Allgemeines » Aliya Mustafina figures everybody

WASHINGTON -- The scoreboard wasnt working at the outset, when there were thousands of empty seats and the fans that did show up were quiet as can be, so the arena announcer pierced the silence Thursday night, telling the small gathering by just how much the mediocre Washington Wizards were trailing the Denver Nuggets, basket after basket.It was kind of, like, a gloomy feel, Denvers Wilson Chandler said.Eventually, the overhead electronic display began functioning, and when Wizards guard Bradley Beals airball led to a shot-clock violation with the hosts already down 12 and proud owners of seven turnovers and two made baskets, the till-then mum spectators mustered the energy to boo the home team.It was that kind of night for the Wizards until the second half, when it became that sort of night for the Nuggets. Washington erased a double-digit deficit and, thanks to Beals 26 points and Denvers season-high 29 turnovers, beat the Nuggets 92-85.Washington is 8-13. The Nuggets lost for the fifth time in six games, dropping to 8-15.This was not a marquee matchup, by any definition, and the atmosphere was apt. The announced attendance was 12,645 -- about 7,000 shy of a sellout. At tipoff, fewer were there. The scoreboard was stuck at 0-0 for several minutes, which kind of bugged us, Beal said.The place had all the verve of a library.You always want that sixth man, that disadvantage to the other squad, Beal said. But at the same time, were all grown men, were all NBA players, this is our job, and at the end of the day, we have to go out there and play the game ... if theres one fan or 30,000.John Wall scored only 15 points one game after a career-best 52, but nine came in the fourth quarter.With starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay inactive because of a sprained right ankle, and leading rebounder Kenneth Faried on the bench throughout, the Nuggets went 5 1/2 minutes without a point in the fourth quarter. In that period, they had 10 turnovers and shot 1 for 14 on 3-pointers.Washington coach Scott Brooks keeps lamenting no-effort defense from his team, which allowed 124 points in a loss to Orlando on Tuesday.We were disappointed in ourselves last game. All of us, Brooks said. Its only one game, but we did play better defense.Nuggets coach Michael Malone attributed his teams 12-point fourth quarter mainly to fatigue on the second game of a back-to-back.Not taking anything away from their team, I thought a lot of our turnovers were self-inflicted, Malone said, and when you get tired, you start to make mistakes, mental mistakes.TIP-INSNuggets: Nikola Jokic scored 17 points. ... Denver led 22-8 in the first quarter and 52-47 at halftime. ... Previous season-high was 25 turnovers.Wizards: Wall drew a technical foul for hitting Jusuf Nurkic with a forearm in the third quarter. ... Washington is 6-6 at home, 2-7 on the road.DENVERS CHANGESMudiay missed a game for the first time all season. Hes fourth on Denver in scoring (13.1), second in assists (3.8). He went out and tried to warm up before the game, Malone said. Just wasnt feeling right. Farieds minutes, declining recently, went to zero Thursday. By no means is Kenneth Faried out of our rotation or not going to play for us, Malone said.LEADERSHIPAsked who takes care of holding teammates accountable when things dont go well, Wizards F Markieff Morris replied: Wall is the voice and Im like the muscle.UP NEXTNuggets: At Orlando on Saturday night.Wizards: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night. Dominique Wilkins Jersey Large . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Custom Hawks T-shirts . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. http://www.customhawksjersey.com/ . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Hawks Jerseys China . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Authentic Custom Hawks Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. RIO DE JANEIRO -- The nerves were there. Unmistakable. Unavoidable. Standing in the darkened tunnel before entering Rio Olympic Arena on Sunday night, the U.S. womens gymnastics team felt the pressure that comes not from outside expectations but those held within.Then the lights came on.And just like that, the young women in the glittery red-and-blue leotards national team coordinator Martha Karolyi has molded into a global force relaxed.And dominated.On bars. On beam. On vault and floor too. Their not-a-typo score of 185.238 was nearly 10 points better than second-place China through four of the five subdivisions, a preposterous gap in a sport where the difference between first and second is measured in fractions.Its never 100 percent perfect but I think we showed that our gymnastics is of the highest level, national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said.One no opponent is close to reaching. If the U.S. had swapped out its highest score on each event with its lowest, it would still be up by six points.Three-time world champion Simone Biles led the way. Her score of 62.366 was well clear of teammate Aly Raisman. So much for the butterflies in her stomach.I do a very good job at hiding it, Biles said. The team, we just calm it down.Consider it a luxury of being so far beyond the rest of the planet. All five women earned a spot in either the all-around or event finals, or in the case of Biles and Raisman, both.Raisman, a three-time Olympic medalist four years ago, grabbed the second spot in the individual all-around for the Americans by edging reigning Olympic champion Gabby Douglas thanks in part to what Raisman called the best bar routine of my life.Rules limit each country to two gymnasts per event in the all-around and event finals, meaning even though Douglas was third overall, shell miss out on a chance to defend the crown she won in London. Not that she was moping. When Raisman drilled her dismount on beam, Douglas rrose from her chair and gave Raisman a hug.dddddddddddd controversial selection to the five-woman team after a so-so performance at Olympic trials, Douglas validated Karolyis choice with steady performances all over, including a bars set that earned her a spot in the individual finals.She said I believe in you, and you can go out and do it, Douglas said. At the end of the day that means so much ... because shes very precise. It feels good.The top eight teams in qualifying move on to Tuesdays team final, where the U.S. is expected to repeat the gold it won easily in London and give it to Karolyi as a retirement present. Karolyi is stepping away after the games, though shes hardly in a hurry to get there. There are still a few more lessons to teach.My expectations are higher for you than anyone elses, she said. What Im trying to do is get the most out of every single person.No wonder Russian gymnastics star Aliya Mustafina figures everybody is playing for silver.Its going to be really difficult to compete against the American team, Mustafina said through a translator after the Russians survived a sometimes shaky qualifying session. They are unbeatable at the moment.China and Russia both struggled at times on Sunday, beset by mistakes they cant afford to make if they want to make the team finals anything more than a coronation. While each have their strengths, the truth is the U.S. has few weaknesses. The margin for error will be thinner in the three-up, three-count final. Yet after the U.S. went 16 for 16 during an occasionally showstopping 90 minutes, they hardly seem overburdened by the stakes.I think all of our hard work was just to show the world, said Madison Kocian, who put up the top score on uneven bars. I mean were 10 points ahead.Something thats not supposed to happen.Good luck world. ' ' '