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28	October 2019

We want to have a level playing field," Los

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers showed what they can do when their minds are on basketball. Randy White Youth Jersey . Paul made a career-high eight 3-pointers and scored 32 points to help the Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-105 Monday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal. The Clippers acknowledged that the racial comments by owner Donald Sterling that got him permanently banned from the league were a distraction during their first-round series against Golden State. Once they put the initial shock behind them, they beat the Warriors and carried their momentum into Game 1 against the Thunder. Los Angeles shot 55 per cent from the field and made 15 of 29 3-point attempts. Paul, who had never made more than five 3-pointers in a game, also had 10 assists. "When somebodys got it going like that, you just try to stay out of the way as much as possible, but also help keep that fire going," Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. Though Paul is a career 36 per cent 3-point shooter, he doesnt usually shoot them so often. Once he started hitting them, he became increasingly aggressive. He made 8 of 9 for the night. "I came over here early and got in a lot of shots, so I think that had a lot to do with it, too," Paul said. Oklahoma City didnt anticipate Paul taking on the scoring load for Los Angeles, but he took advantage of good screens and knocked down the shots. The Thunder felt they defended him relatively well. "I thought on a lot of those 3s, especially early in the game, we had a hand in his face and a hand in his shots," Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha said. "So we did a decent job, but those shots went in and that boosted their whole team." Griffin scored 23 points, Jamal Crawford had 17 and J.J. Redick added 12 for the Clippers. Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, Kevin Durant had 25 and Serge Ibaka added 12 for the Thunder, who suffered their worst home loss since moving to Oklahoma City. "We have to get more physical," Durant said. "Im not talking about hard fouls, Im talking about jamming the lane, fighting through screens and not letting guys run free. We just have to be more physical." Game 2 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. "We just understand that we dont go into Game 2 with a 17-point lead," Paul said. "You know, youve just got to come back and be hungry and not be satisfied with one." Both teams were coming off Game 7 wins in the first round on Saturday night, but only the Thunder looked weary. Oklahoma City opened by taking a 16-10 lead, but the Clippers responded with a 24-6 run. Paul hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter, matching his career high for 3s in a playoff game in the first 12 minutes. The Clippers shot 67 per cent in the first quarter to take a 39-25 lead. Los Angeles extended its lead to 24 points in the second quarter and took a 69-52 halftime lead with Paul getting 22 points and six assists. Durant and Westbrook scored 16 points each in the first half, but the Thunder committed 11 turnovers before halftime. A quick 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper by Paul pushed the Clippers lead to 78-56 in the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Clippers reached 100 points with just over a minute left in the period and led 104-78 heading into the fourth quarter. The score that matters to the Thunder is 1-0. They were behind 2-1 and 3-2 against Memphis in the first round and rallied to win the series. "You know, weve been there before," Sefolosha said. "You know, its never easy, so at the same time its the first to four wins, and were down one. So its not the end of the world, weve just got to go back and see what we can do for the next game." NOTES: Sefolosha rejoined the starting lineup after sitting out the final two games against Memphis. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before Mondays game that he started Caron Butler in Games 6 and 7 against Memphis because the team needed another offensive weapon. ... Griffin attended the University of Oklahoma. He got a mixed reaction during pregame introductions. ... The Clippers made 7 of 10 3-point attempts in the first quarter. ... Ibaka was issued a technical foul in the third quarter after getting his legs tangled up with Griffin. ... Clippers C DeAndre Jordan made just 1 of 8 free throw attempts. ... Durant was issued a technical foul for arguing with an official with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. ... The Clippers committed just nine turnovers. ... Oklahoma City outrebounded the Clippers 47-31. Chuck Howley Cowboys Jersey . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. Leighton Vander Esch Youth Jersey .The Toronto Raptors guard, who will represent the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday, says he doesnt complain in the face of adversity "because I know this little girl is just happy for anything. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Demarcus-Ware-Inverted-Jersey/ . It was the first game back in Columbus for Rangers star Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, assists and games. He was given a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period, but was booed loud and long after a second-period, two-handed shove up high on Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.NEW YORK -- In the wake of the Biogenesis scandal that led to 14 suspensions last summer, Major League Baseball and its players union announced Friday they are toughening penalties and increasing the frequency of testing in the most substantial revisions to their drug agreement in eight years. Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. While there were two-to-four major league suspensions annually from 2008-11, the number increased to12 in 2012 and 14 players were penalized following last years investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. Among them were former NL MVP Ryan Braun, who agreed to a 65-game ban, and three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, who is suspended for the entire 2014 season. "Obviously, that showed that there was a need for harsher and stiffer penalties -- and this is a very clear and resounding answer for all of that," Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta and Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz returned from their 50-game suspensions in time to participate in last falls playoffs. Peralta became a free agent and was given a $53 million, four-year contract by St. Louis during the off-season. "In the past it hasnt been fair that guys, they get popped, they serve their suspension and they come back and play in the playoffs," said Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle, whose team lost to Peralta and the Tigers in the division series. "Then on top of that, guys parlay it into a bigger contract and getting a raise ... it was frustrating, mainly because he did so well against us." Accused of being slow to react to steroids in the 1990s, baseball started testing with penalties in 2004, established a 10-day suspension for an initial testing violation in 2005 and increased discipline to 50 games in 2006. In the last year or two, many players spoke out and said the deterrent wasnt sufficient. "There are 32 states that have the death penalty for murder, and murders happen in those states every single day. Its not going to stop people from committing the crime, even if you have a death penalty," Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler said. "Youve got to put things in place better to get them caught. Thats the thing. People do it when they think they can get away with it." New union head Tony Clark, a former All-Star himself, said his members wanted to make sure "a player is not coming back and affecting a change in the post-season as a result of the decision that particular player made earlier in the year." "Our hope here is that the adjustments that weve made do inevitably get that number to zero,"; Clark said. Darren Woodson Jersey. "In the event that that doesnt happen, for whatever reason, well reevaluate and move forward from there. But as I sit here, I am hopeful that players make the right decisions that are best for them, for their careers and for the integrity of the game." Players who serve a PED suspension also will not be eligible for automatic post-season players pool money shares but may be given cash awards at the discretion of their teammates. "There are a lot of guys who havent done it right," San Francisco pitcher Tim Hudson said, "and I think the one thing that puts a bad taste in peoples mouth that are playing are the guys who have messed around with the stuff but then somehow have still benefited contractually and gotten paid more money than they might have done if they had been clean. Those are the things that kind of stick some players." A player serving a season-long suspension will lose all his pay. Under the previous rules, Rodriguez gets 21-183rds of his $25 million salary this year, or $2,868,852. "Although we had the strongest program in professional sports before these changes, I am committed to constantly finding ways to improve the program in order to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs from the game," said baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who had called a year ago for harsher penalties. An arbitrator would be allowed to reduce a suspension for a first or second testing violation by up to 50 per cent if a player proves by "clear and convincing evidence" that a positive test was not caused by his "significant fault or negligence." However, penalties may not be cut for muscle-building substances such as testosterone, human growth hormone, Boldenone, Nandrolone and Stanozolol. In-season random urine tests will increase from 1,400 to 3,200 overall in addition to the minimum two for each player, and off-season tests will rise from 250 to 350. There will be 400 random blood collections used to detect human growth hormone in addition to the mandatory one for each player during spring training. "We want to have a level playing field," Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. Players with PED violations, other than those who penalties are reduced for mitigation, will receive six additional random urine tests and three more blood tests annually for the rest of their careers. Foreign players entering the major leagues and those not subject to the major- or minor-league testing program for at least a year will be required to take urine and blood tests before signing contracts. "There are certain considerations we need to make in an effort to put guys in a position where the guys who are doing it correctly arent being adversely affected any more than necessary," Clark said. AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley and AP freelance writer Mike Cranston contributed to this report ' ' '