PHOENIX -- Goran Dragic scored 40 points, his second career high in three games, and the Phoenix Suns pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 116-104 Friday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.
[b]Carolina Hurricanes Pro Shop[/b] . Dragic was a game-time decision because of a sore right ankle that had kept him out of Wednesdays loss at Utah, but played all but the last 10 seconds of the second half in the first 40-point game for a Phoenix player since Amare Stoudemires 44 on March 19, 2010. Anthony Davis, also a game-time decision because of a sprained left shoulder, matched his career high with 32 points for the Pelicans, who lost their sixth in a row. Markieff Morris added 18 points and twin brother Marcus 15 for Phoenix. Eric Gordon scored 21 for New Orleans. Dragic, who had expressed some doubt after the morning shootaround that he would be able to play, had a career-best 36 in the Suns loss to Houston on Sunday. He hurt his ankle in the home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. He had 15 points in the first quarter and 13 in the fourth, surpassing 30 points in a game for the eighth time this season. Phoenix took control with a 17-1 fourth-quarter run. Dragic banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then sank an 18-footer to cap the outburst and put the Suns ahead 105-92 with 4:33 left. Phoenix looked to be in trouble late in the third quarter. The Pelicans used a 15-1 run to go up 77-67 on Austin Rivers two free throws with 2:59 left in the period. But Phoenix outscored the Pelicans 14-4 the rest of the quarter. Marcus Morris scored the first seven in the run, Dragic sank a 3, then made a driving layup to tie it at 81-81 entering the fourth quarter. New Orleans took a four-point lead early in the fourth and was up 91-88 on Brian Roberts driving layup with 9:47 remaining. Phoenix, though, scored the next six. Dragic scored on a drive, then Markieff Morris made consecutive layups and the Suns led 94-91 with 8:13 left. Neither team led by more than seven points in a first half bereft of defence, with the Suns up 56-54 at the break. New Orleans shot 58 per cent in the half (22 of 38), Phoenix 56 per cent (20 of 36). In the second quarter, nobody led by more than four. Al-Farouq Aminus two free throws put the Pelicans up 50-47 with 2:14 left in the half, then the Suns scored seven straight, P.J. Tuckers 3-pointer giving Phoenix a 54-50 lead 52.9 seconds before the break. Gordons layup at the buzzer was ruled no good and the call was upheld on review, preserving Phoenixs two-point edge. NOTES: New Orleans Tyreke Evans was a late arrival after getting stuck in the hotel elevator. He arrived about an hour before the opening tip. ... The Suns Leandro Barbosa missed his fourth straight game with a sprained toe. ... Phoenix avoided matching its longest losing streak of the season at four games. ... Suns G Eric Bledsoe, coming back from knee surgery, participated in 3-on-3 drills and could resume full practice next week. ... The Pelicans longest losing streak of the season is seven games.
[b]Carolina Hurricanes Shirts[/b] . The flanker began his comeback from a right shoulder injury by coming off the bench on Saturday when Wales opened with a victory over Italy. Warburton replaces Justin Tipuric, one of three changes announced on Tuesday by coach Warren Gatland.
[b]Hurricanes Jerseys China[/b] . Granlund scored 2:04 into the first period. Max Reinhart, on his first NHL shift of the season, neatly stripped the puck from Zack Smith at the Senators blue-line. As he moved in, his attempted shot deflected into the slot where Granlund buried a shot past Craig Anderson.LOS ANGELES -- Dan Craig and his crew have been at Dodger Stadium from dusk to dawn every night for the past week, patiently building a sheet of NHL-quality ice in the middle of the iconic baseball field. Theyre just about ready to drop the puck in sunny Southern California. The ice is solid, the fans have bought nearly every ticket, and the two local teams are eager for their historic showdown under the lights and stars. Only a few tweaks remain before the Los Angeles Kings face the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday in the NHLs first official outdoor game in a warm-weather climate. "Its hard not to get excited about it now that its almost here," Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "It seems like everybody is talking about it." While the NHL raised plenty of eyebrows with the announcement of outdoor hockey in one of the nations hottest places, Craig has always been confident that this unorthodox game wouldnt turn into a swim meet. The NHLs ice specialist is working a vicious schedule this winter with preparations for six outdoor games, but hes most excited about the chance to do the improbable in Chavez Ravine. "This is the challenge that everybody who works with me wanted to try," Craig said. "The crew thats in New York (for two upcoming games at Yankee Stadium) doesnt want to be in New York. They want to be here." Even with daytime temperatures in the 80s and abnormal humidity in Los Angeles over the past week, Craig is quietly confident about the ice sheet created by his meticulous crew and the huge refrigeration unit in the 53-foot truck beyond centre field. They work at night, building and grooming more than 10,000 gallons of water into a 1 3/4-inch sheet that stays cool under a heat-reflecting blanket during the day. The ice is out of the suns reach by roughly 4 p.m. each day, and thats when Craigs crew goes to work. "We are very patient with what we do,," Craig said.
[b]Fake Hurricanes Jerseys[/b]. "Our guys arent getting a whole lot of sleep. I know I wont be getting a whole lot of sleep." Craig said he could have made NHL-quality ice just about anywhere in North America for several years now, but the league didnt expand its outdoor exploits to a warm-weather city until expanding its series of stadium games this winter. Glycol coolant is constantly circulated from the truck and below the rink, keeping the ice temperature around 22 degrees. The outdoor temperature is likely to be in the high 50s at game time on Saturday night, which would be plenty cold enough for Craigs purposes. "Its a hard concept for anybody thats not in the field to understand," Craig said. "Ive got two very efficient systems that were marrying together." Craig and Kings executive Luc Robitaille skated on the ice Wednesday, with Robitaille pronouncing it ready to go. The Kings and Ducks will hold separate practices at Dodger Stadium on Friday to get used to the rinks peculiarities. The boards, benches and glass were trucked into Dodger Stadium from the Winter Classic at Ann Arbors Michigan Stadium, although they wont need the heaters. The NHL is also embracing the unusual setting with a variety of amusements in the Dodger Stadium bowl -- everything from a beach volleyball court and a pond to two performance stages. The game will be the NHLs first outdoor venture west of Alberta, but its not the first attempt at Southwest outdoor hockey. Robitaille and the Kings played an exhibition against the New York Rangers in Las Vegas in 1991, and everything went fairly well -- except for the swarm of grasshoppers that jumped onto the ice. "These guys know what theyre doing, and the ice is going to be great," Robitaille said. "This is an incredible opportunity for these two teams to bring hockey to a new level in Southern California." ' ' '
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