Tuesday 30 March 2010

Defense man Penguins signed Letang for 2013-14 season


Kris Letang, Penguins defenseman has signed a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2013-14 season.The deal announced Tuesday prevents him from becoming a restricted free agent.






Letang scored the winner in overtime against Washington in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, helping the Penguins win the series in seven games.



The deal is worth $3.5 million per year, sources told ESPN.com Tuesday morning.




Re-signing the 22-year-old Letang -- who was scheduled to become a restricted free agent -- was a priority for Pittsburgh because defenseman Sergei Gonchar's contract is running out after this season.

Letang has three goals and 24 assists in 67 games this season.

The Penguins have signed forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, and defensemen Brooks Orpik and Letang through 2013-14, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury through 2014-15.

Letang scored the winner in overtime against Washington in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, helping the Penguins win the series in seven games.

Monday 15 March 2010

Lakers beat Warriors at 124-121in 9th straight time

Even by far the easiest back-to-back road set of this flow-lacking Lakers season didn't start off easy.The Lakers' sketchy pick-and-roll defense came and went. But it  stayed for enough of the second half for the Lakers helped to  manage a 124-121 victory over Warriors on Monday night.kobe  Brayd scored 29 points and Pau Gasol also scored  26  that lead Los Angles Lakers  to their ninth straight victory  at scored of 124-121 over the worriors on Monday night.
Andrew Bynum  also scored 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Lamar Odom earned 17 points and 12 boards for the Lakers, who have won three straight following their first three-game losing streak. 

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers led by 11 late but barely held on for the victory. It wasn't sealed until Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis missed 3-pointers in the final seconds. Ellis' last-ditch attempt bounced on the rim three times before falling aside at the buzzer. Curry scored 29 points for the Warriors, who have lost seven of eight.  The Warriors still  have only 16 games remaining this season,
 


The Lakers took advantage of their decided height advantage with two 7-footers in the starting lineup against a Warriors team whose only true post player is former NBA Development League player Chris Hunter. Los Angeles outrebounded Golden State 56-25 but struggled to put the quicker Warriors away because of sloppy play with the ball.



The Lakers committed 24 turnovers, including a season-high nine by Bryant, while Golden State only turned the ball over five times.

But with the Lakers dominating the glass and Ellis missing 18 of 23 shots, the Lakers were able to extend their winning streak against their in-state rivals.



It was the fourth sellout of the season for the Warriors, but many of the season-high 20,038 fans were there to cheer on the Lakers instead of the home team. Positive plays by Los Angeles were often greeted with louder applause than those by the Warriors and some fans started an "M-V-P!" chant for Bryant.


The Lakers fell behind 72-63 early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Curry. But they answered with a 16-2 run that gave them a 79-74 lead and they never gave it up the rest of the way.



Curry's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter got the deficit back down to one, but Bynum responded with a three-point play following an offensive rebound. Bryant's three-point play extended the lead to 111-103 with just under 5 minutes left.

"I almost hit the floor trying to will it in, but it wouldn't fall for us," Curry said.

"When a guy is having a shooting night like that, you think he is going to get a bounce, but he never did," coach Don Nelson said.

"When it hit the second time rim, I was like, 'It's fitting to go in,' " Ellis said. "Then, it went to the left, and I was like, 'Son of a gun.' "


Los Angeles led 39-32 after a first quarter that was filled with statistical oddities. The Lakers made six straight shots to open the game, then missed six in a row before making eight in row. 






The Warriors, meanwhile, got little production from their high-scoring backcourt of Curry and Ellis, who shot just 1 for 10 in the period. But the frontcourt players made all 11 shots they took, including three 3-pointers from Anthony Tolliver.



C.J. Watson and Hunter then combined for all the points in an 11-2 run to end the half for Golden State and give the Warriors a 65-59 lead at the break.


The Warriors went 1-for-7 during a 3:21 stretch of the third quarter as their nine-point lead evaporated. The Lakers spun the Warriors' shooting woes into a 12-2 run and a 75-74 lead with 6:36 remaining in the third.







Lakers Beat Warriorsa