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STAT SHEET STUFFER
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 Gerald Wallace had missed the Bobcats' last six games with a wrist injury. He returned in style to the tune of 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks. Wallace also sank five 3-pointers in Charlotte's 108-95 home win over the Knicks.
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RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
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 Salim Stoudamire has scored 49 points and sunk seven treys in 59 minutes over the last two games. With 3-pointers hard to come by, a marksman of Salim's caliber is definitely a good pick-up.
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GAME OF THE NIGHT
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The Clippers trailed the Raptors by eight with six minutes to go. But then Los Angeles reeled off a 10-0 run and took its first lead of the night on an Elton Brand jumper with 2:17 left. Three Toronto points later, Chris Kaman hit a hook shot with only 51 ticks left to give the Clippers the lead for good. The 103-100 win gives Los Angeles its best start ever at 9-2, and marks the third straight game that three Clippers have reached the 20-point plateau. Corey Maggette scored 30 points, Sam Cassell had 26 to go with nine assists, and Brand tallied 21 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks to give him five straight games with at least 20 points and 10 boards.
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QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
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"When we need a stop, when we need a rebound - that all comes down to mental toughness. ... If they sold mental toughness in a store, I would purchase it for everybody. But they don't. It has to come from within."
- Boston's Paul Pierce after Wednesday's close loss to the Hawks.
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STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT
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 1. Welcome to the Win Column
The Hawks were 0-9 and the lone winless team in the NBA coming into Wednesday's action, but they scored in bunches and played solid defense down the stretch in a 120-117 home win over the Celtics. Al Harrington scored 34 points and Zaza Pachulia tallied 19 to with 13 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.
 2. Remember Me?
It looked as if New Jersey had acquired Shareef Abdur-Rahim via a sign-and-trade this offseason. But Abdur-Rahim failed his Nets' physical, his new contract was voided, and he later signed with Sacramento. Shareef had the opportunity to face his would-be teammates on Wednesday, and contributed in the Kings' 114-105 home win over New Jersey with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes.
 3. A Tale of Two Conferences
With their 108-97 home win over the Sixers on Wednesday, the Bucks improved to 6-4 on the season. Curiously though, Milwaukee has yet to lose a game to an Eastern Conference opponent, going 5-0 in those games, and has struggled mightily against the Western Conference with a 1-4 mark. Michael Redd, who scored 32 against Philadelphia, has averaged almost 10 more points per game against the East (30.8) than he has against the West (21.2).
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ROOKIE WATCH
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 Chris Paul had another strong game, scoring 19 of his 21 points in the second half as his Hornets turned a 12-point halftime deficit into an 84-80 win over the visiting Timberwolves. Paul hit a 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining to break a tie and put his team up for good. He added nine rebounds and eight assists for good measure.
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COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
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 The Magic were without Steve Francis (bruised ribs from a Saturday car accident), but Jameer Nelson was able to provide the clutch hoops down the stretch. Nelson's layup with 1:57 left put Orlando up 11; then, after Washington reeled off seven straight points, Nelson iced it on a layup with 31.6 seconds to go. The Magic closed out a 91-83 win behind Nelson's clutch play.
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SCOREBOARD: Nov. 23, 2005 |
AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE
