Bayern Trupp » Juan Manuel Leguizamo

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Al Jefferson finally quit thinking about what he wanted to do with the ball on the court, and just started doing it.That showed in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics, as Jefferson scored 11 of his game-high 23 points and the Charlotte Hornets held off a late rally for a 96-87 victory Wednesday night.Kemba Walker added 18 points and Lance Stephenson 13 for Charlotte, which led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and were up 87-79 with 8:05 left.However, Boston — led by Marcus Thorntons 13 fourth-quarter points — pulled to 87-85 with 4:31 remaining. But Walkers three-point play and back-to-back baskets by Jefferson pushed the Hornets lead back to 94-85 with 1:19 left.We just had to get some stops, said Jefferson, who also had 14 rebounds as Charlotte posted back-to-back wins for the second time this season. We knew they could get hot fast. We just had to step up our defence.This is two games in a row that weve been able to close it out. I was thinking too much in the first half. I just had to be myself and relax, and thats what I did in the second half.Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics. Jeff Green and Thornton led Boston with 16 points each, Tyler Zeller scored 13 and Brandon Bass 10.We made a little bit of a run at the start of the fourth (quarter), but we couldnt quite get over the hump, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. We missed some opportunities, and they just played better than us.The Hornets trailed by five points entering the third quarter, but opened the period with an 11-4 run. Gerald Henderson hit a jumper to tie the score at 49-49 with 8:37 left, and his 3-pointer with 7:37 left put Charlotte ahead to stay at 54-51.The Hornets took their biggest lead of the game late in the third quarter, with Walkers jumper with 1:38 remaining capping a 17-8 run for a 71-59 advantage.The Celtics had mounted a similar rally in the first half, coming back from an eight-point deficit early in the second quarter to lead 45-40 at the break.The Hornets were ahead 26-18 on Gary Neals jumper with 11:02 left in the second quarter, but Boston went on a 20-6 run over the next 8 minutes. Rondos jumper with 4:29 remaining gave the Celtics their biggest lead of the half, 38-32.TIP-INSCeltics: Boston shot 21.7 per cent from 3-point range, making just 5 of 23 attempts. However, that wasnt a season low for the Celtics — they made just 1 of 25 against Houston (4.0 per cent) on Nov. 1.Hornets: Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who had missed the last 12 games with a stress reaction in his right foot, finished with nine points and six rebounds in 18 minutes Wednesday.STAT SHEETWhile the Celtics actually made more field goals Wednesday (38 of 87, compared to Charlottes 35 of 84), the Hornets enjoyed a decisive advantage at the free-throw line — 23 of 29, while Boston made just 6 of 10. The Celtics also turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 14 Hornets points.QUOTE OF THE GAMEI think you could tell when you walked into the locker room that guys are happy. I think they know that the way they played tonight was a byproduct of how theyve practiced. You know, after 20 games, theres a lot of groups that dont want to practice three times. They just want to play the games. But our guys were good. They had good practices, and hopefully thatll set a tone for this next stretch of games. — Hornets coach Steve Clifford.IN THE DOG HOUSERookie guard P.J. Hairston didnt dress out for Wednesdays game after taking what Clifford said was an unexcused absence from Tuesdays practice. Clifford said Hairston, the 26th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, would suit up for Fridays game against the Memphis Grizzlies.UP NEXTCeltics: Host New York on Friday.Hornets: At Memphis on Friday. Los Angeles Lakers Store . - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race. Lakers Jerseys 2020 .Y. - Lou Williams scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors beat New York 81-76 on Monday night in the Knicks preseason home opener. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/. The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. Cheap Lakers Jerseys .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport. Lakers Jerseys 2019 . Instead, Nonis and Kessel were sorting through the fallout of a wild melee with the Buffalo Sabres, one that saw Kessel suspended for the duration of the pre-season.BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Argentina coach Santiago Phelan made five changes to his starting 15 for the Rugby Championship rematch against South Africa in Mendoza on Saturday in response to the record defeat by the Springboks last weekend. The Pumas have just a week to bounce back from a 73-13 loss in Soweto, starting their second season in the southern hemisphere championship with the biggest defeat in the 17-year-old competition. Phelan on Thursday brought in prop Marcos Ayerza, a new lock pairing in Julio Farias Cabello and Mariano Galarza, left wing Horacio Agulla and fullback Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino. Ayerza recovered from injury and returned at loosehead prop, with Juan Figallo switching to tighthead and Mattias Diaz dropping to the bench. Cabello and Galarza were picked in the second row after experienced lock Patricio Albacete was hurt early in the first game at FNB Stadium. Manuel Carriza, the other lock who started on Saturday, was out of the 23 altogether. Bath wing Agulla was promoted after starting the tournament on the bench, while Amorosino replaced Juan Martin Hernandez at fullback. Hernandez also went off injured in the first half in Soweto. Center Felipe Contepomi retained the captaincy after scoring all of Argentinas points at FNB Stadium. Argentinas regular skipper, No. 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, was still missing with a left calf injury. The Pumas will be boosted by home advantage this weekend -- they held South Africa to a 16--16 draw in Mendoza last year and probably should have won that game for a first victory ever over the Springboks.dddddddddddd Argentina conceded nine tries without scoring a point in a 50-minute spell in Soweto last Saturday for its heaviest defeat by the South Africans in 10 years of playing each other. "We seek to reverse the situation of the last game," Agulla said. "Weve had a good week and were all eager to reverse this and to show what we are." Argentina travelled to Mendoza on Thursday, while the Springboks will head west from Buenos Aires to the foothills of the Andes on Friday. ------ Lineups: Argentina: Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Gonzalo Camacho, Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi (captain), Horacio Agulla, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Leonardo Senatore, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Pablo Matera, Mariano Galarza, Julio Farias Cabello, Juan Figallo, Eusebio Guinazu, Marcos Ayerza. Reserves: Agustin Creevy, Nahuel Lobo, Matias Diaz, Tomas Lavanini, Benjamin Macome, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Fernandez, Juan Imhoff. South Africa: Willie le Roux, Bjorn Basson, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers (captain), Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar; Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Francois Louw, Juandre Kruger, Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira. Reserves: Bismarck du Plessis, Gurthro Steenkamp, Coenie Oosthuizen, Flip van der Merwe, Siya Kolisi, Jano Vermaak, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein. ' ' '