in the wicket so it would be difficult to hit

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PHILADELPHIA -- After helping the Philadelphia 76ers build an eight-point lead down the stretch, Jahlil Okafor could only watch from the bench as the lead dwindled.Okafor scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting before fouling out with 2:56 left and Richaun Holmes made a key 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining to help the 76ers beat the injury-plagued Washington Wizards 109-102 Wednesday night.Okafor went to the bench with the Sixers holding a 101-93 lead. Washington then made a run, pulling to 103-100 with 1:29 to play.However, after a timeout, Holmes made a 3-pointer from just in front of the Wizards bench to extend the lead to six points with 1:10 remaining.That was big, Okafor said. I was excited. I know how hard he works every day, so for it to go in for him and for the team, it was a big win for us.Holmes added: I tried to get out there as fast as I could and get ready to shoot the ball. Weve talked about picking my spots and that was pretty good spot to pick.Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points, Nik Stauskas scored 15 points, and Gerald Henderson 14 to help the 76ers win for just the second time in 11 games this season. Dario Saric added 13 points and 12 rebounds.The 76ers were without leading-scorer Joel Embiid, the third pick overall in the 2014 NBA draft, who has been brought along slowly after missing two seasons because of two foot surgeries.Were scratching and clawing for wins, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. I think theres something to be said for being able to get a win without Joel, and (Okafor) was a major contributor.The Wizards, who were held to just one basket in their final three possessions, fell to 2-8.John Wall scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and Markieff Morris had 19 points for the Wizards, who were without second-leading scorer Bradley Beal.Otto Porter Jr. had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Marcin Gortat added 10 points and 14 boards, and Marcus Thornton also scored 10.Were too good to be losing, Morris said. No disrespect to the Sixers or any other team we lost to. The coach should never have to coach effort, especially when youre 2-7.Morris was referring to coach Scott Brooks, who said his team came out too slow against the team with the NBAs worst record.The Sixers opened the game with an 11-4 run, thanks in part to Ilyasovas eight points in the opening quarter. The Wizards responded by scoring the next six points, but the Sixers went on an 11-2 run to end the first quarter with a 29-15 lead.Wall, meanwhile, saw just 7:28 in the first half and managed just four points on 1-for-4 shooting.I was frustrated, basically the whole first half, only playing 7 minutes, said Wall, who is also on minutes restriction after having surgery on both knees in the offseason. The game starts getting closer and its frustrating not being out there to help my guys win the game.TIP-INSWizards: Beal sat out his third straight game with a right thigh injury and is questionable for Thursday nights game against the Knicks. Every day he is feeling a little better, Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. We just want to be cautious about it. Sheldon McClellan started his second game in a row in place of Beal, while Marcus Thornton came off the bench.76ers: With the Sixers visiting Minnesota on Thursday night, Embiid, who is leading the team with 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, sat out his fourth game of the season. Embiid, who last played on Monday against Houston, is expected to be limited to 24 minutes through Christmas. I follow the instruction (of our medical staff), Sixers coach Brett Brown said. Its really that simple. Its completely designed to what is best for Joel Embiid.BACK-TO-BACKSOkafor played in his ninth game and has been cleared to play in Thursdays game against the Timbervolves, although he is likely to haveminutes restrictions.WAITING ON MAHINMIIan Mahinmi, sidelined since undergoing left knee surgery on Oct. 15, could be back on the practice court for the Wizards next week, according to Brooks. He was expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks but appears to be ahead of schedule.UP NEXTWizards: Host New York on Thursday night.76ers: At Minnesota on Thursday night as they try to end a 20-game road losing streak. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Donald Tiripano makes for an unlikely, everyday cricketing hero. Well under six feet tall, he occasionally tops 130kph with the ball and just about holds his own the bat, without getting too bolshy. But against West Indies at Queens Sports Club on Saturday afternoon, he showed his mettle as a cricketer and became just the hero Zimbabwe needed. With six deliveries in the final over Tiripano sparked the unlikeliest of comebacks, taking three wickets and giving away just three runs to help Zimbabwe tie.To me, it was my dream, Tiripano said, holding back welling emotions. I was talking to myself, saying. This is the chance Ive been waiting for since I was a little kid. I grew up playing cricket in the streets. I was just thinking about that. Thinking Just be positive. Nothing to fear. Just express yourself. That positivity and that faith ... I just thank God for this. Its great for me. Its something that many wish for in their lives, to save a match for their country. Its a blessing.He had opened the bowling earlier, trapping Johnson Charles lbw with an inducker before the opener could really get going. His opening spell of 1 for 24 was useful, but not flashy - and certainly gave no indication of the heroics that would come later, when he was called upon by his captain Graeme Cremer to bowl the final over of this match, with just four runs to defend. With his second ball, he had the dangerous, World T20-winning Carlos Brathwaite caught at long on. With his third, he ran Ashley Nurse out by deflecting a firm drive from Jason Holder back onto the non-strikers stumps.Suddenly, hope surged. After a leg bye, he might have had Jonathan Carter caught in the deep, but Chamu Chibhabha couldnt quite get to the chance despite a stupendous effort. The batsmen crossed, levelling the scores. It all came down to the final delivery, and when Tiripano beat Holders drive with a full, wide slower ball and PJ Moor threw down the stumps, the Zimbabweans unleashed their unrestrained joy. This wasnt a win, but it sure felt like one.[Cremer] just said Back yourself, and do what youve been doing before, Tiripano explained after the breathless finish to the game. So I just backed myself to bowl that slower ball, that I usually know is difficult to hit. Keep it simple. I didnt want to use too many variations, just that slower ball because there was assistance from the wicket. So I didnt have to bowl yorkers or anything. Just use the wicket to help me.I tried to bowl that last ball fuller, because there wasnt much pace in the wicket so it would be difficult to hit over the top. I bowled it ffuller, and he didnt hit it.dddddddddddd Im just so happy we managed to pull out a tie, out of nothing.Then there was his batting. Tiripano was the only member of Zimbabwes bottom seven to reach double figures, and he took them past 250 and to their highest ODI score this year with a clean six (his first in ODIs) off Shannon Gabriel, the quickest bowler in this tri-series. I knew before he bowled that the ball would be fuller, because hed bowled a few back-of-a-length deliveries, Tiripano explained with nonchalance. So I just anticipated before the ball was bowled. I was right there to hit it.Tiripanos resistance was emblematic of the spirit shown by the Zimbabwean side today, which left coach Heath Streak a very proud man. Im proud of the fact that they never gave up, Streak said. They managed to claw it back. It was excellent. Those last seven or eight overs were brilliant. The guys took it to the wire. Cricket is funny. If you take it into the last over, its amazing what can happen with that pressure.Probably in the last three overs, I started thinking: We can do this, Streak added. We got a couple of wickets, and I knew Brathwaite and the skipper Holder can hit a long ball, so I was always worried about the damage they can do. But the wicket was pretty tough. It was gripping and I thought Mpofu and Williams bowled really well. And then obviously Donald bowled that last over really well under pressure. He bowled some superb balls. Im very proud of how they fought.Yet Streak was also realistic about the areas in which Zimbabwe fell short today. They missed three chances off centurion Shai Hopes bat, and their fumbles in the field dissipated the pressure being built up on the batsmen.We know that were better than what we showed in the field, Streak said. Thats the only disappointment. We dropped opportunities and we had a lot of fumbles. We know were better than that. Its something I know the guys are going to have to work on, getting those fielding standards up, but the fact that we were able to tie and not have had our best day in the field is probably a good omen for us, because we know weve still got room for improvement.Despite todays tie, weve still got a lot of work to do to get ourselves to the final, Streak added. Monday (against Sri Lanka) is an important game for us. Weve just to make sure we come out with that same positivity. We have a big game on Monday, but weve got to take it one over at a time, one ball at a time. ' ' '