Links » exorcise the demon just a little bit. Luis Riv

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek would have preferred to coast to the finish Friday night. His young players seemed determined not to make it that easy on him. The Suns nearly squandered a 17-point lead in the final 4 minutes before escaping with a 98-91 victory over Charlotte. The Bobcats got within five in the final minute, but couldnt get over the hump. "Im not sure what we were doing out there for a while, but well take it," Hornacek said with a sense of relief in his voice. "We lost the last four games so well take any win regardless of how it looks." Channing Frye scored a season-high 20 points and P.J. Tucker was perfect from the field as the Suns beat the Bobcats for the fourth consecutive time. Tucker scored 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting. He drained three 3-pointers and his only miss of the night came on a late free throw. Goran Dragic added 14 points and eight assists two nights after scoring 31 in a loss to Sacramento. Gerald Green chipped in with 14 points and Markieff Morris had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench. "Man, Ill take a win but that was pretty sketchy at the end," Frye said of the series of missed shots and turnovers in the final 4 minutes. "Were young and still trying to figure out (how to close games), but winning is winning. Ill take that any day of the week." Gerald Henderson scored 17 points and Kemba Walker had 16 to lead the Bobcats, who have lost three of four. Al Jefferson returned to the starting lineup and had nine points and six rebounds after missing the previous four games with an ankle injury. The Suns led 74-63 early in the fourth quarter when they went on a 10-0 run, with Green knocking down a baseline jumper and Frye and Marcus Morris connecting on 3-pointers to push the lead to 21. That brought boos from the home crowd in Charlotte for the first time under new coach Steve Clifford with 9 minutes left in the game. "It was like we were a step slower and we made some mental mistakes and turned the ball over," Jefferson said. "We just didnt have it tonight." Still, the Bobcats showed theyre starting to get used to playing with a low post presence like Jefferson, something Clifford has said would take some time given how little Jefferson played in the preseason due to ankle issues. On one possession, Henderson fed Jefferson in the low post, got the ball back and then returned it to Jefferson, who scored on a layup while drawing a foul. "We have to learn to play off Al," Clifford said. "They played small and when teams play like that we need to be able to pound them. We have to be able to get him the ball. Again, thats not an easy thing. Post-up basketball, as Ive said before, is the hardest thing to get good at." Said Jefferson: "I think its just a matter of game reps. (But) its not something Im panicking about." The Suns jumped out to a 55-44 lead in the first half behind 11 points from Frye. Miles Plumlee was strong on the boards early for the Suns and finished with 11 rebounds. Walker, who excited Bobcats fans Wednesday night with 31 points against Brooklyn, scored just three on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half and Charlotte didnt make a 3-pointer. The Suns continue their road trip with stops in Orlando and Miami. "We needed a win," Tucker said. "Its been a tough four games for us. Were on the road now and needed to get a win. It got a little crazy at the end out here, but we finished and got the win." Frye said it helped that the Suns didnt put pressure on themselves for a change. "Were just having fun out there," he said. "I think I was more relaxed today. When you start losing everything you start to get real tight, so we cant be like that. We just have to get out there and have fun." NOTES: With Jefferson back in the lineup, Bobcats centre Bismack Biyombo didnt play after averaging more than 20 minutes over the previous four games. ... Charlotte finished 3 of 14 from 3-point range -- with all the field goals coming in the fourth quarter. ... Dragic has scored in double figures in six straight games. Zapatillas Nike Baratas Online .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No. Ofertas Zapatillas Nike Outlet .ca! Hi Kerry, Im sure youve received many emails wondering what your take is on the Spezza goal that looked like Neil blatantly kicked it in while standing directly in the middle of the crease where, you know, usually a goalie is to make a save but couldnt be due to Neil being there! Thanks! Jon - Westfield, MA Jon: Lets first ask Henrik Lundqvist what he thought of the scoring of the Sens second goal with . http://www.zapatillasbaratasnike.es/ . - Leon Draisaitl scored a hat trick as the Prince Albert Raiders stormed past the Swift Current Broncos 5-2 in Western Hockey League action Tuesday. Zapatillas Nike Baratas China . The biggest collapse in franchise history was a long time ago, and he was too busy trying to make sure it didnt happen again. Zapatillas Nike Baratas Outlet . -- ETwaun Moore had 14 points in 30 minutes, and the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 87-86 on Sunday night.BERLIN -- Arjen Robben scored twice for unbeaten Bayern Munich to beat bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund needed two late penalties to win 3-1 at Mainz. Robben scored in the second minute after Mario Goetze picked him out with a ball over the top. The Dutchmans initial effort struck the post but the rebound fell kindly for him to head home. He added his second in the 30th when he cut inside two defenders before letting fly. "It was clear that it was going to be a huge challenge for us," said Braunschweig coach Torsten Lieberknecht, whose squad reportedly cost 128 times less than Bayerns. Bayern utterly dominated the first half but the visitors were unlucky not to score in the second as the home side relaxed. David Alaba saved goalkeeper Manuel Neuers blushes by clearing Domi Kumbelas goal-bound effort off the line, and Kevin Kratz hit the crossbar with a deflected free kick late in the game, which Bayern ended on the counterattack. "It was a difficult game because weve come from Dortmund and Moscow," said Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, referring to his sides previous league and Champions League games. "Its another game more and we won. In the end Im very satisfied with the performance," the Spaniard added, after Bayern stretched its record unbeaten run to 39 games. Dortmund found Mainz a tough nut to crack as Juergen Klopp returned to the club where he spent his entire playing career and coached for 7 1/2 years. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally broke the deadlock in the 70th, with a free kick that went in off the left post. But Mainz equalized through Eric Maxim Choupo-Motings penalty four minutes later after Lukasz Piszczek brought down Yanus Malli. Robert Lewandowski restored Dortmunds lead through another penalty five minutes after that, and Mainz midfielder Elkin Soto was sent off for handling Aubameyangs effort on goal, before Lewandowski gave the scoreline a flattering look with another penalty in injury time. "Im totally happy with the result and with the way the game went," Klopp said. Werder Bremen scored in the last minute for a 4-4 draw at Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen beat relegation-threatened Nuremberg 3-0 and Hertha Berlin drew 0-0 with Augsburg. Schalke defeated Stuttgart 3-0 in the late game to climb fifth and ease the pressure on coach Jens Keller.dddddddddddd "We played well here. Its crazy that it could end 3-0," said Stuttgart coach Thomas Schneider, whose side has just one win from its last seven games. Jefferson Farfan scored in the 34th when Julian Draxler set him up on the right and claimed his second in the 47th from the penalty spot -- the seventh awarded in the Bundesliga on Saturday -- after Draxler made the most of Christian Gentners contact to go down. United States midfielder Jermaine Jones, who ran over 12 kilometres (7 1/2 miles) during the game, secured the result with a powerful shot inside the left post in the 79th. "I have to pick one player out -- Jermaine Jones has taken criticism before, from me included, but he was outstanding today and Im happy he got his goal," Keller said. Earlier, Sejad Salihovic scored two penalties within six minutes for Hoffenheim to lead 2-0 by the 18th minute. Bremen captain Aaron Hunt pulled one back in the 45th, also from the penalty spot, one minute before Eljero Elia equalized when Hunts harmless-looking cross slipped through Koen Casteels fingers. Salihovic crossed for Kevin Volland to score four minutes after the break, and Kai Herdling made it 4-2 with a fine strike four minutes later. But Nils Petersen pulled one back in the 59th and Philipp Bargfrede scored his first Bundesliga goal very late to secure an unlikely draw for Bremen. "Im happy for all the neutral fans and the journalists -- they enjoyed the game. For us coaches on the other hand, it would often make you tear your hair out," Bremen coach Robin Dutt said. His counterpart was equally unappreciative. "If we played normal games for the whole season, you could say that such a game is awesome," Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol said. "But its like that every week with us. Its starting to get annoying." Leverkusen, humiliated in Wednesdays 5-0 home defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League, remains four points adrift of Bayern after the sides 11th win from 14 games. Sami Hyypias side endured a difficult start against Nuremberg before Son Heung-min scored with a neat finish in the 36th, Jens Hegeler set up Stefan Kiessling with his heel two minutes after the break, and Son scored his second in the 76th. ' ' '