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[FONT="]WASHINGTON -- The first half ended with a case of the Marquee Miscues. Kevin Durant lost the ball to John Wall, and Wall then missed an open fast-break layup at the horn. It was Durants fourth turnover and Walls seventh miss in a row. At halftime, Wall changed his shoes. Maybe that was the difference. The newly minted first-time All-Star guard scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, and the Washington Wizards took advantage of a rare off-night from Durant and snapped the Oklahoma Thunders 10-game winning streak Saturday with a 96-81 win. "I didnt like how I played on the road trip in my white shoes, so I tried the red ones," Wall said. "They didnt work in the first half, so I got rid of them and went back to my old white ones, and they kind of helped me out. Im kind of superstitious." Wall also had 15 assists and six steals and went 7 for 11 from the field after halftime, more than making up for the 0-for-7 first half. Marcin Gortat had 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Trevor Ariza added 18 points and did a solid job defending Durant, whose 26 points came on 8-for-21 shooting, including 0 for 6 from 3-point range, and enough calls to make him 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. He also committed five turnovers. "Just stay in his grille, man," Ariza said. "Just try to make him take tough shots. Try not to give him no easy, easy looks." Durant had a streak of 12 consecutive 30-point games end during a 25-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Sitting at his locker before Saturdays game, his legs hooked up to compression tubes for a high-tech massage, he talked about the 100 or so tickets he had to secure for family and friends in D.C. Whether it was hometown jitters -- or fatigue from the night before -- or the unfamiliarity of the new balls with Adam Silvers signature on the first day of work for the new NBA commissioner -- or the solid defence of Ariza -- the citys native son had a rough night fighting the Wizards defence. "They made me see a crowd," Durant said. "There were a few shots that I should have it hit. I had some good looks, but they did a good job." The Thunders only lead was 2-0. They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers in the first quarter. "We were just a step slow in everything," Durant said. "We didnt start up with enough energy and intensity and that falls back on me as a leader." The victory moved the Wizards to .500 for the seventh time this season, which means they get yet another chance to overcome an obstacle that has flummoxed them in recent weeks. A win Monday against Portland would give Washington a winning record for the first time since October 2009. "Thats cool for yall. I dont know if its cool for us," said guard Garrett Temple, when the subject that has become increasingly taboo in the locker room was broached by reporters. "But weve got to not even worry about that. Weve got a tough team coming here on Monday night." The Thunder had averaged 110.2 points during the winning streak, but they matched their season-low in points in a game against the Wizards. They did have a chance to tie the score in the second half when Derek Fisher was fouled while making a 3-pointer, but he missed the free throw that would have evened the game at 58. From there, Wall and the Wizards pulled away. A Durant turnover became a Wall dunk. Walls floater gave Washington a 78-64 lead after three quarters. The Thunder didnt challenge the rest of the way, failing to get within single digits in the fourth. "Twenty-one turnovers, 10 in the first quarter. Thats basically six minutes of basketball, giving them the ball back without ever trying to score," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "It wasnt good enough -- bottom line." NOTES: Temple went 3 for 4 with the new balls. "My shot felt real good. Even with those now Adam Silver balls," he said. "It was slippery at first, but we got into a rhythm." ... The Thunder had won nine straight road games against Eastern Conference teams, while the Wizards had dropped five in a row at home vs. the West. ... Durants hefty ticket purchase gave him a convenient excuse to laugh off the notion that he would think about playing for the Wizards someday. "I spent a lot of money on tickets today -- imagine if I played here," Durant said. "I dont even want to think about that." Air Jordan Ireland . A broadcast source said the deal is for five years. The agreement calls for a minimum of 17 regular-season games as well as the East and West Division finals being broadcast annually on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNEWS. Cheap Air Jordan Wholesale . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. http://www.cheapairjordanireland.com/. Pressley missed all of last season with Cincinnati because of a knee injury, but the 5-foot-10, 249-pounder had been expected to fill a need on Clevelands roster. Air Jordan Ireland Sale .Y. -- Nothing seems to phase No. Cheap Jordans Ireland .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B.PITTSBURGH -- Neil Walker wasnt expecting to have a big offensive game Friday night, especially with Michael Wacha pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. The last time Wacha started at PNC Park was in the Game 4 of last years National League Division Series and he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yet the hot-hitting Walker had three hits, including a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning, and drove in four runs to help the Pirates beat the Cardinals 6-4. "Wacha is so good, as we found out last year," said Walker, who has reached base in 22 of his last 40 plate appearances. "He throws hard and youve got to shorten up your swing and put the ball in play. Thats the best way to approach him because youre usually not going to do too much against him." While Walkers first two hits were against Wacha, his seventh homer came off Carlos Martinez (0-2) and rallied the Pirates from a 4-3 deficit for their third straight victory. Jordy Mercer and pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez led off the inning with singles and were bunted up a base by Jose Tabata before Walker hit a drive into the right-field stands. "Martinez is as tough as Wacha, but he hung a slider and I was able to put a good swing on it," Walker said. "I was surprised. The guy has such great stuff that youre not thinking that youre going to hit a home run in that situation. It was huge." Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said it didnt appear that Martinez got the home run pitch "where he wanted it." Mercer had three of the Pirates 12 hits, while Ike Davis, who hit a two-run double in the first inning to open the scoring, and Tabata had two hits apiece. Pittsburgh beat St. Louis for the 10th time in 13 games at home. Mercers performance was a welcome development for the Pirates and their shortstop, who is hitting just .187. "Ive been putting inn a lot of time in the batting cage, trying to figure things out and its nice to have some results because I feel confident now when I step in the batters box," Mercer said.dddddddddddd "Confidence is such a big part of hitting." St. Louis had gone ahead earlier in the seventh on Jhonny Peraltas solo home run, his eighth. Allen Craigs three-run home run, his fourth, accounted for the Cardinals other runs. Peralta and Craig had two hits apiece in the Cardinals second loss in five games. Justin Wilson (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced, Matt Adams, to end the top of the seventh. Mark Melancon, filling as the closer for injured Jason Grilli, pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. Both starting pitchers worked five innings and had uneven performances. Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano allowed three runs, five hits and four walks while striking out five, while Wacha gave up three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Liriano has gone a career-long 11 regular-season starts without a win since beating the Texas Rangers last Sept. 10. Wacha is winless in his last five starts. NOTES: The game was delayed 25 minutes in the top of the fourth inning because of rain. . Pirates OF Travis Sniders appeal of his two-game suspension for his actions in an April 20 brawl were upheld and he began serving his penalty Friday night. . The Cardinals recalled OF Joey Butler from Triple-A Memphis and optioned OF Randal Grichuk to the same club. . Pittsburgh recalled INF Brent Morel from Triple-A Indianapolis. They had optioned RHP Phil Irwin to Indianapolis on Thursday. . Grilli threw from the top of the mound Friday for the first time since April 21 when the closer went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. . Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (4-1, 3.51) will start Saturday night against RHP Edinson Volquez (1-3, 4.19). China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '[/FONT]
