NEW ORLEANS -- One car rear-ends another on a Saturday night. People argue. It escalates.Ten or so gunshots later, one driver is dead and the other waits nervously to give his side of the story to police.Conflicts settled by gunfire are tragically common in New Orleans but there was nothing routine about this one: the dead man was retired football player Will Smith, a star on the 2006 Saints team that help lift the stricken citys spirits with a winning season after Hurricane Katrina, and on the team that won the franchises only Super Bowl three seasons later.The accused is a 29-year-old former semiprofessional football player named Cardell Hayes. The owner of a tow-truck company and the father of a 5-year-old son, Hayes is described by friends as soft-spoken, even-tempered -- hardly the type to erupt into a lethal road rage. His attorney has been laying the groundwork for a self-defense argument ahead of a trial that opens Monday, but he may face an added burden in Smiths local popularity and national renown.Will Smith obviously was a beloved member of the New Orleans community, Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said in a recent interview. And thats going to make the defense of this case all the more difficult.Smiths shooting death is strangely similar to that of Joe McKnight, another former NFL player who was shot and killed just last Thursday in a New Orleans suburb after a road rage incident on a nearby bridge spiraled out of control. The man authorities identified as the shooter in that case -- Ronald Gasser -- has been released from custody with no charges as the investigation continues.Hayes has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Smiths death. Conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Hes also charged with attempted second-degree murder in the wounding of Smiths wife, who was shot in the legs. Hes been jailed since the April shooting, unable to make the $1.75 million bond.Snippets of surveillance video from near the scene, police statements plus testimony from pre-trial hearings paint this picture of what happened on April 9:Smith, his wife and two friends left a restaurant in New Orleans Lower Garden District and were heading downtown on Magazine Street. At one point Smiths SUV appeared to bump the rear of a Hummer that had come to a stop on the street.Rather than stop, Smith swerved his SUV around the Hummer and continued downtown. Moments later, the Hummer hit Smiths SUV from behind, shattering the rear window and pushing it into the rear of another car -- in which more friends of Smith were riding.Who the aggressors were in the ensuing conflict will be at issue in the trial. Hayes acknowledged to at least one police officer that he was armed when he got out of his vehicle. He said he was accosted by an unarmed Smith and others, and that Smith struck him, although police said there were no obvious signs of injury.The first officer to approach the scene after the crash was an off-duty rookie who had been at a nearby bar. Christopher McGaw has testified that he approached the scene as the argument grew more heated, ducked for cover when gunshots rang out, then approached again, finding Smith slumped across the front seat of his car, one hand extended toward the glove box.What was I supposed to do? Hayes is heard asking McGaw, on a recording of a 911 call McGaw had placed at the scene.Why Smith drove away from the scene of the first, apparently minor accident; whether Hayes intentionally rammed Smiths vehicle moments later; whether Smith was reaching for a gun when he was shot to death -- all are issues that will likely be addressed at trial.On the side of the defense is a toxicology report showing that Smith was legally drunk at the time of his death. Other factors Ciolino cited: The fact that Will Smith was, by some reports, so loud and belligerent; the fact that the forensic evidence, arguably could support that Will Smith was reaching for a gun.Smith had returned to his SUV when he was shot and police said there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help the defense argument that Hayes shot in self-defense, Ciolino said. But its an argument that could be blunted by the fact that Smith was shot eight times -- seven in the back, one in the side -- Ciolino added.Prosecutors also have made much of the fact that Hayess Hummer had hit Smiths SUV from behind so hard that the rear window shattered.Another odd twist in the case: A friend of Smiths who wound up at the scene the night of the shooting is William Ceravolo, a retired New Orleans police officer who had dined with the Smiths before the accident. Ceravolo was among six officers sued by Hayes after police killed his father, Anthony Hayes, in December 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011, and terms were confidential. Authentic Calgary Flames Jerseys . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. 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Redick scored 18 points for the Clippers (9-1), who have the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles shot 52.6 percent and outscored the Timberwolves 21-10 in transition.Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Ricky Rubio had seven points, six assists and six rebounds in his return from a five-game absence for Minnesota. Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points, but shot just 8 of 24.The Clippers are off to their best start in franchise history.SPURS 106, ROCKETS 100HOUSTON -- Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points to lead San Antonio over Houston.The Spurs avenged a 101-99 loss to the Rockets in San Antonio on Wednesday night and improved to 5-0 on the road, where they have outscored opponents by an average of 12.8 points.James Harden had a triple-double for a second straight game against the Spurs, finishing with 25 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, but also added seven costly turnovers. A deep 3-pointer by Eric Gordon cut the lead to four with 2 minutes remaining, but Houston struggled to make stops down the stretch.Gordon scored 27 points off the bench, going 7 of 12 on 3-pointers.Houston attempted 47 3s in the game, making 15 (31.9 percent).RAPTORS 118, KNICKS 107TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points, Norman Powell added 19 and Toronto beat New York for the fourth straight time.DeRozan, the NBAs leading scorer, had his eighth 30-plus-point game in nine starts this season, putting him in an exclusive club. In the last 50 years, Michael Jordan, World B. Free and Tiny Archibald have started a season registering 30-plus points in eight of the first nine games.Carmelo Anthony had 31 points, while Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose had 21 apiece for New York.Kyle Lowry, who finished with 16 points, put the Raptors up by four with 1:41 to play on a driving layup, and Lucas Nogueira had two straight blocks on Anthony and then Rose to put Toronto in control.JAZZ 102, HEAT 91MIAMI -- Gordon Hayward scored 25 points, Rodney Hood added 17 and Utah handed Miami a fourth consecutive loss.Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Utah, which used a 15-0 run midway through the game to pull away. Shelvin Mack scored 12 for Utah, while former Heat forward Joe Johnson and Dante Exum each added 10.Hassan Whiteside had 15 points and 14 rebounds for Miami. James Johnson scored 15 points, Rodney McGruder added 14 and Josh Richardson finished with 12.Utah was without George Hill (right thumb) and Boris Diaw (right knee) again, then lost Derrick Favors to left knee soreness in the first quarter. But a night after holding Orlando to 74 points, the Jazz limited Miami to 59 through three quarters.At 2-6, Miami is off to its worst start since 2007-08.CELTICS 105, PACCERS 99INDIANAPOLIS -- Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, including Bostons final eight, and the Celtics beat Indiana.ddddddddddddThomas had just four points through 34 minutes, the scored 19 over the final 14 minutes. He hit several clutch shots to keep Indiana at bay and iced the game at the foul line in the final 30 seconds.Kelly Olynyk scored 16 for the Celtics, playing the first of two straight road games. Amir Johnson had 14 points and nine rebounds, while Avery Bradley had 13 points and five assists.Jeff Teague led Indiana with 20 points. Myles Turner scored 17 and Monta Ellis had 15 in the Pacers first home loss of the season.Indiana played without leading scorer Paul George, who sprained his left ankle in overtime of its 109-105 loss at Philadelphia on Friday.HAWKS 117, 76ERS 96ATLANTA -- Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points, Kent Bazemore added 17 and Atlanta won its fourth straight game.Dwight Howard, the NBAs active leader in double-doubles, had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks.Jahlil Okafor finished with 18 points for the Sixers, who dropped to 1-8 a night after earning their first win.Despite playing with a depleted roster, Philadelphia kept it close until late, pulling within two with 3:50 left in the third. But Howards follow dunk gave the Hawks an 84-74 lead and Kyle Korvers 3-pointer on the ensuing possession matched the 10-point advantage in the closing minutes of the period.LAKERS 126, PELICANS 99NEW ORLEANS -- Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points, Lou Williams added 21, and Los Angeles won for the fifth time in six games, beating New Orleans.DAngelo Russell scored 22 and Nick Young added 15 points for the Lakers, who shot 55.3 percent (52 of 94) overall and made 16 of 30 3-pointers.Anthony Davis scored 34 for New Orleans, but left the game for a pivotal stretch with apparent lower back pain after his layup had cut Los Angeles lead to 63-62 in the third quarter. Davis went to the locker room and was out of the game for four-plus minutes while the Lakers went on a 14-0 run.New Orleans never recovered.Rookie Buddy Hield scored 18 points for the Pelicans.BULLS 106, WIZARDS 95CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler scored 37 points, and Chicago beat short-handed Washington.Butler did all he could to carry the Bulls on a night when the Wizards were missing star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.Butler finished two points shy of his season high. He hit all 14 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season-high nine assists.Nikola Mirotic added 17 points. Dwyane Wade scored 14. Taj Gibson chipped in with 13 points. The Bulls won back-to-back games for the first time since a 3-0 start, but forward Doug McDermott exited with a concussion early in the fourth quarter.Markieff Morris had a season-high 24 points after scoring 20 the previous night. Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 14 rebounds. 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