Dein erstes Forum » The Bobcats defeated Dallas at home Tuesday

NEW YORK -- In their previous game against New Orleans, the Brooklyn Nets pulled off an impressive feat: They were able to win even though all their starters were held to single digits in points. Against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, the Nets found the 10-point plateau a little easier to clear. Five players scored in double figures for the Nets as they easily defeated Charlotte 105-89 at Barclays Center. Paul Pierce led the way with 25 points for Brooklyn, including 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. Deron Williams added 13 points and seven assists, and Andre Blatche scored 13 off the bench. Brooklyn was 13 of 31 from beyond the arc. The Nets were consistently able to use dribble penetration and solid ball movement to find the open man. And when they got open looks, they took advantage. Pierce said ball movement has been the difference in his teams resurgence of late, and it was largely responsible for his big night against the Bobcats. "When we make the extra pass, the ball is eventually going to find the open man," Pierce said. "Ive been a product of that as of late, and Im knocking down shots right now." Nets coach Jason Kidd agreed that ball movement was critical to his clubs success, but thought its defensive play in limiting Al Jefferson to 12 points was equally crucial. "It all started on the defensive end," Kidd said. "Getting stops and then being able to take advantage. ... We wanted to double-team (Jefferson) a little bit early to not let him get in a rhythm. The guys executed the game plan." Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 16 points. Jefferson, who scored at least 26 in each of his previous three games, was held to 5-for-13 shooting. With the win, the Nets improved to 14-5 this calendar year. Pierce believes that as good as things have been for Brooklyn lately, the Nets have the potential to get even better as they get more comfortable with each other. "Weve developed some chemistry since the new year. I mean, you can tell by the way weve moved the ball, the way were defending. Everybody seems to be on the same page. And when you have that type of chemistry, and that type of talent, were going to be a tough team to beat when we put it together," he said. Brooklyn went on a 15-3 run to open the third quarter, extending its lead to 17, and never looked back. The lopsided margin of victory afforded Kidd the opportunity to rest his starters for much of the fourth quarter. With a quick turnaround Thursday night against Chicago to close out the first-half schedule, Kidd recognized the importance of being able to get his key players a breather. "A veteran ballclub understands that the games right before the break are important because youre planning vacations, or planning to go to All-Star weekend, and sometimes the game becomes secondary," he said. "A lot of the guys, for the most part, didnt play a lot of minutes, so well see what happens tomorrow." Charlotte got off to a solid start offensively in its final game before the All-Star break. But the Bobcats struggled mightily after that, putting up a meagre 34 points combined in the second and third quarters. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford thought the fact that his club only turned the ball over 10 times was somewhat misleading. He thought his team was listless, and made a number of unforced errors that cost it a chance to win. "You have to play with more discipline," Clifford said. "When the chance is there to make a play, you have to make it. I thought our turnovers were just terrible." The Bobcats defeated Dallas at home Tuesday, but Jefferson didnt think the loss could be chalked up to fatigue. "They were ready and we werent," he said. "We cant just have excuses because we played last night. Thats the NBA; we have to be ready to play these types of games, especially to be a playoff team." The Bobcats have lost their last nine games when finishing off a back-to-back. Clifford understands that needs to change if his squad is going to contend for a playoff spot. "The bottom line is we have to be able to play better in these games," Clifford said. "The second night of back-to-backs earlier in the year, we were better. The last few times back-to-backs, weve been inconsistent." The Bobcats will be have a chance to reverse the trend right away when they open the second half with a back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons starting next Tuesday. NOTES: Pierce scored 14 of his 25 points in the third. ... The Nets have won four straight at Barclays Center, and 11 of their last 13. ... One night after posting a season-high 54.9 field goal percentage, Charlotte managed only 41.4 per cent from the floor. ... The Nets will play their next seven games on the road, starting with a national TV date against Chicago on Thursday night. Nike Air Max 270 Just Do It White . Three pitches later, he was hugging Mike Napoli at home plate after his teammates winning home run. Napoli and Ortiz hit consecutive homers with one out in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied past Minnesota 2-1 Wednesday, sending the Twins to their fifth straight loss. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Discount . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success. http://www.max270cheap.com/air-max-270-flyknit-sale.html . First, the Red Wings scored the tying goal after officials missed the puck hitting the protective netting, then the Kings wound up losing in a shootout. That could affect playoff positioning in the Eastern and Western Conferences, and thats a concern for everyone. Air Max 270 React Bauhaus AT6174-002 . Virtanen opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period, then gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal 1:03 into the second. Sweden cut the lead in half when Daniel Muzito Bagenda scored a power-play goal at 10:57 of the second. Nike Air Max 270 Just Do It Black . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday.ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Its been almost seven years since the Blue Jays last won a series at Tropicana Field. Theyll have to capture both Wednesday and Thursday nights games to break the unbelievable skid, which has reached 19 consecutive series either lost or tied. Manager John Gibbons, who was in his first tenure as Blue Jays manager the last time the club took a series from the Rays in St. Petersburg, from April 6-8, 2007, has taken to calling the barren stadium his teams "House of Horrors." "Weve seen some crazy things happen here," said Gibbons. "They open the door. I dont know what it is. Its something and they expect it over on the other side. Theyve done it so many times, they expect it." The Blue Jays were waxed, 9-2, on Opening Day Monday, a game in which Murphys Law applied. Everything that could go wrong did, from R.A. Dickeys unimpressive outing to Jose Reyes pulling up lame with a recurrence of the hamstring inflammation that plagued him late in spring training. Even Tuesdays 4-2 victory, a game in which Toronto led 4-0 heading to the bottom of the eighth, was a nail-biter at the end. The Rays had the tying run in scoring position with two out in the ninth and the winning run at the plate. "You know its tough to win here and it usually takes nine tough innings," said Gibbons. While it may sound like an obvious, generalized comment, first baseman-designated hitter Adam Lind believes its important to play with the lead against the Rays and the sooner, the better. "Its hard to come from behind against Tampa," said Lind. "When youre in the lead, theyre out of their comfort zone and when youre running out of innings or wherever they want to be with their pitching staff where they can just tack on a run here or a run there. Its paramount to get a lead against these guys because even when its 1-0, theyre definitely in the drivers seat." There are teams that are harder to prepare for than others. There are teams that are harder to play against than others. "Its tough, man," said Lind. "You just tell by how they pitch, (pitching coach) Jim Hickey, its like we play them every game how they pitch us. They get excellent execution from their pitching staff and their whole defensive side of the ball is probably the best in the game." Challenges with the challenge Adam Lind offered the line of the season so far on the topic of managers challenges and the ramifications of the new rule. "Weell, I know Bud Seligs worked his whole career to get the pace of play up and now were just back to square one," said Lind.dddddddddddd "I enjoy that theyre going to have the calls right but I dont think anyone saw the whole, are we going to do it or not going to do it?" The issue is the stalling. Both John Gibbons and Joe Maddon have emerged from their dugouts to politely dispute a call – thats another problem, the intensity of the manager-umpire argument is all but taken away – while their video coaches review the footage. Theyre waiting for a signal from the dugout on whether to challenge. "I think thats just the way the game is going to go now," said Lind. "I guess the higher ups didnt think about that before the whole walk-out but youre going to do whatever you can to get outs or get people safe. Just like (Tuesday) with Gibby, if you still have a challenge left, you might as well use it." Happ throws a bullpen J.A. Happ, on the disabled list with a back injury, threw a bullpen session on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. "Hes feeling much better, definitely feeling good, played catch (Tuesday), threw a light side today and really feels no ill-effects from the issues with the back right now and hell progress accordingly," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Well discuss now what the next step is, if its to get him in a game, when that will be, and progress him from there." Santos survives ninth Sergio Santos got the save in Tuesdays 4-2 win but not before the Rays put a scare into the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay brought the winning run to the plate with two out, in the person of Yunel Escobar, and had the tying run on second base after a double steal on the first pitch of the Escobar at-bat. Santos didnt bother with the base runners. Why? It all goes back to a conversation he had with Yankees legendary closer Mariano Rivera in 2011. "My whole thinking is Escobars the only guy that can hurt me," said Santos. "Whether there are runners on first and second or second and third, to me, in that situation is irrelevant because I know if I get my job done, which is getting the hitter out, it doesnt matter what base theyre on. "That was one of the things that Mo had stressed was not to be so preoccupied with whos on the bases and what theyre doing because the second you give some of your attention on the base runner and youre not fully with the hitter, thats when bad things can happen." ' ' '