FIBA Basketball
USA - Nocioni hits career-high 30 in defeat
NEW YORK (NBA) - If the United States face Argentina in the latter stages of the FIBA World Championship this summer, Dwyane Wade will know to be ready for Andres Nocioni. The Chicago Bulls Player of the Year scored a career-high 30 points in game
NEW YORK (NBA) - If the United States face Argentina in the latter stages of the FIBA World Championship this summer, Dwyane Wade will know to be ready for Andres Nocioni.
The Chicago Bulls Player of the Year scored a career-high 30 points in game two of their first-round play-off tie with the Miami Heat, but it was not enough as Chicago went down to a 115-108 loss.
Nocioni, who won a gold medal with Argentina at the Olympics, made 13 of 15 shots from the field, including three from beyond the arc, but could not prevent Miami from taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference tie.
That was because of Miami's twin-attack of Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal scored 22 points and blocked three shots as he made the difference at both ends of the floor. Wade had 21 points and seven assists as he again handled the playmaking.
"We need to stop O'Neal, but we need to stop the other guys, too," Nocioni said. "We paid every time because we tried to help take Shaquille O'Neal away."
As with the first game in this series, the Bulls came up with a late surge to give the Heat a scare, but Miami - playing without the injured Alonzo Mourning and the suspended Udonis Haslem - still had enough to win.
Chicago's Kirk Hinrich scored 11 of his 29 points in a 13-2 run that closed the margin to 104-97 with three minutes left, scoring a total of 17 points in the final period.
A three-pointer from Nocioni made it 108-104 with 1:15 remaining, but Wade answered with a leaner in the lane and Gary Payton added two free throws to seal it.
Luol Deng scored 14 points and Ben Gordon added 13 for the Bulls.
Nuggets Clipped
Two more members of the Team USA provisional squad were on display in Monday's other game as Elton Brand as his Los Angeles Clippers edged out Carmelo Anthony's Denver Nuggets 98-87 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Brand had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Clippers, against a disappointing 16 points from Anthony, who got into foul trouble early on.
Cuttino Mobley scored 15 of his 21 points in the decisive first-half as the Clippers went into the locker-room leading 56-34.
Sam Cassell, who provided the leadership for Los Angeles, added 13 points and 11 assists.
PA Sport
The Chicago Bulls Player of the Year scored a career-high 30 points in game two of their first-round play-off tie with the Miami Heat, but it was not enough as Chicago went down to a 115-108 loss.
Nocioni, who won a gold medal with Argentina at the Olympics, made 13 of 15 shots from the field, including three from beyond the arc, but could not prevent Miami from taking a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference tie.
That was because of Miami's twin-attack of Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal scored 22 points and blocked three shots as he made the difference at both ends of the floor. Wade had 21 points and seven assists as he again handled the playmaking.
"We need to stop O'Neal, but we need to stop the other guys, too," Nocioni said. "We paid every time because we tried to help take Shaquille O'Neal away."
As with the first game in this series, the Bulls came up with a late surge to give the Heat a scare, but Miami - playing without the injured Alonzo Mourning and the suspended Udonis Haslem - still had enough to win.
Chicago's Kirk Hinrich scored 11 of his 29 points in a 13-2 run that closed the margin to 104-97 with three minutes left, scoring a total of 17 points in the final period.
A three-pointer from Nocioni made it 108-104 with 1:15 remaining, but Wade answered with a leaner in the lane and Gary Payton added two free throws to seal it.
Luol Deng scored 14 points and Ben Gordon added 13 for the Bulls.
Nuggets Clipped
Two more members of the Team USA provisional squad were on display in Monday's other game as Elton Brand as his Los Angeles Clippers edged out Carmelo Anthony's Denver Nuggets 98-87 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Brand had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Clippers, against a disappointing 16 points from Anthony, who got into foul trouble early on.
Cuttino Mobley scored 15 of his 21 points in the decisive first-half as the Clippers went into the locker-room leading 56-34.
Sam Cassell, who provided the leadership for Los Angeles, added 13 points and 11 assists.
PA Sport