|
OAKLAND, Calif. cheap jerseys . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. The 18-year NBA veteran has backed up his words more than anybody ever expected. ONeal had season highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds to carry the load for an undermanned frontcourt, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Brooklyn Nets 93-86 Saturday night for their third straight victory since the break. "Whatever I have, Im going to leave it on the able. Ive said that quite a few times, but Im dead serious," said the 36-year-old ONeal, who missed extensive time following surgery on his wrist earlier this season. "You may have to wheel me out of here at the end of the season, but thats what Im going to do." With Andrew Bogut sidelined with a left shoulder injury and David Lee out with a stomach flu, ONeal followed up his game-saving block that preserved Golden States overtime victory against Houston on Thursday night with a vintage performance. ONeal shot 10 for 13 from the floor, and Draymond Green scored a career-best 18 points to go with 10 rebounds starting in Lees place. Stephen Curry banked in a big 3-pointer in the final minute to finish with 17 points, and the Warriors won three games in a row for the first time since the Nets ended their 10-game winning streak on Jan. 8 in Brooklyn -- crediting ONeal for leading the way in the locker room and on the court. "Hes getting an opportunity to put a stamp on what he says," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Its no longer what he says, its what hes doing." The veteran Nets never matched the intensity. Deron Williams had 20 points and six assists, and Joe Johnson scored 15 points for Brooklyn, which struggled to shoot from 3-point range and was just as careless passing. Brooklyn made just 2 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc and committed 16 turnovers. "I thought we had a lot of good shots, they just didnt fall," said Nets forward Paul Pierce, who scored 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting. "Sometimes you live by the 3, you die by the 3. We should attack more, especially with them limited in their big men." The Nets made sure the game moved at a plodding pace until the final minutes. Johnson made an 18-foot fadeaway to tie the score at 84 with 2:22 remaining. Green followed with two free throws, then Andray Blatche converted a tying layup. ONeal drew a foul on the other end and hit two free throws -- getting another chance after missing his second attempt because of a hitch in his release that drew a lane violation -- to give Golden State an 88-86 lead. On Brooklyns next possession, Johnsons pass was deflected before hitting Williams hands and landing out of bounds. Curry quickly came back by banking in a 3-pointer to put the Warriors up 91-86 with 37 seconds remaining and put the game out of reach. The win moved the Warriors (34-22) a season-high 12 games over .500. They begin a six-game road trip -- all against Eastern Conference opponents -- at Detroit on Monday. Golden States smaller lineup gave the Nets fits from the start. Curry hit two 3-pointers during an 18-6 run to open the game. Brooklyns slow start compounded when Shaun Livingston left in the first quarter with a bruised tailbone after falling hard when he was fouled by Harrison Barnes going for a layup. The team said X-rays on Livingston were negative. Just like they did in Brooklyn, though, the Nets rallied from an early deficit against Golden States second unit. Brooklyn took the lead for the first time when Williams started a three-point play on a layup over Andre Iguodala, putting the Nets up 46-44 late in the second quarter. They never led again. "Even though we didnt shoot the ball extremely well from behind the arc, it was a game until the last minute," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "On the road against a team like Golden State, thats all you can ask for." NOTES: Green said he was in an accident driving to the game, but that no one was injured. ... Nets G Marcus Thornton sat out with a stomach illness. He has yet to play since being traded from Sacramento on Wednesday for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. ... Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Bogut, who missed his seventh straight game because of an ailing left shoulder, will likely return at some point during the Warriors six-game road trip. ... The Warriors signed C Hilton Armstrong to a 10-day contract, calling him from the teams NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz. nflchinawholesalecheapjerseys . -- San Francisco Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro says he will begin the season on the disabled list. NFL Jerseys China . -- Last month, Richie Incognito said severe repercussions would be warranted if the Miami Dolphins kept allowing sacks at such an alarming rate.OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder coach Scott Brooks joked during pregame that he didnt like what he saw from Kyrie Irving at the All-Star game. Brooks coached the West and watched as Irving led the East to a comeback win on his way to earning MVP honours. Brooks didnt like what he saw from Irving on Wednesday night, and it was no joke this time. The point guard made it look like All-Star weekend again, scoring 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Oklahoma City 114-104. Irving also had nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. "Kyrie had a huge performance for us," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "He was very efficient in the 43 minutes that he played tonight, I thought offensively, especially." The young Cavaliers, still adjusting to roster changes since the trade deadline, picked up a meaningful victory. Cleveland shot 14 for 21 from the field in the fourth quarter against the Western Conference-leading Thunder. "To come here and get a win in this building versus this team and those players and that coaching staff, for us, is a good confidence booster," Brown said. "Everything for us right now to be a positive will help us long term just as much as it will short term." It was Oklahoma Citys third straight home loss since the All-Star break. The Thunder lost three games at home the entire season before the break. "No one in the locker room, including myself, feels good about it," Brooks said. "The exciting thing is we know we can do better. We just have to maximize our potential." Jarrett Jack scored 21 points, Spencer Hawes scored 19 and Tristan Thompson added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Kevin Durant had 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Russell Westbrook had 24 points and nine assists and Serge Ibaka added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City is 0-3 since Westbrook returned from his latest knee surgery. Brooks said the bigger issue for the Thunder is their suddenly porous defence. Oklahoma City, one of the leagues top defensive teams all season, allowed 103 points on 55 per cent shooting against Miami and 125 points on 52 per cent shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers before its latest collapse. "Its a defensive toughness," Brooks said. "We have to get tough on the basketball because were giving up too much penetration. WWe have to fight through screens. Jerseys From China. These are things that weve done a great job at, we just have to get back to it." In the closing seconds of the first half, Westbrook dribbled as the clock wound down, then pulled up in front of Irving and drained a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 52-51 lead at the break. The Thunder committed 12 turnovers in the first half, but made up for it by shooting 57 per cent from the field. Durant scored 15 points before the break and Westbrook had 13 points and six assists. Irving had 14 points, four assists and three steals at halftime. The Thunder opened the second half with 3s from Durant and Thabo Sefolosha to take a 58-51 lead. A mid-range jumper by Ibaka stretched Oklahoma Citys lead to 62-53, leading Brown to call a timeout. Cleveland regrouped and cut Oklahoma Citys lead to three on an unusual play. The Cavaliers Luol Deng shot a jumper and Nick Collison was called for goaltending and issued a technical foul for grabbing the net. Irving made the free throw to make it a 69-66 game. The Thunder led 76-72 at the end of the period. "Oklahoma City, they came out and kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit in that third quarter, and our guys didnt panic," Brown said. "They kind of stayed with it." Matthew Dellavedova tied the game at 81 with a floater early in the fourth quarter. Later, a breakaway dunk by Alonzo Gee gave the Cavaliers a 90-86 edge with 7:10 to play. Durants 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 97-95 lead, but the Cavaliers responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Jack and Irving, and they controlled the game from there. "Obviously, playing against a great team, youre going to get up for it," Irving said. "Everyone in the league wants to play against a great team like this, especially on their home floor. But this game doesnt mean any more than any other game that we have coming up. Every game just means a lot at this point, no matter who were playing." NOTES: It was the second consecutive start for Thunder C Steven Adams. He replaced Kendrick Perkins, who is out for six weeks with a groin injury. ... Hawes started for the second time since being traded from Philadelphia. ... Durant was honoured during pregame for being selected as the Western Conference player of the month for January. ... Thunder G Derek Fisher was issued a technical foul early in the second quarter, his third of the season. cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
