Technik » straight game after aggravating a left ankle injury

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Clippers made a silent protest against owner Donald Sterling before Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series against Golden State. The Warriors made a different kind of statement during the game. And just like that, a series pulled into a race-related scandal took another twist. Stephen Curry made a career playoff-high seven 3-pointers and scored 33 points, leading the Warriors past the Clippers 118-97 on Sunday to even their first-round series at two games apiece. "We wanted to come out and focus on all the work weve put in over the summer, throughout the course of the season to get ready for this moment in the playoffs and just have fun and enjoy it -- not let one person ruin it for everybody," Curry said. The game almost became an afterthought -- until tipoff anyway -- after an audio recording was posted Saturday online by TMZ purportedly of Sterling making comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his teams games. The alleged comments, which are under investigation by the NBA, have set off reactions of anger and calls for action through the league. Clippers players made a silent protest against Sterling by shedding their warm-up jerseys and going through the pregame routine with their red shirts on inside out. They also wore black bands on their wrists or arms and black socks in a show of solidarity. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he knew what his players had planned but didnt voice his opinion. He said he wasnt thrilled about the demonstration, though he didnt elaborate why. Curry and company did a better job focusing from the start. The All-Star guard made his first five 3s to give Golden State a 20-point lead in the first quarter that held up most of the way. Curry shot 10 for 20 from the floor, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, and had seven assists and seven rebounds to help the Warriors snap a two-game losing skid. "I just thought they were the tougher team and it wasnt even close. Should have been a first round knockout," Rivers said. Golden State outshot Los Angeles 55.4 to 42.9 per cent. The Clippers had 19 turnovers, while the Warriors had a series-low 15 turnovers. Both coaches and players agreed that Sterlings purported comments affected their preparation, and neither side believed it was a determining factor in the outcome. "I think both teams were somewhat bothered by what has taken place the last 24 hours," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "But my guys just played with great energy, great effort." Rivers blamed himself for not getting his players ready. "Im not going to deny that we had other stuff," he said. "I just believe when the game starts, the game starts and nobody cares anymore. Golden State surely didnt care." Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Andre Iguodala added 22 points and nine assists, and David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each scored 15 as the Warriors went to a smaller lineup to regain their shooting touch in front of a roaring, gold-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596 that stood after every swish. "It just all came together," said Iguodala, who also had nine assists and four rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 26 points, and Blake Griffin had 21 points and six rebounds for a Clippers team wrapped up in the most talked-about topic in sports. "Maybe our focus wasnt in the right place would be the easiest way to say it," Clippers guard J.J. Redick said. New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game and met privately with former All-Star guard and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is advising the players union on the Sterling situation. Johnson even held a news conference during halftime that spilled well into the third quarter. Silver has said he hopes for a quick resolution after the league investigates, and that Sterling has already agreed not to attend Game 5. Johnson said the players trust Silver and are hoping for a quick resolution -- and the harshest penalty possible if the audio recording is authenticated. Once the ball was thrown up and the crowd roared, the Warriors quickly put the Clippers in a hole they could never recover from. Currys five 3-pointers in the first quarter tied a franchise-playoff record for a quarter, matching a mark he and Thompson set last year. Golden State led by 20 in the first quarter, 23 in the second quarter and 66-48 at the half. Jackson used a smaller lineup -- with power forward David Lee playing centre for long stretches instead of Jermaine ONeal, whom Jackson said requested the switch -- to spread the floor more than he had at any point in the series, which big man Andrew Bogut has missed with a fractured right rib. The Clippers never closed within single digits at any point in the second half. Curry kept on shooting -- and kept on hitting -- to send the series back to Los Angeles tied. And with so many in an uproar over Sterlings purported comments, theres no telling what the scene will be like at Staples Center. "Were going home now, and usually that would mean were going to our safe haven," Rivers said. "And I dont even know if thats true." NOTES: The Warriors have won 16 of their past 19 home games against the Clippers. ... Sterlings wife, Rochelle "Shelley" Sterling, sat in a courtside seat across from the Clippers bench. Fake Nike MLB Jerseys . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys .com) - John Wall had 15 points, 12 assists and four steals as the Washington Wizards defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 92-85 on Monday night. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7. MLB Jerseys Outlet . This weeks Raptors Report puts a bow on Gays brief, 10-month tenure in Toronto and ponders how his absence will affect the teams offence. Are they a better team without him? In addition to acquiring some valuable cap flexibility, what impact will the four incoming players have this season and beyond? Click here for the Dec. Clearance MLB Jerseys . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. PHILADELPHIA -- Starling Marte had turned toward a crowd of media at his locker when a passing teammate cracked a one-liner about the soft-spoken outfielder. "What do they think theyll get out of Marte," he asked. In words, maybe not much. At the plate, enough to keep Pittsburgh in the hunt for a second straight playoff spot. Marte hit a two-run homer and fell a triple short of the cycle to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-4 on Monday night. Jeff Locke (7-4) struck out nine over seven strong innings to help the Pirates go up 1 1-2 games on Milwaukee and Atlanta for the second wild card. "The second wild card has opened up so many opportunities for so many teams, so many cities," manager Clint Hurdle said. "Its been so exciting for fans. For more teams to try and pay attention to it would be chaotic." Locke and Kyle Kendrick (8-12) were in pitchers duel until Pittsburgh bust open a one-run lead with four runs in the eighth. The Pirates won their fourth straight and are 65-50 since May 2. Marte has been a big reason for the hot streak. He singled, doubled and homered in his first three plate appearances and extended his hitting streak to eight games. Hes batting .358 (38 for 106) with six homers and a 1.018 OPS over his last 28 games. "Ive been more comfortable," he said. "We are in a very good spot right now." Mark Melancon tossed a scoreless ninth for his 27th save. Locke, who improved to 4-0 lifetime against the Phillies, retired the first 10 batters until Jimmy Rollins hit a one-out triple in the fourth. He scored on Ryan Howards single and 92nd RBI of the season. Locke, though, fanned Howard twice and struck out at least one batter in every inning. His nine Ks were a season high and three more than he had combined in his last three starts (6). Locke rebounded nicely after lasting only 3-plus innings in a loss to St. Louis in his last start. He gave up just one run and kept the Pirates in contention for another playoff berth. "He had his best performance of the seaason," Hurdle said.dddddddddddd "Locke pitched as good a game as we could have ever hoped for him to pitch tonight." The Pirates gave reason for their fans to cheer -- and plenty did, with "Lets Go Pirates!" echoing through a mostly barren Citizens Bank Park with every rally. Martes 11th homer gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the fifth. The Pirates chased Kendrick in the eighth, with Neil Walker, Jordy Mercer and Brent Morel all producing run-scoring hits and Gabby Sanchez chipped in with a sacrifice fly. The Pirates are 4-0 against the Phillies this season, beating up on the bad teams a necessity in any playoff push. "If we play our best ball in the 19 remaining games, well get in," Hurdle said. TRAINERS ROOM Pirates: INF Josh Harrison was out of the lineup for a third straight game after aggravating a left ankle injury in the completion of a suspended game on Saturday. Harrison was available to pinch hit. ... INF Pedro Alvarezs left foot injury is not improving as much they would have hoped and he also sat out. He did travel with the team to Philadelphia. Phillies: Rollins was replaced by Freddy Galvis for the top of the fifth. Rollins strained his left hamstring after legging out a one-out triple in the fourth. Rollins has played in 138 of 143 games this season. Rollins said he expected to miss at least 10 games. "Just one of those things reaching out for the bag," Rollins said. "It isnt that severe." UP NEXT Pirates: Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.31 ERA) has won seven of his last eight decisions and his 10-4 overall in his last 21 starts. He is 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in five career starts against the Phillies. Phillies: David Buchanan (6-7, 3.95 ERA) has three straight no-decisions and hasnt won a game since Aug. 6. He took the loss after allowing three runs against the Pirates on July 5. BATTING CROWN: Phillies OF Ben Revere went 0 for 4 and saw his average dip to .313 as he chases the NL batting crown. Colorados Justin Morneau was batting .316. Harrison was hitting .315. ' ' '