Vermisste Nasen » It shows theyre championship capable. Us

NEW YORK -- Joakim Noahs illness made it an unsettling morning for the Knicks backup centers. Carmelo Anthony made sure it was a smooth afternoon.Anthony matched his season high with 31 points and New York beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-94 on Sunday for its fourth straight home victory.Anthony has never been a morning person, but he wanted to come out aggressively Sunday after the Knicks followed a loss Thursday in Washington with a lengthy meeting Saturday featuring players, coaches and even team president Phil Jackson.Some nights like today calls for me to get it going early, Anthony said. My mindset was just to come out and get it going early.Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who led most of the way against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.Dwight Howard had 18 points and 18 rebounds, but point guard Dennis Schroder missed all eight shots as the Hawks dropped their second straight following a six-game winning streak.I feel like we didnt play well enough on the road. You have to bring a better game but give the New York Knicks credit, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. Carmelo played a heck of a game, hit a lot of tough shots.The Knicks didnt have Noah to defend Howard after doctors sent him home because of an illness. Kyle OQuinn was told during pregame he would start, and rookie Marshall Plumlee had to rush into the city by train and then taxi after he received a morning phone call and was told he would be called up from Westchester of the NBA Development League to make his NBA debut.Opportunity knocked and we were all ready as a team defensively, OQuinn said.Howard bounced back nicely after he was ejected for a flagrant foul Friday in the Hawks 100-96 loss in Charlotte, while Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 19 points and Kyle Korver scored 17.Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee both scored 14 points and OQuinn had eight points and eight rebounds.The Knicks led by two with 7 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter before Anthonys jumper started them on a 12-0 burst. Willy Hernangomezs three-point play extended New Yorks lead to 65-51.Atlanta never made a serious dent in the lead, as the Knicks repeatedly hit 3-pointers every time it seemed the Hawks were building momentum.Anthony banked in a long jumper from the right side to end the first quarter, giving the Knicks a 24-20 lead that they expanded to 46-41 at halftime.TIP-INSHawks: Howard had his 10th double-double of the season by halftime. ... Thabo Sefolosha was active after missing the last two games with a sprained left knee but didnt play.Knicks: Plumlee was scoreless in 5 1/2 minutes after getting out of his cab in traffic and sprinting to the arena. When I got here they said, `Hey, do you need a warm up? he said. I said, `No, Im already warm. I ran here. ... The Knicks beat the Hawks for the third straight time.SCHRODERS STRUGGLESSchroder finished with one point and three assists, sitting out the entire fourth quarter.Personally didnt feel good, he said. I didnt hit my shots. I didnt play like I did before but I got to do a better job of being ready to prepare myself.HOWARDS HACKHoward was tossed Friday when he elbowed Cody Zeller midway through the fourth quarter. Budenholzer said he talked to Howard about the play but wants him to keep providing toughness. Hopefully he can find ways to be physical, let the other team feel him but still do it within kind of the confines of whats appropriate, Budenholzer said. I think to be ejected was probably the right thing and he knows it, but he also knows he wants to continue to play physical and be a presence on the boards.UP NEXTHawks: Host New Orleans on Tuesday. Atlanta is 6-1 at home.Knicks: Host Portland on Tuesday, trying to snap a four-game home losing streak to the Trail Blazers. Lou Brock Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Chris Beck Cardinals Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-carlos-martinez-jersey/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Bob Gibson Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Vince Coleman Cardinals Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- As everyone talks about Jimmie Johnsons incredible record at the next three racetracks and Kevin Harvicks dominance at Phoenix, Kyle Busch is simply going about his business at Martinsville Speedway.Youd think the defending Sprint Cup champion, a driver who has achieved significantly better results in the Chase this year than he did in his championship season, would have the focus on him entering the Chase semifinal round of Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix.And thats before one remembers this small fact: Busch won at Martinsville earlier this year. Texas, too.In short: The buzz isnt around Busch, but it would be silly to discount his chances in this 2016 championship hunt, almost as silly as NASCARs seeding system -- best finish in any race of the previous round -- that has Busch ranked eighth among the eight remaining Chase drivers.If theres a lock entering this round in the Chase, maybe it should start with the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 car, that he will win one of the next three races or will finish high enough in points to earn one of the four bids to compete for the championship at Homestead.Bad fortune [could get us], Busch said when asked about what would keep him out of contention at Homestead. Thats about it. As far as where we feel like of were capable of running, I dont see any reason to why we should not advance.Busch said that more matter-of-fact than with any cockiness. The facts back him up: He finished a combined 49 spots better in the Chase in the first five races this year than he did a year ago. For the record, he said it doesnt seem as if he is running any better, that he had some bad fortune in some races in 2015. But just as he did in 2015, hes doing enough each week to advance to the next round.These guys do a really good job -- [crew chief] Adam [Stevens] does a great job leading them -- in not letting us get too worked up in certain situations and just performing the way that we need to, Busch said. Weve got our ideas of what our goals should be set, and we just try to go out there and achieve them.The goal is to repeat as the Cup champion. Buschs weekend goal is to win races, which he has accomplished only once since the MMay race at Kansas.ddddddddddddaybe the fact he has won just once in the last 22 races (albeit a big win at Indianapolis) has quieted talk of Busch winning back-to-back titles and keeping the spotlight on the drivers who either win more or win to avoid elimination. The three-race, elimination-style format that resets points to make remaining drivers even at the start of the final three rounds also tends to silence talk about Busch going back-to-back. Despite being tied for the most wins this year with four, he has the same number of points as the seven other Chase drivers entering Martinsville.[The format] takes the vibe away a little bit, said Busch about how his going for a second consecutive title has run under the radar. I would say that were not as flashy as some other teams out there are able to be.I look at [Kevin] Harvick for instance. When their backs are against the wall, boom, they get it done. I give them all the credit in the world. It shows theyre championship capable. Us? We havent shown that type of capability. We havent needed to go out there and win a race like that, but we havent shown that, either, in just normal races.So can he get flashy, if needed?I dont know, Busch said. We havent had to be.Busch was certainly flashy enough early in the season. In addition to his wins at Martinsville and Texas in the spring, he finished fourth at Phoenix. Last year, he advanced to Homestead with finishes of fifth, fourth and fourth at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix.We just need to get through this round the same we did last time, Busch said. It would be nice to win one.And it would certainly be sweet to repeat. Part of it comes from the desire to do things that people say drivers cant.It would [mean something] because a lot of people have said this format is so unpredictable that there is no way that a back-to-back could happen anymore, Busch said. Of course it can.You have to have the right circumstances. And you have to win Homestead two years in a row. Well see how it comes together and where we stand the Sunday after Phoenix. ' ' '