Dein erstes Forum » Lupul has gone pointless in 12 of the past 18 games,

OKLAHOMA CITY -- LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 14 rebounds and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 98-94 in a showdown of Western Conference heavyweights on Tuesday night. Damian Lillard added 21 points and 11 assists and hit a pair of clinching free throws with 2.1 seconds left for Portland, which beat Oklahoma City for the second time in December. Portland (25-7) snapped a two-game losing streak but still trails Oklahoma City (25-6) by a half-game in the Northwest Division standings. Kevin Durant had 37 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, which had won 12 of its last 13 and 20 of its last 22 games before Tuesday. But Durant managed only one point in the fourth quarter and missed an 11-foot jumper that would have tied the game in the final seconds. The Thunder, who scored only 16 fourth-quarter points, lost for the first time in six New Years Eve home games since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City led by 13 points midway through the third quarter, but Portland chipped away at that lead and took its first lead since the first quarter at 87-86 on two free throws by Aldridge with 3:58 left. Reggie Jackson answered with a jumper to put Oklahoma City back ahead, but Nicolas Batums 3-pointer gave Portland a 90-88 lead and the Blazers never trailed again. Portland led 94-90 after Robin Lopez hit two free throws with 59.1 seconds left. Jackson, who entered the game as the third-best free-throw shooter in the NBA, went 1 of 2 from the line at the other end. Portlands Wesley Matthews missed a 3-point attempt and Lillard rebounded, but Thabo Sefolosha stole the ball from him and Lillard fouled him. Sefolosha hit both free throws to pull Oklahoma City within 94-93 with 23.6 seconds left. Portlands Mo Williams missed two free throws with 15.8 seconds left and Serge Ibaka rebounded for the Thundeer, but Lopez swatted the ball away and it went to Matthews, who was fouled by Durant and made two free throws with 9.2 seconds left. Durant went to the line with 8.2 seconds left and made the first free throw, but missed the second. The rebound was tipped to him, though, and he had an open look but left the shot short. Sefolosha fouled Lillard, who made both free throws to clinch the win. Portland 16-game streak of 100-point offensive outings ended, though, as the Blazers shot an uncharacteristic 39.6 per cent from the field (36 of 91) and 24.2 from 3-point range (8 of 33). Before Tuesday, the Trail Blazers had lost consecutive games for the first time all season, having fallen to Miami on Saturday and at New Orleans on Monday. Portland ended a three-game losing streak to the Thunder in Oklahoma City. The Thunder is 2-1 since All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook underwent his third surgery since injuring his knee during the playoffs in April. This season, Oklahoma City is 4-2 without Westbrook, who the team has said will be out until after the All-Star break. There were 10 lead changes in the games first eight minutes, but the Thunder used a 12-2 run to build a 34-24 lead early in the second quarter. Portland rallied within 40-36 at the 5:30 mark but went more than four minutes without scoring. Portland coach Terry Stotts burned two timeouts while trying to stop a 12-0 run by Oklahoma City and the Thunder led 54-42 at halftime. Matthews finished with 16 points and Batum added 15 for Portland. Serge Ibaka had 17 points and Reggie Jackson added 12 points and six assists for Oklahoma City. Notes: Four days removed from his most recent surgery, Westbrook made an appearance in the Thunders locker room before the game and was using a crutch . Ibaka picked up a quick technical foul from official Joey Crawford after Ibaka complained being called for a personal foul with 5 minutes left in the first quarter . Portland is 6-2 this season against the other 20-win teams in the NBA . Mark King, a Guymon native and the guitarist for rock band Hinder, performed the national anthem. Buy Asics Shoes Online Uk . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. Asics Outlet Uk . Dalton completed his only pass and led the Bengals to a touchdown in his only drive -- one that took four minutes to finish -- and the Cincinnati Bengals ended the preseason with a 27-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. http://www.clearanceasicsuk.com/ .Patterson marked his anniversary by proving his worth — once again.Lou Williams poured in 26 points, and Patterson drained two huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, as the Raptors topped the Denver Nuggets 112-107 in overtime Monday. Clearance Asics Shoes Uk . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. Asics Shoes Clearance Sale . - After spending the morning in the hospital, Logan Couture gave the San Jose Sharks the spark they needed.TORONTO – Since the electric days of his first training camp with the Maple Leafs in the fall of 2009, Nazem Kadri has been a lightning rod in the city of Toronto, a constant source of attention in times both good and bad. "I learned that the first year I came here, not to pay attention to many people outside the dressing room," the 23-year-old said on a noisy Friday afternoon. "All those blogs, newspapers and people saying what they want to say, they have their own opinion, but at the end of the day Im not hearing it." Kadri is trudging through the longest slump of what is, in reality, a brief NHL career. Though he remains on pace for a respectable 19 goals and 47 points, he has just one goal in the past 16 games and a quiet 14 points since the start of November – a stretch of 31 games. "I think its been decent," said Kadri of his season so far, which has him sitting fourth in team scoring with 27 points. "[But] I know I can bring a lot better. Obviously, everyone expects a lot more, which is a little flattering to say the least, because people believe in you and understand that you can give more to the team. No one expects more than I expect from myself." In midst of those struggles is bubbling trade speculation, which Toronto general manager Dave Nonis addressed in an interview with TSN Radio on Thursday. "Theres a lot of interest in Nazem Kadri," said Nonis. "Would we be willing to trade him? Yes, wed be willing to trade him. But theres a big difference between willing to and trying to." Kadri, for one, has no interest in a potential move. "Itd be terrible," Kadri said of a possible trade. "I dont see it happening and I dont want it to happen. This is my home, this is where I want to be and til otherwise Im going to give them everything I have." Though his career seems like its spanned ages in Toronto, Kadri is still just 23 and midway through only his second NHL season. The point is, hes young with plenty of opportunity and time for growth and development ahead. Patience is a virtue often lost, however, on youthful talent in this city. A first round selection of the organization in 2002, Alex Steen, for example, was dealt to St. Louis as a 24-year-old, gradually evolving into one of the games better two-way forwards with the Blues. Nonis has pledged an unwillingness to repeat such mistakes, firm in his stance that young talent only be moved if something was similar was gained in return. Unlike last season, when Kadri totaled a blistering 44 points in 48 games, thee London, Ontario native has suffered through an extended rough patch, facing more difficult competition in light of injuries – including a 12-game stretch as the teams no.dddddddddddd 1 centre – while regressing statistically with some of the luck that made his first full campaign in the NHL so alluring. And unlike October, when he totaled 13 points in 14 games, Kadri and the teams second power-play unit have been unproductive. In fact, he has just one power-play point in the past 19 games. "With him, its back to basics and I thought that he played better [recently], but hasnt had the offensive output," coach Randy Carlyle said of Kadri. "Its up to Nazzie to put his nose to the grindstone, to do the little things, get involved physically, move the puck, keep it simple, and make plays when hes inside the blueline – deep enough that we dont have to risk the turnover." "It just seems like pucks are hitting skates or goalies are just getting a piece of it and theyre hanging on the goal-lines, hitting posts – Ive had the whole nine yards over the past couple weeks," said Kadri, who last scored in New York on Dec. 23. "Hopefully, my lucks going to change because it can only get better from here." His line, which includes Joffrey Lupul and Mason Raymond, has been quiet and kept in in tow. Lupul has gone pointless in 12 of the past 18 games, while Raymond has a mere two goals in 21 outings. "[The] past few games weve been sniffing," said Kadri, confidence dinged but not broken. "I think every single game were up to four, five, six, sometimes seven scoring chances a game – A-plus scoring chances – so its only a matter of time before those pucks start finding the back of the net and we get that confidence and swagger back." It was only last season, albeit in the American League, that Kadri endured similar struggles with the Marlies. He scored just twice in the first 18 games (with the NHL locked out) and was scratched by then-head coach Dallas Eakins in early November. Outside noise was then, like it is presently, loud and sometimes lacking in the realities that come with the development of a young player. Kadri, who emerged from that spell with 10 points in four games, is well schooled to taking it all in stride. "Its not like Im going home, turning on the radio to listen to what everyone has to say because at the end of the day it doesnt really matter," he said. "Ive got to worry about myself and what I can contribute to the team." ' ' '