Denver again was without

[jinshuiqian0713]

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Captain James Horwill returned from injury and centre Tevita Kuridrani was handed his first start as the Wallabies looked to beef up their physical presence for a Rugby Championship test against South Africa that few people give the visitors a chance in. Second-rower Horwill and muscular midfielder Kuridrani were among six changes to the Australian 23 following a 14-13 win over Argentina two weeks ago, new coach Ewen McKenzies first victory. Half the changes were in the backline, where ACT Brumbies outside centre Kuridrani was in the starting 15 for the first time and there was a new wing combination of Joe Tomane and Adam Ashley-Cooper. They replaced James OConnor, who was dropped for the tour for disciplinary reasons, and the injured Nick Cummins. Up front, Horwill boosted a pack that struggled at times with the physicality of the Argentines and will be sternly tested by South Africas big, bullying forwards at Newlands on Saturday. Experienced prop Benn Robinson returned on the bench and Kuridranis promotion made way among the reserves for 19-year-old backline player Chris Feauai-Sautia. Scrumhalf Nic White also retained his starting place, with former skipper Will Genia again relegated to the bench. Horwills recall and the selection of a bigger, stronger backline were the most telling changes for the underdog Wallabies, who identified their struggles up front and at the collision as pressing problems this season from their three straight defeats to start the McKenzie era and the southern hemisphere championship. "James (Horwill) has plenty of experience and we are going into a tough environment. He plays the game hard so its timely that he is back," McKenzie said. "In our outside backs weve already been forced into change but Tomane on one wing is pretty straight forward. He is big and powerful and has been in the squad for a long time." Australias heavy defeat to South Africa in Brisbane came from the Boks advantage in the scrums and at the breakdown and, to add to that, the Wallabies also go up against a poor recent record at Cape Towns Newlands ground, where they have lost five straight since winning in 1992 on South Africas return post-apartheid. The Wallabies are out of the running for the Rugby Championship title but still have the capacity, and the running game, to upset South Africa. The Springboks also have placed much of their focus on next weekends showdown with defending champion New Zealand in Johannesburg, a probable title decider. "We approach every game as though we can win it and Ive never felt we cant go out there with that expectation," McKenzie said. "No one will back us but that sits fine with us. Two wins in a row would be significant for this team, especially winning in South Africa given their current circumstance. Weve got a great opportunity to be a thorn in what they are trying to do." ------ Australia: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Joe Tomane, Quade Cooper, Nic White; Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy, James Horwill (captain), Rob Simmons, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper. Reserves: Saia Faingaa, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Will Genia, Matt Toomua, Chris Feauai-Sautia. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . The defending champions’ roller coaster season included trading offensive star Percy Harvin in the midst of the team’s 3-3 start. That move that reportedly irked several Seahawk players, but one management saw necessary to save the team’s chemistry. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .Then came December.Three straight losses, including a crushing 27-24 defeat to Washington (4-11) on Saturday, has the Eagles (9-6) on the brink of playoff elimination. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку!. Im very excited about the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference with amazing match-ups, as well as the wonderful local story in the Toronto Raptors. It should be a blast. Here are my predictions, but based upon my lousy prognostications during the NCAA Tournament, you might be better off going the other way on some of mine - particularly with the Raptors, who I hope and pray are able to win an incredibly difficult match-up. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .ca MLB Power Rankings, the third consecutive week that the As have held top spot and the third straight week that they have been one ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays.DENVER -- The Trail Blazers took Denvers best shot -- and the Nuggets took way too many errant shots thanks to Portlands stifling defence. Damian Lillard made up for the absence of fellow All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge by scoring 31 points in the Trail Blazers 100-95 win over the Nuggets on Tuesday night, including a pair of free throws and a layup in the closing minutes to help hold off Denvers fourth-quarter rally. "It was a difficult game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "We did a lot of good things, made some big plays defensively to win it at the end. The offence kind of shut down in the fourth quarter but our defence stayed solid, and to get a win like this in Denver is something we needed to do." The Nuggets trimmed an 18-point deficit to two but couldnt catch the Blazers. Denver made just 37 of 103 shots, including 27 of 64 in the paint, and couldnt even find the rim at the line, missing 9 of 26 free throws. Lillard scored 12 points in the third quarter when it looked as if to the Blazers were headed for a blowout win, but he saved his biggest shots for late in the fourth. Lillards clutch shooting helped Portland overcome a terrific performance by Denvers J.J. Hickson, who pulled down a career-high 25 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive side. Hickson led the Nuggets to a 64-41 advantage on the glass, appearing as a reserve power forward after starting 52 games at centre this season. "Twenty-five boards is exciting, but the win would have been more exciting," Hickson said. The Blazers again went with a smaller lineup with Aldridge missing his fourth straight game with a strained left groin, and Dorell Wright helped make up for Aldridges team-high 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds by giving Denver another long-range shooter to defend. As Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said before tip-off when talking about Aldridges absence, "Theres a big sigh of relief that you dont have to deal with that, but at the same time it just creates a different type of problem: Theyre one of the best -- if not the best -- 3-point shooting teams in the league. Theyre the best free-throw shooting team in the league. Theyre the highest-scoring team in the league." Six Blazers scored in double figures, including Nicolas ;Batums 16 points.dddddddddddd Aldridge averaged 34.5 points in the Blazers two earlier games against Denver this season and the Trail Blazers missed him in the fourth quarter when it was tougher to close this one out than they had expected when they surged to a 79-61 lead in the third. Randy Foye led Denver with 17 points. Denver again was without Ty Lawson, who leads the Nuggets with averages of 18 points and 8.8 assists. Hes missed seven straight games with a broken rib. Shaw also made a big change with his big man, starting 7-foot-1 Timofey Mozgov at centre in place of Hickson, a natural power forward pressed into duty at centre after JaVale McGee fractured his left tibia five games into the season. Hickson filled in admirably, averaging 11.4 points and 9.2 boards, but he shot just 52 per cent from the free-throw line, and Shaw said that "affected his confidence rolling to the basket aggressively and running the floor because maybe he doesnt want to get fouled." Mozgov, who was averaging 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, finished with 14 points and six boards. Hickson scored 16 points. Hickson said he was much more comfortable going back to power forward. "It just felt good to play my natural position," he said. He didnt seem bothered coming off the bench, either. "I dont know how many minutes I played, but I definitely played starters minutes tonight," said Hickson, who played just under 30 minutes. "So, coming off the bench or starting, people always tell me its not who starts, its who finishes and tonight, coach made the call to let me finish and that shows he has a lot of confidence in me still." Evan Fourniers pair of free throws with just over four minutes remaining capped a 15-2 run that pulled Denver to 86-84. Lillard ended the drought with a pair of free throws. After back-to-back buckets by Denvers Kenneth Faried, Lillard hit a finger-roll layup for a 92-88 lead, and the Nuggets never got any closer. "When youre in a situation like that, youve just got to find a way to get it done," Lillard said. NOTES: Blazers F Thomas Robinson played just 14 minutes and had a wrap on his left knee after the game. Stotts said he had no information on the injury. ' ' '