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Nash Shoots Horrible; Marion Took Up For It


Top Left: Phoenix in their timeout huddle during the 3rd quarter Top Right: Shawn Marion had a big opening night against Dallas
Bottom Left: Josh Howard finishing the one hand slam over Thomas Bottom Right:Devin Harris sending a lob to Howard in the paint
Mavericks Box | Suns Box
PHOENIX, Nov. 1 (Ticker) -- Since the Suns were using a small backcourt, it gave Coach Johnson a chance to try a backcourt of Jason Terry and Devin Harris. The scoring for the game opened with Josh Howard dunking and getting the “and 1” finish. The Mavs continued their great offensive production with Harris and Howard teaming up for some great plays. The Suns got into some early foul trouble which sent the Mavs to the line frequently during the first quarter. However, a certain guy name Shawn Marion stepped up to keep the Suns in the game knocking down 10 of his 24 points in the first quarter.
The Suns opened up the 2nd quarter with a 6-0 run, who dominated the quarter and controlled the flow of the game. Nowitzki’s 19 first half points did pull Dallas back within’ two points at the end of the half as Phoenix led 48-46. “We knew that we had to outscore them for us to win this game and after having a big lead, we let them back in the game.” Coach D’Antonio said. Josh Howard ended up making two consecutive three pointers to tie the game at 54-54 after the first two minutes of the 2nd half. “The 3rd was a very up and down quarter for both sides,” Nowitzki said.
Nowitzki finished the quarter with 30 points and was on fire for the Mavs which was really their only bright spot in the 3rd quarter. Phoenix came out firing on all cylinders with a 10-2 run to start the 4th quarter. Steve Nash was able to keep the pace the whole quarter and was thinking more about dishing the ball than shooting because of his 6-25 field goal performance. After scoring 30 points in the first 3 quarters, Nowitzki was ice cold in the 4th quarter not scoring any points which hurt the Mavs late in the game. "We committed far too many turnovers,“ Coach Johnson said. “We actually played well on offense for most of the game, but we went through stages where we rushed too much and couldn’t control our shot choice. Our defense was what we lacked in." Shawn Marion finished the game with 24 points and 15 rebounds and 8 of the rebounds being offensive.
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Spurs Ring in New Season With Win


Top Left: Duncan going up with the hookshot Top Right: Ginobili taking the tough shot over Lenard and Camby
Bottom Left: Voshon Lenard taking the deep 3-pointer Bottom Right: Kenyon Martin getting ready to throw down the dunk
Nuggets Box | Spurs Box
SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 1 (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs renewed a pair of Opening Night traditions. The Denver Nuggets continued a couple they would like to stop. After receiving their championship rings, the Spurs rode Tony Parker and MVP Tim Duncan to their ninth straight season-opening win, a 93-87 victory over the hard-luck Nuggets. "It was a good win against a very good basketball team, especially after getting the rings," said San Antonio coach Greg Popovich, who improved to 9-0 in openers. "A lot of guys participated and it worked out well."
Prior to the game, the Spurs received rings for their third title in seven years from NBA commissioner David Stern before unveiling their 2005 championship banner. They are favored to repeat as champions following an offseason where they added former All-Stars Finley and Nick Van Exel. Coming off the bench for the first time since his 1995-96 rookie season, Finley felt comfortable. He scored 5 points on just 2-of-4 shooting and came up with some big defensive plays down the stretch. "A lot has changed in the past year, but the game of basketball has remained the same," Finley said. "I have put myself in a position where I am very happy and very comfortable. After watching the team get its rings, I was very emotional. I want one of those. We have such a deep team that my minutes will be limited. I'm prepared to play as much or as little as coach decides."
Duncan dominated the final period as he scored 11 of his teams 16 points. They have not lost a season opener since the 1997 arrival of superstar forward Tim Duncan, who ended up finishing with 26 points and 6 rebounds. "It was a great game all around," Duncan said. "We didn't play as well defensively as we would like to, but we grinded it out." Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points and Kenyon Martin led the team with 22. "If we could have kept some of the intensity we had earlier in the game we would have been all right," Anthony said. "San Antonio is a tough team and this is a tough place to come into and try to steal a game. They give you nothing. They are tough."
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Super Sub Swift Leads Rockets Past Kings


Top Left: Brad Miller contesting Yao's layup Top Right: Tracy McGrady driving into traffic
Bottom Left: McGrady trying to block Peja's jumpshot Bottom Right: Mike Bibby throwing the ball behind his back
Kings Box | Rockets Box
HOUSTON, Nov. 2 (Ticker) -- The Houston Rockets got a huge push off the bench from newcomer Stromile Swift to defeat one of their biggest Western Conference rivals. Swift scored 17 points and added six rebounds in just 20 minutes as the Rockets posted a 122-109 triumph over the Sacramento Kings. Derek Anderson, who collected 17 points and 7 assists, scored five points during an 11-2 burst to open the game as the Rockets took the lead for good leading 43-18 at the end of the first quarter. "We knew the first five minutes of the firstquarter were very crucial," Anderson said. "I think we held them scoreless for about four or five minutes there, and that really started to get us going.”
Newcomer Bonzi Wells had 26 points and 4 rebounds for the Kings. "I just tried to come out and contribute the best way I could,“ Wells said. "Unfortunately, it didn‘t result in a win, but we will just go back to the drawing board and work harder next game.." Peja Stojakovic added 21 points but just six in the 2nd half thanks to the efforts of Tracy McGrady. "Peja was getting a lot of good looks. He was coming off screens, he was hitting cutters," McGrady said. "We finally just started getting up on him..”
Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, who had lost seven of its previous nine matchups against the Kings. The Rockets' bench held a 40-28 scoring edge. "Having that depth is a real key for us," McGrady said. "Those guys come out and not only pick up the intensity, they score as well. Stro did a heckuva job. Wesley’s shooting was outstanding."