ryant: The challenge will be to find a consistent third score

Last year the Denver Nuggets opened their season with a surprisingly easy rout in Houston. They were confident entering their home opener only to fall flat against Minnesota.They want to avoid that same fate this year.The Nuggets survived a 50-point night by Anthony Davis to beat the Pelicans, 107-102, in New Orleans on Wednesday. Now they want to carry that momentum when they start their home schedule Saturday night against Portland.While the win in New Orleans was encouraging, it will be tainted by a poor performance against the Trail Blazers.My hope now is, as we turn our attention to our home opener, we can have a much better showing than we had in our home opener last year, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told The Denver Post. I thought we came out flat on our home floor.The Nuggets face a Portland team that is coming off a 114-106 loss at home to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. The Blazers have already played two games, beating Utah 113-104 on Tuesday, and guard Damian Lillard looks to be in midseason form. He had 39 points in Tuesdays game and followed that with 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Clippers.This will be Portlands first road game. The Blazers were 3-1 against Denver last season, splitting the two games at Pepsi Center and sweeping the home games.Portland will have to quickly put Thursdays emotional game in the rearview mirror. The Blazers and the Clippers have a budding rivalry, and it was evident in L.A.s win. Portland upset the Clippers in the first round of the 2016 playoffs and the tensions from that spilled into Thursday.Mason Plumlee and C.J. McCollum both drew flagrant fouls in the loss.Counted with preseason, the season and the playoffs, weve played them, like, 12 or 13 times in the last year, Mason Plumlee told The Oregonian of the Clippers. We feel like theyre related to us.There is no history like that with Denver, but that doesnt diminish the significance of the matchup for the Nuggets. They are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time in four years, and their collection of young talent is starting to show signs of maturity.Center Jusuf Nurkic, who played just 33 games last year because of injury, looked everything like his nickname, The Bosnian Beast, in the win in New Orleans. He had 23 points and nine rebounds and was a force inside.Malone did come away with something to fix in the win. Denver committed 25 turnovers, which led to 26 points for the Pelicans.It would have been more painful had the Nuggets blown a double-digit lead in the second half but they held on for the win.I just think it was first-game jitters, guard Will Barton told The Denver Post. Preseason is great but it still cant come close to the regular season.Denver is hopeful guard Gary Harris can return to the lineup. Harris missed most of the preseason and Wednesdays game with a groin injury but was practicing this week.The Trail Blazers are hoping to get guard Evan Turner on track. Turner, who signed a $70-million free-agent contract, is struggling while getting integrated into Portlands system.Some nights, things are going to go your way, Turner told The Oregonian. Some nights, theyre not. Ive just got to fight through it and build consistency in that area. And the tide is going to turn. Like I said, Im doing things, making plays that Ive always done and shooting shots that Im always taking. The shots are just going in and out. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Discount . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Nike Air Max 270 Womens Clearance . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. http://www.max270cheap.com/nike-men-s-air-max-270-just-do-it-white-total-orange-black-ah8050-106.html . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Nike Air Max 270 Triple White Womens . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Nike Air Max 270 Sale Outlet . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern basketball teams arent known for their swagger, but Vic Law and the Wildcats are making noises that times are about to change.Law triggered a decisive 12-0 run early in the game on the way to a team-high 22 points and Northwestern rolled past Bryant 86-66 on Friday.Scottie Lindsey contributed 20 points for the Wildcats, while Gavin Skelly pitched in 15 more off the bench. Dererk Pardon had a game-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.Were really good, Law said. Weve showed that well come out and compete no matter who its against. This isnt the old Northwestern.How good the Wildcats really are wont be known for a while, of course, but coach Chris Collins already was certain that this was the most talented of his four teams to date.As a coach, this game had a lot of trappings, Collins said. We had three games on the road and one day to prepare for a game, and that day was Thanksgiving. We had the potential for a lot of distractions, but I was so proud of the way we started the game.Northwestern (4-2) took a 38-23 lead into halftime, but Bryant top gun Nisre Zouzoua went off for 14 points to close the gap to 42-39 five minutes into the second half. After a timeout, the Wildcats were able to regroup for their second victory in the last four starts.Zouzoua finished with a game-high 24 points and Adam Grant added 19 the Bulldogs, who shot only 39 percent in the field. Zouzoua came off career-high 30-point outburst in a 64-57 victory over Louisiana Monroe three nights earlier.After Grants jump shot tied the game 5-5, Northwestern seized control in the next 3:30.Law drained eight straight points, including a pair of 3--pointers.dddddddddddd Skelly followed with a pair of free throws before Pardon scored on a lay-up to cap the onslaught.Bryant (2-4) started no one taller than 6-foot-6 and just one upperclassman in the loss, its third in the last four starts.We did some good things, especially at the start of the second half, Bryant coach Tim OShea said. We have a young team and dont play in the Big Ten, so I think we had an impressive effort throughout the course of the game.BIG PICTUREBryant: The challenge will be to find a consistent third scorer to complement the Grant-Zouzoua backcourt, which accounted for 52 percent of their points thus far. We have (the talent), OShea said. But its young talent that will take time to develop. The Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches poll.Northwestern: While the Wildcats have shot the longball well thus far, the jury remains out on their inside game. They entered the contest with a .451 success rate from beyond the arc, best among Big Ten teams. Law (.700) and Lindsey (.455) led the way among the regulars.ALL FOR ONEPaced by Lindsey and Skelly with six apiece, Northwestern had 25 assists on 31 field goals against an extended 2/3 zone defense. Thats a sign of good ball movement and guys who are willing to do it, Collins said.UP NEXTBryant: The Bulldogs travel to Providence, Rhode Island, for a date with Brown on Monday night.Northwestern: The Wildcats will get a big test against Wake Forest in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Evanston on Monday night. ' ' '