thinking. "That was a heads-up play," Clev

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Blake Griffin had 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers made it consecutive 50-win seasons with a lacklustre 106-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. The Clippers became the ninth NBA team to have different head coaches guide the club to 50 victories in back-to-back seasons. They reached the mark five games earlier under Doc Rivers than they did last season under Vinny Del Negro, when they set a franchise record with 56 wins and captured their first division title before losing to Memphis in the opening round of the playoffs. This is Rivers fifth 50-win season as a head coach, including four with Boston. Chris Paul had 14 points and seven assists for the Clippers, who have won 13 of 14 overall and a season-best eight straight at home. Griffin had his 29th consecutive game with at least 20 points, the longest streak by a Clippers player since the franchise relocated from San Diego in 1984-85. Ramon Sessions had a season-high 28 points for the Bucks, who have lost eight in a row and are a league-worst 13-58. They are 1-19 on the road since beating the Lakers by 15 points at Staples Center on New Years Eve — their only road win against a Western Conference team. Power forward Ersan Ilysova sat out on the second night of a back-to-back set because of a sore right ankle that has bothered him all season. Beleaguered coach Larry Drew used his 26th starting lineup, inserting Jeff Adrien in Ilysovas spot and Sessions at shooting guard because of rookie Nate Wolters broken left hand. It was the first start for both players since they joined the Bucks in a Feb. 20 trade that sent Luke Ridnour and Gary Neal to Charlotte. Sessions made his first six shots and finished 13 for 21 from the field, scoring 11 points during a 3:43 span down the stretch. Adrien had 14 points and seven rebounds. They were the 15th and 16th players to start a game for the Bucks this season. Los Angeles never trailed, extending its five-point halftime lead to 71-60 on Darren Collisons three-point play with 5:34 left in the third quarter. The Bucks got as close as 82-80 on back-to-back dunks 28 seconds apart by John Henson, but Glen Davis responded with consecutive layups and Jamal Crawford scored seven points during a 3:52 stretch, including a 3-pointer that gave Los Angeles a 99-92 edge with 3:08 to play. The Clippers built a 33-18 lead late in the first quarter after centre DeAndre Jordan and forward Matt Barnes got in early foul trouble. Jared Dudley, who spent the previous four games on the bench, provided a brief spark with a 17-footer and a 3-pointer 50 seconds apart to give Los Angeles a 45-38 lead with 8:03 left in the half. The Bucks have gone more than a year since the last time they won consecutive games — March 17-19, 2013, when they beat Orlando and Portland. Both games were in Milwaukee. NOTES: Los Angeles came in with the leagues best 3-point defence (33.1 per cent), and Milwaukee had the worst (38.4 per cent). The Clippers finished 8 for 18 behind the arc, and the Bucks were 5 for 13. ... The teams met for the first time since Jan. 27, when the Clippers ended their seven-game Grammy road trip with a 114-86 rout. Paul missed that game because of a separated shoulder. ... The Clippers are 31-5 at home, and the Bucks are 5-31 on the road. ... The Bucks have lost six straight and 13 of 14 to the Clippers in Los Angeles. ... The Clippers head out on a five-game trip before ending the regular season with five of six at Staples Center. Shaun Livingston Jersey . Parnell will be out much longer if it turns out he needs surgery. But first, he will try resting for two weeks before beginning a throwing program that could last up to a month, general manager Sandy Alderson said. Andre Iguodala Jersey . -- Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes Thursday for a 7-under 63 to take the lead after one round of the Honda Classic. http://www.cheapwarriorsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=cheap-jordan-bell-jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. Nate Thurmond Jersey . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace. Rick Barry Jersey .Y. - Islanders forward Anders Lee has been fined $2,286 by the NHL for elbowing St. KENNESAW, Ga. -- The sun came out, the United States kicked into another gear, and weary Uruguay couldnt keep up. The result: another Rugby World Cup for the Eagles. Rallying from a 10-point deficit at the break, Mike Petri put the Americans ahead to stay with a heads-up play and Andrew Suniula scored a pair of tries 2 minutes apart to lead the U.S. to a 32-13 victory Saturday, claiming a spot in the World Cup next year. The Eagles did a victory lap around the stadium and posed in front of a sign that said it all: "Qualified." "We stuck to the game plan and didnt try to do it all at once. Forty minutes is a long time," American coach Mike Tolkin said. "We chipped away, and eventually the floodgates opened." The U.S. took the home-and-home series after the teams tied 27-27 a week earlier at Montevideo. Los Teros still have a chance to qualify through the cross-continent repechage, but their task gets much tougher. They would have to win two series to claim the second-chance spot. The Americans, on the other hand, have nearly 18 months to prepare for their fifth straight Rugby World Cup appearance. They have never advanced past pool play, which will be their goal when they get to England. "Now we can use some younger players, build the depth of our squad," Tolkin said. "When youre still trying to qualify, theres not much room for manoeuvring." Playing before a boisterous crowd of about 5,000 at Kennesaw State University in suburban Atlanta, the Eagles fell behind 13-3 at the break. Uruguay took advantage of several penalties against the U.S., which went down two players at one point. Joaquin Prada scored a try in the 22nd penalty while the Americans were short-handed, and Los Teros booted through a couple of penalty kicks. But the second half was all Eagles. They outscored Uruguay 29-0 on a day thaat started rainy and blustery, but turned sunny about the time the Americans were blowing it open.dddddddddddd Eric Fry narrowed the margin by powering over for a try in the 46th minute, but it was Petri who really sparked the U.S. with his effort in the 61st. After Uruguay was whistled for a penalty, Petri noticed several of the visiting players turning their backs and trying to catch their breath. He did a quick little kick to himself, and didnt stop running until he dove across the goal line. "The opportunity came to change the pace," Petri said with a shrug. "It just worked out." The teams captain, Todd Clever, chided Petri for downplaying his quick thinking. "That was a heads-up play," Clever said. "Hes one of the smartest guys on our team. He saw the gap and how they were a little lazy getting back. Petes," he said, turning to his teammate, "it was all you." Suniula finished off Uruguay with his speed, blowing past a team that simply didnt have the stamina to keep up. That was quite a change from the first match, when Los Teros squandered a 19-6 lead but scored a late try to tie the Americans. "Weve been training really good, but sometimes players are tired," Uruguay coach Pablo Lemoine said. "The last 15 minutes in Montevideo was our best 15 minutes of the year. Today, we played terrible." While the Eagles have been a regular at the Rugby World Cup, qualifying seven out of eight times, they have just three victories in 21 matches on the biggest stage. The U.S. has never advanced out of its group. Thats the goal this time. "Why not us?" Tolkin said. "I think we have more depth, and weve been playing a better level of games. Theres no reason for us not to be playing to get into the next round. Were not going to back down from anyone." ' ' '