The Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers are 53-53 at halftime of Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff matchup. LaMarcus Aldridge (23 points) and Dwight Howard (25 points) are engaged in a battle of all-star big men.

Dwight Howard was spectacular early in Game 2 but the Rockets still lost and wasted his strong effort.

The focus of Rockets’ opponents since the beginning of the season has been on their duo of superstars, James Harden and Dwight Howard. But as he did in last year’s playoffs and throughout this season, forward Chandler Parsons is forcing Portland to pick its poison. In Game 1 of the first round playoff series against […]

Dwight Howard brought the first-quarter thunder for the Houston Rockets but Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge brought the rain all night long as the Trail Blazers defeated the Rockets and walked out of Houston with a 2-0 series lead. Ladies and Gentlemen, Blazersedge,com would like to open the recap of...

Rockets center Dwight Howard after Houston's 112-105 loss to the Trail Blazers in Game 2, as Portland grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

Here's how the Yankees reacted following pitcher Michael Pineda's ejection for using an illegal substance (pine tar).

Also (probably) had it on his hand on April 10 vs. Red Sox

Pineda was ejected in the second inning for having a foreign substance on his neck

Second time spotted with substance on his neck

Heat forward LeBron James took a forearm to the throat from Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts during the final minute of Miami’s 101-97 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday. McRoberts escaped with a common foul on the play, but it’s possible that the league office will deem it to be a flagrant foul upon a review.

LeBron James was outstanding again during Game 2's 101-97 win over the Bobcats on Wednesday, shooting 11-of-17 from the field for 32 points with six boards, eight assists, four steals and one 3-pointer.

Josh McRoberts denied any malicious intent on a hard foul against LeBron James during Wednesday's Game 2 loss.

Dwyane Wade, who took fewer three-pointers than he ever has this season, has been lofting more in recent games (at least before Game 2) and said he wants that “weapon in the playoffs, even more than the regular season.”

In a back-and-forth game, Charlotte managed to make it close in the fourth quarter, but to no avail as Miami takes a two game lead in the series. Things are looking fine in Miami, as the Heat managed to hold back a surging Bobcats squad in the fourth quarter. Despite leading by a ten-point cushion...

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DETROIT — Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will be a game-time decision for Game 4 of the first round against the Bruins Thursday night. Zetterberg, who had back surgery in February, skated on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Justin Abdelkader and took turns with the power play in Detroit’s morning skate Thursday. Todd Bertuzzi [...]

DETROIT >> After 24 hours of speculating, Henrik Zetterberg appears to be in the lineup for Game 4 against the Boston Bruins Zetterberg began the morning skate on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Justin Abdelkader. Todd Bertuzzi also appears …

Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg will be in the lineup tonight when Detroit plays Game 4 of its Eastern Conference playoff series against the Boston Bruins at Joe Louis Arena.

And there was no one surprised. Mike Conley Winner of the 2013-14 Joe Dumars Award for sportsmanship At least no Grizzlies' fans were surprised. We've long known that Mike is one of the nicest, most down-to-earth fellas around the NBA. I don't think I've ever heard a single ill word spoken about Conley other than the fact that he beats everyone in every competitive challenge he's presented. You never see Mike talking ish on the court, and I can count on one hand the number of times he's displayed animated emotion on the basketball court. Number 11 just takes care of business and gives a...

Musing on Tony Allen's 'hands-on' defense, Mike Conley's fashion statements, and the possibility of an a-ha moment by Tayshaun Prince.

Mike Conley has won the NBA's Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship.

The point guard started cold in Game 2 but went off for 12 points in the third quarter to help ignite the Dallas blowout.

Jose Calderon scored all 12 of his points in the third quarter of Wednesday's Game 2 win over San Antonio.

Just when it looked like Washington would be swept by the Angels, Jayson Werth's timely RBIs and a walk-off from Adam LaRoche helped the Nats escape with a win.

Adam LaRoche’s game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Wednesday’s 5-4 walkoff capped not only another comeback victory but provided another encouraging sign that the Nationals’ cleanup hitter is locked in at the plate and rebounding from last season. LaRoche finished the night...

"Well, it didn't last long, it was one pitch. Not a whole lot to go through. He left a fastball up over the plate. In that situation, just trying to hit something hard. I know he has a good changeup,...

With the Patriots picking up the fifth-year option on left tackle Nate Solder's contract, which was expected, let's take a look at the team's offensive line through the lens of when each top player's contract expires: Left tackle Solder (2015) Left guard Logan Mankins (2016) Josh Kline (2015) Center Ryan Wendell (2015) Right guard Dan Connolly (2014) Chris Barker (2015) Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (2016) Marcus Cannon (2014) Others on the roster who could emerge from a developmental perspective include center Braxston Cave (2015), tackle Jordan Devey (2015), tackle/guard R.

The Patriots picked up the fifth-year option on left tackle Nate Solder's contract, a source confirmed.The move was pretty much expected for Tom Brady's towering blindside protector, who was a first round pick in 2011. In accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, which came to pass that same...

Daily News and Links for 4/24/14 TEAM TALK Patriots 2014 Schedule Announced - Patriots to appear on five nationally-televised games, including a Thursday night game vs. the New York Jets. Erik Scalavino analyzes New England's full slate of games this fall: At first glance, this looks like as...

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron has been named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the NHL‘s best defensive forward. The other two finalists are Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks and Anze Kopitar of the Kings. Bergeron won the award in 2012 and finished second behind Toews last season. His case for winning a second Selke [...]

Jonathan Toews took a step forward Thursday in his bid to repeat as winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy when the Blackhawks captain was named one of three finalists for the award given to the forward who, as described by the NHL, "best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."

The National Hockey League announced on Thursday that Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews are finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” Voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association,...

Bobby Abreu will start in left field and hit sixth during Thursday’s day-game against the Cardinals (Mets on Twitter, Apr. 24). His last major league start was July 25, 2012, for the Dodgers. Curtis Granderson will get the day off, despite ending a career-long hitless streak with a single in the first inning Wednesday night. Granderson is […]

 

Thanks to another incredible individual performance from LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers return to Portland with a 2-0 lead over the Rockets in the best-of-seven series.

The Trail Blazers and Rockets are headed to Portland, and the Blazers halfway to a playoff series victory.Here are highlights of our coverage of this first-round playoff series, which the Blazers lead 2-0 after a second consecutive dominant performance from Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Detroit Tigers continued to hit, Victor Martinez reached a milestone and Miguel Cabrera is hitting. But the bullpen pulled out the stitching and unraveled what should have been another win. DETROIT--In the third game of a four game series, the Detroit Tigers bats came alive once again but the Chicago White Sox decided to take some batting practice of their own at the expense of a Tigers bullpen who found the strike zone in all the wrong places. "I threw a 3-1 fastball up and away, which is pretty much what every hitter wants on 3-1. That's my fault." -Ian Krol Drew Smyly made his...

Victor Martinez's 2014 season has been red hot and shows no signs of letting up. Wednesday night's game was the latest example. DETROIT--The Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez is one of the toughest hitters to strike out in the league this season. In 65 at-bats, Martinez has put up a...

The Bobcats fell behind early but mounted comeback after comeback to make it tough for the Miami Heat. The defending champs held on in crunch time with the Big 3 making clutch plays. Things are looking fine in Miami, as the Heat managed to hold back a surging Bobcats squad in the fourth quarter to gut out the 101-97 victory. Despite leading by a ten-point cushion throughout the game, Charlotte was able to mount one more comeback in the latter half of the game pushing within three points. Nevertheless, it was Miami's veteran nature that won out as Dwyane Wade's calm and collected nature...

MIAMI -- Under normal playoff circumstances, you’d want to say the two-time defending NBA champions shouldn’t need a game-saving defensive play from Dwyane Wade to beat a Charlotte Bobcats team with a hobbled star. You’d want to say the Miami Heat, despite...

Ok, just place yourself in Rajon Rondo’s shoes for a sec. Just imagine how he might be feeling at the moment. After spending seven seasons in a legendary franchise like the Boston Celtics, playing alongside future Hall of Famers like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and also after winning one championship ring, he now has to live through the tough rebuilding process of his team. Disappointing isn’t it? For sure. So what can he or the team do?Over the course of the past couple of years we’ve heard tons of rumors about a potential Rajon Rondo trade. Some of them might had some...

Seems like no one is safe on the Boston Celtics. The Boston Herald's Mark Murphy writes that there's not a single player on the 25-57 Celtics that's untouchable, from point guard Rajon Rondo to former Thunder foward Jeff Green. Murphy on Green: He was a volume scorer and shooter on a bad team, with...

Trevor Booker pumped his fist and leaned over the baseline after Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich missed the first of two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining in Game 2 of the Wizards’ first-round playoff series. Realizing that Hinrich was set to intentionally miss the second attempt, Booker raised his elbows to his chest and […]

Richardson says he was humbled by his poor performance last year, vows to excel in 2014. Trent Richardon sucked as a running back last year. That's not speculation. That's fact. 3.0 yards-per-carry for a guy who was once drafted No. 3 overall in 2012 by the Cleveland Browns simply will not cut it. All sorts of excuses have been made to explain the former Alabama phenom's poor performance: Injuries, a lack of knowledge of the offense, poor offensive line play, bad coaching, indigestion, sleeping habits, demonic possession, mind control, and whatever else anyone can think up. All are silly...

Harvey armed with data showing risks of returning within a year from Tommy John surgery but still hopes to come back in 2014

With an extra $5 million in every team's pocket, it's time to examine just who has money to spend. With the recent announcement that the salary cap was rising by nearly $5 million next season, Detroit Bad Boys examined just what that meant for the Detroit Pistons and the possible price tag of restricted free agent Greg Monroe. The verdict was the Pistons will end up with about $9 million to spend if they retain or sign-and-trade Monroe and about $20 million if they simply let him walk away or take back only a trade exception. But the Piston won't be the only team with money to spend, of...