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SAN ANTONIO -- Led by a no-frills coach, the San Antonio Spurs have long stated the regular season means little to them. Yet even normally stoic San Antonio couldnt hide its emotion on the court, and the satisfaction afterward, of toppling the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. Tim Duncan had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the Spurs never trailed against the Heat, weathering a sluggish third quarter for an intense 111-87 victory Thursday. "Im sure this has some special meaning, to say something different would be silly," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, "but we expect them to come out hard and play." In their first home game against Miami since losing a heart-wrenching, seven-game NBA Finals, the Spurs handed the Heat their worst loss of the season. The rematch brought out a raucous sold-out crowd and sparked high emotions from both teams. Players dived recklessly for loose balls and yelled at officials, while Popovich often screamed at his own players. "We needed a game like this," Manu Ginobili said. "Weve been talking (about it) all season long. Our record was probably 1-10, 1-8 or something like that against the top four teams in the league. So we needed a big one, and today we played well. . Its one of those wins that really gets you going." Tony Parker scored 17 points, including 14 in a wild first half, Boris Diaw added 16 and Kawhi Leonard had 11 for the Spurs (45-16), which has won five straight. Chris Bosh had 24 points, LeBron James added 19, Dwyane Wade had 16 and Michael Beasley 11 for Miami (43-16). James, who ditched the protective mask he was wearing early in the first half, was hounded by Leonard into shooting 6 for 18. The Spurs didnt do anything different defensively than they had in the past, James said, but the NBA did. The four-time MVP said the short-sleeved, tight-fitting "El Heat" jerseys Miami had to wear are not conducive for shooting. "Im not making any excuses, but Im not a big fan of the jerseys," James said. "So I have to figure something out next time I have to wear the short-sleeve jerseys. Every time I shoot, it feels like its just pulling right up underneath my arm. I already dont have much room for error on my jump shot anyways, so its definitely not a good thing." James got rid of the mask that protected his broken nose with four minutes left in the first quarter. "I dont like it," James said. "Its that simple; just got frustrated with it early on so I took it off. It didnt help me, taking it off. Its probably a game-to-game thing." He missed his first two attempts sans mask, tossing up a wild 14-footer that banged off the front of the rim and backboard, then botching a reverse layup. His first mask-free basket was a 5-foot running floater over Leonard with 6:26 left in the half. "(Leonard) was a pest," Duncan said. "Thats what we need him to be. He stuck his hand in there, knocked some balls away, got some steals, he contested shots. I think he did a great job overall in every aspect." The Spurs opened the fourth quarter on a 13-6 run, returning to the breakneck attack that led to a 17-point lead in the first half. Duncans 18-foot jumper gave San Antonio a 99-85 lead with 3:00 remaining, drawing a fist-pounding of the scorers table by Manu Ginobili as he waited to enter the game. The closing run was needed after the Heat kept the Spurs out of the paint early in the second half, to the point Popovich screamed, "Tony! Attack!" after his All-Star point guard walked the ball up midway through the third period. Miami turned up the heat defensively, closing quickly on every pass. San Antonio was 7 for 22 from the field in the third quarter. Miami was 10 for 18 in the quarter, with James, Wade and Bosh scoring six points each. Miami had cut the lead to 79-74 with 2:00 left in the third period, but could get no closer. "They are difficult to guard," Wade said. "They have a great system and they have a very unselfish team. That is why they are one of the better teams in the league. Thy stay true to their system and believe in it." Parker showed no signs of the lower body problems that sidelined him six games last month, driving unrestrained into the paint. Parker played all but the final two minutes of the first quarter, going 5 for 6 from the field in scoring 10 points and dishing out three assists. "Tonys our setup guy," Duncan said. "He runs our team, he sets our pace, sets our rhythm and he played the right way tonight." NOTES: The Spurs Jeff Ayres (sprained right hand) sat out for the second time in the last three games. Ayres has started 10 games. ... Miami received a rousing ovation when it took the court for pregame warmups, but was booed lustily during introductions. ... James glared at official Kevin Scott after drawing consecutive fouls, starting with a charge. He was mum when he drove headlong into Duncan for his third foul of the quarter and fourth overall. Cheap Lakers Jerseys . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. Los Angeles Lakers Pro Shop . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ .Voegele will next play Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia, who saved 10 of 16 break points to defeat Annika Beck of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-4.Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Los Angeles Lakers Shirts . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. Los Angeles Lakers Gear .com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No.EDMONTON -- It seems Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz is throwing in the towel, on this season at least. In a letter to Oilers fans posted on the NHL teams website, Katz says its very likely the club will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for an eighth straight season. Katzs statement comes with Edmonton still having more than 30 regular-season games yet to play. However, Edmonton (15-30-6) certainly faces an uphill battle in its quest to return to playoff contention. The Oilers are last in the Western Conference standings, 23 points behind Minnesota (27-19-5) and Vancouver (25-16-9), who are both tied for seventh. "I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs," Katz wrote. " I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. "The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course." The Oilers struggles have prompted suggestions the team needs to make a big trade but Katz said the franchise isnt interested in mortgaging its future with a reactionary move. "But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term," he said. "Those days are over and theyre not coming back. "If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once." Katz also defended Kevin Lowe, the former Oilers standout defenceman who has steadily risen through the ranks of the organization despite the team not making the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2005-06. In the space of the last 15 years, Lowe has moved from assistant coach to head coach to general manager and is now the clubs president of hockey operations. "Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective," Katz said. "He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. "But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track." And Katz asked Oilers fans to remain patient with the hockey club. "Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive," he said. "At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. "Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on ttop.dddddddddddd We hope youll do the same. " Daryl Katzs message to fans To Oilers Fans Everywhere: We all thought this was going to be the year the Oilers turned the corner. Obviously, that hasnt happened, and it hurts. Its frustrating – for all of us. For our fans, for our players and staff, and for everyone in our community who shares a common bond around a game, a team and a city that we love. I know this will almost certainly be the eighth consecutive year since we made the playoffs. I hate that fact as much as anyone, but the reality is that this is only year four of the rebuild that started when we drafted Taylor Hall. The good news, if you can call it that, is that other teams that committed to fundamental rebuilds went through the same kind of droughts over the same kind of time frames, or longer. That doesnt make it fun for anyone; it just means we have to stay the course. Yes, we hoped and expected to be better this year – theres no question about that. But weve also been more active than any team I can think of in rebuilding our organization from bottom to top by supporting player development in OKC and Bakersfield, revamping our scouting organization, naming a new GM and a new coach, signing free agents like Justin Schultz, Boyd Gordon, Andrew Ference, Anton Belov and Ilya Bryzgalov, and trading for players like David Perron, and now Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks. And were not done. But I can also tell you that we are not going to sacrifice the future by doing something short-term. Those days are over and theyre not coming back. If were going to rebuild, we want to do it right and we only want to do it once. I hear a lot from fans about accountability, so lets be clear. We are all accountable. That includes me, Kevin, Craig, Dallas, every player who wears our jersey, and every member of our staff. I know Kevin is the target of a lot of personal attacks right now, and thats really unfortunate. Kevin is a big part of our organization, and its not just the Oilers that value his knowledge and perspective. He is consistently chosen, year after year, to play a leadership role with Hockey Canada. But when it comes down to it, this is Craig MacTavishs team. He is the GM. He makes the calls, and he is accountable for building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup -- year in and year out for years to come. Thats our vision. We are committed to it -- and were confident that we are on the right track. Our fans have been incredibly patient and supportive. At the same time, we know theres a lot of frustration and we are asking you to hang in there while we fight through this and put the next few pieces of the team in place. Ill tell you this, despite everything, we all wear our Oilers colours with the same pride now as we ever have, and as we will when were back on top. We hope youll do the same. We value our fans, we hear you, and we appreciate your support. Daryl Katz ' ' '