CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- D.J. Augustin says he has no hard feelings when it comes to the Charlotte Bobcats -- even though they let him walk in free agency after the 2012 season. "Just a business," Augustin said with a smile. He sure took care of business Saturday night. Augustin played like a man with something prove, breaking open a close game by scoring 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Chicago Bulls hold off the Charlotte Bobcats 89-87 and get back above .500. The Bulls (22-21) have won 10 of their last 13 games. Augustin hit 4 of 5 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. It was the third time in the last four games Augustin has scored at least 27 points. Augustin was drafted by the Bobcats in 2008 and spent four seasons in Charlotte before the Bobcats decided to go with Kemba Walker as their starting point guard. "Its always fun playing against your old team," Augustin said. "Im with the Bulls now and that is all that matters." Augustin spent time with Indiana and Toronto last season before joining the Bulls this past off-season. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau called the 6-foot Augustin a "huge pickup." "We had a need and he had a need as well," Thibodeau said. "It was good for him and its been great for us and hes played better and better. He was ready when this opportunity came around. Its not only his individual performance, but what hes doing for our team." Joakim Noah added 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who have won 10 of their last 11 against the Bobcats. Taj Gibson had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Mike Dunleavy had 12 points and eight rebounds. Al Jefferson continued his hot play for the Bobcats (19-27) with 32 points and 13 rebounds. It was his ninth straight 20-point game. "Nobody is playing better than Al over the last eight or nine games," Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said. Jefferson said the discomfort from the ankle he sprained in the preseason is starting to subside. "At the beginning of the season I wasnt healthy," Jefferson said. "My ankle is feeling really good and Im not surprised how Im playing. I know I can play at a very high level when Im 100 per cent." But the Bobcats arent getting much production from other positions with Walker still out with an ankle injury. The starting frontcourt of Ramon Sessions and Gerald Henderson was a combined 9 of 26 from the field. "They double-teamed me and did a good job of keeping the ball out of my hands. So tonight, Kemba would have been needed," Jefferson said. "But its an opportunity for some other guys to step up and make a name for themselves." Chicago came in having defeated the Bobcats by an average of 27.5 points in the last four meetings in Charlotte, but this one was close throughout the first three quarters with 14 lead changes and neither team leading by more than six points. The Bulls were up 55-54 going into the final period and quickly extended that lead to 11 sparked by eight quick points from Augustin and six from Tony Snell. The lead would get to 12 before a frantic Bobcats comeback in the final minute, with Jannero Pargo knocking down a 26-footer with 3.4 seconds left to cut the lead to three. But Augustin made two free throws to seal the win. Jefferson hit a one-handed heave from just beyond half court as time expired, although it wouldnt matter. Chicago surrendered 112 point to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night -- the second-most theyve allowed this season -- but the leagues second-best defence returned to form against the Bobcats. They held Charlotte to 42 per cent shooting after allowing the Clippers to beat them with 59.3 per cent shooting. "We get knocked down but we always get back up and keep fighting," Augustin said. "That is the motto of our team." NOTES: Walker missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. ... Carlos Boozer has scored in double digits in nine straight games for the Bulls. ... Sessions had 11 assists for the Bobcats. ... The Bobcats had been outrebounded by 22 in the first two meetings, but held a 45-41 edge on the boards this time. .com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006.
http://www.cheapvikingsjerseyssale.com/ ... ersey-sale. Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. . Smith, who raised eyebrows at the CFL combine in March with his ability on both sides of the ball, confirmed in a statement he tested positive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol prior to auditioning for league officials. . JOHNS, N.Sooner or later, you just know Graham DeLaet is going to get a few breaks, make one or two extra putts and have a week where he finally gets his win. Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask., ended up a shot back of Kevin Stadler as the Smallrus managed to break through for his first victory. It should be noted that it took Stadler 239 starts to get his first victory, so theres never a sure thing in this game. As well as DeLaets playing, he may never win a tournament. Or he might win in his next start. Thats the way golf is - no matter how well you play, theres a chance someone else might be just one stroke better. DeLaets finish in Phoenix - where he and wife Ruby recently relocated - earned him $545,600, moving him to ninth on the PGA Tours money list with $1.3 million. Hes now ranked 26th on the Official World Golf Ranking. Hes also finished in the Top 10 in his last five starts. The bearded wonder climbed into contention on Saturday with a strong 65. On Sunday, he came out to the range and promptly tweaked his back on the first shot of his warm-up. Some special treatment from trainer Dr. Craig Davies of Toronto allowed him to tee it up at the appropriate time. "We did a little extra work this morning," DeLaet said. "My routine before the round was a little bit diffferent, but I took some Advil that kicked in a little bit, and I was feeling pretty good for most of the day.ddddddddddddquot; That became obvious early on as he went out and made birdies on five of his first 13 holes. As others on the leaderboard began to struggle, DeLaet suddenly was in contention – until he hit the 15th, where he drove his tee shot into the water on the left side of the hole. "I knew Id just have to make a lot of birdies," he stated. "After my tee shot on 15 I thought my chances were probably gone." But birdies on 17 and 18 put him in the clubhouse with the lead. "I knew that I needed probably to birdie the last two," said DeLaet. "That back pin on 17 is really, really tough, and I hit what I thought was a pretty good shot there, but I still had 12, 15 feet. To birdie the last, I knew that I had - was trying to hole it, but, you know, birdie is second best." That late run, by the way, was buoyed by the energy from the crowd, which DeLaet made sure to thank. "Obviously there are tons of people there," he stated. "There are so many Canadians out here following me. Almost felt like a Canadian Open today. Thanks to all of them for being out there." DeLaet will take this week off before heading to Los Angeles for the Northern Trust Open where hell continue his torrid pace to the 2013-14 season. ' ' '
