12-07-2015, 09:35 AM
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Taj Gibson enjoyed coming home for the holidays. Gibson, a Brooklyn native, scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler added 15 to help the Chicago Bulls rout the Nets 95-78 on Wednesday. "It was stressful," said the 28-year-old, who grew up minutes from Barclays Center. "I did a toy drive and I was tired, but it was great to see my family." Gibson led a balanced offence with six players in double figures for Chicago, which was buoyed by the return of guards Kirk Hinrich and Butler. With the Bulls trailing 50-49 early in the third quarter, Butler took over, keying a 21-5 run that gave Chicago control. Butler, who sat out the last game with a right ankle injury, started the burst with a 3-pointer and added a three-point play that made it 57-52. That was the first of 12 straight points by the Bulls. Another three-point play by Butler made it 66-52. "Coming out of halftime was a focus for us," Hinrich said. Chicago (11-16) led by 19 at the end of the period after Reggie Evans dunk with less than a second left ended a 5 1/2-minute field goal drought for the Nets (9-19). Brooklyn couldnt get much closer in the fourth and was serenaded with a chorus of loud boos from the fans. "They cheer when things are good and they let you know when things arent going good," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "They expect good and they expect it 90 per cent of the time, but right now we are 90 per cent bad and so they have every right to boo and express how they feel." What once was viewed as a Christmas Day showdown between Eastern Conference contenders became a matchup of two of the NBAs biggest disappointments so far, as both teams have been plagued by injuries. Deron Williams scored 18 points and Mizra Teletovic added 17 for the Nets, who have lost four straight. "Im surprised at this season, how its played out altogether," Williams said. "Its like a nightmare the way the injuries have been, the things we talk about every day, the lack of effort, the lack of energy." The victory was Chicagos second straight, the first time since five consecutive wins from Nov. 8-18 that the Bulls had two in a row. Chicago is starting to get healthy with the return Hinrich and Butler, both of whom started. Hinrich spurred a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter that gave Chicago a 39-31 lead. Williams then scored seven straight to make it a one-point game. Chicago led 41-38 at the half before Butler took over. "Its good to get guys back," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Our starters were very solid and our bench guys did a great job. Taj was super." The Bulls were still missing Luol Deng (Achilles) and Derrick Rose, who is sidelined for the season with a right knee injury. Brooklyn has its own injury issues with centre Brook Lopez lost for the season Friday to a broken right foot. "We talk about it a lot. Were really trying to figure out what it is. Its tough," Teletovic said of the Nets struggles. "A lot of NBA teams arent going to give you anything easy. You really have to concentrate and bring a lot of energy to win the game." The two clubs were wearing their Christmas short-sleeve jerseys that look straight out of a rec league game. Instead of numbers and a team name on the front, there was a big shiny logo. There are numbers on the sleeves, while the backs look more like a normal NBA jersey. Both squads were also wearing striped socks to complete the outfit. Notes: The Nets were still missing Andrei Kirilenko, who has been sidelined this season with a back injury. Kidd said before the game that his forward is making progress. ... Kidds always loved playing on Christmas. "One of the biggest honours as a player and coach is to participate on Christmas," he said. "The world is watching so you can showcase your talent." ... These two teams met in the first round of the playoffs last season and the Bulls won in seven games. ... Chicago has won eight of the last 10 regular-season meetings. Troy Perkins Sounders Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Victor Mansaray Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.seattlesoundersteamshop.com/A...rs-Jersey/ .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Nelson Valdez Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Gonzalo Pineda Sounders Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game.NEW YORK -- Lost one, got one, kept one. Robinson Cano is leaving the Yankees, Carlos Beltran is coming back to New York and Hiroki Kuroda is staying in town. On a hectic day doing business in the Bronx, baseballs richest team learned Friday that Cano had decided to bolt for Seattle. So the Yankees moved quickly to bring in Beltrans bat, hours after retaining a key pitcher in Kuroda. Free-agent outfielder Curtis Granderson also left to join the Mets across town. But the Yankees hadnt shown much interest in re-signing Granderson after he turned down their $14.1 million qualifying offer last month. Cano was a different story. New York offered the free-agent second baseman $175 million over seven years. Instead, he reached an agreement with the Mariners, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday. ESPN reported earlier in the day that the contract was worth $240 million for 10 years. The person told the AP that the deal was pending a physical that had not yet been scheduled. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. "He was a great Yankee. He was a great player. I think everybody tried hard to get the deal done. We just never got close enough obviously," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. "We wish him the best. We hope he has a long, healthy career." Beltran and the Yankees agreed Friday night to a $45 million, three-year contract, two people familiar with the deal said. The All-Star outfielders agreement was detailed to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was subject to a physical and had not yet been announced. The 36-year-old Beltran is an eight-time All-Star who played for the Mets from 2005-11, when he was dealt to San Francisco. He signed a $26 million, two-year contract with St. Louis before the 2012 season and reached the World Series for the first time this year. Much earlier in the day, Steinbrenner confirmed Kuroda will return for a third season in the Bronx. "Kuroda is coming back," he said outsidde the teams spring training complex in Florida.dddddddddddd Kurodas return fills one of three holes in the rotation behind CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. The right-hander, who turns 39 in February, got off to a strong start last season before fading down the stretch. He finished 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA in 32 starts covering 201 1-3 innings. Several reports indicated the deal was for one year at about $16 million. Last month, Kuroda declined a $14.1 million qualifying offer from New York. Also on Friday, the Yankees finalized a $3 million, one-year contract with utilityman Kelly Johnson. The 31-year-old is an eight-year big league veteran and hit .235 with 16 homers and 52 RBIs in 366 at-bats this year for Tampa Bay. Johnson played third base last season for the first time in his big league career, making 12 starts, and could see time there next year. Alex Rodriguezs status is uncertain as he contests his 211-game drug suspension. Johnson has mostly played second base in his career. What a week its been for the Yankees as they overhaul their roster after missing the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years. New York introduced new catcher Brian McCann at a news conference Thursday and has a pending $153 million, seven-year agreement with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. When the deals for Ellsbury, Beltran and Kuroda are finalized, the Yankees will have committed about $172 million to 13 players for their 2014 luxury-tax payroll. That would leave them approximately $5 million to spend if they intend to stay under the $189 million threshold, which includes all players on the 40-man roster and $11 million to $12 million for benefits. It appears unlikely New York would remain under the threshold unless Rodriguez is suspended for most of the season, which would relieve the Yankees of much of his $25 million salary. "Were going to keep going," Steinbrenner said. "Were still looking at all the same guys that we were looking at a week ago or two ago. Were going to continue to improve. Were not done spending." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '