Pirate Galaxy » who is in Saskatoon for the MasterCard M

WASHINGTON -- For the first time since his knee surgery in May, John Wall played in back-to-back games, and the result was a rare win for the Washington Wizards.Wall scored 23 points and had 11 assists and Otto Porter added 21 points as the Wizards won for just the third time in 11 games, beating the New York Knicks 119-112 on Thursday night.Wall sat out games in the first two Washington back-to-backs this season, and the Wizards lost both times.After Wednesday nights disheartening loss to the 76ers where Wall played 24 minutes, Washington coach Scott Brooks felt his star guard was ready to go again.There was going to be a time during the season where he was going to have to play back-to-back, Brooks said. The way he was progressing during the last four or five weeks, we felt that it was a good time.Brooks didnt want to play Wall more than 32 minutes, and when the Wizards opened up a 27-point lead late in the third quarter, it looked as if Wall could play much less than that.But New York scored 47 points in the fourth quarter, and Brooks put Wall back in the game in the final minutes.Once the Knicks went on a 12-0 run to cut the lead to 108-98 with 2:37 to play, Wall secured the win with two late baskets and four free throws.New York was led by Derrick Rose with 27. Carmelo Anthony scored 19, and Kristaps Porzingis, who had a career-high 35 against Detroit on Wednesday night, was held to 16. Brandon Jennings had 15 of his season-high 17 points in the fourth quarter.WHAT WALL BRINGSBrooks liked much about Walls game.He had a major impact in the first half, and I think he only had two points, Brooks said. There are a few players in the league that can impact a game with passing and defense, and hes one of them.Wall had been eager to test himself, and was confident he passed the test.I dont like to miss games. I felt like I could have played earlier, but it was just part of what the doctors plan was, Wall said.LACK OF EFFORTDespite the late fourth quarter charge, Rose didnt necessarily like what he saw from his teammates.Tonight was effort, Rose said. When we see someone down or we see someone where things are not clicking, thats when weve got to come together as a team. So its still early in the year. Weve still got a lot more games to play. It just takes time.DEFENSE LACKINGNew York allowed a season high in points and Washington shot 54.3 percent.Some of that is guys are wide open. Theres a few of them that were contested, but we looked like we were a little tired from last night and we werent getting all the way up on the guys. And to win on the road, youve got to play good defense, coach Jeff Hornacek said.TIP-INSKnicks: F Lance Thomas missed his third straight game with a sore left ankle. ... C Joakim Noah was assessed a technical foul midway through the third quarter. . Have lost 10 of last 11 to Washington.Wizards: Made a season-high 15 3-pointers. . G Bradley Beal returned after missing three games with a right hamstring injury and had 18 points.UP NEXTKnicks: Host Atlanta on Sunday. The Hawks have won six straight.Wizards: Host Miami on Saturday. Its the second of three consecutive home games.Wholesale Bulls Jerseys . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Bulls Jerseys 2020 . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. https://www.cheapbulls.com/ . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Chicago Bulls Store . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Chicago Bulls Shirts . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. CHARLOTTETOWN -- The game of hockey will soon change for peewee-level players across the country after a vote by Hockey Canada on Saturday that banned bodychecking. Hockey Canadas board of directors overwhelmingly voted to eliminate bodychecking for peewee players at its annual general meeting in Charlottetown on Saturday, with only the Saskatchewan Hockey Association voting against. The decision comes in the same month that both Hockey Alberta and Hockey Nova Scotia did away with bodychecking for its peewee players, who are usually 11 and 12 years old. Quebec had also previously banned it. Debate over when to allow players to start hitting has inflamed emotions on both sides of the argument for years. But research that came out of Alberta last year showed there was a three-fold increase in the risk of injuries for peewee players who check in Alberta, compared to those in Quebec where bodychecking is not allowed until bantam. Paul Carson, vice-president of hockey development for Hockey Canada, said safety was a key factor in the boards decision. He said reaction at the meeting was mixed, but most thought it was the right move. "While some would be reluctant because of their traditional beliefs of the game, they also understood that the safety and the area of skill development were critical issues to consider," said Carson on Saturday. Kelly McClintock, general manager of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, maintains that bodychecking is a skill that should be taught to children as young and eight and nine. "Our membership has always been very strongly in favour of having bodychecking as early as possible," he said. "Its always been a pretty emotionall discussion.ddddddddddddquot; He said the association was disappointed, but not surprised that the motion passed. The changes will take effect in the upcoming 2013-14 hockey season, which begins in September. Hockey Canada said the board has agreed to develop a bodychecking standard for coaching, to be implemented in the 2014-15 season. But McClintock says thats putting "the cart before the horse." "For us it was probably a little bit more of a concern over the process, that it happened very quickly in the last three weeks to a month," said McClintock. "I think we have to look at the process that we follow when were going to do something like this." Halifax Mooseheads coach Dominique Ducharme, who is in Saskatoon for the MasterCard Memorial Cup, noted that 11- and 12-year-old kids can vary drastically in size. "The more the players at a younger age can work on their skills, beside wondering about getting body checked and body weight and height difference, I think maybe (in) the long run it might just help develop players with even better skills," he said. But Mooseheads forward Stefan Fournier said bodychecking teaches players an important aspect of the game at an younger age. "When youre a peewee hockey player the games not as fast. It teaches you to learn to keep your head up when youre skating around. That kind of stuff does limit head injuries," said Fournier, a day before hitting the ice at the Memorial Cup final against the Portland Winterhawks. "The games fast and if you have your head down for a split second you can get caught." By Aly Thomson in Halifax and Joshua Clipperton in Saskatoon ' ' '