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New York, NY (SportsNetwork. Blake Countess Jersey Retro .com) – John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Wall made a dazzling move late in the third quarter, hitting a reverse spinning layup, and then was involved in fourth-quarter scuffle. He took exception to a hard foul from Quincy Acy, retaliating with a shove. The New York forward swung his right arm as if to throw a punch before holding up. Acy received a Flagrant-2 foul and was ejected with 5:31 remaining. Wall received a technical foul. Bradley Beal had 17 points and Kris Humphries scored 14 off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting for the Wizards, who snapped a two-game losing streak with a win in their first game on Christmas since 2008. Washington earned its fourth straight win at Madison Square Garden and fifth overall against the Knicks, who have dropped eight consecutive home games, the longest streak in a single season in team history. Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and Jose Calderon added 16 for New York, which has lost 16 of its last 17 games overall. Final Score: Oklahoma City 114, San Antonio 106 San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Russell Westbrook turned in another dominant performance and the Oklahoma City Thunder, minus Kevin Durant, beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-106 on Christmas Day. Westbrook totaled 35 points, 11 assists, five rebounds and five steals for the Thunder, who were without the reigning MVP Durant for a fifth straight game. Durant sprained his right ankle late in the first half of a loss to Golden State on Dec. 18. Westbrook scored 20 in the second half, helping Oklahoma City hold off a pair of Spurs rallies. Serge Ibaka added 21 points and Steven Adams donated 16 points and a career-high 15 boards. The Thunder were plus-27 with Westbrook and Adams on the floor. Seven Spurs reached double figures, with Matt Bonners 17 points leading the balanced attack. Tim Duncan scored 15, Cory Joseph and Tiago Splitter had 14 apiece and Manu Ginobili tallied 11 with a game-high 13 assists. Final Score: Miami 101, Cleveland 91 Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Cheers quickly turned to boos once Michael Baiamonte announced the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup. Dwyane Wade then went and shot the lights out in the first half. Literally. And once LeBron James finally helped put the Cavs in front early in the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat had one last surge in them. Wade netted 24 of his 31 points in the first half and the Heat spoiled James return to South Beach with a 101-91 win over the Cavaliers. James, who helped the Heat to a quartet of NBA Finals appearances and a pair of titles during his four-year stay with Miami, was the first Cleveland player introduced out of its starting five. He was greeted with a standing ovation with a scattering of boos, but James wasnt able to fully sink in the reaction as Baiamonte quickly went through the rest of Clevelands lineup. The cheer was more elongated midway through the opening frame when the Heat played a video tribute. James acknowledged the applause by waving to the crowd. James finished with 30 points and eight assists. Final Score: Chicago 113, LA Lakers 93 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Pau Gasol faced his former team for the first time, but a showdown with Kobe Bryant will have to wait. Gasol had 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls routed the Los Angeles Lakers 113-93 on Christmas Day. Gasol signed with the Bulls during the offseason after spending his previous six-plus seasons with the Lakers, winning a pair of NBA titles. The 36-year-old Bryant cited old age and sore knees as his reasons for sitting out Thursday nights game against Chicago during a pregame session with reporters. Jimmy Butler posted 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Derrick Rose added 20 points and six assists for Chicago, which has won five straight and eight of its last nine games. Wesley Johnson supplied 19 points and nine boards and Ed Davis provided 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have dropped four of their last five contests. Buzz Sawyer Jersey Retro . Yoenis Cespedes proved he can play through a hurting right heel, giving Scott Kazmir and the As a spark with a pair of RBIs that helped spoil the Minnesota Twins home opener with an 8-3 victory on Monday. Nyle McFarlane Jersey Retro .com) – The Vancouver Canucks hope an upcoming stretch of home games will be enough to get the club into the postseason. ST. LOUIS — Not long after Michael Sam waved to an adoring crowd at Missouris season opener, he looked down at his cellphone. It was 3 p.m. CT, the deadline for NFL teams to pare rosters to 53 players. And the Rams coach was talking to the players who didnt make the cut. He headed into the locker room. At some point, his phone rang with the bad news: He didnt make the cut. Twenty others were cut by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, all of them mere footnotes. For Sam, it meant a roadblock in his journey to become the first openly gay player to make an NFL roster. Over and over, coach Jeff Fisher said, it was purely a football decision. „I will tell you this: I was pulling for Mike,“ Fisher said. „I really was, and I dont say that very often. Mike came in here and did everything we asked him to do.“ The seventh-round draft pick projected confidence while scrutinized at least as closely as Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. Hes been cheered by athletes and celebrities, denigrated by just a few. In the end, the defensive end couldnt make a team stocked with pass rushers and lost out to undrafted Ethan Westbrooks, who proved more productive and more versatile. Fisher believes Sam has an NFL future, and it still could be with the Rams. If hes not picked up by another team, he could land on the St. Louis practice squad. „I cant go there right now,“ Fisher said. „Coaches dont talk about practice squads because we have to see what happens. Well know better tomorrow afternoon.“ Wherever he lands, Fisher said „there will be no challenge, no challenges whatsoever.“ „Hes not about drawing attention to himself,“ Fisher said. „He kept his head down and worked and you cant ask anything more out of any player for that matter.“ On Twitter, roughly an hour after he was cut, Sam wrote „The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson Ive always known. The journey continues.“ He also thanked the Rams and city of St. Louis on Twitter, adding that he looks forward to a long and successful career. Sam was introduced to the Missouri crowd in the end zone alongside defensive E.J. Gaines, a sixth-round pick who made the team. He blew a kiss and waved before returning to the sideline, then posed for a few pictures before starting to look at his phone, and then headed for the locker room. Fisher personally delivered the news to the 20 others released in meetings Friday and Saturday, but didnt seem to mind that Sam was out of town, visiting his alma mater. The conversation was perfunctory, with plans for a face–to-face meeting on Sunday. Bruce Thornton Jersey Retro. „He said Yes sir, and he said, I understand. He said, Thanks for the opportunity, and I said, Mike, Im looking forward to visiting with you tomorrow, and he goes, I am, too.“ Sam was the SEC co-defensive player of the year at Missouri and had been projected as a mid-round draft pick. His stock fell after a poor combine showing not long after he came out as gay in February, and the Rams took him with the 249th overall pick out of 256. He kissed his boyfriend as a national television audience looked on, and arrived brimming with confidence and with a quick retort for anyone who contended he was in the NFL only because he came out. Fisher was proud to have made the landmark pick, but made clear from the start that Sam would be judged on talent. The cameras followed, but the extra attention did not seem to faze Sam or his teammates. Veteran defensive end Chris Long noted rosters are always made up of players from different backgrounds. Players said Sam was part of their family. Sam shed weight before training camp to be faster for special teams duty, reporting at 257 pounds. But after the preseason opener, Fisher said hed have to make the team based on defensive end play. Sam came out publicly following his final season at Missouri, though he had told his teammates before it began. It was no distraction. Missouri tied the school record with 12 wins and won the SEC Eastern Division and Sam had 11 1-2 sacks. Sam was lightly regarded out of Hitchcock, Texas, a town of about 7,000 along the Gulf Coast about 40 miles southeast of Houston. His first two years at Missouri, Sam backed up Aldon Smith and Jacquies Smith, both of whom are in the NFL. From the start, teammates seemed to like having Sam around. His energy was infectious and, if there were problems, they stayed behind closed doors. Publicly, Sam was just another late-round pick trying to make the Rams, which, like other NFL teams, held sensitivity training early in camp. The Oprah Winfrey Network put off a planned documentary on Sam, saying it would allow him to focus on his dream. At one point, Sams Rams jersey was the No. 2 seller among rookies online, trailing only Clevelands Johnny Manziel, and Sam was among just 10 draftees selected by the NFL to be featured on commemorative coins. Sam headed to the ESPY Awards to pick up the Arthur Ashe Courage award. He got a hug from Hall of Famer Jim Brown on his way to the stage and fought back tears throughout his speech. He told the audience: „Great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself.“ ‚ ‚ ‚