MajorMike
02-08-2007, 01:29 PM
I'm glad we have only 1 game left with NOK and it's here. With Paul and West back, they are gonna be tuff down the stretch.
Mason beats the buzzer as Hornets eye playoff spot
Hornets 114, Nuggets 112 (OT)
By John Rohde
Staff Writer
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070208/capt.dxa10602080456.hornets_nuggets_basketball_dxa 106.jpg
DENVER — Hard as it is to believe, Desmond Mason never has hit the game-winning shot at any time in his stellar basketball career.
That all changed Wednesday night as Mason scored the decisive basket, picking up a loose ball underneath the basket and laying it in just before the buzzer sounded to give the Hornets a 114-112 victory inside the Pepsi Center.
Despite trailing by 10 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Hornets are now 3-0 in overtime games this season.
More significantly, they are just two games out of the No. 7 playoff spot in the Western Conference.
In the game's final sequence, Hornets point guard Chris Paul drove the lane and attempted a 12-foot jumper that was short.
There was a mad scramble underneath for the ball, which Mason eventually snared off the floor and quickly banked in an instant before the final buzzer.
It came as no surprise to Paul that Mason came up with the loose ball.
"Mase is always so active on the glass,” Paul said. "He's just always around the ball. I guess Denver didn't realize it, but someone has to box him out every time.”
Mason finished with a team-high 23 points and had five offensive rebounds.
"That was a big win for us,” Mason said. "To win two of three (on the road trip), that's a good feeling.”
On the same night as Bedlam, former participants Mason and Eduardo Najera had a last-minute tip drill to force overtime.
Najera, an Oklahoma product, tipped in a miss with 38.1 seconds to go in regulation to give Denver a two-point lead.
Mason, an Oklahoma State product, tipped in a miss with 14.6 seconds left to tie the score.
For the second straight game, the Hornets looked lethargic in the first quarter and gave up easy baskets as the Nuggets took a 31-22 lead.
Two nights earlier at Sacramento, the Kings led 40-24 at the end of the first period.
The Hornets fought back and outscored Sacramento in the final three quarters. On Wednesday, the Hornets outscored the Nuggets in the final four periods.
Denver never trailed in regulation. When the Hornets finally took the lead in overtime, it was the first time they led in eight periods.
The Hornets (22-27) host Milwaukee (19-30) tonight at 7 inside the Ford Center.
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/a8/fullj.getty-71797049ge007_hornet_nugg_12_17_27_am.jpg
Mason beats the buzzer as Hornets eye playoff spot
Hornets 114, Nuggets 112 (OT)
By John Rohde
Staff Writer
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070208/capt.dxa10602080456.hornets_nuggets_basketball_dxa 106.jpg
DENVER — Hard as it is to believe, Desmond Mason never has hit the game-winning shot at any time in his stellar basketball career.
That all changed Wednesday night as Mason scored the decisive basket, picking up a loose ball underneath the basket and laying it in just before the buzzer sounded to give the Hornets a 114-112 victory inside the Pepsi Center.
Despite trailing by 10 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Hornets are now 3-0 in overtime games this season.
More significantly, they are just two games out of the No. 7 playoff spot in the Western Conference.
In the game's final sequence, Hornets point guard Chris Paul drove the lane and attempted a 12-foot jumper that was short.
There was a mad scramble underneath for the ball, which Mason eventually snared off the floor and quickly banked in an instant before the final buzzer.
It came as no surprise to Paul that Mason came up with the loose ball.
"Mase is always so active on the glass,” Paul said. "He's just always around the ball. I guess Denver didn't realize it, but someone has to box him out every time.”
Mason finished with a team-high 23 points and had five offensive rebounds.
"That was a big win for us,” Mason said. "To win two of three (on the road trip), that's a good feeling.”
On the same night as Bedlam, former participants Mason and Eduardo Najera had a last-minute tip drill to force overtime.
Najera, an Oklahoma product, tipped in a miss with 38.1 seconds to go in regulation to give Denver a two-point lead.
Mason, an Oklahoma State product, tipped in a miss with 14.6 seconds left to tie the score.
For the second straight game, the Hornets looked lethargic in the first quarter and gave up easy baskets as the Nuggets took a 31-22 lead.
Two nights earlier at Sacramento, the Kings led 40-24 at the end of the first period.
The Hornets fought back and outscored Sacramento in the final three quarters. On Wednesday, the Hornets outscored the Nuggets in the final four periods.
Denver never trailed in regulation. When the Hornets finally took the lead in overtime, it was the first time they led in eight periods.
The Hornets (22-27) host Milwaukee (19-30) tonight at 7 inside the Ford Center.
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/a8/fullj.getty-71797049ge007_hornet_nugg_12_17_27_am.jpg