Allgemein » The Canucks will try to get something positive going

LOS ANGELES -- After getting knocked down in their playoff opener, Blake Griffin and the Clippers answered with a dominant performance in shutting down the Warriors as soon as the game began. Griffin scored a career playoff-high 35 points without a foul and Los Angeles led all the way in a 138-98 rout Monday night to even their first-round series at a game apiece. "We were really aggressive on our defence," Griffin said. "When you play more aggressive you stay out of foul trouble." Chris Paul added 12 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, who started the game on a 14-4 run and kept on going, maintaining a sizeable double-digit lead through the final three quarters. They finished with franchise records for points and largest victory margin in a playoff game. "When we play with that force and thrust, its hard to defend us," Paul said. Game 3 is Thursday at Oakland. All the foul trouble that plagued Griffin and Paul in the Clippers four-point loss in Game 1 belonged to the Warriors this time. Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter, when the Warriors never got closer than 25 points, while he played with four fouls. Klay Thompson finished with seven points -- 15 under his average -- and four fouls. Andre Iguodala, who fouled out of Game 1, and Jermaine ONeal had four points and three fouls each. The Clippers defence forced 26 turnovers, and offensively they had their way -- getting out in transition, attacking the rim and throwing lobs that led to dunks. "We were awful," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "They disrupted us with their intensity. That was a desperate basketball team we played against." Los Angeles shot 57 per cent, made 12 of 25 3-pointers, hit 32 of 35 free throws for a playoff-record 91 per cent and owned a 25-13 edge in fastbreak points. "We really kept the game simple. When a guy had an open shot, he took it. When he didnt, he passed," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Its very difficult to guard when the ball moves as quickly as it did." The Clippers lead grew to a 37-point bulge early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Matt Barnes, their only starter who played albeit briefly in the final period. He finished with 13 points. Danny Granger had 15 points before fouling out. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and nine rebounds. The teams with a history of bad blood between them jawed in the fourth, when Clippers Hedo Turkoglu and Glen Davis got into it with Marreese Speights of the Warriors. Davis and Speights were called for double technicals. The Warriors frustration boiled over with 42 seconds left when Jordan Crawford was called for a flagrant-1 for shoving Darren Collison who was bringing the ball upcourt. Griffin had 21 points in 20 minutes of the first half, one minute more than he played in the Clippers loss on Saturday. He fouled out of that game, when Paul was also in foul trouble and made several mistakes in the closing minutes after the Clippers rallied to tie the game late. "Blake took it when he had it, moved it when he didnt," Rivers said. "He stayed on the attack, which is what we wanted. Great mental toughness by Blake. He was phenomenal." The Clippers got off to a 14-4 start, similar to their 12-1 start of two days ago. This time, though, the referees whistles were blowing at the Warriors. Thompson, ONeal and Iguodala all had three each by halftime, when they trailed 67-41. "We came out with a sense of urgency, but nothing was clicking," Curry said. "They just outplayed us from start to finish." Golden State had 33 fouls to 22 for the Clippers. The Clippers outscored Golden State by 11 points in the opening quarter and by 15 in the second. Curry got double-teamed for the second straight game, and he struggled offensively, making just one basket and two free throws in the first half. The Clippers second unit grew the lead from 11 points to 21 in the second, helped by consecutive 3-pointers from Jamal Crawford, Turkoglu and Granger. The starters came back in and had just four baskets the rest of the quarter while hitting 9 of 11 free throws to stretch the lead at the break. "They came in and didnt miss a beat," Griffin said about the reserves. "They came in and turned up the pressure." Thompson got whistled for his fourth foul barely a minute into the third. David Lee, who had a double-double in Game 1, had 11 points. NOTES: Curry got a technical in the third quarter for tossing his mouth piece. "The score had a lot to do with it," he said. ... Rivers and ONeal were called for technical fouls in the second quarter. "We were born on the same day. Two Libras, two stubborn fools," Rivers said. "Me and him are very close, but not during the game." ... Jordan finished third in voting for the leagues defensive player of the year. He was third in the league in blocked shots, averaging 2.48. "Its a great step forward for DeAndre," Rivers said. ... Longtime Clippers TV announcer Ralph Lawler turned 76 Monday. ... Former Clipper Chauncey Billups was on hand, along with Billy Crystal. Kyle Ryan Jersey . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. Kyle Schwarber Cubs Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello. https://www.cheapcubs.com/300t-justin-steele-jersey-cubs.html . -- Ryan Gropp scored in overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Spokane Chiefs 1-0 in Western Hockey League play Tuesday. Fergie Jenkins Cubs Jersey . His fellow Finn, 21 years his junior, had just arrived in Anaheim and was hoping to stick with the Ducks. Ryan Dempster Cubs Jersey . All of 46 seconds into the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 victory over Alex Ovechkins struggling Washington Capitals, Crosby assisted on Chris Kunitzs goal.(SportsNetwork.com) - The free-falling Vancouver Canucks will try to halt a four-game slide when they welcome the Calgary Flames for Saturdays clash at Rogers Arena. This evenings game also marks the first meeting between these clubs since their infamous encounter in Vancouver on Jan. 18. The Canucks recorded a 3-2 shootout win that night, but the game is best remembered for the antics of Vancouver head coach John Tortorella, who tried to break into the opposing teams locker room to start an altercation with Flames coach Bob Hartley during the first intermission. Tortorella was angered by Hartleys decision to start the game with his fourth line. The heated contest saw 150 penalty minutes assessed to both sides by the time the game was only 4 1/2 minutes old, owing to a second minor scrum a short time later. The meltdown cost Tortorella dearly, as he was forced to serve a 15-day suspension without pay. Despite the unpleasantness surrounding the last meeting, Vancouver should be happy to face the Flames on Saturday. Vancouver has taken five straight and seven of the last eight games in this series overall and Calgary also has lost five in a row in B.C. The Canucks have fallen on hard times over the last few months, losing 11 of 12 and 20 of their last 25 games. The clubs current 0-3-1 slide is the clubs third losing streak of four or more games since the start of the 2014 calendar year. In spite of the protracted funk, Vancouver still finds itself just four points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Vancouver suffered a rough loss in its last appearance, getting slammed 6-1 in Dallas on Thursday. Tyler Seguin fueled the rout for the Stars, recording a hat trick and two assists. Zac Dalpe supplied Vancouvers lone score and Eddie Lack conceded five goals on 17 shots. Lack is the clubs No. 1 option in net since the club dealt Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and the rookie could get another start on Saturday. "I think were all kind of disappointed with the way it has been here lately, and I know we are not out of a playoff spot," Lack said.dddddddddddd "We just have to battle through it. Weve got to refocus and come back on Saturday." Jacob Markstrom, who was one of the players acquired in the trade that sent Luongo to the Panthers, made his Vancouver debut at the start of the third and gave up one goal on five shots. Shawn Matthias, another player gained in the Luongo trade, failed to register a point in his first game with the Canucks, but he did fire seven shots on net. Canucks forward Zack Kassian was given a boarding major and a game misconduct for his hit on Dallas defenseman Brenden Dillon in the loss. On Friday, Kassian was handed a three-game suspension and hell serve the first part of that ban on Saturday. The Canucks will try to get something positive going while playing their next two games on home ice. Vancouver is 15-10-6 as the host this season and will cap a brief two-game stay at Rogers Arena when it welcomes the New York Islanders on Monday. The Flames, who are 13 points out of a playoff spot, were able to win a second straight game on Friday night, rallying to beat the visiting New York Islanders by a 4-3 score. Joe Colborne scored twice in a three-goal third-period burst to help Calgary down the Islanders at the Saddledome. Sean Monahan also tallied during the rally, while Markus Granlund added a first-period short-handed goal for the Flames, winners in three of four and nine of their last 13 games. Joni Ortio came up with 23 saves for the win. "As a team we were turning it over too much in the first two periods," said Calgary forward Mark Giordano. "But then we rallied in the third and it felt good to get this win." Forwards Jiri Hudler and Matt Stajan and defenseman Dennis Wideman all missed Fridays game and are questionable for Saturday. Calgary has lost of its last three road games and is just 11-16-4 as the visiting team this season. ' ' '