Hawks rally from 23 points down, beat 76ers 95-88

The Atlanta Hawks have a new challenge: Do it again. The Hawks, who ended a long playoff drought last season, will try to build on that momentum when they open their season on Wednesday night at the Orlando Magic.

Summaries of Tuesday night’s NBA basketball action.

The Boston Celtics’ first NBA championship banner in 22 years is hanging from the rafters of their arena.

Monday, was the first day high school basketball teams can practice for the 2008-2009 season, and the Spartans have a lot of work to do…a new coach…long-time assistant Travis McRae moves up after three years as junior varsity coach to take over a team trying to replace two players that have moved on to division one college basketball. WJBF News Channel 6’s John Hart has more…

North Carolina already has earned seemingly everyone’s preseason vote as the nation’s top team. It was no surprise then that the Tar Heels are picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

Senior guard D’Andre Bell, who was expected to serve as a starter and team captain, will have season-ending surgery to correct a spinal condition.

Clemson’s 7-foot-2 freshman Catalin Baciu
has been suspended by the NCAA for the season’s first five games
because he played on a pro team in his native Romania five years
ago.

College coaching legend Bob Knight left the door ajar to a return to coaching college basketball during a wide-ranging television interview broadcast Wednesday night.

Grant Hill made an 18-foot jump shot with 5.6 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-100 in a preseason game Wednesday night. Raja Bell scored 18 points and Boris Diaw added 15 points for Phoenix.

Marvin Williams scored 19 points, Josh Smith had 18 and the Atlanta Hawks spoiled Terry Porter’s debut as Phoenix coach, rallying to beat the Suns 100-96 Wednesday night. It was the second victory in two exhibition games for the Hawks, who also defeated Orlando on Monday.

New South Carolina coach Darrin Horn will face nine teams that played in the NCAA tournament last year in his first season with the Gamecocks. Horn and the school announced the schedule Tuesday.

Katie Smith missed almost the entire second quarter because of foul trouble. Cheryl Ford has been out since the summer with a knee injury. And the Detroit Shock had to play in a college gym half the size of their regular home court.