German Atlantis Forum » he dished it back to the Penguins superstar, w

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Al Jefferson beat up the Detroit Pistons in a key game in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are hardly the first team he has punished. Jefferson scored more than 30 points for the sixth time in nine games and led the Charlotte Bobcats to a 108-96 victory over Detroit on Tuesday night. He added 12 rebounds and seven assists, and sent Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe to the Pistons bench with foul trouble. "Hes a bad matchup for the entire league right now," interim Pistons coach John Loyer said. "We knew exactly what we was going to do -- they ran the same plays they always run -- but theres not much you can do to stop him." Jefferson had 24 points and 14 rebounds on Dec. 20 when the Bobcats rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Detroit 116-106. "These games are what it is all about, especially with the Pistons chasing us," Jefferson said. "If you had told us before the season that we would be in this position, we would have been very satisfied. There are 28 games left, and were in the hunt." Kemba Walker scored 22 points, and Josh McRoberts added 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bobcats extend their lead over the Pistons to 1 1/2 games for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. "Our guys talked about it before the break, and said that everyone needed to do something to get ready for the rest of the season," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. "Whatever they did, they were all ready to go tonight, and it was obviously a factor." The teams will conclude the home-and-home set at Charlotte on Wednesday night. Drummond, coming off his MVP performance in the Rising Stars game on Friday, had 16 points, 11 offensive rebounds and 11 defensive rebounds for Detroit. That wasnt enough to overcome a terrible shooting performance by his teammates. "We didnt have the energy and concentration that I would have expected," said Loyer, who is 1-2 after replacing Maurice Cheeks last week. "Thats very disappointing. You cant let a good NBA team, and I think Charlotte is a good team, post that kind of start. "We had two good practices after the break, but it didnt carry over into tonights game." Detroit got double-doubles from all three post players. Monroe finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Josh Smith added 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Pistons shot just 39.8 per cent, with Smith making only 5 of 17 attempts. The Bobcats got off to a quick start, making their first seven shots. Only four missed free throws by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist kept Detroit from digging itself a bigger hole. Even when Charlotte missed a shot, the Bobcats got the offensive rebound and found McRoberts for an open 3-pointer. "It was very important to us to have a great start," Jefferson said. "We know how important these games are, and we were able to start off the game by setting the tone." The Bobcats free-throw shooting didnt get any better -- they missed 11 of their first 14 attempts -- but they maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second quarter. Charlotte was ahead 54-43 at halftime. Detroit could have gotten a point at the start of the second half, following a technical foul called on Walker as the teams left the court for the break. Jennings, though, missed the free throw. Detroit was outshot 58 per cent to 36 per cent in the first half, but Charlottes struggles from the line and eight offensive rebounds in the second quarter kept the Pistons in the game. The Bobcats quickly moved ahead 67-49 within the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, but Drummond was active enough on the offensive boards to pull Detroit within 79-67, heading to the fourth period. He went to the bench with his fifth foul with 9:47 to play, ending the Pistons run. Detroit also started missing its free throws, going 1 for 7 to start the second half. NOTES: The Bobcats are 2-0 this season against the Pistons with both wins coming at the Palace. ... Detroits Rodney Stuckey, a subject of trade rumours because of his expiring contract, went 1 for 9 from the floor in the first half and finished with two points in 17 minutes. ... Jefferson pulled off a rare feat when he was able to talk an official into changing a call. Tony Brown whistled Jefferson for a delay-of-game violation, but after a brief discussion, the call was overturned. Henry Ellenson Pistons Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Terry Mills Jersey . McCutchen hit his first home run in over a month, doubled twice and scored two runs to help the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Sunday and take three of four from the defending NL West champions. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Henry-Ellenson-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Heather, the first Gaiter to win the award, set a Canadian Inter-university Sport record with 3,132 passing yards in eight league games, an average of 391.5 yards per game. That beat the mark of 3,047 set only one week earlier by Westerns Will Finch, a Hec Crighton finalist. Tony Snell Jersey . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U. Sekou Doumbouya Jersey .com) - Tony Parker scored 17 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a comfortable 99-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.PITTSBURGH -- The New York Islanders up-and-down, fast-paced tempo always seem to bring out the worst defensively in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fortunately, for the Penguins, captain Sidney Crosby was there, helping his team prevent a second home collapse in four weeks against the upstart Islanders. Crosby scored with 1:16 remaining on Friday to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory over the Islanders during a game that saw New York rally from a pair of two two-goal deficits for the second time in two games against Pittsburgh. "We had the lead, so they started taking chances, and we kind of got sucked into playing that style of game," Crosby said. "Instead of managing the puck, we were taking chances and throwing the puck everywhere, and when you play that game, whoever scores the last goal is going to win." Thats exactly what happened and Crosby provided the late game-winner. Crosbys 12th goal of the season was also the 250th of his career, and the Penguins captain also had an assist. Chris Kunitz had two goals and an assist, Evgeni Malkin added a goal and two assists, and James Neal had two assists. Malkins goal ended his career-high 15-game scoring drought. Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff, playing for the first time since Nov. 2, stopped 32 shots in his fourth NHL start. "We had a lot of chances, but that wasnt our best game," Crosby said. "We probably couldve put it away early, but they hung around." Thomas Vanek scored twice for the Islanders in his first game after missing five with an upper-body injury. Vanek has three goals and two assists with New York since being acquired from Buffalo last month. Colin McDonald also got his second of the season for New York. Kevin Poulin made 30 saves for the Islanders. He started his sixth straight game in place of injured starter Evgeni Nabokov, who is out with a groin injury. The two teams combined for six goals through two periods, but things settled down in the third. With less than 90 seconds left, Kunitz got the puck to Pascal Dupuis behind the net, and he centred it to Crosby, who got the tiebreaker for the Penguins. "It was kind of a patient third period from both teams, and there wasnt much going on," Crosby said. "A lot different from the first two periods." The Penguins won their third straight and fourth win in five games to rebound from a three-game skid. Pittsburgh also won its third straight at home -- and fifth time in six games at Consol Energy Center, where the Penguins are 10-3 while having allowed just 24 goals. Pittsburgh, tops in the Metropolitan Division, thumped rival Washington 4-0 on Wednesday night and gained a measure of revenge from a heartbreaking loss to the Islanders four weeks earlier. However, it wasnt easy for the Penguins, who werent nearly as disciplined defensively on Friday. The Islanders, tied for last in the Metropolitan Division entering Friday, lost for the seventh time in nine games, but the matchup with the division-leading Penguins brought out thhe best in New York, as it has done recently.dddddddddddd Pittsburgh, which survived a six-game playoff series against the underdog Islanders last season, held third-period leads of 2-1 and 3-2 four weeks ago before New York rallied, scoring three times in the final 7:14 for a 4-3 victory. The Islanders nearly did it again, coming back from early deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 before Crosbys heroics. "We were flirting with danger and we realized that in the third," Crosby said. Malkin has been productive with 14 assists in 15 games -- 12 coming in nine November games -- but had no goals to show for it. He previously scored Oct. 17 during a 4-1 win at Philadelphia and it showed as emotion poured from Malkin, who aggressively pumped his fist and slammed his stick against the end boards after beating Poulin midway through the second period. "Its a good moment for him to get the goal," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Hes played some really good hockey and has done some really good things. To see the puck dribble over the line was a great moment for him." New York committed three penalties in the first 7:42 of the game, and Kunitz made the Islanders pay, staking the Penguins to a 2-0 lead with two power-play goals in 7:55. Crosby and Malkins slick tic-tac-toe passing sequence set up Kunitzs first goal 4:04 into the game. Kunitz scored his second less than four minutes later, blowing a slap shot past Poulin after taking a pass off the rush from Neal. Kunitz thought he had the natural hat trick with 1:10 left in the first period, but a high-sticking call on Malkin before the puck went in negated the goal. That allowed Vanek to trim the Penguins lead to a goal 1:46 into the second period. Malkin helped the Penguins regain the two-goal advantage less than 5 minutes later. Malkin initially passed to an open Neal on the left wing but he dished it back to the Penguins superstar, who slid a shot underneath Poulin with a defender draped on his back. Malkins goal gave the Penguins life as Pittsburgh buzzed the Islanders zone looking for more. The Islanders weathered the storm, tying the game a little more than 5 minutes later with two goals in less than 2 minutes. McDonald started the comeback, beating Zatkoff with a wrist shot to the blocker side off the rush. Vanek scored his second of the game soon after, finding a loose puck during a scrum in front after the Islanders capitalized on a Penguins turnover. "I think in the second period we had opportunities, but it was up-and-down opportunities," Bylsma said. "At that point, we were not in a game we wanted to play regardless of the score." NOTES: Penguins F Beau Bennett left the game with an injury and will be re-evaluated. ... Islanders D Andrew MacDonald and C Frans Nielsen will also be re-evaluated Saturday. ... The Penguins and Islanders meet in two weeks at the Nassau Coliseum. ... Both teams are in action Saturday, Pittsburgh visiting Montreal, while the Islanders continue a three-game road swing at Philadelphia. ' ' '