NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets are so good at home now that even the Houston Rockets cant beat them. The Nets clinched a playoff berth by beating the Rockets at home for the first time in 11 years, getting 32 points from Joe Johnson in a 105-96 victory on Tuesday night. Shaun Livingston added 17 points for the Nets, who extended their home winning streak to 14 games, longest in their NBA history and tops in the league this season. They finished 18-12 overall against the Western Conference. "Weve just been playing and trying to protect home court. They came in here and we try to send them on their way with a loss, and thats for everybody," Livingston said. "It just happens to be weve been playing good basketball against the West." The Nets ended a 14-game skid against Houston with their first victory in the series since March 13, 2006. The Nets hadnt defeated the Rockets at home since March 31, 2003, when they were still playing in East Rutherford, N.J. The Nets also pulled within 1 1/2 games of Toronto and Chicago for the No. 3 seed in the East and home-court advantage in the first round, quite a change for a team that was so bad during its 10-21 start that Johnson had trouble envisioning where it is right now. "Honestly, I couldnt even see it," he said. "I kept saying to myself eventually this is going to turn around, things are going to turn for us. Eventually it did starting the new year. We were a different team, our mindset was different and the way we played was different." James Harden scored 26 points for Houston, which lost its second straight following a five-game winning streak. Still without Dwight Howard because of a sore left ankle, the Rockets shot just 38 per cent from the field. "We just missed some shots, missed some opportunities," Harden said of the Rockets, also without starters Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones. "We let them get too comfortable early in the game. They got it going and it was tough." Harden was 16 of 16 from the free-throw line. Omer Asik had 12 points and a career-high 23 rebounds while starting for Howard, while Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons each added 16 points. The Nets held the NBAs second-highest scoring team 11 points below its average and improved to 30-12 overall since Jan. 1. They havent lost at Barclays Center in more than two months and make just a short trip Wednesday to visit the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. "We know these games, even if you say they dont mean more, they mean a lot more, I think, just because of the rivalry thats been formed," Nets guard Deron Williams said. Brooklyn had six players score in double figures in its third win in a row overall. It was once again without starting centre Kevin Garnett because of back spasms, as it was all March while going 12-4, as well as key reserves Andrei Kirilenko (sprained left ankle) and Marcus Thornton (back). The Nets shot 59 per cent in the first quarter, getting 11 points from Johnson in taking a 29-24 lead. Houston moved ahead for the first time midway through the second, but Brooklyn put together an 11-0 spurt late in the half and took a 54-51 edge into the break. The Nets opened their largest lead when Johnsons 3-pointer made it 78-67 with 4:03 left in the third, but the Rockets were back within one before Johnson nailed another 3 with 45 seconds remaining to send Brooklyn to the fourth with an 83-79 advantage. Brooklyn put it away midway through the fourth, re-opening an 11-point lead on a questionable goaltending call that gave a basket to rookie Jorge Gutierrez and earned Rockets coach Kevin McHale a technical foul for arguing. McHale was more frustrated with Houstons lack of ball movement. "I dont know how (long) you have to play with somebody to throw the ball to the open man," he said. "What, youve got to know him personally?" NOTES: McHale said Howard had received another shot in the ankle, saying there was mostly soft tissue inflammation that hopefully would calm down. The All-Star centre has missed five of the last seven games. ... Brooklyns Jason Kidd was the Eastern Conference coach of the month for March, joining Chicagos Tom Thibodeau as the only coaches to win two monthly awards in their rookie seasons. Kidd won for the first time for January. NGolo Kante Chelsea Jersey . The Cavaliers first-year forward will miss at least three weeks with a strained left knee, the latest setback for the No. Custom Chelsea Jerseys . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. http://www.chelseafcproshop.com/Kids-Eden-Hazard-Jersey/ . -- Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson couldnt hear himself amid the roar in Koch Arena, so he kept stomping on the floor in a fruitless attempt to get his teams attention. Willy Caballero Jersey . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. Marcin Bulka Jersey . The 22-year-old Kreider was injured Friday night in New Yorks win at Columbus, but played in the next two games -- including Monday nights win over Phoenix. But the left winger, who has 17 goals and 37 points this season, was limited to about 10 minutes of ice time in each of the previous games.PARIS – Milos Raonic is a much different player than the one who lost in the third round of the French Open one year ago. "Not only am I a better player purely all-around, but also on clay," said Raonic, who is seeded eighth, his highest ever ranking at a Grand Slam event. "Last year, coming in, there was a lot of doubts in my mind, struggling with a coaching change [an emotional split with Galo Blanco] and everything and I just wasnt playing my best tennis leading into it or at the event whereas now Im playing some of my best tennis, definitely my best tennis on clay and I feel like Im getting better each week on the clay." Just last week, Raonic came within a few points of knocking off Novak Djokovic at the Masters 1000 event in Rome, ultimately falling 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 3-6. After the match, the worlds second-ranked player said he could not remember the last time he felt so "helpless" in the return game. "Thats what I want every single one of my opponents to feel," Raonic said. "I know that when I can make them have a lot of doubts and a lot of insecurities on my service games, my return games get easier, because they feel the pressure that they need these games and its about imposing myself and I felt that in that match, I was able to impose myself." Raonic has won 80 pre cent of his first-serve points on clay this season to lead the ATP Tour. Thats up from the 76 per cent last season. "I think its the serve, but also the confidence I have behind the serve when the ball comes back," Raonic explained. "I think Im structuring points better. A lot of the time when people look at serve stats, they think that its just the serve and nothing happens after that, but its how you back it up and I think it creates more pressure on my opponents that when they do get my serve back, its not just about getting it back, they have to do something with it to at least neutralize [the point], because if I start the point ahead, I can finish it off." Raonic is a much more complete player than the one who burst onto the scene three years ago at the Australian Open advancing all the way to the fourth round. That remains the furthest he has progressed at a major (hes reached that stage four times, including twice at the US Open and once more at the Australian Open in 2013). It also matches the furthest any Canadian man has ever advanced in the singles competition at a Grand Slam event. But all signs point to that changing soon as the big server from Thornhill, Ont. seeks to break down yet another Canadian tennis barrier. He beat Andy Murray, seeded seventh at Roland Garros, earlier this season at Indian Wells. He pushed Rafael Nadal, the top seed in Paris, to threee sets at a hard-court event in Miami this season.dddddddddddd So as he enters the years second Grand Slam, his confidence level against the games elite is very healthy. "Its quite high actually," the 23-year-old said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I feel like every time Im getting better when I put myself in those situations. Its a big focus for me: do well in early rounds so you can face those top guys, because each time you do, youll get more experience." Raonic could get another shot at Djokovic if the draw holds to form and both make it to the quarterfinals, although the road there for the Canadian is littered with tricky propositions. Hell open the tournament on Sunday against Australian wildcard Nicholas Kyrgios. He is ranked 161st right now, but turned heads in Melbourne at the seasons first major by upsetting Benjamin Becker in the first round before falling to Benoit Paire, a top-30 player, in five sets in the second round. The 19-year-old Kyrgios is viewed as a player on the rise. "I followed him a lot, especially in the Australian Open," said Raonic. "He was having some exciting matches. He played really well. He likes to play aggressive. He likes to sort of use the ambiance around him and hes got a big personality in that sense. For me, it really comes down to taking care of what I need to take care of. Ive got to take care of my serve. Ive got to go out there, its the first match, with the attitude. The approach on the mental side is going to be very important and I must make sure I stay with patience. It doesnt matter if moments get difficult, because its still three out of five, just let my game flow and let my game follow." In the second round, Raonic could face 53rd-ranked Czech Lukas Rosol and in the third round, Gilles Simon could be waiting and its certain the Frenchman would have the home fans on his side. Then, should Raonic get to the round of 16, a showdown with ninth-seed Kei Nishikori looms. The Japanese star is 2-0 against Raonic and just beat him in Madrid (straight sets, but both went to a tiebreak). A Canadian man has never made the fourth round at Roland Garros so history seems to be within reach for Raonic, who made it clear he must do better than last years third-round finish if this tournament is to be considered a success for him. And should Raonic make more history at Roland Garros by making the quarterfinals, well, that would be an important milestone, but the rising star is hardly fixated on that benchmark. "It would mean a lot in that moment," he said, "but I dont think it would be very significant at the same time, because my ambitions dont lie in just making the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam." ' ' 'om/hakeem-butler-cardinals-jersey-zj/[/url] . "I was so nervous," Hadley said Sunday after winning the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour victory. "I did not eat well last night. Adrian Wilson Jersey . After seven wins in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the playoffs. Kurt Warner Cardinals Jersey . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1.We dont care who wins this years World Cup. We have our personal MVP and he is the coach of Mexico ' ' '
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