Gästebereich » the Jays are not likely

DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzkis new pick-and-roll partner put on quite a show for the old one. Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, Nowitzki was another of seven Dallas players in double figures with 11 points and the Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 123-104 Tuesday night. Steve Nash, Nowitzkis buddy and old running mate, had an up-close view as Ellis did a little bit of everything, scoring on drives and pull-up jumpers while finding open teammates with nifty passing that has come as a pleasant surprise to the Mavericks. Ellis was 11 of 14 from the field, made all eight of his free throws and had just one of 12 Dallas turnovers against 34 assists. "The lane was wide open, so I just attacked, and when they came over, I passed the ball and thats what we wanted," said Ellis, who had at least 30 points and eight assists for the second time in his four games with Dallas. "Me being aggressive opened everything else up." Nash was scoreless until the second half and finished with five points. Nick Young led the Lakers with 21. "We obviously had a hard time containing Ellis," said Nash, who was Nowitzkis teammate in Dallas for the big Germans first six seasons. "He got into the guts of our defence all night, getting easy buckets, resting buckets for his teammates and just really spacing us out with his penetration." The Mavericks never trailed, led by 20 late in the first half and pushed the lead to 26 early in the second half after Ellis got them off to a quick start with a jumper and two assists, including one when Nowitzki took the pass and ducked under a defenders arm for the layup. "Monta Ellis was fantastic tonight, all aspects of the game," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He defended, he made plays at the rim, he was under control, he hit midrange shots, he hit guys cutting to the basket." Jose Calderon had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, including one that put Dallas ahead 90-60 with 4:33 left in the third quarter. The Mavericks were 13 of 27 from long range. The Lakers tried to make it interesting with a 19-4 run, but DeJuan Blair stopped it by blocking a layup attempt by Chris Kaman, leading to a 3-pointer by rookie Gal Mekel after Nowitzki passed out of a double team. Mekel scored again on layup off a steal from Blair, who had 10 points -- all in the first half -- and eight rebounds. Jae Crowder kept the Lakers from getting any closer by going 4 of 4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, and getting a breakaway dunk on assist from Ellis. He finished with a career-high 18 points. The top three scorers came off the bench for the Lakers, who were blown out for the second time in two road games without Kobe Bryant. After Young, Jordan Farmar and Jodie Meeks had 11 apiece. "You cant get blown out and then think now we need to learn to win," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "No, we need to learn how to play. Were not playing right now. We dont come out with the same grit and determination." Nowitzki didnt get his first points until he faked Pau Gasol and drove for a dunk to put the Mavericks up 59-39 with 3 minutes left in the first half. When Ellis wasnt running the offence in a first half that featured 21 Dallas assists against just two turnovers, Mekel kept it rolling with Blair, the backup centre. Mekel had nine points and six assists, with four of each coming before halftime. Ellis had two free throws to start an 11-2 Dallas run late in the first quarter, featuring mostly backups. Three straight buckets came on assists from Mekel -- a 3-pointer by Vince Carter and consecutive buckets from Blair. Carter hit a 3-pointer and a layup, and Shawn Marion hit a jumper in the lane to give Dallas its first 20-point lead at 57-37 with 3:39 left in the first half. Gasol was on the only Los Angeles starter in double figures with 10 points. Kaman had all 10 of his points before halftime in his first game against the Mavericks and spending last season in Dallas. NOTES: Kaman was critical of Carlisle on Tuesday after spending just one season under him. He characterized Carlisle as among "coaches who say one thing in one ear and then behind your back theyre saying something else." Carlisle said it "didnt work out well here with Chris and I take my share of the responsibility." Kaman had a good start with Dallas but barely played late in the season and skipped his exit interview because he figured he wasnt coming back. ... Ellis had three steals Saturday against Memphis to give him 900 for his career. Manuel Neuer Jersey . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. James Rodriguez Bayern Munich Jersey . Still, Encarnacion felt a sense of relief. He felt a pop just before crumpling to the ground after running out a groundball in the first inning of Saturdays game. It could have been worse. “Its going to take maybe two weeks,” said Encarnacion. “It depends how Im going to be and how Im going to be day after day, feeling better or not. http://www.soccerfcbayern.com/ . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight preseason win, a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Custom Bayern Munich Jerseys . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. Mats Hummels Bayern Munich Jersey . First, Ivan Nova decided to have season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery. Then Michael Pineda was suspended for 10 games for using pine tar.Opening Day brings with it reason for hope as players and teams embrace new opportunities. Here are some of the more interesting players getting new opportunities in the 2014 season: Grady Sizemore, CF, Boston - One of my favourite stories from the spring is the return of 31-year-old Sizemore, who was a cornerstone of my fantasy teams from 2005 through 2008, when he was ripping off 20-20 (HR-SB) and one 30-30 season before injuries limited him to 210 games between 2009 and 2011. Then, he sat out all of 2012 and 2013, at which point the baseball world would have been ready to leave him in the rearview as a player with great potential who didnt achieve greatness due to ongoing injuries. But a funny thing happened on the way to the glue factory: Sizemore won the starting centre field job for the defending World Series champs, hitting .310 with a .784 OPS in the spring. I dont know how long it will last, but Ill enjoy this resurrection. Jesse Chavez, RHP, Oakland - Acquired from Toronto in May of 2012 for cash, Chavez wasnt a particularly effective reliever, with a 5.48 ERA in 191 major-league appearances (189 in relief), but was decent in AAA Las Vegas in 2012 when he got a chance to start (8-5, 3.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 86 K, 95 IP) and then, last season, was good (2-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 26 K, 30 IP) in a handful of starts with AAA Sacramento. When the As rotation was hammered by injuries to Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin in the spring, that opened the door for Chavez to get a look in the rotation and he was good (2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 25 K, 28 1/3 IP) in the spring; good enough to see if the 30-year-old has the stuff to hold a starting job. Dustin McGowan, RHP, Toronto - Oh, what might have been. There was a time, say 2007, when McGowans electric stuff looked like it belonged at the top of a big-league rotation. Then, the arm troubles hit and hes been crawling his way back to the bigs, pitching 46 2/3 innings over the past five seasons. When he pitched out of the bullpen last season, McGowas was effective (2.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 26 K, 25 2/3 IP) and was throwing heat, with an average fastball clocked at 94.7 MPH, the same as it was in 2007. McGowans now 32-years-old and gets a shot in the Blue Jays rotation. His perseverance makes him easy to root for, yet his medical history makes it easy to expect that he wont survive the demands of starting every fifth day. Mike Morse, LF, San Francisco - Its hard to imagine that the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Morse was a shortstop when he first arrived in the big leagues in 2005, but he was, and its been an uneven road since. His high point came in 2011, when he hit 31 home runs, with a .910 OPS for Washington, and thats the kind of production that the Giants would love to add to their outfield on an everyday basis. Last seasons .651 OPS in Seattle and Baltimore, however, is decidedly less appealing, so the Giants will hope that last seasons down year helped make the price reasonable for a 32-year-old with an .808 career OPS. Mike Olt, 3B, Chicago Cubs - Acquired from Texas as part of last summers Matt Garza trade, 25-year-old Olt had eye problems (that have since been rectified) and then missed time this spring because of shoulder trouble, but he mashed five home runs, with an .886 OPS in 63 plate appearances and made the Cubs roster. With Luis Valbuena the incumbent at third base, its no surprise that Olt is going to get a good look for the Cubs. Brett Anderson, LHP, Colorado - In 2009 and 2010, when he was 21 and 22-years-old, Anderson had a 3.57 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 49 starts, striking out 225 in 287 2/3 innings. Then, the arm trouble started. Hes still only 26-year-old and going to Colorado isnt exactly a dream scenario for a pitcher trying to regain his form, but Anderson has a spot in the Rockies rotation. He has to be better than he was in the spring (3.27 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11 K, 22 IP), but staying healthy is the first order of business. Jesus Guzman, 1B, Houston - A 29-year-old who has been a part-time player in San Diego for the past three seasons, Guzman has hit 18 home runs in 575 at-bats over the past two seasons, which is okay, but nothing earth-shattering, yet after a spring in which he hit .189 with a .753 OPS in 46 plate appearances, Guzman gets the nod as the Astros starter at first base. Hes been much better against left-handers (.818 OPS) than right-handers (.695 OPS) throughout his career, so it will be interesting to see if Guzman hits enough too keep an everyday job, even for the Astros.dddddddddddd Drew Hutchison, RHP, Toronto - Coming back from Tommy John surgery, 23-year-old Drew Hutchison took his lumps in the minors last season (4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 35 1/3 IP) following surgery, but hes been much sharper this spring (1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 19 K, 15 IP). Thats obviously a small sample and the Jays are not likely to be good enough to warrant rushing Hutchison, but he was well on his way to being a major-league starter when he first suffered the injury, so its not unreasonable for him to find a spot in a shaky Blue Jays starting staff. Usage will be the big issue as he has yet to throw 150 innings in pro season. James Paxton, LHP, Seattle - Young pitching is going to be vital for the Mariners and 25-year-old, Richmond, B.C. native Paxton is one of their more promising arms. He was impressive in a four-game audition (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21 K, 24 IP) last season. Command is the issue; so far its been good in the bigs, but he walked 112 in 252 innings at Double-A and Triple-A over the past two seasons. Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis - The 22-year-old who, to this point, might be best known for getting picked off to end Game Four of the 2013 World Series, gets the nod to start for the Cardinals after a strong spring (.375 AVG, 1.080 OPS, 53 PA) and an injury to veteran Mark Ellis. Wong didnt hit when he joined the Cardinals late last season, but he hit .301 with an .811 OPS in the minors and swiped 20 bases on 21 attempts at Triple-A last season. Dee Gordon, 2B, Los Angeles - The Dodgers signed Cuban import Alexander Guerrero to a four-year, $28-million contract in the off-season, but their starter at second base is former shortstop Gordon, the 25-year-old wh has a .620 lifetime OPS, but he has also stolen 66 bases in 183 career games, so if he can get on base even a little bit, Gordon has a chance to put up big numbers on the bases. Corey Hart, DH, Seattle - The 32-year-old missed all of last season with a knee injury and hes probably not right back to full speed after a spring in which he posted a .390 OPS in 43 plate appearances. He also hit at least 20 home runs in five of the previous six seasons and the Mariners could sorely use his right-handed power to help balance out their lineup. Casey McGehee, 3B, Miami - Back from a year in Japan, 31-year-old McGehee is starting at third base for the Marlins. He had some productive seasons in 2009 and 2010 with Milwaukee, but his last two major league seasons werent good. After 28 home runs and and .892 OPS in Japan last year, he gets another shot. Joakim Soria, RHP, Texas - Once a very effective closer for the Royals, 29-year-old Soria missed all of 2012 following Tommy John surgery before getting into 26 games with the Rangers last summer (3.80 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 28 K/14 BB, 23 2/3 IP). His velocity was off a bit and he was throwing more breaking pitches, but his command was better this spring (0.93 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 8 K/0 BB, 9 2/3 IP) and hes poised to take over for the departed Joe Nathan. Drew Smyly, LHP, Detroit - 24-year-old Smyly wasnt bad when he started as a rookie a couple of years ago, but was bumped to the bullpen last year, where he was dominant (2.37 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 81 K, 76 IP), using his cutter more frequently and effectively, and now Smyly returns to the rotation after Detroit sent Doug Fister to Washington. Phil Hughes, RHP, Minnesota - Its not exactly the tale of a plucky underdog when a 2004 first-round pick of the Yankees moves on to a new team, but after a rough 2013 season (4-14, 5.19 ERA, 1.46 WHIP), a fresh start somewhere else might make some sense. Also, given last years results, maybe more curves and fewer sliders should be part of Hughes plan of attack. Felipe Paulino, RHP, Chicago White Sox - A 30-year-old with 61 career major-league starts (and a 4.93 ERA), Paulino is getting a turn in the White Sox rotation after missing all of last season following Tommy John surgery. Its tough to look at potential for a 30-year-old, but Paulino looked like he was figuring things out in Kansas City (3.55 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 158 K, 162 1/3 IP in 28 games, 27 starts) before getting hurt. He also brings the heat, with a fastball consistently over 95 MPH. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. 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