched the worst start in franchise history, forward Antawn Jamison came very close to calling Sunday's game a must-win

"Eventually we're going to stop the bleeding, but 'eventually' needs to turn into 'Sunday,''' Jamison said. "In the past it's been, 'Eventually we're going to get it going.' Sunday it needs to happen.''

The Wizards are 0-5, matching the 1966 start of the Baltimore Bullets. A team that has relied so heavily on its offensive firepower for three playoff seasons is now the worst shooting team in the NBA, and spark plug Gilbert Arenas isn't the same because of a knee injury. They'll need a win Sunday at Atlanta to keep from posting the franchise's first-ever 0-6.

"It's very unexpected,'' forward Caron Butler said. "We've got a lot of talent. We've got good chemistry. We've got the same core guys as last year.''

The Wizards were embarrassed on their home court Friday night, losing by 26 to the Denver Nuggets. There were times in the third quarter when it appeared that someone needed to blow the whole roster apart and start all over again. Coach Eddie Jordan's team averaged a turnover per minute in the period, missed 7 of 10 shots and was outscored 33-11.

"The sense of urgency is upon us now,'' said Jordan, who had been heartened by his team's performance in a close loss at New Jersey the night before.

There are various explanations for all the team's ills. Jordan spent more time emphasizing defense during the preseason, so the offense has lacked its usual flow. Certainly Arenas' surgically repaired knee, which has been drained twice in recent weeks, is a major concern.

Whatever the causes, the Wizards suddenly look like a team very unsure of itself.

"We don't have that swagger about us offensively,'' Jamison said. "And that's something I never expected to come out of my mouth, especially dealing with this team.''

Washington started slow last year, going 4-9, but this year's start is exacerbated by the big 0 in the win column. Also, there's a sense that the team might eventually have to start playing for Jordan's job if the losing continues, even though he's the most successful Wizards coach in two decades.

"Guys seem to love Eddie and think he's a great fit for this team,'' Jamison said, "And we definitely don't want to see that happen. I definitely think it's too early for that. I don't foresee it to get to that point, and that would be another couple of months down the road. If that happens, that's guys not doing their job.''

Yao Ming scored a game-high 28 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 104-88 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in his first meeting of the season with Chinese compatriot Yi Jianlian.
Yi, the Bucks' seven-foot rookie, scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

"I know all the people watching in China have a lot to be proud of with the way Yi and Yao played," Bucks coach Larry Krystowiak said after the game, which was televised live in China to an estimated audience of 100 million people.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 26 points.

Tracy McGrady backed up Yao with 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Rockets. Bonzi Wells had 18 points and Shane Battier 15.

Poor shooting hurt the Bucks, who led 25-24 after the first quarter but scored only 16 points in the second to fall behind 50-41 at the half.

They shot less than 40 percent from the floor for the game with Redd only 8 of 22 and center Andrew Bogut making just three of 11 shots.

Yi did his best to keep the Bucks in touch, connecting on a three-pointer midway the fourth quarter to pull Milwaukee within two at 84-82.

But Houston quickly pulled away, scoring 14 consecutive points with Yao finishing the run with three free throws.

Yao was 7 of 16 from the floor and made all 14 free throws. He pulled down six offensive rebounds and four on the defensive end and had three blocked shots.

"When he is establishing that post presence like that, it's tough to beat us," McGrady said.

"We got shooters out there on the perimeter. We got a guy like Bonzi coming off the bench, giving us a spark, grabbing us rebounds. And that 7-6 guy from Shanghai - that's a luxury to have."

Yi finished the game 7 of 12 from the floor and maded three of four free-throw attempts. He had seven defensive rebounds and blocked one shot.

The Boston Celtics won their fourth game in a row, crushing the Atlanta Hawks 106-83 behind Kevin Garnett's 27 points and 19 rebounds. Paul Pierce added 23 for Boston.

Dwight Howard scored 22 points and had 20 rebounds to power the Orlando Magic to a fourth consecutive road win, a 112-102 victory over the New York Knicks.

Chris Bosh scored 24 points, making 16 of 18 free throws, and the Toronto Raptors ended a three-game losing streak with a 105-103 road victory over the Philadephia 76ers. Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 26 points.

Steve Nash had 30 points as the Phoenix Suns scored 106-101 road victory over Miami. Shaquille O'Neal played his best game of the season for the Heat (0-5), scoring 25 points and pulling in 10 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and the Denver Nuggets ended a three-game skid with a 118-92 road victory over the winless Washington Wizards, who lost their fifth in a row.

The Detroit Pistons handed the Los Angeles Clippers their first loss of the season, a 103-79 defeat in Detroit. Chauncey Billups had 23 points for the Pistons.
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Willie Deane, who in the past two seasons, played for the Russian League Club Spartak-Primorie, averaged nearly 17 points and 3 assists a game in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons and led the team from far away Vladivstok to a .500 record last season in the Russian League signs with Lukoil Academic today.

His new agent, Craig McKenzie of Higher Vision Sports AMG, states, “We’ve watched Willie’s progress for a long time and though he was released by the NBA’s Washington Wizards--it says a lot that he got the NBA opportunity. There is no doubt in my mind that with his work ethic he will be known as one of the best point guards in Europe one day soon. He is a very strong and athletic player and has an uncanny way of scoring. More integrally, Willie is a team player.”


Upon being released the player waited a week at home to go through offers. The player only desired to play for either a euroleague or uleb cup team. When Lukoil Academic approached the player the negotiations did not take long. The Player signed a lucrative ULEB CUP play only contract where he can play so long as the Club remains in the ULEB CUP and he has sole option to leave to go to another Club after Lukoil Academic is finished playing in the Cup. The player can also stay to play in the Bulgarian league if he so decides.

"Willie was ready to play right away, so we could not wait on other interested euroleague teams. This contract gives Willie the flexibility to show what he can do and then either win a Bulgarian Championship or move on to another team. I believe he will do quite well," said his agent Craig McKenzie for BulgarianBasket.com.

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (AP) -- For the Orlando Magic, it's right from a terrific trip to a tremendous test.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 20 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 24 points and 10 assists, and the Magic completed a perfect four-game road trip with a 112-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

No time for celebrating, though. The Magic return home to face Phoenix on Saturday night.

"To go on a four-game trip, win them all, it's difficult to do,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's a good accomplishment. It's hard to relax and enjoy it because you have a fairly decent team staring in your face tomorrow night at home that can make you look bad.''

Orlando also won at Washington, Minnesota and Toronto in the first 4-0 road start in franchise history. The Magic never before had four consecutive road wins without a home game in between.

"It's great,'' forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "It will be greater if we win tomorrow, too, and have a couple of days off.''

Turkoglu scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic (5-1), off to their best start since also winning five of their first six in the 2002-03 season. Rashard Lewis also finished with 21.

"I think it's because our team is maturing,'' Howard said. "Everybody coming to practice we work hard, we get in the games, we try to work hard. We know when we're down we stay positive and try to make it up on the defensive end.''

Howard had his first 20-20 game of the season and seventh of his career while outplaying the Knicks' big-man tandem of Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. Curry grabbed only three rebounds.

Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, giving him double-doubles in all four games. Curry and Quentin Richardson each scored 19 points.

"Those guys just hit a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and throughout the game,'' Randolph said. "Rashard hit a couple of 3s back-to-back, got fouled on one. The guy shot well from the field tonight. We didn't execute like we were supposed to. Dwight Howard is an All-Star in this league, a strong, physical player.''

The Knicks were trying to move two games over .500 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. Instead, they turned it over 20 times and fell to 2-2 after their two-game winning streak was snapped.

"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience.''

In a closely played game between teams who believe they've improved, there were 20 lead changes and 11 ties in the first three quarters. Neither club was ahead by more than seven, and Orlando brought a 77-73 lead to the final period.

Curry's three-point play 33 seconds into the quarter cut it to one, but Keyon Dooling answered with a three-point play and Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer for an 83-76 lead.

"We kept playing but we finally started making shots and started getting stops on the defensive end,'' Lewis said. "We were able to pick the lead up.''

Randolph twice brought the Knicks within four, but Turkoglu and Lewis had 3s and Turkoglu had another bucket during a 10-0 spurt that extended Orlando's advantage to 95-81 with 5:29 to go.

Howard grabbed 10 rebounds in the first quarter, which ended in a 28-all tie. The Knicks led 49-48 at halftime.

Notes: Patrick Ewing, the Knicks' career scoring leader, received a loud ovation during a third-quarter timeout. He is in his first season as a Magic assistant, working on Howard's development. "So far it's been great,'' Van Gundy said. "I think obviously in Patrick you're bringing in a guy with incredible credibility, because first of all the career he had and second of all the kind of person he is. Very humble guy, intelligent guy, who I think can really impart to Dwight what he needs to do to become a great player.'' ... Knicks G Jamal Crawford was given the NBA's Community Assist Award for October. Crawford unveiled the "Crawford Library'' at a public school in the Bronx. ... Van Gundy on the Knicks: "They got a lot of talent. Look, when you have a $90 million-plus payroll, you're going to have some guys that can play. Let's not act like it's a miracle. They've got one of the highest payrolls in the league and they're going to put a lot of talent on the floor.'' ... Knicks reserve Jerome James will have surgery on his right foot Monday and is out indefinitely.

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 9 (AP) -- Chauncey Billups and the Detroit Pistons showed another team how it felt to lose their first game.

Billups scored 23 points and Antonio McDyess added 14 Friday night to help Detroit hand the Los Angeles Clippers their first loss, 103-79.

A night after Detroit's first defeat of the season, Billups made five 3-pointers in the second half in a victory that left Boston as the NBA's lone unbeaten team.

"We needed to get that taste out of our mouths from last night; especially against a team that's been going good.'' said Billups, who was 5-for-7 from behind the arc in the third quarter.

Nazr Mohammed came off the bench to score 15 points and Richard Hamilton added 10 and 10 assists.

McDyess, who attempted just four field goals in Thursday's loss, made all seven tries from the floor and scored all 14 points in the first half as the Pistons took command early.

"I knew in warmups I felt pretty good and just kind of transported it to the game,'' McDyess said. "I made the first couple and they just kept coming.

"It was important to play an all-around game tonight to give us some confidence going out on the road.''

The Pistons begin a five-game West Coast road trip Sunday at Seattle. They don't return home until Nov. 21.

Detroit made 15 of its 20 first-quarter field-goal attempts, including three straight during a 9-0 run that gave it the lead for good. The Pistons scored the first 10 points of the second quarter and led by as many as 20 before taking a 59-42 lead to intermission.

"We played pretty focused from the beginning,'' Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "We played with good energy.''

The Pistons outrebounded Los Angeles 53-33.

"They controlled the glass and the tempo of the game and shot the ball really well,'' Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "We didn't have guys make shots.''

The Clippers, who won their first four games, never got closer than 13 in the second half.

Center Chris Kaman, who entered the game leading the league in rebounding, had 25 points but only seven rebounds - almost nine below his 16.5 average - for Los Angeles. Corey Maggette added 19 points.

"We weren't ready to play defensively tonight,'' Kaman said. "It just wasn't our night.''

Sam Cassell, who scored 35 points in Wednesday's victory at Indiana, had only four Friday on 1-for-5 shooting.

The Clippers were without guard Cuttino Mobley, who missed the game after a hip injury against the Pacers. He's expected to miss at least a week.

Notes: Maggette (bruised tailbone), F Ruben Patterson (finger) and G Brevin Knight (back) all played for Los Angeles after being listed as game-time decisions. ... The Clippers were seeking their first 5-0 start since the 1985-86 season. ... Detroit sold out its 187th consecutive game. link

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (AP) -- For the Orlando Magic, it's right from a terrific trip to a tremendous test.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 20 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 24 points and 10 assists, and the Magic completed a perfect four-game road trip with a 112-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

No time for celebrating, though. The Magic return home to face Phoenix on Saturday night.

"To go on a four-game trip, win them all, it's difficult to do,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's a good accomplishment. It's hard to relax and enjoy it because you have a fairly decent team staring in your face tomorrow night at home that can make you look bad.''

Orlando also won at Washington, Minnesota and Toronto in the first 4-0 road start in franchise history. The Magic never before had four consecutive road wins without a home game in between.

"It's great,'' forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "It will be greater if we win tomorrow, too, and have a couple of days off.''

Turkoglu scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic (5-1), off to their best start since also winning five of their first six in the 2002-03 season. Rashard Lewis also finished with 21.

"I think it's because our team is maturing,'' Howard said. "Everybody coming to practice we work hard, we get in the games, we try to work hard. We know when we're down we stay positive and try to make it up on the defensive end.''

Howard had his first 20-20 game of the season and seventh of his career while outplaying the Knicks' big-man tandem of Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. Curry grabbed only three rebounds.

Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, giving him double-doubles in all four games. Curry and Quentin Richardson each scored 19 points.

"Those guys just hit a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and throughout the game,'' Randolph said. "Rashard hit a couple of 3s back-to-back, got fouled on one. The guy shot well from the field tonight. We didn't execute like we were supposed to. Dwight Howard is an All-Star in this league, a strong, physical player.''

The Knicks were trying to move two games over .500 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. Instead, they turned it over 20 times and fell to 2-2 after their two-game winning streak was snapped.

"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience.''

In a closely played game between teams who believe they've improved, there were 20 lead changes and 11 ties in the first three quarters. Neither club was ahead by more than seven, and Orlando brought a 77-73 lead to the final period.

Curry's three-point play 33 seconds into the quarter cut it to one, but Keyon Dooling answered with a three-point play and Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer for an 83-76 lead.

"We kept playing but we finally started making shots and started getting stops on the defensive end,'' Lewis said. "We were able to pick the lead up.''

Randolph twice brought the Knicks within four, but Turkoglu and Lewis had 3s and Turkoglu had another bucket during a 10-0 spurt that extended Orlando's advantage to 95-81 with 5:29 to go.

Howard grabbed 10 rebounds in the first quarter, which ended in a 28-all tie. The Knicks led 49-48 at halftime.

Notes: Patrick Ewing, the Knicks' career scoring leader, received a loud ovation during a third-quarter timeout. He is in his first season as a Magic assistant, working on Howard's development. "So far it's been great,'' Van Gundy said. "I think obviously in Patrick you're bringing in a guy with incredible credibility, because first of all the career he had and second of all the kind of person he is. Very humble guy, intelligent guy, who I think can really impart to Dwight what he needs to do to become a great player.'' ... Knicks G Jamal Crawford was given the NBA's Community Assist Award for October. Crawford unveiled the "Crawford Library'' at a public school in the Bronx. ... Van Gundy on the Knicks: "They got a lot of talent. Look, when you have a $90 million-plus payroll, you're going to have some guys that can play. Let's not act like it's a miracle. They've got one of the highest payrolls in the league and they're going to put a lot of talent on the floor.'' ... Knicks reserve Jerome James will have surgery on his right foot Monday and is out indefinitely.
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PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 9 (AP) -- With a double-digit deficit to make up, the Portland Trail Blazers needed a lift. Brandon Roy and Jarrett Jack gave it to them.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 10 rebounds, Roy had 22 points and eight assists and the Blazers rallied to beat Memphis 100-98 Friday night.

Jack had 17 of his 22 points in the second half for Portland, which shot 51 percent and has won two in a row at home after an 0-3 road trip to open the season.

Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 31 points. Pau Gasol had all of his 19 in the first half.

Kyle Lowry had 14 points for Memphis, Darko Milicic had 10 rebounds and Mike Miller had nine points and seven rebounds.

For the first half the Blazers seemed to be on their way to their fourth consecutive loss to Memphis at the Rose Garden. But they shut down Gasol, who attempted just one shot in the second half, and Roy keyed an 11-0 third quarter rally that all but erased Memphis' 12-point halftime lead. Roy scored 18 in the second half and Jack hit 5 of 6 shots after halftime.

It was pretty much the way Blazers coach Nate McMillan was hoping.

"We want the ball in the hands of our best player,'' McMillan said. "That's what other teams do. In Denver, the ball is in Carmelo (Anthony)'s hands. The Lakers put the ball in Kobe (Bryant)'s hands, and we want Brandon to have it.''

Defense was the difference in the second half and the Grizzlies withered, making just 13 of 41 shots after shooting 50 percent before halftime.

While Portland blanketed Gasol, the Grizzlies didn't do the same to Aldridge, who so impressed the Blazers as a rookie last year that they traded away Zach Randolph to make room for him at power forward. Aldridge showed his range, scoring both down low and on jumpers several feet past the free-throw line. He shot 12-of-20 and made 6-of-7 free throws.

Gasol made eight of his first nine shots, including two free throws at 7:33 in the second, giving Memphis a 40-27 lead. But the Blazers switched to a double-team and neutralized Gasol, who didn't attempt a shot again until the middle of the fourth.

"They got a flow and we were with our hands down, Gasol said. "We should have done the things we did in the first half.''

Memphis took a 12-point lead into the break. Roy, who had just four points in the first half, woke up and led Portland's rally.

"We showed tonight how we are not going to get down on ourselves when we get behind,'' Aldridge said. "When it gets tough, we're going to get tough.''

After Martell Webster knocked in a 3, Roy fed Channing Frye on the break for layup. He then stole the ball on the next possession, converting a three-point play off a give-and-go with Steve Blake. Soon after Roy found Aldridge on a fastbreak for a three-point play that cut the score to 63-62.

Aldridge gave the Blazers their first lead since the first quarter, scoring to make it 86-84 with 7:17 left in the game. Roy scored twice to make it 93-65, but Gay, who was 13-of-24 and carried the load for Memphis in the second half, responded with an immediate 3-pointer.

Aldridge hit a jumper at the top of the key to give the Blazers a 97-90 lead with 3:11 to go.

"They did a good job of taking the ball out of (Gasol's) hands,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said. "The pressure was on other guys to make shots and make plays, so it was a good strategy.''

Blake, who replaced Jack as Portland's starting point guard this week, had eight assists for the Blazers. As the Blazers went with a smaller lineup in the second half, the Blazers paired both Blake and Jack in the backcourt.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies' point guard situation seems in flux, too, with Damon Stoudamire playing just 17 minutes, scoring one point and sitting long stretches.

Backup point guard Lowry ran the Grizzlies' offense for much of the game, scoring 14 points in 30 minutes, and Mike Conley Jr., the fourth overall draft pick, had eight points in 17 minutes.

Notes: Forward James Jones is out indefinitely with knee trouble for the Blazers, coach Nate McMillan said. Jones will stay on the active list though, because Josh McRoberts, Greg Oden and Darius Miles are all injured, too. ... Conley and Oden were teammates at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis and Ohio State. ... Portland outscored Memphis 25-15 in the third quarter. The Blazers had scored 15 points in each of its last three third quarters. link

SEATTLE, Nov. 9 (AP) -- All those who thought Kevin Durant is already out of school haven't been watching the teenage star this week.

The Seattle SuperSonics' second overall draft choice got a lesson Friday night in the ways the NBA is quickly adopting on how to stymie Durant: The more the lanky rookie stays outside, the more an equally tall defender jumps out to keep his nose in the skinny teenager's chest.

Utah defensive whiz Andrei Kirilenko used that approach to hold Durant to 7-for-21 shooting and blocked Durant's attempt at a game-tying shot in the lane with three seconds remaining to help the Utah Jazz hold on to beat the winless SuperSonics 103-101 on Friday night, Seattle's franchise record-tying sixth consecutive loss to begin the season.

"You need to be close to him. I tried to force myself into him, to make contact,'' said Kirilenko, who was named to the NBA's all-defensive team two seasons ago. "In the next few years, when he gains weight, it will be very hard to stop him. Right now, he's a little thin, and it's easier to hold him.''

Carlos Boozer scored the go-ahead basket over Durant on a pick-and-roll with 17.6 seconds left and finished with 27 points -- 22 in the second half. Boozer also had 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double in six games for Utah, which won for the third time in four games and now heads home to face Memphis and Sacramento.

Yet all Boozer wanted to talk about was Kirilenko, who had 11 assists plus 10 points to go with his pestering of Durant. Deron Williams, whose bounce pass led to Boozer's go-ahead shot at the end, also finished 11 assists and had 14 points.

"He was everywhere,'' Boozer said of Kirilenko, who at 6-foot-9 is the same height as Durant. "He made Durant take a tough shot.''

Kirilenko blocked four of Durant's shots. Twice in the third quarter Durant drove under the basket and had his layup stuffed by Kirilenko.

Durant finished with 20 points but is just 10-for-38 from the field in his last two games. For the second consecutive game, he didn't make his initial basket until midway through the second quarter.

Two nights after saying "I hate losing -- period,'' and adding he'd never lost five games in row in his life, the 19-year-old left the locker room without saying a word while flanked by a team spokesman.

Maybe Durant should adopt more of the approach of fellow rookie Jeff Green, though Green's relentlessly slashing style is not the game at which Durant is most comfortable right now.

Green, Seattle's fifth overall pick, had an early career-high 19 points off the bench while fearlessly banging into bigger bodies for the young, remade Sonics, who are starting their 41st and perhaps their final season in Seattle in a way that has many locals wishing they were already gone.

They must defeat rugged, playoff-tested Detroit at home Sunday night to avoid setting a dubious team mark to begin a season.

"They're an excellent basketball team,'' new Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said of Utah. "Hopefully we learned something from them tonight.

Carlesimo was pleased with his team's effort and overall improvement from previous second-half collapses against less-talented Memphis and Sacramento.

"Mostly, we learned something about our team, and it was very good,'' he said. "If we play that well in April, then I'll be proud.''

The Sonics rallied from an 11-point deficit to take an 83-80 lead early in the fourth. Durant hit a runner in the lane while getting fouled, a 3-point play that gave Seattle its first edge since 2-0. But Boozer banged for 11 of Utah's next 20 points to put the Jazz back up 97-93 with 4 minutes left

Durant missed 11 of his first 15 shots before that 3-point play. He began driving inside more, like Green, after that.

"He didn't shoot well at the beginning. If I was in his spot, I would drive more, too. He did right,'' Kirilenko said.

Durant blocked a follow shot by Boozer and then sank a shot in the lane to tie the game at 101 with 1 minute to go. But Boozer answered with his decisive drive at the end.

Note: Jazz coach Jerry Sloan mostly sat in his bench seat and was more quiet than usual -- the result of having a root canal Thursday. ... Carlesimo did not change his lineup, as he had promised. Durant, Chris Wilcox, Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins and Robert Swift started again. He said those promised changes will likely come Sunday against Detroit, when F-C Kurt Thomas (hamstring strain) may be ready to make his Seattle debut. Likely to go: Swift, who was in foul trouble again. The 7-footer finished with no points and four fouls in 17 minutes.


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SACRAMENTO, Nov. 9 (AP) -- Four years after LeBron James made his NBA debut in Arco Arena, he can perform much greater feats with a whole lot less effort.

Back in 2003, the teenage phenom put in a full night of relentless effort in an outstanding first outing. These days, the King of the Eastern Conference can take most of the night off and still flatten the Sacramento Kings.

James rallied the Cavaliers with eight points on a series of dynamic moves in the final 2:57, and Cleveland hung on for a 93-91 victory Friday night.

James finished with 26 points despite seeming to sit back and watch much of the Cavs' fourth game in six nights. He scored just seven points in the first half, and was passive for much of the second until rising up for his late flurry, capped by a beautiful three-point play with 53 seconds left.

"You've just got to seize the moment,'' James said. "For the first three quarters, I didn't force anything. I like to just take what the offense gives me, and I make plays happen. In the fourth, I was able to get some rebounds and force the issue more, and it turned into good things. The team did a great job feeding off me.''

That strategy might not fly in the postseason, but it worked just fine in a November matchup with the scrappy Kings.

Devin Brown had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who treaded dangerously close to a surprising upset loss until James perked up in the fourth stop of a six-game road trip.

But the defending NBA finalists weren't safe until Kevin Martin missed a long jumper at the buzzer. Martin, who had 32 points while making 17 free throws for the Kings, couldn't draw a foul 2 seconds earlier despite apparent contact from Cleveland's Drew Gooden.

"Obviously, not a person in the building didn't think he got fouled,'' Sacramento coach Reggie Theus said. "They had been calling that foul all game. It looked like a foul to me.''

John Salmons and Francisco Garcia each scored 18 points for the 1-4 Kings, who won their home opener Tuesday night despite failing to sell out Arco Arena for the first time since 1999. Another non-sellout crowd still was loud for the return of James, who formally joined the NBA here on Oct. 29, 2003, with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

"We contained him as well as we could,'' Salmons said of James. "But he made some plays down the stretch. That's what he's going to do.''

Brown provided the Cavs' only consistent effort, rebounding aggressively and playing tough defense. After showing up to training camp overweight and only getting playing time because of Larry Hughes' bruised knee, Brown finally feels good about his first season with Cleveland.

"I wasn't playing hard, and wasn't doing anything to help the team,'' Brown said of his recent efforts. "I worked tonight and kept working to get shots, just letting my teammates know I'm ready.''

After trailing for nearly every minute of their first four games, the Kings took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Martin's dunk on a 70-foot football pass from Brad Miller put Sacramento up 78-76 with 6:52 to play.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds, tied it with a putback on an offensive rebound with 2:08 left. James then put the Cavs ahead 88-86 by grabbing a rebound and sprinting past three Kings for a two-handed dunk.

James hit a jumper and a three-point play on the Cavaliers' next two possessions to put them up 93-88, but Salmons converted a three-point play before Damon Jones missed a jumper to give Sacramento one last shot.

After Gooden appeared to foul Martin while the ball went out of bounds, Martin couldn't hit a tough shot from the sideline. Cleveland celebrated while leaving the court in its third straight win over the Kings.

"John defended (James) better than I've ever seen him defended,'' said Martin, who declined to speculate whether he was fouled. "He was in his pocket the whole game.''

The Cavs played their third straight game without Hughes. Veterans Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Eric Snow (sprained left knee) still are inactive, and rookie forward Demetris Nichols didn't dress because of back spasms.

Cleveland won't get any sympathy from the Kings, who still are without their two best players. Guard Mike Bibby is out until at least mid-December with a thumb injury, while forward Ron Artest served the fifth game of his seven-game suspension.

Notes: Martin made his first 10 free throws, finishing 17-of-18. ... Raiders WR Jerry Porter attended the game. ... Sacramento played the first of an NBA rarity: back-to-back home games on consecutive days. The Kings host Minnesota on Saturday night.

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NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 9 (AP) -- Tim Duncan smirked at the notion that Tony Parker needed time to regain his form after sitting out much of the preseason.

"His rhythm's been back. He hasn't lost it. He's been going 100 miles an hour since he's been back,'' Duncan said. "I don't know if he's been breathing hard here and there, but he's been looking good.''

It was hard to argue with that on Friday night, when Parker scored early, often and from all over the court in a 27-point effort that led the San Antonio Spurs to a 97-85 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

After Parker spent the summer playing with the French national team, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich took it easy on his star point guard during training camp and let him sit out the first few preseason games. It appears to have worked.

Parker is the only member of the Spurs to score 15 points or more in each of San Antonio's first six games. He scored a season-high 23 points in San Antonio's victory over Miami on Wednesday, only to surpass it against Chris Paul in New Orleans two nights later.

"Every time you play one of the best point guards it's good motivation,'' Parker said. "But for me personally, I just try to get back in shape, get back in my rhythm, because I didn't play a lot in the preseason and it felt great tonight.''

Duncan made 11 of 14 shots to finish with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Manu Ginobili scored 14 and fellow Argentinian Fabricio Oberto added 13 points to help the Spurs maintain a double-digit lead through most of the second half.

"I just got some shots to fall early,'' Duncan said. "When you do that, things start feeling a little better and those shots don't look as daunting as they do when you miss a couple at the beginning.''

Chris Paul scored 18 to lead New Orleans, which has lost two straight after winning its first four. David West scored 15 points and Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds.

After their impressive start to the season, the Hornets looked at their home date with the defending champs as a chance to measure their improvement from last season, when New Orleans was 0-4 against the Spurs.

"The first quarter was pretty good,'' Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "They just don't take a night off. If you beat them, it's because you were better than them that night. It's not because they gave it to you.''

By the third quarter, it became clear that San Antonio still had the Hornets' number.

The Spurs began to pull away with a 12-2 run led by Ginobili, whose eight points during the surge included a driving scoop shot and a 3-pointer as he was fouled.

Very little was going right for New Orleans, which was struggling even to hit foul shots. The Hornets began turning the ball over as they attempted to force a faster tempo. A particularly demoralizing moment came when Chandler fought for a difficult rebound, only to miss Paul with his outlet pass. Parker ended up with the ball and burst into the lane for a double-clutch reverse layup that made it 64-49.

"We had a hard time executing what we wanted to accomplish out there,'' Chandler said. "A good team like that makes you pay for your small mistakes.''

San Antonio was shooting so well there wasn't much New Orleans could do anyway. The Spurs hit 57.6 percent of their shots through three quarters and led by as much as 21 before taking an 81-63 lead into the final period.

New Orleans, a hot-shooting team through their opening four wins, seemed to have lost their range. They were 4-of-15 shooting on 3-pointers and shot 43.2 percent for the game.

Peja Stojakovic, who hit 10 3-pointers in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, made only one of six shots while guarded by Bruce Bowen, who Popovich credited with suffocating defense.

San Antonio also outrebounded New Orleans 42-37

Parker, who also finished with eight assists, scored 11 of San Antonio's first 21 points, hitting on everything from a driving double-pump scoop in the lane to an open 3-pointer from the corner. He reached 21 points by the end of the second quarter, helping the Spurs erase an early nine-point deficit and go into halftime with a 52-45 lead.

"He's our guy that gets to the basket,'' Duncan said. "He controls the tempo and when he's going like that it makes everything easy for us.''

Notes: Spurs G Brent Barry, who sprained his right ankle diving for a ball during a victory against Miami on Wednesday, did not play. ... New Orleans came in having won only four of its last 20 games against San Antonio. ... Attendance was 15,297, the largest crowd in three games at New Orleans arena since the Hornets returned full-time from their two-year temporary stay in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina.

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MIAMI, Nov. 9 (AP) -- Steve Nash scored 11 straight points in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 to go with eight assists, and the Phoenix Suns added to Miami's season-opening misery by rallying past the Heat 106-101 Friday night.

Leandro Barbosa finished with 17 points, Raja Bell scored 16 and Shawn Marion added 17 points and 24 rebounds for Phoenix, which shot 15-for-33 from 3-point range.

Shaquille O'Neal had season-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which led by as many as 12 points before falling to 0-5. The Heat had a chance to tie with 9 seconds left, but Ricky Davis' 3-pointer bounced off the rim.

Davis and Jason Williams each had 21 points, Williams added 10 assists, and Udonis Haslem finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat.

Phoenix was down by five with 4:53 left when Nash simply took over.

The two-time MVP hit a 3-pointer with 4:30 left, added another in transition a couple minutes later to give the Suns the lead, and added a layup that put the Suns up 101-98.

And after O'Neal - who was 11-for-19 - missed with about 1:30 left, Nash delivered the dagger. His sixth and final 3-pointer of the night sealed his personal 11-0 spurt, gave Phoenix a 104-98 lead and kept Miami out of the win column.

Suns center Amare Stoudemire, who missed the past three games with a sore knee, started and scored nine points before being ejected early in the third quarter.

Phoenix went up 10-2 after the first 2 1/2 minutes, and a blowout looked rather possible. But Miami - the league's lowest-scoring team entering the night - went on its best spurt of the season after that rocky start.

Williams had seven unanswered points in a 44-second span to kickstart what became a 29-11 Miami run over the next 7 1/2 minutes, a burst that ended when O'Neal scored to give the Heat a 31-21 edge.

How stunning was that?

Well, it was the first time all season Miami led by double digits.

Miami matched a franchise record with 17 field goals in the opening quarter, and its 37 points in the first 12 minutes were one shy of what it managed in the first half two nights earlier at San Antonio.

The Heat took a 12-point lead on a layup by Williams midway through the second, but Phoenix rode an 11-point period by Barbosa to close it to 60-55 at intermission.

And 56 seconds into the second half, Miami's lead was gone.

Bell made a 3-pointer, Nash followed with a jumper to knot the game and the Heat called time-out with 10:57 left in the period. It didn't help: Stoudemire's three-point play put Phoenix on top one trip later.

That would be his final highlight of the night. Stoudemire was ejected with 9:20 left in the third for arguing a foul call - drawing his second technical. With him gone, Miami rebuilt its lead to eight points late in the third before settling for an 84-79 edge entering the frantic and final 12 minutes.

Notes: Best miss of the night: All in one motion, Stoudemire grabbed a loose ball away from Alonzo Mourning with 1 second left in the half and threw it 90 feet in a desperate effort to beat the buzzer. The shot hit the backboard, a tad right of the rim. ... It was the first start for Miami forward Penny Hardaway's since late in the 2003-04 season. ... Rory Sparrow, who made the first basket in Heat history, sat courtside. Now a vice president of player development for the NBA, Sparrow presented Dwyane Wade with an award honoring his community service during a brief halftime ceremony.

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets game had a distinctly local flavor for NBA fans in China.

Among the estimated 100 to 200 million TV viewers in China were more than 400 who packed a Beijing bar at breakfast time Saturday to watch a live televised broadcast of Rockets star Yao Ming against Bucks' rookie Yi Jianlian in the Chinese players' first NBA matchup.

"We're here for those two Chinese,'' said Wu Disong, a 27-year-old designer watching the game on a large TV at the Goose and Duck pub. He and other fans ate an American-style breakfast while cheering on Yao and Yi at the NBA-sponsored event.

Millions of others watched at home. National broadcaster China Central Television carried it on its sports channel as did 13 other TV stations and three Web sites, according to the NBA's China subsidiary, NBA China.

"This is the biggest Chinese player rivalry in NBA history,'' sports writer Zhang Qiang wrote in a column on the Web site Sina.com. "This is a good thing for Chinese basketball as well as for the NBA.''

The NBA declined to estimate the audience size, though Chinese sports commentators predicted it would be 100 million to 200 million.

Last season's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears had about 93 million viewers in the United States.

Friday's night matchup and the attention it drew further cemented the NBA's popularity among the Chinese and enhanced the league's drive for a share of China's growing sports market. Heidi Ueberroth, the NBA's president for international business, this past week called the potential audience size "just extraordinary.''

While the NBA has been popular in China for more than a decade, first Yao and now Yi's presence have boosted the sport.

At the Goose and Duck, Shen Xiaolei said he started watching the NBA in 2002 when Yao left the Shanghai Sharks for the Rockets. Now the 24-year-old telephone company worker said he can identify more than 250 NBA players and hosts a blog that features predictions of NBA games.

"I'm excited every time my prediction is close to the actual result,'' Shen said. He expected Yi to give a good performance but that the Rockets would win. In the end, the Rockets won 104-88. Yi had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Yao had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Though Yi drew plenty of cheers, the Rockets were clearly the favorite, with the crowd at the Goose and Duck whooping and applauding every time they scored.

"After all, we've watched Rockets games for longer time so we have deeper affection for the Rockets,'' college student Cathy Cheng said.

Beyond the fun and market potential, the emergence of two Chinese stars in a sport is seen as another sign of China's growing influence worldwide.

"First the economy, now sports,'' said Li Weizhan, a 66-year-old retiree who used to work at a sporting goods retailer.

Liu Jing brought her 4-year-old son, hoping that the Yao-Yi matchup would inspire a love of basketball in him.

"Chinese power is emerging in the NBA,'' wrote Zhang, the sports columnist. "There's no loser in this match. It's glory for Yao and Yi and for Chinese basketball.''

In the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, Ross Siler writes, "The Jazz are expected to send rookie center Kyrylo Fesenko to join the NBA Development League's Utah Flash for the start of training camp today in Orem. Fesenko went home sick from practice Thursday and did not travel for Friday's game against Seattle. As a result, the Jazz will wait to finalize his D-League assignment until today."

In the DETROIT FREE PRESS, Brian Windhorst writes, "It has been reported by several media outlets that free-agent forward Chris Webber would only consider his hometown Detroit Pistons. According to a source close to Webber, though, he would also consider signing with the Cavs if the role was right. The Cavs are depleted in the frontcourt with Anderson Varejao holding out and with Donyell Marshall out with injury. The Cavs have also had some contact with free-agent forward Dale Davis, but currently there are no serious discussions, agent Chubby Wells said."

In the COMMERCIAL APPEAL, Ronald Tillery writes, "Tarence Kinsey did exactly what he's done before each of the Grizzlies' first three games. The second-year swingman took the floor, hoisted shots and worked on his game with assistant coaches. The only difference Friday night was that Kinsey warmed up for a place on the active roster instead of a spot on the bench in street clothes. Kinsey, with veteran forward Stromile Swift, came off the inactive list for the Grizzlies' game against the Portland Trail Blazers; forwards Andre Brown and Hakim Warrick did not dress for the first time."