a 33-27 loss to Toronto on Sept. 22 . . . Winnipeg has lost 10 | Forum

Topic location: Forum home » General » General Chat
Deleted user Sep 12 '16, 07:02AM
MILWAUKEE -- Jolted by a two-game losing streak, the Oklahoma City Thunder turned to Serge Ibaka and their defence to stop the slide. Pat ODonnell Bears Jersey . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. "Serges performance was outstanding, the way he was blocking and altering shots and his rebounds," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "His 15 and 20 was one of his best games. Hes standing out as a guy that can get 10 rebounds a night and hes been pretty consistent. Thats what makes you a very good pro, that consistency." Russell Westbrook scored 26 points and Kevin Durant added 24 for the Thunder, who were coming off back-to-back road losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. O.J. Mayo scored 22 points for the Bucks, losers of five straight who continue to play short-handed because of injuries. Milwaukee played good enough defence to keep it close, but had too many offensive lulls. The Bucks shot 22.2 per cent in the fourth quarter. "We didnt make shots, but defensively, we were really good," Durant said. "They hit some 3s, which they do, but we contested them all night. Overall, defensively we played well." Bucks coach Larry Drew says his team gets into trouble when it stops moving the ball on offence -- lapses that allowed the Thunders defence to pounce. "When you play against a team like OKC, (when) you keep the ball on one side of the floor, they load up that side of the floor," Drew said. "You become very easy to guard, because they do such a good job in their rotations. Its very obvious. When we hit those bad spells, that basketball stops moving and it doesnt jump around." At least some of that credit goes to Ibaka. "Hes a physical player," Bucks forward Ekpe Udoh said. "Hes athletic, gets off his feet. . Hes talented. Hit a couple of shots on me." The Thunder also welcomed back centre Kendrick Perkins, who was away from the team for two games following his grandfathers death. Before the game, Brooks emphasized Perkins critical role on defence -- particularly on pick-and-rolls. Oklahoma City took control with an 11-4 run to end the third quarter -- playing with reserves for much of that stretch -- and led 72-65 going into the fourth. Milwaukee was held scoreless for more than four minutes to start the fourth, but went on a quick 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 77-73 on a 3-pointer by Mayo with 6:10 remaining. But Westbrook hit a jumper, Ibaka swatted away a putback attempt by Udoh, and Ibaka hit a shot on the other end to give the Thunder an 81-73 lead with 4:28 left. The Bucks continue to struggle with injuries -- although they werent as short-handed on Saturday as they were in a loss at Orlando on Wednesday, when they had only eight healthy players. "We know Milwaukee is banged up right now, but we wanted to come in and play a solid defensive game and I thought we did," Brooks said. "We made them take tough shots. We did a good job defensively." Mayo sees better things coming for the Bucks when they get healthy. "Well be a lot better for sure," he said. "Heck yeah, man. As we get more and more healthy, more of the seasoned guys back in, itll strengthen our first unit." Milwaukee went into halftime with the score tied at 40, holding Oklahoma City to 31.3 per cent shooting from the floor in the first half. Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo provided several highlights in the first half for Milwaukee, including a flying dunk on an alley-oop from Luke Ridnour, two blocked shots and a handful of other deflections. NOTES: Drew said he does not have a timeline for the return of forward Ersan Ilyasova, who continues to sit out with a sore right ankle. ... Drew was optimistic that Caron Butler (left shoulder) and Brandon Knight (right hamstring) would return soon. ... Durant recovered from a cold start, shooting 3 for 10 from the floor in the first half. Lamarr Houston Bears Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Eddie Royal Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". http:///...hitehair-jersey.aspx . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie.CALGARY - On paper, its the mismatch of this CFL season. The Calgary Stampeders, holder of the leagues best record at 10-3, host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with the worst at 2-11 on Saturday. Watch this game live on TSN, tonight at 6:30pm et/3:30pm pt. The Stampeders were already playoff-bound, so its tempting for them to look past the hapless Bombers. "I really hope so, but I doubt it," Winnipeg head coach Tim Burke said. "I dont think they will overlook us at all." Calgarys record against East Division opponents is 6-1. Winnipeg is their final Eastern foe this regular season. The Stampeders then meet the B.C. Lions twice and the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders once in games which will determine the West Division playoff seedings. Winnipeg joins Calgary in the West next season with the arrival of the Ottawa Redblacks. The Bombers havent won at McMahon Stadium since 2002, ant the Stampaders are 19-9 against Winnipeg since 2000. The Bombers are not mathematically eliminated from this years playoffs, but Winnipeg is running low on both games to win and for division rivals to lose to qualify for the post-season. "Sometimes when you play teams with that kind of record, if you dont focus on the team and you focus on their record, sometimes youll get a rude awakening," Stampeder quarterback Kevin Glenn said. "It happens when a team lets its guard down and starts to believe all that stuff about this team is 2-11, they probably dont really want to play this game, theyre probably ready to go home. Thats not the case. You watch them play, the film weve been watching the past three games, theyve come out to play." Among the CFL statistical categories in which Calgary ranked first and Winnipeg last heading into Fridays games are field goals, average points scored per game, time of possession, net rushing yards and average rushing yards. While the Bombers were still casting for a legitimate starting quarterback, the Stampeders have an embarrassment of riches with three. Glenn, 1-1 since returning from injury and 6-2 this season, will start Saturday. Expect backup Drew Tate to get his first throws in a game since July 7 if the score becomes lopsided. Bo Levi Mitchell led Calgary to a 37-24 victory in Winnipeg on July 30. Tate has been sidelined with a troublesome throwing arm injury this season. "At some point in time in the not-too-distance future I would like to get Drew in the game, but the game will decide that, not me," Stampeder head coach John Hufnagel said. "He hasnt played a whole lot of football lately. Its good for himself to get some snaps and get used to playing football again." Quarterback Max Hall getss his third consecutive start and fifth this season for Winnipeg. Ted Larsen Bears Jersey. . He was replaced at halftime by Jason Boltus in last weeks 53-17 loss to the Lions, whose defence scored three touchdowns. "I think were getting better even though sometimes it doesnt show," Hall said. "I think were getting better with the details. I like the game plan this week. Im excited to play. "I know a lot of people arent giving us a chance, but I think we believe in each other. I said the other day if I can eliminate a few of the mistakes Im making and lead this football team, well be all right." A subplot to Saturdays game is the race for the CFLs sack title. Winnipeg defensive end Alex Hall leads with 15, followed by Calgarys Charleston Hughes with 13 and Cordarro Law with 10. While Winnipeg has given up 46 sacks this season, Calgary has allowed a league-low 28. The defensive front four is a bright light in Winnipegs dismal season. In addition to Hall, defensive linemen Kenny Mainor, Zach Anderson and Bryant Turner have a combined 20 sacks between them. "It gets you a little excited knowing were considered the two best defensive lines in the league," Hughes said. "Obviously we are the best defensive line in the league. "They pretty much rush every down. We dont have many opportunities to get sacks because we do have coverage responsibilities. We cover backs, we cover receivers and line up all over the field. That cuts our pass rushes in half as defensive ends." Never afraid to throw a little gas on the fire, Hughes called Hall "an adequate pass rusher, but I think it has more to do with the entire defensive line that they have." Hall wasnt taking the bait. "They have good players, him being one of them, but I think we have the best line," he said. "Weve just to go out and show it. "Or course I want to win (the sack title) and its kind of funny Im going up against a guy who is right behind me and they have another dude Laws that pretty good too. Im battling those guys, but its important. I want to show Im the best." Wide receiver Joe West returns to Calgarys active roster after suffering a separated shoulder July 20 against Montreal. He was averaging a touchdown a game before his injury. Notes: West and wide receiver Maurice Price, Calgarys leader in touchdown receptions with six, will be on the field together for the first time this season Saturday . . . Former Blue Bomber quarterback Glenn is 16-7 in two seasons with Calgary . . . The Stampeders home winning streak halted at 10 with a 33-27 loss to Toronto on Sept. 22 . . . Winnipeg has lost 10 of their last 11 and five in a row on the road. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '