who lost starting centre Robin Lopez to a broken hand on Monday

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ARGELES-GAZOST, France -- Vincenzo Nibali crushed everyone on the last mountain leg of the Tour de France on Thursday, all but ensuring he will be crowned champion when the race ends in Paris in three days. On the big, final climb of Stage 18, the Italian broke out of the peloton, chased down breakaway riders, and rode solo in front for the last eight kilometres (five miles) uphill. Nibali, who captured his fourth stage of the Tour, stuck out his tongue, tapped his chest, and raised a fist skyward as he finished the 145.5-kilometre (90-mile) leg more than a minute ahead of Thibaut Pinot of France, who was second. Rafal Majka of Poland, in third, was another two seconds back. The remarkable effort by Nibali, set to become the first Italian to win the Tour since Marco Pantani in 1998, essentially reduced the race drama to who will join him on the podium on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday. "I didnt want to lose command. My goal was to win here," Nibali said. "It was important to me to win another stage in the Pyrenees. The team worked really hard and this victory is for them." He is also set to become only the sixth rider to win all three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain. He won the 2013 Italian Giro and the 2010 Spanish Vuelta. One man basking at the finish line was Alexandre Vinokourov, the general manager of Nibalis Astana team, and a former rider who was expelled from the 2007 Tour for blood doping. He said the stage victory was "not by chance." "We said, we need to show that theres a boss," Vinokourov told French TV. The last time the term "boss" was used regularly at the Tour was when a doped-up Lance Armstrong won seven in a row. While three stages are left, Fridays is mostly flat and unlikely to allow a breakaway rider to gain time. The last real challenge will be Saturdays individual time trial, but Nibalis lead is so big -- 7 minutes, 10 seconds ahead of Pinot, and 7:23 ahead of Frances Jean-Christophe Peraud -- that it would take a disaster for him to lose the yellow jersey before Sunday. "It was a very good day," said Pinot, who rose a spot from third, "but Nibali is untouchable." The race for second heated up: Alejandro Valverde of Spain lost crucial seconds on the last climb and fell from second overall to fourth, two seconds slower than Peraud. But Valverde is considered a stronger time-trial rider than Pinot, and possibly Peraud. "Everything is possible," Valverde said. "Before, I was ahead, now Im behind, but its very tight. Im pretty happy." After setting off from Pau, riders tackled the famed Tourmalet pass -- the highest Pyrenean peak on this Tour -- before heading up to Hautacam ski station. Both climbs are among the toughest in professional cycling. Two breakaway riders, Mikel Nieve of Spain and Blel Kadri, a Frenchman who won Stage 8, were the first over Tourmalet more than 4 1/2 minutes ahead. But by the valley below, the duo had lost two minutes: Nibalis chasing bunch was gaining. That was partly because Valverdes Movistar squad bolted ahead in a challenge to Nibali. The Italian didnt let that last long, and Valverde was caught within a few minutes. By the foot of Hautacam, the main contenders were bunched together. Then, American Chris Horner, who beat second-place Nibali in the Vuelta last year, broke away. Nibali stayed with him, and then, rounding a curve and looking back for the peloton, burst ahead. Nibali said later he had memories of Horners Vuelta victory in mind. That said, Horner was little threat for the Tour title: He was about 35 minutes behind when the stage began. On the way up, Nibalis shoulder whacked the outstretched elbow of a woman speaking on a mobile phone on the side of road, with her back to the peloton. He winced briefly. "Happily, it wasnt serious for her or me," Nibali said. Stage 19 on Friday in southwestern France will likely end in a sprint finish, and Nibali and his Astana teammates will keep a close watch on the riders closest to him in the general classification. They are no longer rivals, nor challengers. Jason Kidd Suns Jersey . -- Eric Winston was elected president of the NFL Players Association on Wednesday, three years after he was active for the union during the lockout. Grant Hill Authentic Jersey . He wont be coming back. Not to this World Cup, anyway. 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In fact, hes been there on more than one occasion.CLEVELAND - Shelvin Mack scored a career-high 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-98 Wednesday night for their 11th victory in 12 games.Mack, a reserve guard who came in averaging 3.8 points, made all six of his 3-pointers as the Hawks went 16 for 28 from behind the arc.Trailing 50-38 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta outscored Cleveland 89-48 the rest of the way and sent the Cavaliers to their largest loss of the season.The Hawks, playing without leading scorer Jeff Teague, avenged a 127-94 loss in Cleveland on Nov. 15, when the Cavaliers made their first 11 shots from 3-point range.LeBron James scored 21 points but didnt play in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers have lost three of four since winning eight straight.Al Horford scored 20 points for Atlanta, which had seven players in double figures and shot 64.5 per cent from the field.GRIZZLIES 117, SPURS 116, 3OTSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Marc Gasol scored 26 points, including a banked-in 3-pointer as regulation expired, and Memphis outlasted San Antonio in triple overtime after blowing a 23-point lead.Zach Randolph had 21 points and 21 rebounds in the Grizzlies sixth straight victory. Vince Carter added a season-high 18 points for Memphis (21-4).Danny Green scored 25 points, and Tim Duncan had 23 points and 16 rebounds for San Antonio. His jumper rattled in to force the third OT, but he finished just 5 for 15 on free throws.Manu Ginobili added 21 points, but shot an airball on a 3-pointer in the final seconds for the Spurs. San Antonio made a season-high 17 3-pointers but was 13 for 27 on free throws, including 5 for 15 by Duncan.Duncan hit a fallaway, high-arcing jumper that bounded on the rim three times before dropping in to tie the game at 111 at the close of the second overtime.RAPTORS 105, NETS 89TORONTO (AP) — Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists, Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Toronto used a big fourth quarter to beat Brooklyn.Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson each scored 13 in the first meeting between the teams since Brooklyns one-point win in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs last May.Patterson and Lou Williams each scored eight points in the fourth as Toronto outscored the Nets 29-16, taking advantage of six Brooklyn turnovers.Mason Plumlee had a career-high 23 points for the Nets, who made only five of 13 field goal attempts and five of 13 free throws in the fourth.Toronto, which leads the Eastern Conference at 20-6, reached 20 wins before Christmas for the first time in its 20-year history.ROCKETS 115, NUGGETS 111, OTDENVER (AP) — James Harden scored 41 points, including eight in overtime, and Houston beat Denver after Arron Afflalo tied the game on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.Patrick Beverley sealed Houstons seventh win in eight games by hitting four straight free throws in the final 17.8 seconds. Harden had a big game at the line, too, hitting 18 of 21.Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds despite a strained right knee that had him questionable for the game.Wilson Chandler had 23 points and Ty Lawson dished out 16 assists for the struggling Nuggets, who have dropped seven of eight.MAVERICKS 117, PISTONS 106AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Chandler Parsons scored a season-high 32 points and Monta Ellis added 25 as Dallas beat Detroit.Parsons fell two points short of a career high as he helped the Mavericks win a second road game in two nights. Dirk Nowitzki contribuuted 18 points and 10 rebounds, including seven points to help stem a late Detroit rally.ddddddddddddAndre Drummond had 19 points and 24 rebounds, but couldnt help the Pistons end an 11-game losing streak at home. Detroits last win at the Palace came on Nov. 7 against Milwaukee.JAZZ 105, HEAT 87MIAMI (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 29 points, Enes Kanter added 18 and Utah overcame 42 points from Dwyane Wade to beat Miami.Alec Burks scored 12, Derrick Favours added 11 and Dante Exum had 10 for Utah, which won for just the second time in its last 14 games. Those two wins have come against last years NBA finalists, San Antonio and now the Heat — who are simply reeling at home.Wade shot 12 of 19 for Miami, which has lost seven of its last eight home games and has dropped four straight on its floor for the first time since 2011. The Heat trailed by 17 in the first quarter and never recovered.SUNS 111, HORNETS 106CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Reserve guard Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, Goran Dragic had 20 and Phoenix snapped a six-game losing streak with a victory over struggling Charlotte.Thomas was 7 of 13 from the field and had two key free throws in the final minute as the Suns erased an early 17-point deficit.Dragic, who missed the last two games with a back injury, played 38 minutes and shot 8 of 17. Gerald Green had 16 points off the bench and Eric Bledsoe chipped in with 15 for the Suns.Al Jefferson had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte. Kemba Walker scored 27 points before going cold in the final three minutes. The Hornets have lost four straight, and they fell to 1-11 against Western Conference teams.CELTICS 109, MAGIC 92BOSTON (AP) — Rajon Rondo had 13 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds to lead balanced scoring that carried Boston past Orlando.Brandon Bass scored 18 points, and Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger each finished with 16. 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The heralded rookie will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the third quarter of Milwaukees victory Monday over Phoenix.CLIPPERS 102, PACERS 100LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin had 31 points and 16 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan added 23 rebounds and 15 points in Los Angeles victory over Indiana.Chris Paul had 20 points and nine assists, helping the two-time defending Pacific Division champions win for the 11th time in 13 games.The Pacers, who snapped an eight-game losing streak with their rout of the Lakers at home Monday night, dropped their seventh straight road game. David West and reserve C.J. Miles each had 17 points as seven players scored in double figures.Miles missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the final horn. cheap nfl jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys ' ' '