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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Wesley Johnson was hard-pressed to think of a more memorable shot hes had than his game-winner against Portland. Kent Bazemore lobbed to Johnson for the go-ahead basket with 6.9 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers 107-106 on Monday night. Theyd been practicing that very play. "Its one of them. Its gotta be up there," Johnson said about where the shot ranked. "To pull out the win like we did and fight the whole game, it was a good one." Pau Gasol scored 22 points and the Lakers won their second straight, snapping the Blazers five-game winning streak. Jodie Meeks added 21 points. The Lakers, who led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, pushed the lead to 97-86 in the fourth on MarShon Brooks short jumper. But Nicolas Batums 3-pointer narrowed the gap to 103-101 for the Blazers with 3:37 left before Wesley Matthews fadeaway jumper tied it at 105 with 1:10 left. Damian Lillard hit one of two free throws to give Portland its first lead since the first quarter. But the officials reversed a possession call with 7.1 seconds left, giving the ball to the Lakers. Bazemore pitched to Johnson for the deciding layup and Lillard missed a 3-pointer as time ran out. "These guys are straight up athletes in this league and you can just throw it anywhere around the dash," Bazemore said. "He (Johnson) caught it and could have actually dunked it but went with a safe one." Robin Lopez had 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Batum had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers. Los Angeles was coming off a 126-122 victory at home Friday over Sacramento, which snapped a three-game losing streak. But the Lakers still sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with the Kings. "They were making shots. They were making jumpers. I think we were deflated all the way around," Blazers guard Wesley Matthews said. "Their energy was higher than ours." The Blazers won the first meeting against the Lakers, 114-108 on Dec. 1. Xavier Henry, who had 27 points against the Blazers in December, returned to the Lakers lineup Monday after missing 28 games with a right knee injury, but he was played only sparingly. Coach Mike DAntoni said hed limit Henrys minutes to start. Steve Nash ran through drills on the court before the game but sat out of his eighth straight game after a brief return from a nerve root irritation, which causes him back pain. Earlier in the day at shootaround, DAntoni told reporters he was doubtful Nash would return this season. After the game DAntoni said: "Hes not quite there physically. He tried it and couldnt finish a game so theres really no point in pushing the injury further. Hes just trying to get well and then well see." Nash, who made the trip to Portland, was noncommittal: "Well see how I feel next week and if I get a chance to practice." Nash, 40, has played in 10 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 7.6 points and 4.7 assists. Kobe Bryant was also in Portland, but he has not been medically cleared to play after breaking his left knee in December. The Lakers jumped out to a 31-16 lead in the first quarter, capping a 14-2 run with Meeks dunk. Portland struggled with eight turnovers. Portland closed the gap in the second quarter, pulling to within 45-38 on Batums dish to Lopez for the dunk and a free throw. But Bazemores last-break dunk extended the Lakers lead to 56-47 with 3:27 left in the half. The Lakers led 63-56 at the half. Los Angeles wouldnt let the Blazers get closer than four points and Gasols dunk extended the lead to 82-73 with 2:36 left. Dorell Wright hit two consecutive 3-pointers for Portland to close within 82-79, but Bazemore answered with a 3 for the Lakers. Blazers coach Terry Stotts said he didnt believe his team overlooked the Lakers. "I think its a credit to the Lakers. They sustained their style of play from the very beginning," Stotts said. "They got out in transition, they were aggressive in passing lanes, they forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. They got us on our heels right away. We got back, but I thought what the Lakers did more than anything was they came out and sustained it for the entire game." Notes: Robin Lopez had 13 points in the first half, a new career high. ... The Blazers announced a contest for fans to design a new floor for the Moda Center for the 2014-15 season. ... Portland was coming off a 102-96 victory at home over Denver on Saturday. Adidas Superstar Vita Rosa . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Adidas Superstar Vita Dam .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. http://www.adisuperstarrea.com/adidas-originals-su...-rosa.h tml . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Herr/Dam Outdoor Climacool Boat Lace Skor Svart/Ch...pGrå .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Adidas Superstar East River Rivalry Skor Svart Gul...a Herr/Dam . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The mantra of the New England Patriots when a player gets injured is "next man up." This week that man will be backup linebacker Dane Fletcher. With Brandon Spikes joining three key defenders on injured reserve with a knee injury, Fletcher is likely to see a lot more action when the Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC divisional-playoff game Saturday night. "Everybody has to step up," Fletcher said Tuesday. "Everybodys role kind of increases on defence, especially in the linebacker unit." Spikes, an outstanding run stopper in his fourth season, was placed on injured reserve Monday. That left the Patriots with six linebackers on their 53-man roster, including rookie free agent JaGared Davis, who was signed off the practice squad Tuesday. Two others have played very little on defence. Rookie Steve Beauharnais has one tackle in two games and Chris White has one defensive tackle while being used mostly on special teams. The remaining starters are Donta Hightower and rookie Jamie Collins, a first-round draft choice. Fletcher, a better pass defender than Spikes, has averaged just 14 defensive snaaps in the 15 games hes played, starting just one.dddddddddddd He played more than half the snaps only once, against Denver and Peyton Manning. "Spikes has done a great job this year," safety Devin McCourty said, "being a guy thats been a leader on the defence, a guy thats stepped up and made key plays, I think, like hes always done, but really stepping into a leadership role. But now its next man up and being ready to go." That figures to be Fletcher. "Every play matters. Every second youre in there matters," he said. "It could be one problem play that costs your whole team so you dont want to be that guy. So its just kind of that time of the year where everything amps up in every aspect of the game." New England has played most of the season with three of its best defensive players on injured reserve. Tackle Vince Wilfork played the first four games, tackle Tommy Kelly played the first five and linebacker Jerod Mayo played the first six. The Patriots did well enough without them to earn a first-round bye. But will the latest injury be one too many? "I hope not," McCourty said with a laugh. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '
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