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Geregistreerd op: 26 Okt 2019 Berichten: 195
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Geplaatst: 08-11-2019 09:26:26 Onderwerp: at the Air Canada Centre since Dec |
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CLEVELAND - The pieces, old and new, are beginning to fit together. Nike NBA Jerseys China .Its taken some time, and theres a long way to go. But the critiqued and criticized Cavaliers are starting to play like the team they were supposed to be.I like the way weve been the last few games, LeBron James said following a 108-94 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. I like the way weve played the last week. Weve played some really, really good basketball.James scored 26 points and J.R. Smith added 20 as the Cavs, remodeled by two trades in recent weeks, entered a favourable portion of their schedule with their third straight win.Back home after salvaging a drama-filled trip out West with two wins in Los Angeles, the Cavs had little trouble with the Central Division-leading Bulls. Cleveland opened a 25-point lead in the third quarter and handed Chicago its fourth loss in five games.Jimmy Butler scored 20 and Derrick Rose 18 for the Bulls, who played their third game in a row without starting centre Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). Chicago has dropped six of eight, and coach Tom Thibodeau doesnt like what hes seen from his team lately.Weve got to decide when enough is enough, a disgusted Thibodeau said. Weve got to get better. Its really that simple. The way were playing is not acceptable, so we have to change it.Smith made six 3-pointers, Kyrie Irving scored 18 with 12 assists and Kevin Love added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who have temporarily quieted talk that theyre not NBA title contenders and first-year coach David Blatt is in trouble. Cleveland can improve its record with three more home games this week and nine of its next 12 in Quicken Loans Arena.This was our best defensive game of the year, said Blatt, who dismissed some recent negative analysis of his team. We have a long way to go but the ship is sailing in the right direction.Cavs centre Timofey Mozgov scored 15 with 15 rebounds in his first home game for Cleveland since being acquired in a Jan. 7 trade from Denver.Playing his fourth game since missing eight with a strained back and knee, James didnt have to carry the offensive load as Clevelands other starters combined for 69 points. And, the Cavs played with better energy on defence, which hasnt been the case most of the season.Leading by 15 at halftime, the Cavs opened the third with a 10-2 run to open a 23-point lead. Love and Smith drained 3-pointers in the spurt that wobbled the Bulls. Chicago got to 90-78 in the fourth, but James scored on a drive and Smith drilled a 3 to put the Cavs back in control.If we dont have that edge, were going to continue to get our butt whupped, said Rose, who sat out the fourth quarter. Basketball should be fun. It seems like were overthinking.Rose missed his first seven shots and didnt make his first field goal until there was 1:10 left in the first half.___SECOND CITYBulls G Kirk Hinrich didnt score in 26 minutes. ... Chicago has a tough stretch ahead with games vs. San Antonio, Dallas, Miami and Golden State. Were halfway through the season, Thibodeau said. Somehow the notion that its OK, well be all right — no, no, it doesnt work like that. This is what we have. Its on us to figure it out. No ones coming in to save the day. Weve got to find the answer.TIP-INSBulls: Rose came in averaging 25.5 points and 8.0 assists in his previous four games. Thibodeau believes Rose is finally getting back to form after two injury-plagued seasons. Hes gaining confidence, Thibodeau said. I think he was going through a long period of time where he wasnt playing and just getting that competitive edge back. Thats what made him so special prior to the injuries. When hes like that, no opponent wants to see him. ... The Bulls are 15-6 on the road. ... F Mike Dunleavy missed his 10th straight game with an injured ankle.Cavaliers: G Iman Shumpert, who hasnt played since being acquired in a recent trade with New York, could make his Cleveland debut later this week from a dislocated left shoulder. Shumpert has participated in contact drills the past two days, and Blatt said its even possible the solid defender could start immediately. ... Fresh off Ohio States national championship, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and starting quarterback Cardale Jones — a Cleveland native — were introduced to thunderous ovations. Before the game, Meyer visited with Irving and owner Dan Gilbert, a Michigan State alum.UP NEXTBulls: Host San Antonio on Thursday.Cavaliers: Host Utah on Wednesday. Cheap NBA Jerseys . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . -- Down to 10 men and behind on the scoreboard, Toronto FC displayed its perseverance. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better.TORONTO - If youve played or coached in the NBA long enough, you probably have a tried and tested method for shaking off unsettling losses. A couple days removed from the Raptors most recent defeat, a triple overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, Dwane Casey is still making notes, having reviewed the game tape two or three times since Thursday night. DeMar DeRozan has also watched the tape, hoping to identify areas of weakness in his and the teams performance. However, that form of reflection is not for everybody. Some prefer to look ahead, rather than dwell on the past. "I didnt watch it," Kyle Lowry admitted. "No. We lost. I didnt watch that game." The Raptors overcame a spotty showing on the boards, giving up 18 offensive rebounds, and in the trenches, allowing 80 points in the paint, giving themselves a couple of opportunities to steal a victory in what would eventually become the franchises longest game. In the end, Toronto simply ran out of bullets. By the third overtime period, they were without Lowry, Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson - all having fouled out - as well as Terrence Ross, who left the game with an ankle injury in the first half. "Its definitely tough, just to watch it and understand how close we came to pulling it [out] but it happens," said DeRozan, who scored 34 points - his third 30-plus point outing in the last five games - in 57 minutes of action. "Its the NBA and youve got to learn from it." For Jonas Valanciunas, who struggled in overtime after sitting out the entire fourth quarter, Thursdays loss was another learning experience, one Casey hopes his young centre wont take too personally. "We all make mistakes," Casey said following practice Friday afternoon. "He made some mistakes down the stretch, hes got to learn from them, not get his head down [or] feel like the weight of the world is on his shoulders [and] play basketball." "Hes 21-years-old, not really good looking but a nice looking guy," he joked. "Why be stressed about anything?" "His role is to go in, have fun, learn, get better, improve and try to play the game the right way. If you make a mistake, okay, learn from it. Dont make the same mistake twice." With a rare four-day break looming, the Raptors have an opportunity to redeem themselves when they host the Golden State Warriors Sunday. Its been nearly three full months since they last saw the Warriors but their 112-103 loss in Oakland on Dec. 3 is not one that can easily be forgotten. "Me personally, I remember it," Lowry said of that game, in which the Raptors surrendered a 27-point lead, the largest collapse in franchise history. "At the end of the day, were a different team, theyre a different team so were just going to go out there and play our game.. NBA Jerseys Outlet. " Just six days prior to the trade of Rudy Gay, Toronto led 88-70 after 36 minutes before the Warriors went off for a 42-point quarter. Since that night, the Raptors have gone 26-15 while solidifying themselves as one of the leagues best fourth quarter teams, holding opponents to 21.9 points in the final frame, first in the NBA. The Raptors have lost only two games when leading going into the fourth quarter this season. "It was tough, man," DeRozan said, looking back on that night. "I think that game really bothered us afterwards because we had them beat and before you know it, they started raining threes. It sucks to lose like that so we definitely understand that and I definitely think everyone remembers that." Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson accounted for 26 points, on 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, in the fourth, carrying the Warriors to victory. The Raptors are winless in seven games facing Golden State with Curry in the lineup, allowing 119.3 points in those contests. The all-star guard averages 27.3 points and 8.7 assists against Toronto, his highest marks against any opponent in his career. "You have two of the best shooters in Golden State, probably in the league," DeRozan said of Curry and Thompson. "The way Steph can score the ball at an all-time high is definitely amazing and youve got a guy like Klay that can catch and shoot at will. It makes it tough so weve got to come out [Sunday] night and be aggressive on both ends, make it tough on them." Averaging a combined 41.8 points per game, the Warriors duo of Curry and Thompson is the NBAs highest scoring backcourt, just ahead of Lowry and DeRozan, who average 39.6. Lowry was a full participant in practice Saturday and insists he is good to go against the Warriors after coming down on his right ankle at the end of regulation Thursday. Ross was held out of practice as a precaution, though he did get some work in on the stationary bike, and is considered questionable for Sundays contest. The Raptors, who have won 12 of their last 16 at home, havent lost back-to-back games at the Air Canada Centre since Dec. 1 and hope to avoid doing so against the red-hot Warriors. Golden State, in the middle of a season-long six game road trip, has won five of six. After being held to 83 points and losing to the Bulls by 20 on Wednesday, they scored a season-high 126, dismantling the Knicks by 23 Friday night. "We stopped attacking the basket, settled for jump shots, we tried to play their game and theyre better at it," Casey said of his teams collapse in Oakland. "[We] didnt do a good job of handling their pressure offensively. They made some tough shots, now weve got to go down, attack the paint, make them play defence [and] attack the rim if our jump shots are not falling." ' ' ' |
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