NBA Capsules: Nuggets beat Lakers 106-103 in Game 2

LOS ANGELES - Similar game, different ending for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Their 24-year playoff dominance of the Denver Nuggets dissipated over the final 29 seconds of the fourth quarter in the second down-to-the-wire game in the Western Conference finals.

That's when Kenyon Martin hit a layup in traffic and Chauncey Billups made 3 of 4 free throws to give Denver a 106-103 victory in Game 2 on Thursday night to even the series.

"It's going to be a long series," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

It was Denver's first playoff win against Los Angeles since 1985, a span of 11 games, the second-longest postseason winning streak against one team in NBA history.

"There was just a demand that we had to win this game," Karl said. "There was an inner spirit. We're a much more smart, mentally tough team than you look at last year and what we are now. It's a great win."

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, Billups had 27 points and Linas Kleiza added 16 for the Nuggets. Nene finished with six points, nine rebounds and six assists.

"To get one on the road is always tough. We came in and got it," Anthony said. "We're mentally tough and we showed that in this game coming off the loss that we gave away in Game 1."

Anthony twisted his ankle in the game, but he said he would be fine for Game 3 Saturday in Denver.

Kobe Bryant had 32 points, including making all 10 of his free throws, Trevor Ariza scored a career playoff-high 20 points and Pau Gasol had 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who dropped to 7-2 at Staples Center this postseason.

"They have home court advantage now. Now it's time to go to Denver, see if we can do the same," Bryant said. "We're not the best road team in the NBA for no reason."

The Nuggets recovered from poor free throw shooting in a two-point loss in Game 1 to make 17 consecutive foul shots until Billups missed one with 4 seconds remaining. He made the second for the three-point lead.

"I want to kill Chauncey for missing that free throw," Karl said.

Derek Fisher launched a 3-pointer from the right corner that Nene got a piece of as time expired.

"Nene had a great contest," Billups said. "I don't think Fisher got a good chance to get a good look on the shot. Nonetheless, I was down there trying to rebound and trying to get my hands on the ball again, try to get back on that free throw line."

Fisher thought he did get a good look.

"I figured they were going to try to foul to prevent us from shooting a 3," he said. "I got rid of it a little quicker than I probably had to. Definitely don't want to put yourself in a position where you need that kind of shot to try and tie the game."

Tied at 101, Martin made the layup off Nene's assist that gave the Nuggets the lead for good.

Bryant dribbled upcourt and got into traffic, with Nene tipping the ball away to earn a jump ball with 18 seconds left. Gasol controlled the tip to Ariza, but the ball squirted away and Fisher fouled Billups. He made both for a 105-101 lead.

"Looked to me like Anthony pushed on Trevor and Trevor tried to get rid of the ball, and no foul was called and they recovered the basketball," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

Martin then fouled Gasol, who made both before Billups got fouled.

The Lakers were shaky on free throws in the fourth, making 9 of 14, while Denver didn't blink at the line. The Nuggets were 29 of 37, with Billups hitting 13 of 16 and Anthony 10 of 14.

Kleiza's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter gave the Nuggets an 85-82 lead, their first since the game's opening minutes. Billups followed with two free throws and Anthony hit two straight baskets to extend Denver's lead to 91-84.

Bryant missed a jumper, but he came up big on the Lakers' next possession, hitting a 3-pointer with Anthony's hand in his face. Shannon Brown tossed in a 3 and Lamar Odom made two free throws as part of an 11-2 run that put the Lakers back in front 95-93.

Denver regained the lead before Bryant's 3-pointer, again with Anthony guarding closely, tied the game at 99 with 1:59 remaining. Billups made two free throws before Bryant's jumper tied it at 101.

The Lakers led by 14 early in the second quarter. Anthony began a run of 14 consecutive points for the Nuggets to get them to 51-40. They outscored the Lakers 14-2 to get within 55-54 at halftime.

Notes: Anthony became the first Denver player to score at least 30 points in five consecutive playoff games since 1976. He had 39 in Game 1. ... Faces in the crowd included Tom Cruise and his "Top Gun" co-star Val Kilmer, Will Ferrell, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, Adam Levine and Maria Shriver.

LeBron, Cavs get first taste of playoff adversity

CLEVELAND - The 24-second shot clock has been fixed. The Cleveland Cavaliers are next on the repairs-to-do list.

The Orlando Magic caused some extensive collateral damage with their stunning win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

They exposed Cleveland's depth, shredded its defense, snatched home-court advantage and put the NBA's top-seeded team in an unfamiliar position - behind in a series and desperate for a win heading into Game 2 tonight.

"We're looking at it as a must win," MVP LeBron James said before practice on Thursday.

"It's obvious," Cavs guard Mo Williams said, echoing the must-win sentiment. "My grandma knows that. Yeah, it's a must win. Hell yeah."

Behind a torrent of clutch 3-pointers - the winner by Rashard Lewis with 14.7 seconds left - and Dwight Howard's broad shoulders, the Magic muscled their way into Cleveland's noisy arena and rallied for a stunning 107-106 victory that may have altered the perception that the Cavaliers are the team to beat in the postseason.

This is no smoke-and-mirrors Magic act. Orlando is the real deal.

Howard set the tone by busting one of the shot clocks with a vicious dunk in the opening minutes, a we're-here-to-play moment that stunned a Cleveland crowd that later shuffled out of the building wondering what went wrong after seeing the Cavs lose on their home floor for just the third time in 46 games.

After Thursday's practice, Howard, standing near the same basket, was asked if he was done breaking things.

"No," he said, flashing a smile. "Not yet."

Despite the win, the Magic, who beat Philadelphia in the opening round and eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in the conference semis, feel as if they're not being given a chance to win this series and advance to the finals for the first time since 1995.

"I don't even think most of the nation knows that we're in this series," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said after the Magic's light workout at Quicken Loans Arena. "This is the ‘Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James series.' Who they are playing against is incidental.

"It doesn't bother me and I don't think it bothers our guys. That's the way it is. Look, they won 66 games. They swept through two rounds of the playoffs. They've got the most valuable player in the league ... But it doesn't matter.

"The bottom line is this is not the BCS, where people get to vote for who the best teams are. We actually get to play on the court to decide that."

The Magic, a mercurial squad that can dazzle one minute and disappear the next, fell behind by 16 points in the first quarter of Game 1 and were down 15 at halftime. But urged by the fiery Van Gundy, they kept chipping away and fighting, and in the second half their shots began to fall.

Orlando shot 59 percent after halftime, went 7-of-13 on 3s and outscored the Cavs 59-43. Now 9-3 in their last 12 games against Cleveland, the Magic survived an ungodly playoff performance by James (49 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds) to hand the Cavs their first loss in nine postseason games.

James has often maintained that a series doesn't truly begin until one team wins on the road.

So, LeBron, is this one on?

"Yep," he said. "It's already started."

The Cavaliers seemed to have shaken off any shock from the loss when they gathered at their suburban training facility to prepare for Game 2. The mood was typically loose during the portion open to the media.

In the opener, James was bothered by leg cramps in the fourth quarter that became so severe he was forced to call timeout for treatment. He blamed part of his fatigue on the long layoff since the Cavs swept Atlanta, saying it was impossible to replicate the game-day adrenaline rush during practice.

James said he was physically fine and mentally refreshed.

"I hate to lose, so I was sick after the game," he said. "But today is a new day. I'm fine."

With their superstar's shot dropping, the Cavaliers reverted to a bad habit they had seemingly abandoned. During stretches of the second half, James' teammates stood around on offense and watched him. There was little motion, ball movement or strategy.

It was all LeBron, all the time.

The Cavs weren't much better on defense as Howard pounded them inside and Lewis, who went 5-for-5 in the fourth, killed them from the perimeter.

Howard was 14-of-20 (four of his shots were blocked) and Lewis finished 9-of-13, hitting his game-winning jumper with Cleveland's Anderson Varejao charging at him.

"Rashard was the X-factor," said James, who may find himself guarding Lewis in Game 2. "He was huge. He hit every shot in the fourth quarter and every big shot: transition 3s, pull-up 2s, he nailed them."

Orlando now wants to nail down Game 2. The Magic won the series opener at Boston, but didn't bring the same energy the next game and were beaten by 18.

"We can't take this win for granted," Lewis said. "We have to come out more hungry and humble to try and get another one."

If they can, the Magic, who played in the shadows of the Celtics and Cavaliers, will have everyone's attention.

"I think people are starting to recognize that we are a good team, that we are for real and that we are contenders for an NBA championship," Lewis said.

-- Tom Withers

WWE happy to tag Nuggets owner Kroenke as villain

NEW YORK - WWE knows how to conjure up a villain.

Less than 24 hours after announcing it was bolting Denver for Los Angeles because of a scheduling conflict, World Wrestling Entertainment was distributing a promotional image of chairman Vince McMahon and Nuggets and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke. Superimposed above a photo of McMahon smiling beatifically was a halo; a shot of a dour-looking Kroenke had two red horns atop his head.

WWE was still milking the moment Thursday, securing space at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square for a news conference complete with star wrestler Triple H. Giant flat-screen TVs blared WWE highlights and supporters clapped and hollered as McMahon stepped to the podium.

No matter whether Kroenke, an owner who prefers to stay in the shadows, was closely involved in the arena being double-booked for WWE's Monday Night Raw and a Nuggets-Lakers playoff game on the same night. WWE isn't letting this go easily. And Kroenke himself makes a much more appealing target than the faceless entity of his company, Kroenke Sports Enterprises.

McMahon boiled down the dispute to a basic element of human conflict.

"It makes me feel like our organization and all of WWE fans have been disrespected," he said.

McMahon insisted all he wanted was a simple apology from Kroenke.

"Had he called me and said, ‘You know what, Vince, we screwed up. We had your event and I didn't know my team was going to make the playoffs and my management screwed up somehow. I want to apologize to you and I want to make it right in some way,"' McMahon said.

"Had he picked up the phone and called me and said that, I really don't know what I would have done, except I wouldn't have done this."

Kroenke Sports no longer wanted to engage in the debate. But it was too late to stop the publicity machine of WWE, clearly intent on inflicting as much embarrassment on the organization as possible.

"We're not going to fuel the media fire that this guy would like us to," said Kroenke Sports executive vice president Paul Andrews. "We're preparing for basketball games. Whatever he does from here is of no concern."

A lot more people will know who E. Stanley Kroenke is after Monday night, when Raw airs on USA Network from Staples Center, home of the Lakers. WWE plans a parody pitting McMahon's character against Kroenke's.

McMahon never missed a chance to mock Kroenke on Thursday, referring to him as "E period Stan Kroenke" on every mention and seemingly pronouncing his last name differently each time.

"I never trusted anyone with an initial for a first name," he cracked, "and now I know why."

WWE released the copy of a joint news release it said Kroenke Sports wanted to send out, announcing that the two sides had agreed to move Raw to Sunday night at Pepsi Center. McMahon called the wording "absurd" and claimed it doomed negotiations.

Rolling his eyes and sarcastically enunciating choice words, McMahon read aloud a passage.

"By all accounts," the release quoted McMahon as saying, "Mr. Kroenke is one of the most respected professional sports team owners in the world, and the professional way he and his staff good-naturedly handled this conflict gives further testament to the type of business leader he is."

That certainly contradicted the tone of McMahon's public utterings all week, variations of this missive Thursday: "Their business management is the most inept business management we've ever dealt with."

USA Network was happy to pile on to the story line, sending executive vice president Chris McCumber to the news conference.

"I want to encourage all WWE fans to tune in this week," he said, "to stand up, show who you are, show that you can't be pushed around."

-- Rachel Cohen

Pistons star sues former business manager 

HARTFORD, Conn. - Detroit Pistons basketball star Richard Hamilton has filed a federal lawsuit accusing his former business manager, already at the center of recruiting allegations at the University of Connecticut, of stealing about $1 million from him.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District court in eastern Pennsylvania against 34-year-old Josh Nochimson of Glenview, Ill. It accuses Nochimson of using Hamilton's credit card to buy airline flights, game tickets and other items.

It also accuses Nochimson of using 1.4 million of Hamilton's American Express frequent flyer miles; failing to pay back $80,000 lent to Nochimson to repair a Maryland house; improperly transferring at least $3,000 from Hamilton's bank accounts into Nochimson's private account; and writing about $112,000 in unauthorized checks from Hamilton's bank account.

Hamilton is seeking more than $1 million in restitution, but his attorney, Alan Milstein, said the lawsuit is about more than that.

"It's not like Mr. Hamilton is desperate for the money," Milstein said. "Money isn't what's motivating him. It's more just a sense of betrayal and justice."

Hamilton, who is from Coatesville, Pa., filed the action in Pennsylvania because he hired Nochimson there, Milstein said.

Nochimson's attorney, Matthew Leitman, said he has not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it.

Hamilton and Nochimson met at UConn, where Hamilton led the Huskies to a national title in 1999. Nochimson was a student manager for the team.

After Hamilton was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 1999, Nochimson tagged along, becoming his personal assistant. In exchange, Hamilton provided him a place to live, living expenses and experience that Nochimson hoped to use to begin a career in sports management, according to the lawsuit.

Hamilton later agreed to pay Nochimson $25,000 a year, then raised that to $45,000 and finally $50,000, giving Nochimson the title of business manager. As part of that job, Nochimson had access to Hamilton's bank accounts and American Express card to pay Hamilton's bills, the lawsuit said.

Nochimson also ran Hamilton's basketball camps for poor children in Pennsylvania.

"He was a friend, who Mr. Hamilton had placed a lot of trust in," Milstein said.

Hamilton alleges in the lawsuit that Nochimson began stealing from him in 2003, and ran up $85,000 in fraudulent charges between 2005 and 2008.

Milstein said Nochimson is not accused of stealing money from the basketball camps.

Nochimson was accused earlier this year of improperly helping guide basketball recruit Nate Miles to Connecticut by giving him lodging, transportation, meals and representation. The school and the NCAA are investigating those allegations.

Milstein said he doesn't know if Nochimson used Hamilton's credit card to pay for any of those expenses.

"That really doesn't play into this (lawsuit) at all," he said.

He said the credit card bills show "dinners, everything you would see on a normal American Express bill, but there was a lot of travel on there, obviously."

Milstein said Nochimson has told Hamilton that the allegations are true, but also has indicated he is broke.

-- Pat Eaton-Robb

AP source: Wolves tap Kahn to head basketball ops

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Timberwolves hired former Indiana Pacers executive David Kahn to run their basketball operations, four days after being rejected by Portland assistant general manager Tom Penn.

The move was confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday by a person with knowledge of the hire. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement wasn't planned until Friday.

Kahn fills the vacancy created when owner Glen Taylor moved vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale to the bench to replace fired coach Randy Wittman in December.

Taylor had said McHale was not a candidate to return to the front office, but the owner was hoping he would return as coach. McHale has been waiting to see who was hired before deciding on coaching. The person familiar with Kahn's hire said it wasn't clear what McHale will do.

Also unclear is the status of current Wolves GM Jim Stack and assistant GM Fred Hoiberg. Both were considered in-house candidates for the position and have continued to work on evaluating prospects for the NBA draft.

The Timberwolves have the No. 6 lottery pick and two more first-round selections through trades.

The picks, coupled with ample room under the salary cap and a young star in Al Jefferson, gives Kahn plenty to work with as the franchise continues a rebuilding plan that started almost two years ago with the trade of Kevin Garnett.

Kahn worked for the Pacers front office for nearly nine years. He was mostly on the business side, but he played a big role in helping the franchise move to Conseco Fieldhouse in 1999. He served on the NBA's competition committee and was considered an expert in the collective bargaining agreement.

Kahn left the Pacers in 2004 and has been out of the league since. He has been part owner of several NBA Developmental League franchises and also led a group that tried to bring Major League Baseball to Portland, Ore.

The Timberwolves thought they had their man when they offered the job to Penn last weekend. But Penn surprised the team by taking a promotion with the Blazers.

He was the third candidate to withdraw this month, joining San Antonio's Dennis Lindsey and former Miami Heat GM Randy Pfund. Kahn came at the recommendation of commissioner David Stern and interviewed for the position this month.

As the search dragged on, Timberwolves players were starting to wonder when it was going to happen. Rookie Kevin Love said last week that it was "a little weird, not knowing who we turn to next year to make the decisions."

Forward Mark Madsen was glad to finally have the matter settled.

"It comes at a timely moment with the draft coming up," Madsen said Thursday in a phone interview from Utah. "It's a great step for the direction of our franchise."

The hire comes with some concerns, though.

Kahn's Southwest Basketball LLC owned the Fort Worth Flyers and three other NBDL franchises. When the Flyers moved to Nevada, they left a trail of unpaid bills that resulted in several lawsuits.

Local investor Gary Walker filed a breach of contract lawsuit seeking more than $80,000, while the city of Fort Worth said it was owed $25,000 in back rent.

Walker lost his initial case against Southwest Basketball LLC and is planning to file an appeal.

"Unpaid bills and unfulfilled promises," Walker told The Associated Press. "It was kind of a bad deal."

A spokesman for the city of Fort Worth said the sides settled their lawsuit just before the case was set to go before a judge.

Local advertising firm Concussion helped launch an ad campaign for the team when it arrived in Fort Worth, and CEO Allan Wallach complained of slow payments for those services even a year after the contract expired.

In a story that appeared in the Forth Worth Business Press in 2007 after the Flyers announced plans to leave town, Wallach called Kahn's ownership group "typical carpetbaggers, they took advantage of a number of local businesses and flew the coop."

In an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday, Wallach said Concussion and Southwest Basketball LLC have settled the litigation to the company's satisfaction.

"I have no opinion of Mr. Kahn and have tried to erase the experience from my memory," Wallach wrote.

Kahn was unavailable for comment on the matters on Thursday. He will be introduced at a news conference on Friday.

-- Jon Krawczynski

Cassell retires, joins Wizards coaching staff

WASHINGTON - Sam Cassell, who won three NBA titles in a 15-season career, announced his retirement as a player Thursday and immediately joined the coaching staff of the Washington Wizards.

Cassell and Randy Wittman, the former head coach of Cleveland and Minnesota, were hired as assistants to new Wizards coach Flip Saunders.

"After 15 seasons playing in this league, I have accomplished all that I have dreamed of as a player," Cassell said. "Now the time has come for to me to take my love for the game to the coaching ranks and pass on what I've learned. This team is loaded with talent, and it's a great way for me to start my coaching career."

Cassell played in 993 regular season games for eight teams, averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 assists. He won championships with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995 and the Boston Celtics in 2008. He made his only appearance in the All-Star game in 2004, the same season he reached the Western Conference finals with the Timberwolves under Saunders.

His former coach had been discussing the job with Cassell even before he accepted the Wizards job in April.

"I always regarded Sam as a coach on the floor during his playing days," Saunders said. "And he brings instant credibility as a three-time NBA champion and a proven winner."

Wittman and Cassell are the replacements for Randy Ayers and Phil Hubbard, who were assistants under fired coach Eddie Jordan and interim coach Ed Tapscott. Assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. remains on the staff, while Dave Hopla is not expected to return.

Wittman coached the Timberwolves for nearly two seasons before he was fired in December 2008. He coached the Cavaliers from 1999-2001 and has been an assistant with three other teams.

Bulls GM Forman: Top goal re-signing Gordon

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Re-signing guard Ben Gordon will be the top priority of new Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman heading into the offseason.

Forman met with reporters on Thursday, a day after being promoted to his new position, and he said he believes Gordon wants to stay in Chicago.

"There's still a lot of steps until we get to that point," Forman added.

Gordon, who becomes a free agent on July 1, played a key role in the Bulls' impressive performance against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics won the seven-game series that featured four overtime games.

Forman replaced John Paxson, who will remain with the Bulls as executive vice president of basketball operations. Forman is in charge of day-to-day basketball decisions, while Paxson will deal mostly with long-term organizational planning and talent evaluation.

Forman was on several college coaching staffs before joining the Bulls as a scout after the 1997-98 season.

"One thing I can tell you about Gar is that in the time we've worked together he's very organized, very detailed," Paxson said. "Growing up in basketball, he has coached and scouted and has very, very good eyes for talent and evaluation."

Paxson has been criticized for some of the decisions he made as general manager from 2003 to 2009. A trade he made last year, however, helped the team solidify around overall No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose.

John Salmons and Brad Miller were acquired from Sacramento for Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons.

"Our goal is going to be to bring back the core of this roster, this playoff roster for next season," Forman said.

Paxson, a guard on the Bulls' championship teams from 1991-93, replaced Jerry Krause as general manager in 2003. He drafted Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and acquired Luol Deng in a trade with Phoenix.

"I'm still going to be here, a big part of the organization - I'm not going anywhere," he said.