and final stop on their trip west when they play at Santa Clara M

Josh Powell has missed a fair share of Christmases due to the demands of being a professional basketball player, and he recognises that nothing compares to being able to spend quality family time over the holiday break. Now he wants to be a blessing to somebody else.For me they resonate more because of me ... missing many Christmases. Powell told ESPN.You know that feeling of opening gifts as a kid and most importantly just understanding that family is the important thing and being able to have that family time.Powell has reached the pinnacle and found ultimate success on the basketball court as a two-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers, and now he loves to be able to act as a role model.I just want to do things like what were doing now and being able to give back and be a part of things like this, he said as Sydney Kings players appeared in support of the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal to show others that they are not alone this Christmas.Since moving to Australia a little more than two months ago, Powell has proved to be the gift that keeps on giving for the Kings on and off the floor. But the teams fifth-leading scorer playing roughly 20 minutes per game off of the bench is unfazed by the pressure of being a big name in the National Basketball League.Theres more pressure in changing diapers.?The Kings top the standings as the second half of the NBL season unfolds, knowing what they have to do to maintain their status as top dog.For us its just about staying hungry and just trusting the process.Powell has been a part of all 10 wins that have the Kings on top, and he enjoys the tradition of singing a team song after every victory.You can see basically every one of these celebrations thanks to Powell filming them and posting the clips to social media. Not that Powell has yet learned the lyrics.I know, whoop there it is, whoop there it is. Michael Thomas Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Michael Thomas Youth Jersey . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Drew-Brees-Jersey/ . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. TreQuan Smith Youth Jersey . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Saints Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona coach Sean Miller called it a typical November game.For his 10th-ranked Wildcats, that meant another blowout over an overmatched opponent.Lauri Markkanen scored 22 points to lead six Arizona players in double figures in Arizonas 95-65 rout of Sacred Heart on Friday night.Fellow freshman Rawle Alkins added 18 points for the Wildcats (3-0). They led by as many as 25 points in the first half and 39 in the second.Arizonas Dusan Ristic had 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.Quincy McKnight had 22 points -- 20 in the second half -- and Joseph Lopez 15 for the Pioneers (1-2).November is a month of learning, Miller said. Players are learning, theyre learning each other, theyre learning our system, but the coaching staff is learning on what kind of combinations of players work well, who can do what, what we need to teach and do a better job of.The game was part of the Las Vegas Invitational, as is Monday nights game against Northern Colorado. The Wildcats move on to Las Vegas to play Santa Clara next Thursday.If a team plays four games in a tournament, it gets an extra game on its schedule.The much bigger, quicker Wildcats never trailed turned the game into a blowout in a hurry, despite having a miserable night from 3-point range.The Wildcats were 1 for 15 on 3s before Markkanen made two in a row late in the second half.Miller said the Wildcats are just now learning how good the Finnish freshman Markkanen is on offense.There were times when he was open and the ball didnt find him, Miller said. Then all of a sudden it did and he went on his own personal 8-0 run. ... Lauris efficient. Hes not going to take bad shots. That was about as easy of a 22-point night as Ive seen.Miller noted his team committed seven turnovers, just one in the first half. Point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright didnt have a turnover in his 30 minutes on the court.A pair of Arizona newcomers got the McKale Center crowd rocking with some high-flying plays.In consecutive plays, freshman Kobi Simmons had a backcourt steal and two-handed dunk and junior college transfer Keanu Pinder knoocked the ball away in Sacred Hearts backcourt and got the dunk on a lob pass from Parker Jackson-Cartwright at the other end, and Arizona led 43-18 with 4:17 left in the first half.ddddddddddddRistic had 10 rebounds in the first half, one shy of his career-best for a game. The Wildcats led 49-25 at the break.Sacred Heart coach Anthony Latina lamented his teams 17 turnovers, which resulted in 25 Arizona points.When you play a team that good, you cant give them free points and we did, he said. Now, fortunately we dont play a team that good the rest of the year, unless we make the NCAA Tournament.BIG PICTURESacred Heart lost last seasons league MVP Cane Broome, who transferred to Cincinnati. The Pioneers have some talent but nowhere near enough to stay with Arizona on the road.The Wildcats did what they are supposed to do. They wont really have a challenge until the Las Vegas Invitational matchups next week, when they face Santa Clara and either the winner or loser of the Butler-Vanderbilt game.PAC-12 POUNDINGSIt was the first meeting between the schools and the first for Sacred Heart against a Pac-12 team since playing Washington on Dec. 22, 2004. The Pioneers lost that one 114-55.The Wildcats pounded a Northeast Conference team for the fourth time in the last five seasons.They beat Bryant 100-60 in the 2011-12 season, Farleigh-Dickenson 100-50 in 2013-14 and Mount St. Marys 78-55 in 2014-15.SHAQ IN THE HOUSENBA great Shaquille ONeal was one of those in the crowd at sold-out McKale. He was in town for a visit by his son Shareef. The younger ONeal, a 6-foot-8 junior forward at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, is a five-star recruit. Baylor and UCLA also are chasing him.UP NEXTSacred Heart: The Pioneers make the second and final stop on their trip west when they play at Santa Clara Monday night.Arizona: The Wildcats