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. nike air max 90 hyperfuse prezzo. Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Tampa Bay Lightning club that, because of all their young players, has lots of flexibility. Veteran defenceman Eric Brewer is in his mid-30s, as is winger Ryan Malone (and who knows what his future holds?), but with Sami Salo headed for free agency, and Martin St. nike air max 90 hyperfuse shop. "That was nice," centre Andray Blatche said with a grin. For the Nets, Mondays game at Madison Square Garden looked good and sounded even better. Joe Johnson scored 25 points and the Nets sent the Knicks to a fourth straight loss with a 103-80 victory, evening this seasons New York rivalry at a game apiece. http://www.nikescarpesaldionline.it/nike-air-max-90-essential/air-max-90-donna.html. Monday was a full work day. The liner was put down, the mat was plumbed and installed and the chiller unit was fired up for the first time this season. To build up the first layer of ice, I flooded multiple times on Day 1 - using a light spray to ensure each flood was completely freezing before repeating the process. nike roshe run prezzo. The midfielder had an operation on Saturday, and is set to miss seven Premier League games, the third round of the FA Cup and the semifinals of the League Cup. adidas zx 700 prezzo. -- When a grounder ricocheted off Prince Fielders mitt during his first workout with the Texas Rangers, he quickly held it up and proclaimed with a smile, "Its new.NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis was on his way to what might have been a memorable -- and unusual -- statistical line before he came out for good with more than three minutes still left in the third quarter. Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. "You always want to play no matter how much youre winning by, how much time is left ... but I dont ever question coachs decision," Davis said. "We won and thats all that matters." Had Davis grabbed one more rebound and blocked two more shots, he would have become the first player in the 26-year history of the franchise formerly called the Hornets to have blocks make up part of a triple-double. But theres a lot of season -- and career -- left for the 20-year-old star, and his teammates figure its only a matter of time before Davis has a similar performance in a game close enough to merit his presence down the stretch. "Hell get a quadruple double one of these days if you want to be honest," Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday said. "I kind of expect that from him. Thats where a lot of pressure is kind of being put on him, but he can handle it." Ryan Anderson scored 26 points-- hitting six 3-pointers -- in his return from a broken toe that sidelined him for New Orleans first nine games. He scored 14 points in his first 14 minutes, helping the Pelicans build a 30-point lead in the first half. "I told coach, Let me go, and if Im not feeling it or if Im feeling pretty gassed or something Ill let you know. But I felt great," Anderson said. Holiday had 14 points and 12 assists against the team that traded him for injured rookie big man Nerlens Noel during the first round of last summers draft. Tony Wroten led the Sixers with 19 points, but Philadelphia offered little resistance, allowing New Orleans to shoot 62 per cent through three quarters, when the Pelicans led 103-66. Sixers coach Brett Brown said Davis blocks set the tone early because the Pelicans were effective converting those stops into 26 faast-break points.dddddddddddd. "There were so many blocked shots ... it was similar to a volleyball game," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "They are all good athletes and whether it was drop-off passes or dunks, it was off they went. ... And you look at what Ryan Anderson does when he is back in the lineup." The Pelicans finished shooting 60.5 per cent and had eight players score in double figures. Eric Gordon scored 19 points, Tyreke Evans 15 and reserve point guard Brian Roberts added 14 and Austin Rivers 12. Darius Morris scored a career-high 20 for Philadelphia, most coming in the second half when the game was out of reach. Spencer Hawes had 14 points, but made only four of 11 shots. The Sixers, who lost their second straight, shot 37.5 per cent (24 of 64) through the first three quarters. Thaddeus Young, who had 11 points, said the Pelicans "just did whatever they wanted to tonight." Davis blocked five shots in the first quarter. One swat came from behind on Evan Turners layup attempt, and the smack of Davis hand on the ball could be heard across the court. "Wed been slacking in the defensive category the past couple games, so it was just trying to make a statement on defence and get my team riled up to play defence," Davis said. Anderson hit a pair of 3s and six of his first nine shots shortly after checking in. Evans made his first five shots, including a driving layup as he was fouled by Hawes. Hawes then argued the call and was called for a technical foul, resulting in a four-point possession that gave New Orleans a 52-26 lead. The Pelicans stretched their lead to 30 when Davis free throws made it 61-31, and the Sixers never got closer than 21 points after that. Notes: A delay of game warning was called on Sixers coach Brett Brown for grabbing a deflected pass as it went out of bound before New Orleans Jason Smith could try to save it. Smith and Pelicans coach Monty Williams both protested, by the Sixers were permitted to retain possession and Hawes hit a 3 moments later. ... Philadelphias Daniel Orton was called for a technical foul after throwing Pelicans centre Jason Smith to the floor in the second half. China Jerseys? 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