The Sixers welcomed the New Jersey Nets to the Wells Fargo center tonight, as they looked to snap a 3 game skid. This time it was the Sixers who got the early the edge and the Sixers who made it stand up the rest of the way. They shot well from the field again at 51% and solidly from beyond at 38%, both much better than New Jersey, but struggled at the line, shooting their free throws at just 60%. They weren't as quite as affected by that tonight as neither team got to the line all that much. Moreover, that got big nights, out of Jrue Holiday who had 20 and 13 assists, Elton Brand who 14 and 10 assists, Andre Iguodala who had 16 and 7 rebounds, Thad Young who had 13 off the bench and Lou Williams who had 15 and 5 assists off the bench. Put it all together and you've got the Sixers 4th win of the season.
As mentioned the Sixers did have the early edge with a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. New Jersey actually rallied back to take a 2 point lead at the half but that would be their only real momentum of the night. The Sixers rallied back to tie it up through 3 quarters and then dominated in the 4th quarter, outscoring New Jersey 36-20. When the smoke finally cleared at the end of the 4th they had won going away, by 16, in their easiest win of the season thus far, 102-86. Still, at only 4-13 overall the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division, but at least now they're right there on the Net's heals. This season may yet have some life to it.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After a shootout loss to the lowly Flames, the Flyers looked to get back on track against the equally lowly New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, the Orange and Black once again seemed to have little energy when it mattered most. They did out shoot New Jersey 41-25 and they did blank them on 3 power plays while finally scoring a power play goal of their own, but there was just something missing. Too many of their shots were easy saves for Johan Hedberg. It's one thing to just put pucks on the net and another to actually create scoring chances and challenge the goalie to make saves. The Orange and Black simply didn't do enough of that tonight and paid for it.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Friday, November 26, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers looked to continue to a 3 game winning streak as they welcomed the Calgary Flames to the Wells Fargo center. The Flames came in as the 2nd worst team in the western conference and so even a solid effort would likely have been enough for the Orange and Black in this one. Solid they were as Sergei Bobrovsky racked up another 28 saves, and the Flyers held the flames to just 30 shots on goal and 3 unsuccessful power plays. James Van Reimsdyk also scored his 3rd goal in as many games as another 5 different Flyers scored points in this one. However, the Flyers struggled again on the power play, going 0 for 6 and in the end that ultimately cost them.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
SIXERS NEWS
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Raptors, a matchup with Miami's big three at Miami offered little hope for the Sixers and that despite the fact that the Heat came in struggling a bit. Still, like the last meeting between these two teams the Sixers made a game of it. In fact they out shot Miami from the field and from beyond at 47% and 40% respectively and out rebounded them 40-39. Unfortunately they also killed themselves at the line, shooting just 57% while shot nearly 80% from the line and that's probably where they one game. That especially evident during crunch time when Miami was able to go to the hole and get their points when they had to while the Sixers could not. Evan Turner was also blanked for the 2nd game in a row which didn't help matters. Jodie Meeks with 21 and Thad Young with 11 did try to pick up the slack off the bench but it wasn't enough. Andre Iguodala also 20, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Elton Brand returned from his suspension to provide 12 and 8 rebounds but it was all a futile effort.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to Minnesota tonight as Sergei Bobrovsky returned to lineup. Bobrovsky and the Flyers defense shutdown the Wild almost completely, holding them to just 16 shots on goal, 15 of them stopped by Bob, and blanking them on the power play. The Flyers also continued to flounder on the power play but they still racked up 6 goals, as 11 different Flyers racked up points on the night. Most notably, James Van Reimsdyk had his 2nd goal in as many nights, and Danny Briere and Andreas Nodl each had a goal and an assist. Really, it was pretty much all Orange and Black all night long. The Wild were just no match for the Flyers.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
SIXERS NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Sixers tonight as they traveled to Toronto. Owing to his ejection against Washington Elton Brand was suspended for the night, as Craig Brackins finally made his Sixer regular season debut with a 6 point effort. Unfortunately he didn't do much on the defensive side of the ball with 1 rebound and 0 blocks. That kind of defensive effort wrote the story for the Sixers in this one. Coming off an OT loss the night before you couldn't expect much from the Sixer's defense anyway and they obliged allowing 62 first half point to Raptors. Andre Iguodala had another 17, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, Thad Young had 14 and 5 rebounds in his first start of the season, and Jrue Holiday had a solid 16, 6 assists and 7 rebounds, but it didn't really matter. When even Reggie Evans has a double-double, 12 points, 22 rebounds, you know you've got problems.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers had seen this movie before, up 3 at Washington with time for the Wizards to take one more shot. Kinda makes you wonder why the outcome wasn't any different. Andre Iguodala had 23 and 8 asssists, and 11 rebounds, Elton Brand had 19 and 7 rebounds before being ejected after a flagrant foul late in the game, Jrue Holiday had 10, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, Evan Turner had 11, Mo Speights had 16 and 9 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 11 as he went 3 for 3 from beyond, and Thad Young had 15 to round out 7 Sixers in double figures and yet they still came out on the short end of things. They weren't too shabby defensively either, out rebounding Washington 48-45, racking up 8 steals and holding John Wall scoreless deep into the 3rd period.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Monday, November 22, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After outlasting the Capitals on Saturday, the Orange and Black once again had revenge on their minds as they welcomed the Montreal Canadiens to Wells Fargo center. Carey Price was incredible again with 42 saves but this time so were the Flyers. They out shot Montreal 45-31 and blanked the vaunted Hab's power play. Moreover, Brian Boucher was solid in goal with 29 saves and the Flyers got goals from 3 different players and assists from 6 different players in a true team effort.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles welcomed the New York Giants to the Linc tonight in a showdown for sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East. Coming in the Eagles were looking to defeat New York for a 5th straight time. In the Eagles last two wins over the Giants, turnovers had played a big part in the outcome and they did again this one. Superb play by the Eagles defense and a tough but efficient night by the Eagle's offense were also factor in this battle. Offensively, Mike Vick threw for just 258 yards and 0 tds, and ran for only 34 yards and 1 td, not exactly the same numbers as last week. Still Vick made all the plays when he needed to so as to ensure the Eagles would come out on top. He also had help from Lesean McCoy who rushed for 111 yards and a TD, and Jeremy Maclin who hauled in 9 passes for 120 yards. Defensively, the Birds had an impressive night against the #1 ranked offense in the NFL. They forced 5 Giants turnovers, intercepting Eli Manning 3 times and causing 2 fumbles, held the vaunted Giants running attack to just 61 yards and held Eli to just 147 yards and 2 tds. Ultimately, if not for the Eagle's defense the mistakes and missed opportunities that continued to plague the Birds in this one, would likely have cost them another sure win.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers swapped AHL players with the Anaheim Ducks today. They sent David Laliberte and Pat Maroon to the Ducks for defenseman Danny Syvret, who was previously a member of the Flyer's organization before signing with Anaheim in the offseason, and forward Rob Bordson.
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