Batista Scores 34 For Uruguay In Win Over Puerto Rico

Esteban Batista had 34 points and 15 rebounds for Uruguay, which survived a wild final few seconds for an 82-79 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday night in the FIBA tournament.

Uruguay rallied behind their big man to overcome a 48-29 halftime deficit, taking the lead for good on the 6-foot-10 Batista's second straight rebound basket that made it 78-76 with 1:02 left.

Via AP

General Basketball, Atlanta Hawks

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Hawks Exercise Options On Marvin Williams And Shelden Williams

The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the contract options for the 2008-09 season on forward Marvin Williams and forward/center Shelden Williams, it was announced today by Executive VP/General Manager Billy Knight. Per team policy, financial terms were not disclosed.

Via RealGM Staff Report

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Josh Smith: "Nothing Gets In The Way Of Winning"

Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks has been training in Houston this summer and is optimistic about his upcoming season.

"I think that people are going to be surprised at how well my body and my game will look when I first come in," said Smith. "I wanted to stay at a certain size, a weight I was comfortable with. And I'm feeling more comfortable with my game offensively and defensively, than I ever have before. I'm at 235 [pounds] right now and I was like 245 or 240 part of last year and then I went down to 235. But I think that's all a part of your confidence. And when you have that in this game, I think the sky is the limit for you."

Smith has had several issues with head coach Mike Woodson, but he believes things will be fine between the two.

"Woody and I are fine," said Smith. "I'm coming into training camp not worried about anything. I know I'm going to be more focused. Woody and I have talked through all our differences, and it just won't be an issue for the upcoming season. But I want to win so bad that I won't let anything stand in the way of that. Nothing gets in the way of winning."

Via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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