Bewerbung » Woods birdied the par-5 15th to open a two-stroke lead, hitti

MINNEAPOLIS -- D.J. Augustins career was swirling down the drain when the Toronto Raptors waived him in December, and the former No. 9 overall pick seemed destined to join the long list of promising prospects that just never made it in the NBA. Four days later, the Chicago Bulls signed him in an attempt to add some scoring punch to a defence-first team. Augustin has flourished in Chicago, one of the big reasons the surprising Bulls have been able to weather Derrick Roses injury and the trade of Luol Deng to stay in the hunt in the Eastern Conference. "We needed him," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said, "and he needed us." Augustin had another big game Wednesday night, scoring 21 points to lead Chicago to a 102-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joakim Noah added 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double, moving into a tie with Indianas Lance Stephenson for the most in the NBA this season. Kirk Hinrich scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and the Bulls hit 11 of 21 3-pointers to stay right on Torontos heels for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. "We wouldnt be in this position without D.J.," Noah said. "His passing ability, his scoring ability, just the way he plays the game. ... I feel like I have really good chemistry with him and I think the rest of this team feels that way, too. Were going to need him down the stretch." Kevin Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves. But he hyperextended his right elbow in the first half and only made 7 of 20 shots, including 2 of 8 3-pointers. Ricky Rubio added 15 points and six assists, but the Wolves were just 4 for 17 from long distance. "I shouldve made a lot of those open shots that I missed," said Love, who also had a large bloody scratch on his chest after getting tied up with Carlos Boozer. "Yeah it was bothering me a little bit. But thats no excuse for the poor shooting." The Bulls entered the night with the same record as Toronto, with the tiebreaker going to the Raptors and only five games to play before the playoffs begin. The schedule certainly favours the Raptors, who beat the 76ers on Wednesday night and finish the season with two games against the Knicks and one each against the Pistons and Bucks. Thanks to the raggedy East, the Bulls dont have it much tougher with the Pistons, Knicks and Magic coming up before the season finale at playoff-bound Charlotte. That made this game against short-handed Timberwolves a crucial one. The Timberwolves played without Nikola Pekovic (right foot), Chase Budinger (right ankle), Kevin Martin (right heel), Shabazz Muhammad (right knee) and J.J. Barea (back and neck), leaving them with only 10 healthy players, and without three of their better offensive players to go at the tenacious Bulls defence. But even though the Wolves have been eliminated from playoff contention, theyve put up quite a fight against some of the best teams in the league down the stretch. Last week Minnesota beat Memphis at home and won at Miami. The Wolves then throttled the Spurs at Target Center on Tuesday night and shot 52.6 per cent to take a 53-48 lead over the Bulls at halftime. Eventually that Bulls defence started squeezing the Wolves and grinding the game down. The Wolves missed eight of their first 10 shots of the second half and scored only 17 points in the third quarter. They shot 33 per cent and managed just 34 points in the second half. "It looked like we ran out of gas in the second half," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. On the other end, the 3s kept falling. Mike Dunleavy, who had 15 points, hit one to give the Bulls a 65-62 lead they would never relinquish. Augustin hit two more in the fourth to help the Bulls pull away. Even bigger were his 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first half, when the Bulls were struggling to get their offence going. "Im just getting a chance to play, period," Augustin said. "Just getting an opportunity and trying to make the best of it." NOTES: Bulls F Taj Gibson finished with 13 points and five rebounds. He picked up a technical foul in the fourth quarter for gesturing angrily after not getting a foul call under the basket. ... Little-used PG Alexey Shved had nine points and a season-high five assists in 16 minutes for Minnesota. ... The Wolves host their former coach and GM Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets on Friday night in their third home game of the week. Brian Bellows Jersey .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport. Devin Shore Jersey . Gough finished in fourth, 0.433 seconds behind American Erin Hamlin, who took the bronze medal at the Sanki Sliding Center in Rzhanaya Polyana. http://www.authenticstarspro.com/Brett-hull-stars-jersey/ . The Kings paraded the Stanley Cup through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to celebrate their second NHL title in three seasons. John Klingberg Jersey . The photograph shows Parker and a French comedian making a gesture known in France as a "quenelle," which critics describe as inverted Nazi salute. Parker said in a statement released through the Spurs that the photograph was taken three years ago. Parker, who was born in Belgium but raised in France, said he didnt know at the time that "it could be in any way offensive or harmful. Jamie Benn Jersey . The 23-year-old Woods, Tiger Woods niece, closed with a 4-under 69 at Royal Pines to finish at 16-under 276. Lee also shot 69 in the event sanctioned by the European and Australian tours. Woods birdied the par-5 15th to open a two-stroke lead, hitting a wedge from about 120 yards to 4 feet.TORONTO – Those of us who were teenagers when Derek Jeter broke into the big leagues in 1995 should be particularly bothered by the Yankee captains final trip to Rogers Centre. As if the individual strands of grey hair or the increasing amount of joint pain werent reminders enough, the impending end of Jeters career is a slap-in-the-face indicator of a generations fleeting youth. There are others who have no memories of a Major League Baseball without Derek Jeter. One of them is Marcus Stroman, the Blue Jays 23-year-old rookie starting pitcher. He was all of four years old when Jeter debuted on May 29, 1995. Stromans connection to Jeter runs deeper if only because hes a native Long Islander. He grew up in the heart of Jeter-worship territory. "I mean, hes huge," said Stroman. "Hes everyones idol. Everyone who plays baseball wants to be like Jeter. Its not only for him as a baseball player, obviously, hes done everything right. It seems like everything hes done is right. Hes been quiet off the field. Hes never in any trouble. Hes like your perfect role model." Hes "The Captain." To Stroman, hes also a "top step guy," a reference to Jeters willingness to be the dugout cheerleader, the first with a high-five, when his teammates succeed. Opponents take note of Jeters status and offer him praise. He passes along his wisdom, has a desire to teach younger players. Stromans had his moment with Jeter. It came on Yankee Stadium turf. Jeter was taking groundballs pregame as Stroman was playing catch in shallow leftfield. It wasnt a deep conversation but it meant a lot to the young right-hander. "He kind of just started talking to me, saying Hey, whats up, man," said Stroman. "We talked for a little bit. I actually ended up having him sign a jersey." He hopes its not their final chat while theyre peers. "I know we head back there in a couple of weeks so Ill definitely try and get any little tidbits he can throw at me, just about haandling myself or baseball in general," said Stroman.dddddddddddd Stroman didnt grow up a Yankees fan. He didnt have a strong affinity for the Mets, either. Instead he cheered for players and Jeter was at the top of his list. So when Jeter stepped into the batters box against him in the first inning of the June 17 game at Yankee Stadium, Stromans fourth career start, it was a surreal moment. When the recorded voice of late, legendary Yankees public address Bob Sheppard came over the speakers to bring Jeter to the plate, Stroman soaked it in. "You just get the chills when he steps up, he steps into the box and you hear the announcer. He gives you the little head nod," said Stroman. "Its crazy, especially when you see the commercials about him and we know how many years hes been doing it for. He just steps in the box and its definitely a different feeling when he comes to the plate." Jeters life plays out like a fairytale. Born in New Jersey and raised in Michigan, he grew up a Yankees fan. Drafted by the Yankees in the first round of the 1992 draft, Jeter debuted in 1995. Hes never played another field position than shortstop, not for one pitch or one inning. Off the field, Jeters an A-list celebrity in a city full of them. Jeters critics should realize he made it in New York and as a result, according to Frank Sinatra, he could make it anywhere. "Theres no other way to explain it," said Stroman. "Hes perfect." MORROW MAKING PROGRESS Brandon Morrow, attempting to return from a torn tendon sheath, will join Triple-A Buffalo during its series in Rochester to continue his rehabilitation. Morrow threw a scoreless inning for Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday night. If Morrow makes it back, it will be as a reliever. The Blue Jays hold a $10-million option on Morrows services for 2015. While its unlikely Morrow would return at that number, the Jays could decline the option and attempt to negotiate a lower salary with the 30-year-old right-hander. 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