Villas-Boas takes over

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats have relied heavily on Al Jefferson to put them in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. On Saturday night, they proved they could win without their veteran centre having a big night. "It shows that we have other guys that can step up," point guard Kemba Walker said. With Jefferson double-teamed most of the night, Walker elevated his game, pouring in 31 points to help the Bobcats defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 92-89 for their fourth win in five nights. Charlotte is 4-0 since the All-Star break, marking its longest winning streak since March 2011. The Bobcats won despite Jefferson being held to just six points -- tying a season-low -- on 2-of-13 shooting. Jefferson came in having scored 29 or more points in eight of his last 11 games and at least 20 points in 17 of the last 19. The Bobcats used an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to break open a tight game and then held on down the stretch with Walker making four free throws in the final 25 seconds to snap Memphis four-game win streak. It was the second straight night Walker hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal a victory. "I shoot so many free throws in practice Im just thinking, "Hey, make them," said Walker, who was 10 of 10 from the foul line. Charlotte had lost the second night of a back-to-back eight straight times before winning two this week. "To win four in a row against good teams and to play this well in a game like that that was hard fought, you have to feel good about it," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. But now the Bobcats face a four-game stretch against the NBAs four best teams -- San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Miami and Indiana -- with the first three games on the road. The Grizzlies were led by Mike Conley, who had 16 points, but twice missed 3-point attempts when he had a chance to tie the game on Memphis final possession. Marc Gasol had 15 points, and Zac Randolph had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, which fell two games behind Dallas in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Bobcats trailed 66-64 early in the fourth quarter when Anthony Tolliver got hot from the outside, igniting an 18-3 run with three 3-pointers to give Charlotte a 13-point lead. Tolliver finished with nine points. The Grizzlies battled back to take the lead when Conley knocked down an 18-footer with 51 seconds left. But Josh McRoberts sank two free throws to put the Bobcats ahead for good with 38 seconds left. Conley missed a jumper on the other end and then fouled Walker as he was heading up the court. Walker made two free throws to push the lead to three with 24 seconds left. Gasol answered with an inside layup, but Walker hit two more free throws with 10.7 seconds left to push the lead back to three. Conley had two open looks in the final 6 seconds, but couldnt connect. "We wanted to win, but the Charlotte Bobcats were the aggressors," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "They were physical. Coach told us before the game that their talent doesnt jump out at you, but what does is just how hard they play. Theres no excuse because they were the aggressors and they pretty much outworked us tonight." The Grizzlies game plan was to make sure Jefferson didnt beat them, aggressively double-teaming the 6-foot-10, 289-pound centre every time he touched the ball in the low post. They limited Jefferson to four points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first half and held Charlotte to 39 per cent shooting to build a 48-42 halftime lead. "Hes shooting it up and theyre going to him a lot," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. "We just kept staying in front of him and making his shots tough." Jefferson picked up his third foul with 2:52 left in the first half -- a call that didnt sit well with Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, who was slapped with a technical foul for arguing. It was his seventh technical foul of the season. NOTES: Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson and former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad were at the game. ... Memphis had won 16 of its last 20 games coming into Saturday night and three straight against the Bobcats. ... Memphis is 6-5 this season on the second night of a back-to-back. Eric Hanhold Jersey . -- Kevin Harvick pulled away on a restart with 47 laps to go and ended Chase Elliotts two-race winning streak in NASCARs Nationwide Series with a dominating victory early Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Robin Roberts Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. https://www.cheaporioles.com/1098i-renat...ey-orioles.html. As analysts we do the same thing, so here are some observations from week one. First there were two major upsets. I should say, major upsets in the eyes of the fans and prognosticators. Orioles Jerseys 2020 . -- Those impatient for the Stanley Cup to return to Canada will have just one team to root for in the NHL playoffs -- the Montreal Canadiens. Gary Roenicke Jersey . That further limits the options of Australia coach Ewen McKenzie, who on Monday suspended six players who were involved in a night out in Dublin ahead of the Saturdays 32-15 win over the Irish. The Wallabies play Scotland on Saturday before facing Wales on Nov.DORTMUND, Germany -- Borussia Dortmund is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second consecutive season -- although it looks far less intimidating than the team that reached the final last year. Crippled by a series of injuries to key players and struggling at home this season, Dortmund was far from convincing in a 2-1 defeat to Zenit on Wednesday. However, the 4-2 victory in the first leg in St. Petersburg was enough for Juergen Klopps side to win 5-4 on aggregate and seal its place in Fridays draw. Hulk scored in the 16th for Zenit and captain Sebastian Kehl equalized for Dortmund in the 38th. Substitute Jose Rondon scored with a diving header in the 73rd to seal Zenits win on the night, though it was an empty victory. Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller turned away a late shot by Igor Smolnikov to prevent an even bigger defeat. In the nights other match, Manchester United advanced with a 3-0 win over Olympiakos, courtesy of a hat trick by Robin van Persie and a 3-2 victory on aggregate. "We surely didnt play a great game but we are in the quarterfinals," Kehl said. "That goal by Kehl allowed us to calm down," said Klopp, who acknowledged the quality of the Russian side. "They can really play and they gave us some problems." Dortmund will be without striker Robert Lewandowski for the first leg of the quarterfinals after he picked up his third yellow card of the competition for handling the ball. "I thought I had been pushed from behind and thats why handled the ball," Lewandowski said. &quuot;The main thing is that we went through.dddddddddddd." "The yellow card was laughable," Klopp said. With its comfortable lead from the first leg, Dortmund allowed Zenit to get into the match quickly, through a spectacular solo effort by Hulk. The Brazil striker shook off Kehl and cut inside past two defenders to blast a left-foot shot that swerved away from goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller on its way into the net. Zenit threatened a couple more times before Kehl got the equalizer. Marcel Schmelzer broke down the left flank and swung in a high cross. Kehl raced into the area and rose above the defence to send in a header that keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev got both hands to -- but could only push into the net. It was the captains first Champions League goal in 30 matches. "They have some good players up front but we didnt allow them too many chances," Kehl said. Early in the second half, Hulk unleashed a fierce free kick from about 30 metres (yards) that sailed high. Rondon scored Zenits second following a cross by Domenico Criscito from just outside the penalty area on the left -- evading defender Mats Hummels to head home from close range. Zenit, coached by Sergei Semak on an interim basis until Andre Villas-Boas takes over when the team returns home, kept up the pressure and Igor Smolnikov sent a low shot that Weidenfeller barely managed to turn away in the 88th. The last time Dortmund made it to the last eight in two straight seasons was 16 years ago. It won the title in 1997 and then reached the semifinals. ' ' '