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BOSTON -- Charlottes Al Jefferson got his usual nice round of applause from Boston fans during pregame introductions. Then he showed why they liked him so much when he wore green. Jefferson was a tough matchup for Bostons inside players, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the Bobcats to an 89-83 win Wednesday night that snapped the Celtics four-game winning streak. In his second game back after missing five straight with a bruised right ankle, Bostons 2004 first-round pick helped Charlotte hold off a few late charges by the Celtics. Jefferson, who was taken 15th overall by the Celtics and played three seasons in Boston, was part of the deal in the summer of 2007 that brought Kevin Garnett to the Celtics from Minnesota. "Hes an elite low-post scorer and hes a much, much better defender than I had realized," Bobcats first-year coach Steve Clifford said of Jefferson. "But the thing thats coming through now as you watch him is his competitiveness. He badly wants to win." Gerald Henderson had 13 points, Jeff Taylor 12 and Anthony Tolliver had 11 for Charlotte, which ended a two-game skid. Jefferson said it was the first time hes been on a team that beat the Celtics. "A long time coming," he said. "Been so close many times." Jefferson feels like hes just getting his game back after being sidelined. "I still missed a lot of shots I normally would make," he said of his 8-for-17 shooting. "Ive got to get in better shape. I know theres a reason that Im not in top shape. Thats the only bad thing about getting hurt in the beginning of the year." Jeff Green paced Boston with 19 points and Jordan Crawford had 16 points and six assists. "We made some runs, but I never felt like that game -- you sit over there and Ive been through not a lot of NBA games, but a lot of basketball games, and there are certain games where you feel like the other team has got you in a little bit of a stranglehold," Boston first-year coach Brad Stevens said. "Thats the way it was. They had their way for most of the night." Both teams were without key big men. Celtics forward Jared Sullinger was out with a bruised right knee and Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts missed the game for personal reasons. Hes expected to play Friday when Charlotte is at Cleveland. It was Cliffords second game back after having two stents placed in his heart last week. One of the biggest ovations of the night came when free-agent first baseman Mike Napoli, a member of the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox, was shown on the Jumbotron in the opening quarter. He was seated at courtside, left at halftime and returned late in the third quarter to another nice hand from the fans seated nearby. The Bobcats led 71-64 after three quarters. Boston twice closed it to three midway into the fourth before Tolliver nailed a shot-clock beating 3 with 5:37 to play. Neither team scored for the next 2 minutes before Jeffersons short jumper pushed the Bobcats ahead by six with 2:36 left. Green then converted a three-point play, getting Boston within 85-80 with 1:26 to go, but the Celtics struggled to score after missing 12 of their first 16 shots in the final quarter. Crawfords three-point play closed it to 85-83 with 32.5 seconds left, but Jefferson had a putback off Kemba Walkers miss to seal it. But Crawford felt like the Bobcats just played harder for most of the night. "They beat us with effort. They beat us to all the loose balls and rebounds," he said. "Its not really (a game) to throw away. Its one to look at to see where we can get better. We just started off slow and couldnt get any loose balls." Charlotte led 51-43 at halftime. The start of the third quarter was filled with whistles and sloppy play, taking away any energy from the crowd. Boston narrowed its deficit to 67-64 late in the third before the Bobcats scored the final four points. In the fourth quarter, Napoli was selected as the "fan of the game," getting another loud ovation. The Bobcats opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run, pulling ahead 39-23 on Taylors two free throws 4 1/2 minutes into the period. After shooting over 60 per cent in the first quarter (61.1), Charlotte made just 28 per cent (7 of 25) in the second. NOTES: Stevens said Sullinger is day-to-day. He had an MRI on Tuesday. The former Butler coach said he watched "very little" of the college doubleheader Tuesday night that featured some of the top players in the country when four of the top five of the APs Top 25 were in action. ... Tolliver started in place of McRoberts and hit two 3s in the opening quarter. ... Napoli said, "No, not yet" when asked if hes heard from the Red Sox about a contract offer while he was seated and signing autographs during a timeout in the third quarter. Mens Under Armour Scorpio Running Shoes . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Mens Under Armour UA Phenom Proto Trainer Black/Lime/White . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. http://www.uashoesclearance.com/ua-micro-g-anatomi...wn-ii.h tml . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Royal Under Armour UA SpeedForm® Apollo Mens V...ning Shoes . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. New Stephen Curry Shoes . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. LOS ANGELES -- Matt Barnes is back playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, and it looked as though hed never been away. Wearing goggles to protect his surgically repaired left eye, Barnes contributed 13 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers to help the Clippers win their fourth straight, 112-91 over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. "Love having him back," said Blake Griffin, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds. "Hes a guy who has a positive impact even if he doesnt score a basket." Barnes played for the first time since undergoing three procedures to repair a torn retina in his eye. He got hurt on Nov. 18 when Memphis Zach Randolph inadvertently hit Barnes in the eye. "I feel good," he said, adding that he doesnt like the goggles. "I got elbowed and the goggles gave me a bruise. I dont see myself wearing them long." Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Barnes, "He looked good. He just gives us something extra -- the toughness, the cutting, the basketball IQ. His shot looked good." Jamal Crawford scored 27 points, hitting six 3-pointers as the Clippers led all the way. Chris Paul added 10 points and 11 assists. DeAndre Jordan had 12 rebounds. "Whenever we set the tone in the first quarter it kind of carries us," Crawford said. "Chris and those guys threw some good passes. I had the easy part shooting the ball." Wilson Chandler scored all of his 19 points in the first half and Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost their third straight. Ty Lawson added 13 points as Denver was held to 35 per cent shooting. "We just got thoroughly outplayed by a better team. They pretty much did what they wanted to do to us on the boards. Inside, outside, and on the break, our energy was bad," Nuggets coach and former Lakers star Brian Shaw said. "Were not in a good place right now. Weve got to do some soul searching and really get back to the basics if we want to right the ship." Nuggets starter Kenneth ;Faried rolled his left ankle at 8:45 of the first quarter and didnt return.dddddddddddd The Clippers made 13 3-pointers, improving to 21-2 since the start of last season when they make at least 11. They hit five 3s in the third, including three by Crawford, who had 11 points in the quarter. Griffin went coast-to-coast for a dunk in the third, when Los Angeles stretched its lead to 79-60. "Thats a tough team," Chandler said. "Youve got to try to take something away on the fast break, but theyve got the layups, theyve got the lobs or theyve got the open man for the 3, so its kind of tough." Grifffin and the other starters got some rest to start the fourth before he, Crawford, Paul and Jared Dudley returned midway through. Griffin made four straight free throws and Crawford scored to restore the Clippers lead to 20 points with under five minutes to go. Griffin provided two highlights in the second. He dribbled the length of the court, drawing oohs from the crowd as he went behind his back three times before doing a 360-degree spin and hitting a layup. It didnt count, though, when Lawson was called for a foul. Griffin made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Clippers their largest lead of the half, 44-27. "I dont even know what I was doing," Griffin said, smiling. Barnes missed and Griffin flew in and slammed the ball down for the one-handed putback that kept the Clippers ahead by 11. Darren Collison got in on the act, too. Barnes tipped the ball as the Nuggets inbounded and Collison tossed up a 22-foot desperation heave that went in at the buzzer, keeping the Clippers ahead 56-43 at halftime. Collison scored 13 points. NOTES: Nuggets F Jordan Hamilton returned after serving a one-game suspension for throwing a punch in Tuesdays loss to Oklahoma City. ... Clippers G J.J. Redick is expected to get the cast off his right hand early next week. 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