| 908 Beiträge - Forenjunkie
|
|
|
PHILADELPHIA -- Paul Millsap is headed to his first NBA All-Star Game. Nike Roshe One Grå . And the Atlanta Hawks could be headed for a prime seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Especially if Millsaps teammates continue to contribute like they did Friday night. Mike Scott and Elton Brand scored 18 points apiece to lead seven Hawks in double figures and Atlanta routed the Philadelphia 76ers 125-99. DeMarre Carroll contributed 13, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Lou Williams had 12 apiece, and Kyle Korver added 11 for the Hawks, who moved within eight games of the Miami Heat for first place in the Southeast Division. "Guys have to be ready," said Brand, who added eight rebounds. "You never know when your name is going to be called." Millsap learned on Thursday that he had been named to his first NBA All-Star Game in his eight-year career. He spent the first seven seasons with the Utah Jazz and signed with the Hawks as a free agent last July. Millsap, who will be a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Stars next month in New Orleans, received plenty of help against the Sixers. "Hes been one guy weve leaned on heavily this year," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. Teague was a game-time decision with a sprained left ankle and he responded with a productive start. "Weve been happy with Jeff," Budenholzer said. "He set a tone early. I thought he was attacking the basket." Thaddeus Young scored 29 points, Michael Carter-Williams added 17 and Elliot Williams had 15 for the Sixers, who have dropped 11 of their last 13 home games, including five straight. The Sixers, now 8-16 at home, havent lost five in a row at home since the 2009-10 season. "It was the poorest performance of our season tonight," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "The effort wasnt there." Atlanta led 27-21 after the first quarter and took advantage of 10 Philadelphia turnovers, a season high for any quarter. After going into the locker room with a 64-52 advantage at the break, the Hawks blitzed the Sixers for 38 points in the third quarter to take a 102-75 lead and prompt a chorus of boos from Sixers fans. "We had a lot of turnovers and that was the biggest thing," Young said. "Just too many turnovers." Before the game, Brown praised the Hawks ball movement and the fluidity of their offence. Atlantas precision was evident as it had 36 assists on 45 made field goals. NOTES: Korver hit a 3-pointer with 6:10 left in the first quarter, extending his streak to 114 straight games with at least one, an ongoing NBA record. . Sixers C Spencer Hawes was whistled for a technical foul with 8:17 remaining in the first. G Evan Turner also picked up a technical 49 seconds into the third . Millsap had five steals in the first half . The Sixers committed 15 turnovers in the first half. Nike Air Max Thea Dam Svart . With 20 points from their first 12 matches they are fourth in the Eastern Conference. They are within striking distance of the summit, with multiple games in hand on the teams above them as they head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night, live on TSN and TSN Radio 1050. Nike Roshe One Br .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes continued their solid play on their homestand by handing the Colorado Avalanche their first road loss of the season.VAL GARDENA, Italy -- Canadas Erik Guay gained a measure of revenge by winning the prestigious Val Gardena downhill Saturday, a year after missing out on the victory because of changing weather. Guay, from Mt. Tremblant, Que., clocked one minute 56.65 seconds down a Saslong course lined with huge jumps and filled with tricky terrain, making up time over the last few gates to edge Kjetil Jansrud of Norway by 0.12 seconds. "It is sweet," Guay said. "I skied really well and took the chances necessary." It was the fourth career World Cup victory for Guay, who also won gold in downhill at the 2011 world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Johan Clarey of France finished third, 0.24 back, and overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was fourth, 0.29 behind. Bode Miller placed fifth, 0.39 behind, for his best finish in a speed event this season. Miller took last season off to recover from left knee surgery and he is improving race by race as he prepares for the Sochi Olympics in February. Miller would have made the podium if he was just a bit faster on the flats and said getting his equipment dialed in after so much time off was a big factor. "Theres so many details, you never know what it is thats really causing the problem," the 36-year-old two-time overall World Cup winner said. "The fact is we just dont have the whole thing together right now. Were close, and were getting there." Miller made up more than half a second on the technical lower section. "On the top I didnt feel like I was going fast," Miller said. "I took a little bit of risk in some parts and pulled off some decent turns and I skied pretty well but its one of those courses where theres not enough to it to bring it back in with my technical ability." Guay thought he had won this race last year until a drastic weather change helped later starters on a shortened course, with Steven Nyman of the United States taking the win and Rok Perko of Slovenia claiming second, relegating Guay to third. "I had a great run last year," Guay said. "In my mind I skied the best that I could have with my start number and not to take anything away from Nyman and Perko but the conditions do change and thats the reality of our sport. "I know that ski racing is like that," GGuay added. Nike Roshe One Herr. "Ive been on the good side of the hundredths and Ive benefited from good weather sometimes. So you take it when you can and you forget it when youre on the other side." While it wasnt quite as drastic as last year, when winds played a role, changing light once again made a big impact. Guay, Svindal and Miller had to deal with less light on the gliding section on top but then all three racers excelled on the more technical section of the course. The highlights of the Saslong are the camel bumps, which launch skiers into the air for nearly 80 metres (90 yards), and the twisty and technical ciaslat section -- two areas that come one right after another midway down. There are also numerous little bumps and jumps, making for constant air time. "A lot of times Val Gardena goes under radar with Wengen and Kitzbuehel getting so much attention but I think its one of most fun courses on the World Cup," Guay said. Guays performance was all the more impressive considering that he had left-knee surgery in the off-season and missed most of preseason training. Jansrud also had left-knee surgery after a crash in the super-G at last seasons world championships in Schladming, Austria. Jansrud took silver in giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Saturdays result matched his best downhill finish from March, 2012, on home snow in Kvitfjell. Clarey also finished third in this race four years ago for his only other career podium. He stood first when the 2011 race was abandoned beause of strong winds after 21 racers had completed their runs. "Its unbelievable for me," Clarey said. "I almost quit skiing five months ago after my back injury." In the overall standings, Svindal moved 175 points ahead of Marcel Hirscher, who does not race downhill. Svindal also leads the downhill standings, 53 points ahead of Guay. Nyman was an early starter and made a big mistake midway down and had to make an acrobatic recovery to avoid injury. But his race ended there. Brice Roger and David Poisson of France also fell. Poisson slammed into the safety netting at full speed but eventually got up and skied down. The circuit moves over the Gardena pass for a giant slalom Sunday in Alta Badia, where Ted Ligety will attempt to duplicate his dominant win from last season. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
|
