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| OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder fans who braved ice, snow and single-digit temperatures got a special treat -- a look at the old Russell Westbrook. The three-time All-Star scored 26 points to lead Oklahoma City past the Charlotte Bobcats 116-99 Sunday night. He was 10 of 12 from the floor in 25 minutes in his fifth game since returning from right knee surgery. He has steadily improved and is looking more like the player he was before he missed 27 games. "He was aggressive all night, playing downhill on the pick and rolls," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who finished with 28 points. "He was just great tonight. That was good to see." Westbrook said he needed time to get comfortable again. "The more I play, the more rhythm Im able to catch and the more rhythm Im able to get," he said. Reggie Jackson scored 17 points and Serge Ibaka had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who won their second straight after losing their first three games following the All-Star break. Oklahoma City outrebounded the Bobcats 44-29. Durant made just 8 of 24 field goals, but sank all 12 of his free throws. He also had six rebounds and five assists. "I get a lot of shots, man," Durant said. "Theres going to be nights when I feel like that. Its a part of the game, and I think thats the beauty of the game -- just trying to fight through the obstacles, do what I can to help my team." Al Jefferson scored 25 points and Anthony Tolliver added 17 for the Bobcats, who had won four straight before losses to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Thunder made 13 of 24 shots in the fourth quarter to outscore the Bobcats 31-18. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said his team had the wrong mindset to close the game. "I think through three quarters we did a good job, but we came out in the fourth, and again, particularly when they brought their starters back, we just couldnt contain the ball and couldnt keep the ball out of the paint, which has been something weve been good at all year," he said. Westbrook scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first half to help the Thunder take a 61-55 lead at the break. "He set the tone the first half," Clifford said. "He always plays with high energy, and if hes going to make all the shots, then theyre going to be hard to beat." Jefferson had 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Bobcats shot 54 per cent in the first half, but were outrebounded 20-13. The Bobcats started off hot in the second half. A 3-point play by Gerald Henderson trimmed Oklahoma Citys lead to 61-60. The Thunder responded with a 6-0 run, including two putback baskets by Steven Adams, to take a 67-60 lead. Westbrook showed some of his explosiveness after a steal. He drove down court, then extended his right arm and elevated for a powerful one-handed throwdown to give the Thunder a 77-67 lead. "Tonight, he was phenomenal," Durant said. "He was great. That dunk capped it off." The Bobcats hung tough and trailed just 85-81 at the end of the third quarter. Charlotte cut the deficit to 86-84 early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder responded with an 8-2 run. A perfectly executed pick-and-roll ended with Durant scoring on a pass from Westbrook, and Ibaka scored on the next possession to give the Thunder a 104-92 lead and put the game out of reach. Westbrook, who also had five assists, dominated from the start. "I thought Russell really had a great command of the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "I think it is good to see him continue to get his game legs under him. I give the staff a lot of credit. They have put him in a position to get better day by day." NOTES: Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti announced before the game that Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha would miss four to six weeks with a left calf strain. Sefolosha left Fridays game against Memphis in the first half and didnt return. ... Several Oklahoma City players, including Durant and Westbrook, travelled to Stillwater, Okla., Saturday night to watch Oklahoma State upset No. 5 Kansas. ... Presti said new acquisition Caron Butler will be with the team Monday after the Thunder signed him Saturday. ... Durant was called for a technical foul in the first quarter after being whistled for a carry and disagreeing with the call. Eric Rowe Eagles Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Allen Barbre Eagles Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.nfleaglesfanstore.com/Womens-Seth-Joyner-Game-Jersey/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Ron Jaworski Eagles Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Brian Dawkins Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Gerald Henderson didnt tinker with his shot after making just 31 per cent from the field in his first four games this season. "I started out the first three games horribly shooting-wise, but looking at my shots with Coach, I shot all good shots -- shots that I regularly shoot -- they just werent falling," Henderson said. That all changed Wednesday night. Henderson broke out of his mini-slump with a season-high 23 points, and the surprising Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Toronto Raptors 92-90. Henderson had made only 15 of 49 shots in the first four games since signing an $18 million, three-year contract in the off-season. But he hit six of his first seven against Toronto and finished 10 of 17 from the field. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford never lost faith in Henderson. "Everything he does on the floor makes sense to me, on both ends of the floor," Clifford said. "Hes a prideful guy and he wants to win. Hes not going to blow a set. Everything hes supposed to do, he does." Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 14 points to help the Bobcats win on back-to-back nights. They beat the Knicks in New York on Tuesday. Second-year guard Jeffery Taylor continued to give the Bobcats (3-2) quality minutes off the bench, scoring 13 points. Josh McRoberts added 13 points and five assists. Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 20 points. Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Raptors had a chance to steal this one. They were trailing 92-90 when DeMar DeRozan drove the lane, but his shot was rejected by Bismack Biyombo and the Bobcats grabbed the loose ball with 27 seconds remaining. "I should have tried to be more aggressive," DeRozan said. "At least tried to make the ref make the call. Ill take that. Im kind of upset at myself for that decision, that I tried to kind of shy away from the contact." Toronto didnt foul the Bobcats on their final possession, and when Hendersons long 3-pointer hit off the rim there wasnt enough time for Toronto to corral the loose ball and call timeout. "Yeah, I was surprised" they didnt call timeout, Henderson said.dddddddddddd The Bobcats have won five straight home games dating to last season. Charlotte shot 75 per cent from the field in the first quarter to build a 32-18 lead. Henderson led the way, knocking down six jumpers in the opening 10 minutes, most of those around the top of the key. The Raptors appeared to be playing off Henderson, daring him to shoot. The former Duke star responded again and again, going 7 of 10 from the floor in the first half. "Our approach in the first quarter was very unlike us," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We did not play the way we did the last three quarters. This is a great learning lesson for us. Never leave winning the game to the last couple of possessions." Charlotte cooled off considerably in the second quarter and the Raptors fought back to tie it 53-all at halftime behind nine points from Tyler Hansbrough and a pair of 3-pointers from DeRozan. With Kidd-Gilchrist on the bench with five fouls, Taylor and McRoberts picked up the slack in the third. After blowing a 16-point first-half lead, Charlotte got a boost from McRoberts, who turned the momentum of the game with a solid stretch that included a dunk, a 3-pointer and two no-look passes for easy baskets. The Raptors struggled at times with turnovers, committing 13 that led to 18 Bobcats points. Kemba Walker, who came in averaging more than 18 points per game, had a quiet night. He played after an MRI on his shoulder Wednesday revealed no damage from a collision Tuesday night with Metta World Peace. Walker finished 2 of 13 from the field for five points but said after the game his shoulder felt fine. "Anytime you can win a back-to-back in this league, thats never easy," Clifford said. "This is a good win." NOTES: The Bobcats played again without centre Al Jefferson, their top free-agent pickup. He is nursing an ankle injury. ... Henderson has scored in double digits in 28 of his last 29 games for the Bobcats. ... Gay has reached double digits in all five games this season. ... It was Charlottes sixth straight win at home against the Raptors. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
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posted on: 12/18/2015 01:45:45 AM
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