Dein erstes Forum » to the opening ceremony at the Rio Game

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers are playing stingy defense and having fun doing it.Blake Griffin had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points and Los Angeles rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers 111-80 on Wednesday night to improve to an NBA-best 7-1 with its fourth straight victory.When you play defense the way we have been, its a lot of fun, Griffin said. We enjoy getting stops and look forward to getting stops. Guys are just flying around, and even if someone makes a mistake, theres another guy to cover up for them. When you are playing basketball like that, its a blast.It was the second time the Clippers beat the Trail Blazers this season.This one was never close.The Clippers stunned Portland from the opening tip, shooting 59 percent in the first quarter. They built a 32-point lead in the first half, when Griffin had 17 points.Los Angeles bench opened the second quarter on a 14-2 run to go up 50-18 before extending the lead to 61-32 at halftime.We got our (rear ends) whupped, Blazers guard Damian Lillard said. They had a lot of energy and they wanted it more than we did. They hurt us on the glass and we didnt take anything away from them.Lillard, the NBAs second-leading scorer at 32.8 points per game, was held to eight. CJ McCollum, who was averaging 22.9 points, also scored eight for the Blazers.They didnt have anyone in double figures until Shabazz Napier hit a 3-pointer with under 2 minutes left. He led the team with 11 points.DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and nine rebounds and J.J. Redick added 10 points for the Clippers, who sat their starters for good at 3:54 of the third quarter while owning a 44-point lead.It was the fourth straight game that the Clippers had at least an 18-point lead in the first half.We kept telling each other to not play the score and respect the game, Jordan said of keeping up the defensive pressure. We wanted to make shots they took tough.Before the starters left, they began the quarter with a 17-3 run that stretched the Clippers lead to 78-35. Each of the five starters scored in the spurt. Paul and Luc Mbah a Moute each had a 3-pointer, and Jordan slammed down a two-handed, fast-break dunk off Griffins alley-oop pass.It was one of three signature dunks by Jordan in a period that ended with consecutive 3-pointers by reserves Marreese Speights and Austin Rivers, leaving the Clippers ahead 93-50.Los Angeles held Portland to 35 percent shooting. The Blazers shot just 6 of 30 on 3-pointers as their three-game winning streak was snapped.The Clippers beat us at both ends, coach Terry Stotts said. They were good at the rim, good on the free throw line, good at passing, good on defense, good in transition.TIP-INSTrail Blazers: They failed to score at least 100 points for the first time in nine games. ... They were held to 16 points in the first, a season low for a quarter. ... Portland was playing the second half of a back-to-back, having won at Phoenix by three points on Tuesday.Clippers: With his fifth rebound in the first quarter, Griffin reached 4,000 in 417 career games, the second-fastest player since 1983-84 to reach 8,500 points, 4,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists. Chris Webber did so in 408 games. ... Jordan played his 600th career game, joining Randy Smith (715) and Eric Piatkowski (616) as the only players in franchise history to do so.ALL INEveryone on Portlands roster saw action except Al-Farouq Aminu and Festus Ezeli, who are injured. All but Ed Davis scored. The only Clipper not to play was Paul Pierce, and all 12 of their players scored.SECOND UNITThe Clippers second unit was led by Speights with 12 points. The fourth was the only quarter won by the Blazers, who outscored the Clippers reserves 30-18.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Host Sacramento on Friday, a team thats lost to the Blazers in six straight games and 10 of the last 12 matchups.Clippers: Visit Oklahoma City on Friday, the only team they have lost to so far. The Thunder won by two points in L.A. last week. Jari Kurri Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Kris Russell Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/adam-larsson-jersey/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Kris Russell Oilers Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil will look for inspiration from playing at the historic Maracana Stadium when it faces Honduras in the semifinals of the mens Olympic soccer tournament on Wednesday.The decisive game will mark the debut of many of Brazils youngsters at the famed venue, which is expected to be packed with nearly 70,000 fans hopeful of seeing Brazil stay on track for its first soccer gold medal.We know about the importance of Maracana in the history of Brazilian football, Brazil defender Marquinhos said. We grew up hearing stories about the stadium. For everything that has happened there, its a special place for us. To be playing a semifinal and a final at the Maracana is like a dream to everyone who is here.The Maracana is Brazils most famous football stadium, having hosted two World Cup finals -- 1950 and 2014 -- and being home to some of the nations most important moments in club competitions.Brazil coach Rogerio Micale, who will be making his coaching debut at the Maracana, took the time to walk onto the pitch of the empty venue after his pre-match press conference on Monday.Its a great pleasure to be in a stadium like the Maracana, which represents so much to Brazilian football, Micale said. It will be a privilege for me and for my team to play such an important match at a stage like this.The stadium was home to the opening ceremony at the Rio Games, and will also host the closing ceremony. The first Olympic soccer match at the Maracana will be the womens semifinal between Brazil and Sweden on Tuesday.I used to pass by the Maracana when I was just a fan and dreamed of one day playing there, said Brazil midfielder Renato Augusto, a Rio de Janeiro native.Brazil didnt play at the Maracana at the World Cup in 2014 but it won the Confederations Cup at the venue the year before, in a final against Spain. If it beats Honduras, it will be back at the stadium for Saturdays final.Led by Neymar and promising youngsters Gabriel Jeesus and Gabigol, Brazil is playing in its third-straight Olympic semifinal, and seventh overall.dddddddddddd It lost to Lionel Messis Argentina in 2008 in Beijing, and made it to the final in 2012 in London but lost the gold to Mexico. Brazil has three silver medals and two bronze. The gold is the only significant trophy the five-time World Cup champions havent won in soccer.Honduras reached the semifinals for the first time after eliminating two-time Olympic champion Argentina in the group stage and getting past South Korea in the quarterfinals.An Olympic semifinal to be played in a stadium with 80,000 people is a motivation for everyone. The world will be watching our game. Our players have to motivate with it and feel that they have to give their best in the field, Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto said. I am thinking a lot about Neymar and how I can control him. Im looking for that player to mark him.Neymar struggled when Brazil opened with consecutive scoreless draws against South Africa and Iraq, but he and the rest of the team are coming off convincing wins against Denmark and Colombia.In the other semifinal, which will be played in Sao Paulo later Wednesday, 1996 Olympic champion Nigeria will face Germany, which is playing in the Olympics for the first time since 1998, when U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann was on the team. Germany has the competitions best attack with 19 goals. It eliminated Portugal in the quarterfinals.Nigeria almost didnt make it to Brazil in time for its opening game because of a trip mix-up, but it finished first in its group before eliminating Denmark in the quarterfinals. In addition to the gold in Atlanta, Nigeria also won the silver in Beijing in 2008.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '