DALLAS -- Ricky Rubio hasnt given up on the idea of Minnesota making the playoffs. Nike NBA Jerseys 2020 . The case is a little easier to make after the Timberwolves avoided what would have been a disastrous loss in Dallas. Rubio had a triple-double, Kevin Love scored the last of his 35 points with the go-ahead basket late in overtime, and the Timberwolves hung on for a 123-122 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night after blowing several leads. Minnesota broke a six-game stretch of alternating wins and losses with a second straight victory to move two games over .500 for the first time since Nov. 23. The Timberwolves (34-32) are still 5 1/2 games behind Dallas and Memphis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 16 games to go. But at least they didnt lose after squandering a 22-point lead in the first half and a 13-point edge with 7 minutes to go. "It was a big game against a tough team who is fighting for the playoffs, too," said Rubio, who had 22 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds for his third career triple-double. "We want to try to catch up to them." Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 for Dallas and put the Mavericks ahead with a fadeaway over Love with 33 seconds left in overtime before Love scored on a jump hook with 17 seconds to go. Nowitzki missed on another try over Love in the final seconds as the Mavericks saw a three-game winning streak end and missed a chance to move a season-high 15 games over .500. "This is a tough one," said Nowitzki, who had his second straight tough shooting night at 11 of 27. "This feels like a playoff loss. It really does. I dont even know what to say." Monta Ellis scored the last 12 Dallas points of regulation on a three-point play and three consecutive 3-pointers, the last one giving the Mavericks their first lead since early in the first quarter at 113-111. Rubio answered with a pair of free throws for the tie with 50 seconds left. Nowitzki missed a 3-pointer to finish his 0-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter, but Kevin Martin missed from just inside the arc and Robbie Hummel missed from just outside it for Minnesota. Dallas Devin Harris was short on a mid-court heave at the buzzer in regulation. "We knew they were going to go on a run," said Love, who was 11 of 20 from the field and 11 of 14 from the line. "We will take the win, whether it is in regulation or overtime." Nowitzki hit his first shot of overtime from the baseline and added a 3-pointer for a 120-115 lead, but the Timberwolves went back in front by a point on a reverse layup from Rubio and four free throws from Love. All five Minnesota starters were in double figures. Martin scored 19, Corey Brewer had 11 of his 13 points during Minnesotas fast start in the first quarter and Gorgui Dieng had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Former Dallas guard J.J. Barea had 15 points. Ellis finished with 22 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Shawn Marion had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Sam Dalembert had 14 boards. Early in the game, the Dallas defence didnt look anything like a unit that had held consecutive teams to less than 40-per cent shooting. Minnesota was at 69 per cent after Dieng hit a hook shot to give the Timberwolves their biggest lead at 50-28 early in the second quarter. The Mavericks had six of their 16 turnovers in the first quarter, and several led to breakaway baskets for Brewer. "They were aggressive. We were sloppy," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "The first quarter was really the biggest factor in the game." The Mavericks forced four straight misses to spark a 24-5 run that got them back in the game. Nowitzki opened the spurt with a jumper, and Jae Crowder finished it with a dunk after a steal by Jose Calderon to make it 55-52. NOTES: Rubio had seven assists in the first quarter, one more than Dallas as a team. Minnesota had 12 for the quarter. ... Ellis was called for a technical after getting his fourth foul in the third quarter. Referee Monty McCutchen screamed at Ellis that he had been warned four times as Ellis walked to the Dallas bench. MLB Jerseys 2020 . -- A year ago, Flavia Pennetta was close to retiring from tennis. Soccer Jerseys 2020 . Starting from pole, the 26-year-old Vettel turned in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday and join F1 greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships.VANCOUVER -- For at least a few hours, the Vancouver Whitecaps could put the Camilo Sanvezzo saga aside. As their best player continued to orchestrate his dramatic exit from the club, the Whitecaps added size and creativity at Thursdays Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Vancouver had two picks in the first seven, selecting defender Christian Dean at No. 3 before taking midfielder Andre Lewis at No. 7. "Being selected is a dream come true," said Dean. "Especially a team on the West Coast, growing up in California ... (Vancouver is) close to home." Hearing a player actually wanting to be at the club should come as welcome news for fans of the Whitecaps, who are now resigned to the fact that Sanvezzo -- the 2013 MLS Golden Boot winner -- will be sold to a Mexican team after forcing Vancouvers hand. And its not only Dean who is happy about his new team. "My mom is ecstatic," he added. "I think shes happier than I am." The 20-year-old from East Palo Alto was selected using the pick Vancouver acquired in the July 2012 trade that sent striker Eric Hassli to Toronto FC. Dean spent the last three seasons with the NCAAs California Golden Bears, starting all 55 games he played. "I bring energy. Big, athletic, on the larger side," said Dean, who stands six foot three and weighs 198 pounds. "Good feet -- especially at centre back, I kind of pride my self a little bit on that. Its something that I like to use to my advantage." The Philadelphia Union traded up to take Connecticut goalkeeper Andre Blake with the first pick before the D.C. United used the second pick to select defender Steve Birnbaum, who was Deans college teammate at Cal. "I dont know much about Philly," said Blake, who originally hails from Jamaica. "I heard something yesterday about how its the place for a cheesesteak or something. Thats as much as I know. But Im pretty sure Ill get adjusted and learn everything I need to know." Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact took Creighton defender Eric Miller with the fifth pick, while Toronto FC traded up to draft Xavier defender Nick Hagglund at No. 10. Left-footed with the ability to play either in the centre or left of defence, Dean said he will have to increase the physical side of his game against MLS competition. "I think I will have to adapt. College was a physical game, especially stepping up from the youth level to college, it got more physical," he said on a conference call. "I think playing against bigger and stronger people, Ill have to become a lot more physical and to do that Ill just have to make a little mental jump to achieve that." Dean might jjust get that chance as Vancouvers backline has at least one hole heading into training camp next month with the retirement of Y. Authentic MLB Jerseys. P. Lee. Meanwhile, Jay DeMerit doesnt have a contract for 2014, but new head coach Carl Robinson has said he wants to bring his captain back into the fold. "I think Im ready to come in and play, wherever I would have ended up," said Dean, who played as a centre back in college this season after two years on the left. "Especially with Vancouver, coming in the defence will be something that will be a possibility for me." Robinson said the Whitecaps had Dean rated high on their draft board. "Hes a great athlete with a fantastic left foot and we believe he has massive upside," Robinson said in a release. "We are confident that Christians game will translate very well to MLS and we look forward to seeing him at camp." Dean has never been to Vancouver and said that he wasnt tipped off during pre-draft discussions with the club that the Whitecaps would be his destination. "I talked to the coaching staff while I was at the combine during one of the player meetings and hit it off," he said. "Other than that there was no real talk of Hey, well select you or stuff like that. "It was kind of a bit of a surprise, but in the end Im happy that I got picked by Vancouver." Lewis was also pleased to be joining the Whitecaps, but for different reasons. "Im a fan of Vancouver because of Darren Mattocks," the 19-year-old said of the Whitecaps striker and fellow Jamaican. "I love the support that the fans give to Vancouver. Im looking forward to starting my professional career with the Whitecaps and to just go there and work hard and do my best." Lewis said he and Mattocks live about 10 minutes apart but that pair didnt speak about the possibility of being teammates in MLS. The five-foot-nine, 145-pound midfielder, who will join the Whitecaps from Jamaican club Portmore United F.C., has represented his country at the under-17 and under-20 levels and earned his first senior call up in 2012. "On the pitch, I always want to be a top player," said Lewis. "Win or lose, I want to be on top of my game at all times." Notes: As a Generation Adidas player, Deans salary will not count against the MLS salary cap. ... Dean said he is friends with Whitecaps striker Omar Salgado from their time with the U.S. under-20 team. ... In the second round, Toronto selected Elon midfielder Daniel Lovitz at No. 24, Vancouver took Connecticut striker Mamadou Diouf at No. 30 and Montreal went with Cal Poly midfielder George Malki at No. 37. ' ' '
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TORONTO – Marcus Stroman is returning to the Blue Jays and will make his first career major league start on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. Fake Sports Jerseys . The purpose, as laid out by manager John Gibbons, is two-fold. "We want to get Stroman up here and give him a look," said Gibbons, identifying the first part of the equation. "Our thinking was were going to back (Drew Hutchison) off a couple of days. (Mark) Buehrle will throw Sunday. Hutch will throw Tuesday in Detroit. The plan all along, coming in, was we were going to pick some spots and give Hutch a little breather." Stromans time was coming sooner rather than later, whether it was Saturday, late next week or sometime in June. This is as much about shielding Hutchison, the 23-year-old right-hander who occupies one of the top three spots in Torontos starting rotation along with Buehrle and R.A. Dickey. Hutchison, remember, underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in July 2012. After a year-long recovery, he threw 26 2/3 innings in seven minor league starts late last year and followed that up with 21 2/3 innings in six starts in the Arizona Fall League. Do the math: Hutchison entered this season having thrown 48 1/3 innings of competitive baseball in the better part of two years. Already in 2014, in 11 starts for Toronto, Hutchison has thrown 65 innings. "After his last start I thought he looked a little bit tired," said Gibbons. "I thought it was the perfect time to give him a couple of extra days." To accommodate Stroman on the active roster, the Blue Jays designated reliever Bobby Korecky for assignment just one day after selecting his contract from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Korecky retired the final four Royals hitters in mop up duty on Friday night. The Jays fell to Kansas City 6-1. With Stroman throwing Saturday, followed by Buehrle on Sunday, an off day on Monday, Hutchison on Tuesday, Dickey on Wednesday and J.A. Happ on Thursday, Gibbons could return to Buehrle for Friday nights game against the St. Louis Cardinals. His other option is to go with a six-man rotation for the time being, something he considered earlier this season before Brandon Morrows injury changed the plan, and continue to include Liam Hendriks in the mix. "Doesnt mean anything right now," said Gibbons of Hendriks status. "Hes on schedule. Hell pitch sometime at the end of next week when hes scheduled." A six-man rotation? "No, were not sure how its all going to play out," said Gibbons. Stroman made five appearances out of the bullpen in an earlier stint with the Blue Jays this season. The results were mixed but he thrived in high-leverage situations, including getting his first big league victory in a 6-5, 10-inning win over Philadelphia on May 5. Groomed since the beginning of last season to be a starter, Stroman will bring his swagger to the mound on Saturday and his former Bisons teammate, catcher Erik Kratz, is looking forward to seeing it. "He sees that his stuff plays when hes on and when his stuff is on there are very few who are as good as he is," said Kratz. "Theres a reason hes a prospect or whatever it is or that hes being asked to come in and start in the rotation. I expect to see a guy thats going to come out and give everything hes got and have a lot of success." Stroman was sent back to Buffalo after the Blue Jays wrapped up a series in Texas almost two weeks ago. He alluded to some confusion over not having been a starter in his first go round in Toronto. Stroman sports a 3.03 ERA and a 1.150 WHIP for Buffalo. Kratz thinks hell be more comfortable with a defined role. "I think it was hard for him to understand where he needed to be out in the bullpen," said Kratz. "Does he throw all of his pitches? Does he not throw all of his pitches? The way that he goes out in the game, hes a gamer, thats something that I think he learned from his first time, that his stuff plays. He just needs to keep going after guys." Authentic Sports Jerseys .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. Sports Jerseys Sale . Today, he looks at the offensive line. 1. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (OT, McGill) You Should Know: Over the course of his university career, Duvernay-Tardifs commitments to medical school and the family business frequently limited him to one practice per week, yet he was still the Metras Trophy winner as the Top Lineman in CIS football in 2013.San Francisco, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Kansas City Royals took a 4-2 lead over the San Francisco Giants in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night by patching together a rally that probably should never have been. The Royals have won two in a row to take a 2-1 lead in the series and sent Jason Vargas to the mound against Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants scratched out the first run after Gregor Blanco drew a leadoff walk in the first inning, went to second base on a wild pitch, stole third and scored when Hunter Pence beat a throw to first to break up a double play. But the Royals can manufacture runs, too, and got a little help doing so in the third. They beat out two throws to spark a two-out, four-run rally in the inning that was punctuated by run-scoring singles from Omar Infante annd Salvador Perez. Discount Sports Jerseys . First, Lorenzo Cain legged out an infield single to short that moved Alex Gordon to third. Then, Gordon scored when Eric Hosmer beat Vogelsong to the base on his slow grounder. Vogelsong, who initially tried to field the ball off the mound to his left, was several feet away from the bag when he caught first baseman Brandon Belts throw. Mike Moustakas walked to load the bases and Infante delivered a two-run hit up the middle. Perez followed with a line drive to center that scored another run, giving the Royals a 4-1 lead and chasing Vogelsong from the game. Matt Duffy hit a pinch-hit single to lead off the bottom of the third inning and later scored from second base on Buster Poseys single to left field to draw the Giants within 4-2. ' ' '