LOS ANGELES -- For three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers tempted the sellout crowd at Staples Center into believing they would pull off one of the most
improbable upsets of the NBA season.
Malik
McDowell Youth Jersey . Then Kevin Durant took over and the Lakers got
sloppy with the ball, turning it into just another loss in a season full of them
for coach Mike DAntonis undermanned squad. Durant scored 19 of his 43 points in
the fourth quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Lakers to a
record-setting seventh straight home loss with a 107-103 victory on Thursday
night. "The easy thing to do is look at it like we didnt have the proper focus.
But Im not going to go there -- because when you play against an NBA team thats
prideful like the Lakers, theyre going to have a good game," Oklahoma City coach
Scott Brooks said. The Thunder have a 1 1/2-game lead on Indiana for the NBAs
best record. Their 43-12 mark equals the best start in the franchises 47-year
history, set by the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics. Oklahoma City is 20-7 without
second-leading scorer Russell Westbrook, who hasnt played since getting a
triple-double on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. Westbrook is recovering
from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. "This whole group, they are
resilient," Durant said. "We persevered through everything and just stayed
together. We had faith no matter what. We are looking forward to having Russell
back and make it seem less of a transition for him." Chris Kaman and
Wesley Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall
added 14 points and 17 assists. The Lakers have lost 22 of their last 27 games
and are tied with Sacramento for last place in the Western Conference. The
Thunder, coming off a 98-95 win against Portland in which they held All-Stars
LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard to a combined 1-for-17 from the field in
the second half, trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter while
Durant missed his first eight attempts from 3-point range. But Durants first
3-pointer of the game cut the Lakers lead to 85-77 in the opening minute of the
fourth, triggering a 15-2 run that enabled Oklahoma City to pull ahead 92-87
with 5:46 to play. "He just continued to play the game and do what he has done
all season," teammate and former Laker Derek Fisher said. "He is one of the best
I have seen in terms if really just playing through anything and everything."
Los Angeles committed seven of its 23 turnovers during the first 4:03 of the
final period, and Fisher tied it at 87-all on a 3-pointer. Durant then stole the
ball from Johnson and hit a driving layup that gave the Thunder their first
lead, 89-87. The five-time All-Star capped the rally with a 3-pointer 32 seconds
later. The Lakers came out of the gate like a team that desperately wanted to
avoid surpassing the franchise record for consecutive home losses they shared
with the 1992-93 squad. They led 54-45 at halftime. "I thought the effort was
terrific," DAntoni said. "They battled the whole game. We ran into a little
rough spot there in the start of the fourth. They got into us and we turned it
over way too many times." Steve Blake made a three-point play after getting
fouled by Jeremy Lamb on an off-balance 20-footer from the left elbow. That put
the Lakers back in front 95-94 with 3:34 left, but Serge Ibakas two free throws
put the Thunder ahead to stay with 2:38 remaining and they closed with an 11-7
run as Fisher and Durant each made two free throws in the final 17 seconds.
Oklahoma City has won eight of its last 12 meetings with the Lakers. DAntoni was
down to eight healthy players, with point guard Steve Nash sitting out because
of a recurrence of root irritation in his back and hamstring. Los Angeles is
still missing five of its top six scorers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol,
Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry. "Its been a crazy year,
and there will still be some turbulence ahead," DAntoni said. "But I think
during these next 29 games we will get honed in and try to get better. The thing
I hope is that with all the effort, they get rewarded for it." NOTES: The
Thunder havent allowed 20 or more points to an opposing player since eight games
ago at Miami on Jan. 29, when they overcame 34 points by LeBron James in a
112-95 win. ... Oklahoma City will come out of the All-Star break with a
six-game homestand beginning next Thursday against the defending NBA champion
Heat. Brooks and his staff will be calling the shots for the Western Conference
All-Stars on Sunday at New Orleans.
Delano
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Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to
playoff winners.
Ethan
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way we wanted it to be done showed that he wanted me to be a part of something
great," Lowry said, noting that Ujiri willingness to sign off on the proposal
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convinced him to return.
http://www.authenticseahawksstoreonline.com/Black-93-Nazair-Jones-Womens-Jersey/ . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under
the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another
veteran.Its been a long and, at times, bumpy road back to the UFC for Andrei
Arlovski. Following a seven-plus year stint that saw the dangerous striker
capture the UFC heavyweight championship, Arlovski opted to part ways with the
worlds largest MMA organization after fulfilling his contract in early 2008. His
strategy was simple in theory, but tough in execution: dispatch the top
heavyweights outside the UFC and return to the negotiating table with increased
bargaining power. Arlovskis new beginning got off to a hot start when he picked
up consecutive knockout victories over Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson.
Unfortunately for the Belarus native, his plan soon took a sharp nose dive.
After a disastrous outing against Fedor Emelianenko in 2009 that saw him swatted
out of mid-air like a fly during an ill-fated flying-knee attempt, Arlovski went
on to lose his next three fights. In MMA youre often only as good as your last
fight and Arlovski had now dropped four straight for the first time in his
career. In the eyes of many, The Pit Bull was done. But Arlovskis fortunes would
change once more, as he returned to the win column with a TKO victory over Ray
Lopez in mid-2011. Since his skid ended hes now netted an impressive 6-1 (1 NC)
record and subsequently earned his way back onto the UFC roster. On the cusp of
his promotional return, Arlovski said his slump was an important learning
experience. “I think everything happens for a reason,” Arlovski said. “Right now
I have a lot of energy and fire in my eyes. Im just ready to fight hard and
train hard. “If youre on top of the world, you have to train even harder than
before because you can lose it in one minute. It was definitely a good life
experience for me. Like I said, I have a lot of energy, Im still young and Im
ready to start everything from the beginning again. “I knew I was going to be
back in the UFC sooner or later. Im very excited its happened now.” Arlovski
gets to reintroduce himself to UFC fans when he battles Brendan Schaub on the
main card of UFC 174 in Vancouver Saturday. The show will be headlined by a
flyweight championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov. Not
only does Arlovski have the opportunity to pick up his first win inside the
octagon since UFC 82 over six years ago, he also aims to knock off a top-15
ranked heavyweight. With Schaub currently sitting in the No. 14 sppot, Arlovski
is determined to send a message to the rest of the weight class.
Malik
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start in my second debut in the UFC and I will do everything possible to beat
Brendan,” Arlovski said. “The best thing about Brendan is that hes in front of
me. Hes top 15 and Im not even top 25. So everybody whos in front of me is a
very important fight for me.” A win over Schaub will certainly put Arlovski back
on track in the ultra-competitive heavyweight division. Though he once wore UFC
gold around his waist, hes not about to get ahead of himself. As much as
Arlovski would love to fight for a belt again, he admits he has his work cut out
for him before he can re-enter the title picture. “One step at a time,” Arlovski
said. “I have to face Brendan Schaub and then afterwards its definitely going to
be up to the UFC (who I fight next). “(The heavyweight division) was tough then
and now its even tougher. Definitely the UFC has the best heavyweights in the
world. Its awesome.” As with most heavyweight tilts, Arlovskis bout with Schaub
carries the potential for a thrilling finish. In 45 combined fights, the two
have only reached the judges scorecards a total of eight times. Though both
fighters have excelled at putting opponents away, theyve also suffered their
share of knockout losses over the years, causing some to question the strength
of their respective chins. Arlovski immediately dismissed the notion, stating
that one top fighter can put another to sleep on any given night. “If you land a
good right, a good kick, or a good punch in the right place, anybody can be
knocked out,” Arlovski said. “I think its all b------- about a weak chin or a
glass chin. Its all about landing a hard punch in the right place. Definitely, I
wont count on Brendan having a weak chin. “Brendan, hes definitely a very tough
fighter. He has good jiu jitsu and is very dangerous on the ground. I just need
to be ready.” Though Arlovski carries no illusions about how quickly a fight can
turn sour, hes also no stranger to dishing out highlight-reel knockouts. If
things go according to plan, hell be adding another to his resume this weekend.
“I think its going to be a very exciting fight for the fans,” he said.
“Especially for Arlovski fans.”
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