Masters.8. No excusesOne of the benefits to the Olympic g

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. Fake Pirates Jerseys . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. 1. Ryder Cup talkThere was a time when a U.S. Ryder Cup team was decided only on points, with no captains picks. As recently as two years ago, the core of the team was determined following the PGA Championship, with the picks coming a few weeks later.Now, with the help of a task force, the United States has pushed back the eight who automatically qualify to following this weeks Barclays -- or two weeks after the PGA Championship is played. And then captain Davis Love III has another two weeks to pick three players after the BMW Championship. Two weeks after that, following the Tour Championship, he will make the last selection.What does it all mean?Not much.Certainly pushing back the selection of the team and the captains picks closer to the actual playing of the Ryder Cup is a good idea. It was always silly to have the entire team decided six weeks prior to the competition, when form has much time to change.Love can only hope that some of the players on the bubble such as Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar at least show some spark during the first three playoff events to make the selections an easy call.Kuchar won the bronze medal at the Olympic golf tournament and played some solid golf to even make the field, but he hasnt won this year. Watson and Fowler have done little in the past six months.Neither has Zach Johnson, who is in good shape to make the team on his own, based mostly on last year, including winning The Open.And then there is Jim Furyk, who has played well recently, but has the most losses in U.S. Ryder Cup history.Furyk is really the only player outside of the top 8 automatics who has distinguished himself of late, shooting 58 at the Travelers Championship and posting some high finishes.2. Why does last year count?When the U.S. Ryder Cup Task Force was formed following the 2014 disaster at Gleneagles, it came up with Love as the captain and instituted change in the points structure. It eliminated points for the fall PGA Tour events that start the new season -- a move that caught PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem by surprise -- but still gave them for the major championships.Zach Johnson is basically on the team because of his Open win at St. Andrews more than a year ago. Justin Thomas is not because his win at the CIMB Classic didnt count.The PGA of America prefers points be given out to keep the Ryder Cup out front as much as possible. But wouldnt it make more sense to start the process six months out? Or even at the beginning of the year? If the idea is to get players who are most in form, counting anything from the previous year makes little sense.3. The case for FurykFuryk, 46, the newly-crowned Mr. 58, will be a polarizing decision. Hes already a vice captain, so hes part of the team regardless. That makes the decision even tougher for Love, who knows Furyk will be there anyway. He has played in nine Ryder Cups and hes in good form, so those are positives. But he is 10-20-4 and has lost the most matches in U.S. Ryder Cup history, including his past three in singles.One of those losses was the blown 1-up lead with two holes to go against Sergio Garcia in 2012 -- lossing to two pars for a point that was crucial.dddddddddddd Some of Furyks poor record can be attributed to multiple partners during the years. And hes had a nearly reverse record in the Presidents Cup. You can argue for or against him and not be wrong.4. And the European team is set ... save for the picksWith one week to go, the European Ryder Cup team is set: Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Chris Wood, Sergio Garcia, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Justin Rose, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick. With five rookies, it is understood that captain Darren Clarke is leaning toward veterans in his three remaining picks, which will be made Tuesday. Conventional wisdom has him taking Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.But then things get interesting. Does he take Scotlands Russell Knox, who would have made the team on points had he been a member of the European Tour when he won last year in China? What about long-hitting Thomas Pieters, who nearly defended his title last week at the Czech Open? Clarkes decisions wont be easy.5. Padraigs Olympic sojournNot only did Padraig Harrington play for Ireland in the mens Olympic tournament, he stuck around with his family for the second week, never touched his clubs and seemingly enjoyed the experience immensely.6. A year without TigerTuesday marked the one-year anniversary of Tiger Woods last competitive round. He shot 70 at the Wyndham Championship to tie for 10th after contending for most of the event. At the time, it was seen as a positive step after what had been his worst year as a pro.Of course, it turned out to be nothing to build on. A few weeks later he had the first of two back surgeries. His agent, Mark Steinberg, said he continues to make progress but there is no timetable for a return. In retrospect, this story from a year ago had a lot more meaning.7. Making his first Ryder Cup teamFitzpatrick did it Sunday with a top-5 finish at the Czech Masters.8. No excusesOne of the benefits to the Olympic golf tournament standing between the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs is it offered a three-week break to those who did not go to Rio. The likes of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory Mcilroy and Jordan Spieth have had far more time off at this point in the season than has ever been the case in the FedEx Cup era.It should cut down a good bit of the malaise that typically affects the playoffs, as the long season takes its toll. Not even a huge pot of money can shake some guys out of a funk if their golf game is off. A three-week run of playoff events begins Thursday at the Barclays before another week off prior to the Tour Championship. It will be interesting to see the level of play.9. The ageless Gary PlayerAt age 80, Gary Player was everywhere in Rio. Watching other sports. Serving as team leader for both the men and women golfers from South Africa. Even hitting balls on the range one day to keep his game in shape. Its hard to think of anyone who served as a more positive influence on golf in the Olympics. ' ' '