overtime to lift the Thunder past the Wizards 1
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It took a late stretch of what Kevin Durant called some of the best basketball hes ever seen the Oklahoma City Thunder play to beat the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. Christopher Milton Jersey . Durant had 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and made the go-ahead foul shots in overtime to lift the Thunder past the Wizards 106-105. John Wall missed a driving layup attempt at the buzzer for Washington, which was seeking its third straight win. Bradley Beal scored a career-high 34 points for the Wizards. He shot 6-for-8 on 3s, and the team went 12-of-29 from behind the arc. Serge Ibaka had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder, which overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit for the first time since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. "That was definitely a resilient win," coach Scott Brooks said. "It was that never-quit mentality that weve always believed in and thats what happened tonight. We just battled and battled and battled and gave ourselves a chance to win down the stretch." Washington led for most of the second half. The Wizards were up 83-71 after a dunk by Martell Webster with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter and 92-82 with 3:26 left. But they scored only two baskets in the final three minutes, allowing Oklahoma City back in the game. Oklahoma City, using a small lineup, closed regulation on a 14-4 run. Durant capped the burst with a straightaway 3-pointer with 13.6 seconds left. Beal missed a running 12-footer at the buzzer while being closely guarded by Ibaka. "That last three minutes was some of the best basketball Ive seen out of us since Ive been here," Durant said. "Im very proud of how we played at the end of the game. We have to do better, but thats a good stepping stone for us." The teams traded the lead in overtime. The Wizards led 105-102 after a driving layup by Marcin Gortat with 1:20 left. After Ibaka scored to cut Washingtons lead to one point, Durant blocked a shot by Wall and streaked toward the other end before being fouled. He made both free throws for a 106-105 lead with 40.7 seconds left. Webster missed a 3-point attempt and Reggie Jackson rebounded for the Thunder. Jackson eventually drove the lane and passed to Jeremy Lamb, who missed a 3-point attempt from the corner with 4 seconds left, giving the Wizards a final chance. Wall inbounded to Gortat, who tossed the ball back to him. Wall drove to the basket, but two Thunder defenders forced him to take an awkward shot. The Wizards hurt themselves by going 13 of 26 at the free throw line. "We played extremely well," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "I give Oklahoma City credit for coming back. They made shots. All we needed to do in the last couple minutes of regulation was make one shot and a couple of free throws and then the game would be over with. Making that run, our guys played their tails off tonight and came up short." The Thunder rallied without All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who was ejected, along with Washingtons Nene. They shoved each other after Westbrook was called for a charging foul for running over Al Harrington with 3:19 left. It was the second time in the game Westbrook and Nene had tangled and both times, double technical fouls were called. Westbrook scored 13 points but went just 4 of 16 from the field. Nene had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Beal matched his previous career high of 29 points in the Wizards win over Brooklyn on Friday before starring again Sunday. "Bradleys coming along and being aggressive," Wittman said. "I thought he had a decent look at the end of regulation. Doesnt go in and thats the difference." The first half featured mostly poor shooting. Oklahoma City led 42-37 at the break despite scoring just 10 points in the second quarter. "We started off the game relaxed, like we were supposed to win this game, as if they were just going to lie down," Durant said. "We cant come out like that." Trevor Ariza scored 15 points, Harrington and Gortat had 11 and Wall had 10 for the Wizards. Jackson came off the bench to score 12 for the Thunder. NOTES: Oklahoma City F Nick Collison missed the game with a bruised left hip. Brooks says Collison is day to day. Oklahoma Citys next game will be Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers. ... Wittman said he didnt know when F Chris Singleton might return from a fracture in his left foot that he sustained in mid-September. The team originally said he would be out six to eight weeks, but Wittman said Singleton hasnt practiced yet and that "it will be a little while after that" before hes able to play. ... Gabe Ikard, an all-Big 12 Conference centre for Oklahomas football team, watched from a courtside seat. ... Westbrook and Nene each were each called for their first technical fouls with 7:20 left in the third quarter after some jawing and shoving. Asked about the ejection, Westbrook answered, "Did we win?" He refused to answer other questions about the altercation with Nene. Jabaal Sheard Jersey .com) - Australian Open champion Li Na, former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and former world No. Wholesale Colts Jerseys China . Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit. ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols sued Jack Clark on Friday over comments on a local radio show accusing the three-time NL MVP of using steroids. The lawsuit between former Cardinals stars was filed in Circuit Court in St. Louis County, where Clark lives. It seeks unspecified damages that would be donated to charity, and asks for a determination and declaration that Clarks statements are false. The petition says Pujols "character and reputation are impeccable and beyond reproach" and cites his charitable work with the Pujols Family Foundation, while calling Clark "a struggling radio talk show host" who was chasing ratings in the first week his new show was on the air. Pujols, a nine-time All-Star, played for the Cardinals from 2001-11, then left to sign a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. "My lawyers have told me that the upcoming legal fight will not be an easy one, and that in cases like this even a liar can sometimes be protected under the law," Pujols said in a statement. "I have never shied away from standing up for the truth, and I believe that the principles at stake are too important to sit back and do nothing." "I believe we are all accountable for the things we do and say, and it was important for me to stand up for what was right against those who would seek to drag me down to try and build themselves up," he said. The lawsuit came one day after three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and Commissioner Bud Selig in New York for alleged interference with his current and prospective business deals. Rodriguez has a $275 million, 10-year contract with the New York Yankees, the only baseball deal larger than Pujols agreement. Clark played for the Cardinals from 1985-87 and was a four-time All-Star. He made the comments on Aug. 2 on WGNU-AM radios "The King and the Ripper Show," saying he knew "for a fact" that Pujols used steroids and performance enhancing drugs. He called Pujols "a juicer" and made similar on-air comments three days later. Clark and his co-host on the program, Kevin Slaten, were fired a week into their tenure, and the stations owner broadcast a lengthy apology and posted similarly contrite statements on its websitee. Discount Indianapolis Colts Jerseys. The lawsuit does not name the radio station or Slaten as defendants. Clark, who played 18 seasons for five teams, was the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach from 2001-03. He said on the air that Pujols personal trainer, Chris Mihlfeld, disclosed that he "shot up" the young player and also offered Clark steroids. Mihlfeld, who also worked for the Dodgers at the time and first met Pujols as his junior college coach, has publicly denied those accusations. The suit references a Mihlfeld statement that Clarks allegations are "simply not true." The lawsuit says Clarks comments are lies that have damaged Pujols reputation, causing him humiliation, mental anguish and anxiety. It calls the statements "malicious, reckless and outrageous falsehoods" and said Clarks firing and the shows cancellation dont go far enough. "Cutting Clark off at the microphone will not undo the harm to Pujols reputation caused by Clark," the suit says. On Aug. 10, Clark tweeted: "I completely stand by the story I told 8 days ago about conversations 13 years ago w/ Mihlfeld. He will never admit it." Clarks attorney, Chet Pleban, said he had not yet seen the lawsuit but Clark "looks forward to having his day in court and having 12 unbiased, impartial people decide the issues." "And well certainly look forward to the discovery process, that will include depositions and the like," he said. Pleban said Pujols has a "multiplicity of legal hurdles to overcome" to meet the actual malice standard in libel cases brought by public officials -- specifically showing that Clark made a knowingly false statement or with reckless disregard for the truth. Soon after Clarks comments, Pujols adamantly denied using performance-enhancing drugs, citing his desire to be a role model for his five children and the necessity of being "the athlete to carry the torch and pave the way for other innocent players" by challenging Clark in court. On Friday, one of the five lawyers he has hired to fight Clark said in a written statement that should Pujols prevail in court, he would donate any monetary damages to charity. Los Angeles attorney Lynda Goldman said Pujols also expects an apology from Clark. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '