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r," Sampson said. "Were playing as a team, guys are taking good shots." But Sampson was at a loss tr
Topic Started: May 16 2014, 09:51 AM (6 Views)
zake201
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CHICAGO -- Off target all night, Kobe Bryant sure was on point when it was over. His frustration stood out like a breakaway dunk, his comments sharper than any shot he took, after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls 95-83 Monday night. The Lakers have lost nine of 11 and six straight on the road. "I remember being frustrated before, but this is different because there are so many pieces, so many things going on," Bryant said. "It is a little different." Where to start with this one? Well, there was Kirk Hinrich scoring a season-high 22 points, Marco Belinelli adding 15 points, and the Bulls pulling away down the stretch. Belinelli came up big in the closing minutes, scoring eight points during an 18-4 run that broke a 75-75 tie. He started it by hitting two free throws after getting fouled by Dwight Howard with 6:54 left in the game, and wrapped two 3-pointers around a layup by Los Angeles Earl Clark, making it 89-79 with 2:27 remaining. The Lakers loss came after coach Mike DAntoni made a surprise lineup switch. He used Pau Gasol off the bench, while starting Clark because he wanted more quickness, but the slide continued on a night when Bryant and Howard were mostly nonfactors against a Bulls team without Luol Deng and still awaiting the return of Derrick Rose. Steve Nash led the Lakers with 18 points, while Bryant finished with just 16 on 7-of-22 shooting, ending a run of 24 games with 20 or more points. "Very, very tough, very, very frustrating, trying to keep my cool," Bryant said. "It is embarrassing. It is not even embarrassing. I am a big history guy. Playing here in this arena with these incredible fans, youre in the house of MJ, Pippen, PJ (Phil Jackson) built, to put this kind of brand of basketball on the floor is just not acceptable." Bryant even mentioned ditching DAntonis up-tempo style in favour of posting up more. "Were going to have to look at some things," he said. "Were going to have to change something. Probably going to have to post the ball a lot more, slow the game down a lot more. Thats just my intuition, but thats my gut right now. I have to take a look at the film again, but were definitely going to have to change something." Howard had just eight points and nine rebounds while picking up five fouls. Clark and Metta World Peace scored 12 apiece, and Gasol added 15 points and 12 rebounds in his new reserve role. "It isnt against him, its better for us right now," DAntoni said of Gasol before the game. "Were going to try to work through it and see what we can do. Things do change, things happen, I cant see the future but were ready to go forward." The move caught Gasol off guard. "I have no idea," he said when asked about his future in Los Angeles. "I cant really worry about something that is out of my hands so I am just going to stay positive and do my best, but it is not something I am too thrilled about. I wasnt expecting it. But right now we have bigger things to worry about as a group. As a team player thats what Im most concerned about." Hinrich hit 9 of 11 shots and nailed three 3-pointers. Belinelli and Nate Robinson (11 points) also hit three, and the Bulls were 9 of 17 overall from long range. Joakim Noah added 13 rebounds and a season-best six blocks after sitting out the final 22 minutes, 53 seconds of Saturdays loss to Memphis. He blamed himself for the benching the other night, saying, "That was all me." Noah was angry at coach Tom Thibodeau for taking him out of the game and acknowledged saying some things he regretted. He wouldnt say if he and Thibodeau discussed the incident, but he made it clear he had no one to blame but himself. "I admit it," he said. "It was my fault. I shouldnt have said the things that I said." Carlos Boozer chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds. Richard Hamilton scored 13, although he shot just 6 of 18. Jimmy Butler, making his second straight start with Deng (sore right hamstring) sidelined, scored 10 while trying to guard Bryant. And Chicago won this one in regulation after playing three straight overtime games. NOTES: Thibodeau said Rose is "very close" to starting full contact drills in practice, the next step in the star point guards recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Could it happen this week? "Yeah -- it could," Thibodeau said. Is it scheduled to happen this week? Thibodeau said, "It could." He also said Rose will have to go through full-contact drills "for an extended amount of time" and that he wont be playing after "one or two days of contact." China Jerseys Wholesale . Wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin, linebacker Scott Fujita, cornerback Dimitri Patterson, tight end Jordan Cameron, and defensive tackle Scott Paxson did not practice Sunday as the Browns (No. Cheap NFL Jerseys .J. Green, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Tennessee Titans kick returner Darius Reynaud have been named the AFCs top players for the month of September. http://www.chinajerseyswholesale.us.com/ . The 17-year-old forward has a five-game point streak, which includes eight goals and 14 points. Linemate Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist for the Mooseheads (14-1-0), who have won 12 straight games, and the two points extended his point streak to 11 games. wholesale nfl jerseys . "We were really able to break the mould and win a lot of Grand Slams and a lot of tournaments and not only that, but kind of change the face of tennis," Serena said Wednesday. wholesale jerseys . The 42-year-old veteran netminder put in a solid performance Thursday in the Tampa Bay Lightnings 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets took care of Toronto, then looked ahead to a long, emotional Wednesday. James Harden scored 24 points and matched a career high with 12 assists to lead Houston over the Raptors 117-101 on Tuesday night. Patrick Patterson added 22 points for the Rockets, who have won four in a row. Omer Asik had 13 points and 18 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. Now comes the hard part. The Rockets planned to fly to Minneapolis immediately after the game to attend Wednesdays memorial service for Sasha McHale, the 23-year-old daughter of coach Kevin McHale. Sasha McHale died on Saturday from complications of lupus. The team will then fly from Minneapolis to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Wednesday night. "I think were strong enough to get through it," Harden said. "Weve got to be there for Coach. Hes going through a lot right now. Our biggest thing is just supporting him, and making sure we comfort him." It was going to be an emotional day for Harden anyway. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year will return to Oklahoma City for the first time since he was traded to Houston on Oct. 27. "Itll be good to see some faces, some old teammates and coaches," Harden said. "I look forward to every game I play. Its another game." Andrea Bargnani scored 21 points and Terrence Ross added a career-high 19 for the Raptors, who have lost five straight. The Rockets scored 27 points off 16 Toronto turnovers. "Houston outran us down the floor and our turnovers killed us," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Houston shot the heck out of the ball, but we caused some of that by our turnovers." Jeremy Lin had 16 points and 10 assists for Houston. Lin went 7 for 9 from the field, his best shooting game of the season. He was 6 for 12 from the field in Friday nights win over New York, and interim coach Kelvin Sampson thinks Lin may have finally found his touch after struggling early this season. "This is the best game Jeremy has played, no question," Sampson said. "I thought he got his swagger back against New York. Hes been working hard with his shooting." Lin swished a 3-pointer and finished a fast break with a jumper from the wing in the opening 6 minutes. Bargnani kept Toronto cclose for a while, starting 7 for 9 from the field and hitting three 3-pointers in the first half.dddddddddddd The Rockets shot 51 per cent (26 of 51) in the half and led 61-51 at the break, even though their minds were on McHales tragedy. "Right now, its an emotional time for the whole team," Lin said. "Were missing our leader. Right now, were just focused on coming out and playing the way were supposed to play. Hopefully, when he is watching, he can be proud of us." Chandler Parsons, who scored 18 points, got a text message from McHale after Tuesdays game that said, "Thank you." "So you can tell he is down," Parsons said. "But just watching us get these wins is helping him and I think that should give us more incentive to keep playing together, keep playing hard and being a product of him." The Raptors started a modest 5 for 12 from the field in the second half, but still couldnt keep up. Patterson converted a three-point play after a dunk, then sank another 3-pointer for an 89-64 Rockets lead and a new individual season-high point total. Houston hit a season-high 14 3-pointers in Fridays 131-103 win over New York and had 12 through three quarters on Tuesday night. The Rockets shot 53 per cent (44 of 83) and finished 13 for 26 from 3-point range against Toronto. Houstons 30 assists matched a season high. "Were finding each other better, were making the extra pass better," Sampson said. "Were playing as a team, guys are taking good shots." But Sampson was at a loss trying to explain how he can prepare Houston for Wednesdays game against the defending Western Conference champions. The Rockets are cutting it close, scheduled to arrive only 3 1/2 hours before tipoff. "I dont pretend to know what to do there," Sampson said. "As long as we get there by 7, well be OK." NOTES: Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry, who played for Houston from 2009-12, got supportive applause when he was introduced before the game. He finished with seven points on 3-for-10 shooting. ... The Raptors have lost six straight games in Houston. ... Houstons 38 third-quarter points were a season high. ... The Rockets recognized Sasha McHales death with a moment of silence before the announcement of the starting lineups. ' ' '
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