heads a little bit but we have to be more mentally tough." T

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. In fact, the first-year head coach said hes a little concerned about his teams focus as the playoffs approach. "We havent been the same team the last two games," Clifford said. "Whether we exhaled after clinching (a playoff spot), or whatever it is, I dont know. Whatever it is, we have two games to get it back." The Bobcats held on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-105 on Saturday behind 29 points and 12 rebounds from Al Jefferson, but it was far from an impressive victory. The win came on the heels of a costly loss at Boston Friday night that dropped the Bobcats back to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. Charlotte (41-39) remains one game behind Washington in the race for the sixth seed with two games left. The Wizards defeated Milwaukee 104-91 on Saturday night. Jefferson said the Bobcats need to find their mojo with two tough games coming up to close the season — at Atlanta on Monday night and at home against Chicago on Wednesday. "I thought (the loss to Boston) would wake us up for this game, but I dont know whether it was a back-to-back, three games in four nights or what," Jefferson said. "... You could tell we were low energy. But we found a way to win, so thats the positive side of it." You cant blame Jefferson for the teams sudden funk. He has at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last six games, a franchise record. Luke Ridnour, starting in place of injured point guard Kemba Walker, had 12 points and eight assists in his first start for Charlotte. Clifford said he expects Walker to return from a groin injury Monday night. But he expressed plenty of confidence in Ridnour to handle the role when needed. "Were organized when Luke is in there," Clifford said. "He gets guys into their right spots. He has a high basketball IQ and he knows the NBA game." Michael Carter-Williams had 23 points and eight assists to lead the 76ers, who have lost 16 of their last 17 games on the road. The same problem that haunted the Bobcats in their loss to Boston — poor defensive effort — hurt them early on against the 76ers. Philadelphia took a 59-56 at the break despite the Bobcats shooting 62 per cent from the field in the first half. Charlotte would begin to take control late in the third quarter, opening a double-digit lead behind a pair of 3-pointers from Ridnour and Chris Douglas-Roberts and some solid inside play from Cody Zeller. But ultimately the game came down to Philadelphias inability to stop Jefferson in the low post. Jefferson is averaging 26.1 points and 13 rebounds over the past six games and he showed again why hes an All-NBA team candidate. Jefferson had his way early on scoring 21 points in the first half on 10-of-13 shooting. He used his old-school style of play to make defenders Henry Sims and Byron Mullens look foolish at times by getting them to leave their feet with pump fakes, leading to easy up-and-under layups. "Hes got one of the best head fakes in the game, so its tough to defend him," Mullens said. Philadelphia got 16 points from Thaddeus Young and 15 from Henry Sims, but it wasnt enough for the leagues second-worst team. Still, it was a better showing than last week when the 76ers lost by 30 to the Bobcats on their home floor. At one point, the 76ers fell behind by 16, but closed to within four in the final minute — but were unable to take the lead. "It was entirely different," coach Brett Brown said. "When you look at the last time we played this team, it was as good an effort as anybody has played on our home court. They shot it and they guarded. Tonight we blinked a little in the third, but we found a way to get back in it in the fourth." NOTES: Philadelphias Jarvis Varnado was a late scratch with a right heel injury. ... The Bobcats have won 24 games at home, the second-most in franchise history. .. The Bobcats are 18-9 since the All-Star break, including 14-6 in their last 20 games. Nike Vapormax Comprar Online . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. Nike Vapormax Baratas .com) - Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies withstood 18 Dallas 3-pointers, as Memphis took control in the third quarter and fended off a Mavericks rally en route to a 114-105 win in a Southwest Division showdown. http://www.baratasvapormax.es/ .5 million. The 25-year-old Varlamov is thriving under first-year coach and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, posting a 26-9-5 record with a 2. Comprar Nike Vapormax Baratas . While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other. Vapormax Baratas España . PAUL, Minn.TORONTO - Torontos Kyle Lowry had spent big chunks of Sundays game on the bench, part of the coaching and medical staffs plan to manage the minutes of their battered and bruised team leader. Unleashed in the fourth quarter, Lowry scored seven of his 25 points in the games final minute to lift the Raptors to a 96-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. After three horrible quarters, the Raptors outscored the Hawks 36-15 in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. "Weve got a group of guys who are resilient, we want to win games, weve got a goal in mind," Lowry said. "Its fun to win games and when youve found the recipe to win in the fourth, you have to stick with it." Lowry also had four assists and four steals in just 27 minutes. With the Raptors poised to make their first playoff appearance in six years, the team is being careful with his playing time. "Hes had a lot of minutes," said coach Dwane Casey. "Its hard believe me, as a coach and for him as a competitor, it looks like were going at each other but we both understand the situation. If its close I may close my eyes and forget time, but we have to watch his minutes." DeMar DeRozan added 21 points Sunday, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Greivis Vasquez chipped in with 12 points for the Raptors (39-30). Lowry, who has struggled with a groin injury in the past, wouldnt say if anything specific is sore. "My full body has aches and pains right now," he said. "I dont think any player in the NBA right now feels 100 per cent. Its that time of year where everybody has knicks and knacks and bruises." DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap scored 17 points apiece to top the Hawks (31-37), while Jeff Teague added 16. Coming off a an energetic 119-118 loss in double overtime two nights earlier to Oklahoma City, the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors looked like a different team Sunday through three quarters of sloppy passes, horrible shooting and lackadaisical defence. One highlight on an afternoon that had almost none: the return of The Raptor mascot, who missed over five months after rupturing an Achilles tendon during training camp. Casey passed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment boss Tim Leiweke in the hallway after the game, and told him it was like "pulling teeth, it was like going to the dentists office that first half." "Weve got to be pros like I told our players, whether its five oclock in the morning, midnight, two oclock, weve got to get ourselves going," Casey said. "With season ticket-holders paying big money to watch us play, we came out and gave them a bad performance in the first half." Casey gave his players an earful at halftime. "Aw man, he came in here yelling," DeRozan said. "Once Casey yells, youve got to do your job or youll hear him yelling after the game. We understood ... wwe were still in the game and we were playing terrible that first half.ddddddddddddquot; The Hawks, who are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by as many as 14 points in the first half and were up by 71-60 heading into the fourth quarter. Finally showing some life, the Raptors chipped away at the difference and when Johnson tipped in his own miss with 5:18 left to play, it tied the game 79-79. Lowry scored on a hook shot with 44 seconds left to give the Raptors a five-point lead and some precious breathing room, then he stole the ball off an inbounds pass and scored again to help put the game away. There was a scary moment late in the game when workhorse Amir Johnson went down in a heap clutching his left knee after Shelvin Mack had fallen awkwardly on it. "You dont know if its a soccer move (embellishment) or what," Casey said. "He had my heart in my throat there for a little bit." Lowry called Johnson the teams "heart and soul." "So when that happened it kind of scared us a little bit," Lowry said. "Oh yeah, Im still scared when he falls. But hes a great player, he gives it all, and it makes everybody else give it their all too." Added DeRozan: "Ive seen Amir get hit by a Mack truck and get back up. One thing about Amir, hell play through anything and everything, but he kind of scared me tonight. When he grabbed at the knee, I kind of cussed at him a little to make sure he was alright." Johnson, who was limping in the locker-room after the game, said the initial pain was bad, but he was able to walk it off. The Raptors had lost to the Hawks earlier in the week, dropping a 118-113 decision in overtime in Atlanta on Tuesday. "We just lost focus," Millsap said on the Hawks inability to close out Sundays game. "Lost focus and they hit a few shots. We dropped our heads a little bit but we have to be more mentally tough." Toronto got off to a poor start Sunday, turning over the ball seven times in the opening quarter. The Raptors shot just 28 per cent while allowing the Hawks to shoot 56 per cent. Atlanta went up by 11 before leading 25-16 to end the quarter. A three-pointer by Millsap gave the Hawks a 14-point lead midway through the second. But the Raptors closed the quarter with a 16-9 run that included a monstrous dunk by Terrence Ross and went into the locker-room at halftime trailing 49-42. The Raptors carried that momentum into the third, cutting the Hawks lead to two points on a hook shot by Valanciunas, but abruptly went cold again. Atlanta took an 11-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. Notes: The Raptors are in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday, then meet the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday before returning home to host Boston on Friday. ... New Toronto FC goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler were at the game. ' ' '