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OAKLAND, Calif. DeMarcus Ware Blue Jersey . -- In one corner of the Golden State Warriors locker room, Stephen Curry iced a welt on the left side of his forehead. On the other, Jermaine ONeal limped out of the training room with bandages around his waist and wrist. The Warriors emerged from 53 minutes of basketball battered and bruised by the NBAs hottest team but delivered their own kind of knockout blows. Curry converted a tying layup with 3.2 seconds left in regulation and finished with 25 points, ONeal made a big-time block in overtime and the Warriors outlasted the Rockets 102-99 Thursday night to halt Houstons eight-game winning streak. "Thats one of our biggest wins of the year," said ONeal, who grabbed 10 rebounds and defended Dwight Howard as well as anybody has this season. Just after James Harden hit a go-ahead jumper, Curry came back with a left-handed layup over Howard to send the game to the extra session. The Warriors got a big boost in overtime when ONeal, who had surgery on his right wrist earlier this season and was filling in for injured centre Andrew Bogut, blocked Chandler Parsons baseline dunk attempt at the rim. Curry followed with two free throws to give Golden State a 98-95 lead with 15.9 seconds left. The teams traded free throws as the Rockets ran out of time. "There were so many big plays that we made both offensively and defensively," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "We were patient, we executed and it was just a big-time win for us." Harden scored 34 of his 39 points in the second half to rally the Rockets, but said he hyperextended his right elbow in a collision during the closing minutes. Harden had an X-ray but the results had not come back. Hes scheduled to have an MRI in Phoenix, where Houston plays its next game Sunday. "When it first happened, I thought it was over. I thought I broke it or whatever," said Harden, who stayed in the game. "Its still painful. Its throbbing but hopefully its nothing too serious." The Warriors outshot Houston 39.8 per cent to 36.6 per cent and made just enough plays late. David Lee had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Klay Thompson and Jordan Crawford scored 12 points each in Golden States all-round defensive effort. Howard grabbed 21 rebounds, but scored just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting, and Parsons added 21 points and eight rebounds as Houston lost for the first time since Jan. 25 at Memphis. It was the Rockets longest winning streak since a franchise-record, 22-game run in 2007-08 season. "It just wasnt a crisp game for us," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. Playing on consecutive nights made for two tired teams until both picked up the intensity late in the fourth quarter. Harden stripped Lee as he turned to shoot out of the post, then hit a go-ahead shot from 23 feet over Thompson that put Houston ahead 89-87 with 6.9 seconds to play in regulation. After the Warriors called timeout to advance the ball to half court, Curry received a pass from Andre Iguodala while running off a screen and drove to his left and to the hoop. With Howard approaching, Curry floated a left-handed layup over the Rockets centre for the tying score before Harden missed a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer. Curry said the play was designed for him to shoot a 3-pointer but defenders overplayed him. "At that point, it was just about getting into the lane as quick as possible and try to get it on the rim," said Curry, who was inadvertently bruised by Howards leg as the two dove for a loose ball earlier. "Dwight was there to protect and thankfully I was able to get a little bit of touch on it and it went in." The Warriors took control for good when Parsons sprinted down the baseline, received a pass from Harden and went up for a one-handed dunk only to be emphatically denied by the veteran ONeal, bringing the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roaring to their feet. "He made a great play going baseline, and when youre big, you kind of look at it like being a free safety," ONeal said. "I wanted to make sure I got to the rim in time to save the dunk." "It was just perfect timing on his part," Parsons said. The Rockets were forced to foul Curry with time running out. He made both free throws, then the Warriors intentionally fouled Harden so he couldnt attempt a tying 3-pointer. Harden and Curry swapped free throws before the Warriors stole the ball to finish off a thrilling game between teams that could see each other in the Western Conference playoffs. NOTES: Steve Blake, acquired by the Warriors in a trade with the Lakers on Wednesday, finished with three points, two rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes. ... Houston won the season series 2-1 over the Warriors. ... McHale was whistled for a technical foul for arguing a charging call against Jeremy Lin at the end of the first quarter. The foul on Lin was waved off after officials ruled time had expired following a video review. The technical stood. DeMarcus Ware Orange Jersey . The Formula One circus has arrived in town and on this Thursday afternoon the teams crew members are setting up their equipment in the pit lane ahead of the three day race weekend. Wes Welker Orange Jersey . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.PARIS -- Novak Djokovic won the last four games in each set to beat defending champion David Ferrer 7-5, 7-5 Sunday in the final of the Paris Masters. The second-seeded Serb won his 17th straight match to capture his sixth title this season. Ferrer led 5-3 in each set, but Djokovic came back both times and clinched the victory when the Spaniard sent a forehand into the net. Djokovic, who still has a slim chance to finish the season ahead of No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the rankings, hit 34 winners to 15 for Ferrer and won 15 of 18 net points. Ferrer troubled Djokovic early in the match with his deep groundstrokes, and hit a backhand drop shot to break for a 3-2 lead. But Djokovic started plaaying more aggressively, and broke back in the 10th game with a forehand winner down the line. Ronnie Hillman Blue Jersey. The Serb went a set up when Ferrers forehand sailed long. However, Djokovic dropped serve in the opening game of the second set and then needed to hit two straight forehand winners to save two break points at 2-0. Despite numerous backhand errors, Djokovic kept the pressure on Ferrer, who again failed to serve out the set at 5-4. Djokovic capitalized on a long forehand from the Spaniard to break back before hitting an ace for a 6-5 lead. Djokovic improved to 11-5 against Ferrer, who was looking to become the first player to win back-to-back Paris Masters titles. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
