it seemed like hed never been gone.

[jinshuiqian0713]

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A broad smile lit up Will Bartons face when he was asked what he thought about the fans chanting his name in Portlands 124-80 rout of Brooklyn. "I like to think Im the peoples champ," Barton joked after scoring had a season-high 20 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench in an inspired victory for the short-handed Trail Blazers. "I had a lot of fun tonight," he said. "We got a win, a big-time win. We had a lot of guys down (with injuries) so this win was huge for us." Portland won its fourth straight game despite missing forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The teams top scorer and rebounder has been out five straight games with a left groin sprain. Jason Collins, who became the NBAs first openly gay player when he signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Sunday, entered the game without much fan reaction and played a pair of scoreless stretches in the fourth quarter when coach Jason Kidd had taken out his starters. Deron Williams had 12 points for the Nets, who suffered their third-worst margin of defeat in franchise history. It was the teams lowest point total this season. Kidd said the Nets looked listless. "Our energy was not there," he said. "On the offensive end, we missed shots and we kind of felt sorry for ourselves -- which carried over to the defensive end, and we didnt make stops." Mo Williams scored 21 points and Nicolas Batum had 19 in three quarters to lead seven Trail Blazers in double figures. Portland coach Terry Stotts also pulled his starters in the fourth quarter. The Blazers were hurting up front. In addition to Aldridge, Portland also was without forward Joel Freeland, who was missing his sixth game with a right knee sprain, and second-year centre Myers Leonard, who was out with a right ankle sprain. The Blazers also announced just before the game that forward Thomas Robinson, a key reserve in Aldridges absence, injured his left knee in Portlands 100-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Results of an MRI on Wednesday were negative. The Blazers started Dorell Wright in place of Aldridge, who leads the Blazers with an average of 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds. "We didnt have anything to lose," guard Wesley Matthews said. "We look like an AAU team out there. We dont have any size other than RoLo (centre Robin Lopez). No one is playing their true positions. Were just playing off ball movement, off chemistry and its working for us." The Nets saw the return of starting guard Shaun Livingston. "That was an ugly night," said Livingston, who did not play in Brooklyns 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday because of a bruised tailbone. The Blazers opened with an 11-2 run, which was countered by a 10-2 run by the Nets that gave Brooklyn a 16-15 lead. Portland answered with a 12-2 run to go up 29-20 going into the second quarter. Bartons alley-oop dunk from Williams put Portland up 33-22. His jumper extended the lead to 45-30, and then a 3-pointer and his dunk pushed it to 58-34 at the break. Barton scored 12 points in the second quarter as the Blazers finished off the first half on a 19-4 run. Portland extended its lead to as many as 34 points in the third quarter. Portlands margin of victory was the largest for either team in the history of the series "Well, I didnt see that coming," Stotts said. "It was a good effort by everyone who played." Hours after Collins signed on Sunday he was on the court for the Nets, playing 11 minutes with two rebounds and a steal against the Lakers. He also had five fouls. Against the Blazers, Collins played seven total minutes and attempted a field goal. The Nets signed him to help in the absence of centre Brook Lopez, who is out for the season because of a broken right foot. The Nets will play again Thursday night in Denver. The Blazers have a break until Saturday night, when they host the Nuggets. NOTES: Portland won the only other meeting between the teams this season, 108-98 at the Barclays Center. ... Portland got a scare in the first quarter when starting guard Matthews fell after getting tangled up with Paul Pierce and briefly retreated to the locker room. Matthews later returned to hearty applause from the fans. ... Brooklyns 34 points was a first-half low for a Portland opponent. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .com) - There may be a debate in Philadelphia about who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку!. -- Arizona pitcher Bronson Arroyo is expected to miss a week to 10 days because of a back injury. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . They showered him with "MVP! MVP!" chants. In many ways, it seemed like hed never been gone. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . Still, Inter moved one point ahead of Parma in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League spot. Udinese remained 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Inter was beaten 2-1 by Atalanta at home on Sunday and has won only seven of 16 matches at the San Siro this season, as the squad seems to still be searching for its identity under new owner Erick Thohir and first-year manager Walter Mazzarri.The Toronto Blue Jays have selected Jeff Hoffman with their first pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft. Toronto selected Hoffman with the ninth overall pick, two selections before they selected Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost with the 11th overall draft pick. A 64" right-handed pitcher out of East Carolina, the 21-year-old Hoffman is a long-term prospect as he recently underwent Tommy John surgery. His talent level, though, is believed to be much higher than his draft slot, with multiple sources projecting he would have been a top-five pick if not for the surgery. The ninth pick for the Jays is protected meaning the team will receive a compensatory pick (10th overall) in the 2015 Draft should they fail to come to a contract agreement with Hoffman before the signing deadline. Pentecost, also 21, was the MVP of the Cape Cod League. At 62" and 190 lbs. he posted an impressive .962 OPS according to MLB.com, who had him ranked 19thh overall in their 2014 draft rankings.dddddddddddd The Jays held the 11th overall draft pick as compensation for their failure to sign 2013 first-round pick Phillip Bickford. Should the team fail to sign Pentecost they will not receive a compensatory pick in 2015. Toronto was also able to snag a highly-ranked prospect with their second-round pick. The Jays selected 18-year-old right-hander Sean Reid Foley with the 49th overall pick. The high-school senior from Florida was ranked 18th overall by MLB.com, slotting in higher than Pentecost in the sites 2014 draft rankings. Former Blue Jays first-round selection Tyler Beede was selected 14th overall by the San Francisco Giants. The Jays originally selected Beede with the 21st overall pick in 2011. The two sides were unable to come to a contract agreement, however, sending Beede to Vanderbilt University and awarding the Jays the 22nd overall pick in 2012. Toronto would select Marcus Stroman with the compensatory pick. ' ' '