said Chick. “They were fortunate to pick up Breanne, and

HOUSTON - James Harden wasnt concerned about overstating the importance of Houstons come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. "We needed this win more than anything," he said. Harden had 33 points and 13 assists and the Rockets rallied for a 111-104 win over the Pelicans to maintain their spot in the Western Conference standings with the post-season just days away. The Rockets had lost two in a row and needed the win to stay ahead of Portland in fourth place in the West. The Rockets got a boost from the return of Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, who had both missed the last eight games with injuries. Beverley scored 20 points and Howard had 13. "Pat was knocking down shots and Dwight was an easy rim target, so it made things easier for me," Harden said. The Pelicans led by eight points with less than three minutes remaining when Houston used a 9-0 run, powered by two 3-pointers from Beverley to take a 105-104 lead with 1:04 left. Beverleys second 3 in that span clanged off the rim and into the air before falling back into the basket and bringing the crowd to its feet. Howard blocked a shot by Jeff Withey to give Houston the ball back after Beverleys first 3 in that run. Harden made a layup to give the Rockets their first lead since the second quarter after Beverleys 3s. Jeremy Lin extended the run to 11 straight points with his layup seconds later and stole the ball on the Pelicans next possession to secure the win. "We kind of had to pull a rabbit out of our hat tonight," coach Kevin McHale said. Luke Babbitt, who was signed by the Pelicans in February after playing 18 games in Russia this season, had a career-high 24 points as New Orleans dropped its eighth straight. Austin Rivers had a season-high 20 points with 10 rebounds and six assists, and Anthony Morrow also had 20 points. "We made a couple of mental mistakes, a couple of key turnovers and ... we had a couple of mishaps, and you combine those three things and its going to be tough to win," Rivers said. "This was a really frustrating loss." McHale hoped he wouldnt have to overexert Howard and Beverley in their first game back, but the game didnt work out that way. Howard played more than 29 minutes and Beverley more than 33. "They both said they were feeling fine and wanted to win the game and we needed that win," McHale said. New Orleans was clinging to a 3-point lead when Babbitt scored five quick points to extend the lead to 100-92 with about four minutes left. Harden was fouled as he made an off-balance layup with one hand and then made the free throw to get the Rockets within 91-87 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining. Houston trailed by 10 when Harden and Beverley hit 3-pointers sandwiched around a basket by Rivers to cut the lead to 90-84 with about eight minutes left. Beverley held up three fingers on each hand and beat his chest after he swished his 3-pointer. The Pelicans led 82-72 entering the fourth quarter. New Orleans was up by 15 points early in the third quarter when Houston used a 12-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Harden as the shot clock expired, to get within 65-58. A 3 by Lin, followed by a pair of free throws from Jones later in the quarter cut the Pelicans lead to 73-68. But New Orleans used a 7-2 run with the help of a 3-pointer by James Southerland to extend the lead to 80-70 with a minute left in the third quarter. Houston led by two with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter before New Orleans used a 8-2 run to take a 35-31 lead. The Rockets had regained a one-point lead soon after that when the Pelicans used a 19-6 spurt to go on top 56-44 about 2 1/2 minutes before halftime. Babbitt made three 3-pointers in that stretch and Rivers added a fourth 3. NOTES: Hall of Famer and former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon watched from a courtside seat. ... Houston extended its single-season record for sellouts to 37 with a sold-out crowd of 18,372 on Saturday night. ... Howard had been out because of a left ankle strain and Beverley missed time because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. ... Houstons Chandler Parsons (wrist and hip) and Francisco Garcia (back) sat out with injuries. They are both listed as day to day. ... Houstons Troy Daniels had a long Saturday. He played 44 minutes and scored 30 points in a D-League playoff game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before flying from Des Moines to Houston and collecting three points and a rebound in almost 13 minutes for the Rockets. Air Jordan Retro 5 Cheap . His Brazilian opponents said he produced miracles. There is no doubt that Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the one responsible for spoiling Brazils hopes of another World Cup victory at its home tournament. 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Calgary finished atop the CFL standings with a 14-4 record and earned the right to host the West Division final at McMahon Stadium on Nov.Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - The historic Battle of Bedlam is on tap for Saturday afternoon at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, as the 18th- ranked Oklahoma Sooners play host to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Conference regular-season finale. At just 5-6 overall (3-5 Big 12), Oklahoma State is in danger of missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2005. After an excellent 5-1 start to the season, the Cowboys have dropped five straight games, most recently falling at nationally-ranked Baylor on Nov. 22, 49-28. Despite his teams struggles, coach Mike Gundy remains optimistic about his teams progress. Weve had a number of young players who have continued to improve, Gundy said. Unfortunately, we probably played out best game weve played in six weeks last night against what could have very well been the best team on our schedule this year. Oklahoma had sky-high expectations coming into the season as the No. 4 team in the country, but it has fallen well short of its lofty goals by dropping out of the Big 12 race with three losses this season to all three teams ahead of it in the standings - TCU (37-33), Kansas State (31-30) and Baylor (48-14). Since their most recent setback the Sooners have righted the ship with two straight wins to get reintroduced to the polls, most recently downing Kansas at home on Nov. 22, 44-7. (Oklahoma State is) one of the teams that are better than the record indicates, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. They always do a good job with balance, run and pass. Gundys teams are always that way. Its been a one-sided all-time series, with Oklahoma holding to a 83-18-7 advantage, including a 39-9-2 showing in Norman. Oklahoma State doesnt fit in very well in the high-scoring Big 12, as it ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of both scoring (26.5 ppg) and yardage (369.7 ypg). Daxx Garman (.549 completions, 2,041 yards, 12 TDs, 12 INTs) missed the Baylor game with a concussion and is questionable to return on Saturday. In Garmans absence the last time out, Mason Rudolph had an uneven performance, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns but on just 13-of-25 passing with a pair of interceptions. The Cowboys have run more rushing plays this season (431) than passing (339), but they have only picked up 3.5 yards per carry for 137.5 ypg. Desmond Roland (579 yards, eight TDs) and Tyreek Hill (496 yards, TD) earn the most work.dddddddddddd David Glidden (39 receptions, 549 yards, two TDs) and Brandon Sheperd (27 yards, 483 yards, two TDs) anchor a modest receiving corps. The Cowboys defense has not done a good job picking up the slack for an underachieving offense, as they allow 31.7 ppg and 438.5 ypg. Emmanuel Ogbah is one of the best pass rushers in the league with 16.5 TFL and 11.0 sacks, while Josh Furman (12.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks) has found some success opposite him. Jordan Sterns and Ryan Simmons are tied for the team lead in tackles with 85. Ramon Richards has picked off three passes. The Sooners possess a potent offense, as they rack up 39.3 ppg and 485.6 ypg, and the unit is riding high after a record-setting performance by its freshman tailback the last time out. Just a week after Wisconsins Melvin Gordon set a single-game FBS rushing record, Semaje Perine topped it with a historic performance of his own against Kansas by running for 427 yards and five touchdowns. The guy is just so exceptional in everything that he does, Stoops said. We were thinking about resting him, and then someone said he only needs 35 more yards, and you know, thats just too close not to do it, and there was too much time left in the game. Perines emergence late in the season has left him with 1,428 yards and 19 touchdowns on 214 carries (6.7 ypc). Perine and the running game were leaned on heavily in the Kansas win with quarterback Trevor Knight (2,197 passing yards, 340 rushing yards, 19 TDs, nine INTs) out with a concussion. Even with a bye week in between, Knight will not be ready to play on Saturday, leaving another start for Cody Thomas, whos completed just 20-of-49 passes this season for 222 yards, a touchdown and four picks, although his rushing numbers (149 yards, TD) have been stellar. Thomas presence under center has hindered the production of the receivers, especially Sterling Shepard (59 receptions, 957 yards, five TDs), whos bidding for an All-Conference selection at years end. The Sooners defense has not lived up to the expectations of a Stoops-led unit, but they have nonetheless played admirably this season in allowing only 23.5 ppg while forcing 18 turnovers. Zack Sanchez has a large say in the turnover battle with five interceptions. Dominique Alexander is the leading tackler with 93 stops and Eric Striker generates a strong pass rush with 13.5 TFL and 7.0 sacks. ' ' '