SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs have locked up another No. cheap jerseys from china . 1 seed. Now comes trying not to blow it again. Tim Duncan scored 18 points in what might have been his last game before the playoffs start this weekend, now that the Spurs have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference after beating the Portland Trail Blazers 124-89 on Monday night. The Spurs won their eighth straight but wont care about the streak or little else with two now-meaningless regular season games left. All that will matter is their Big Three reaching the post-season fully healthy for the first time since 2008, and that likely means an easy week ahead for Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. "Its great to be in that situation, but as we showed last year, someone can sneak up and take you out easily," Duncan said. "Hopefully we get a much better effort this year and do a much better job this year, and we stay away from those injuries." After cruising to the No. 1 spot last season against all expectations, the Spurs bowed out as just the fourth top seed to lose in the first round. This latest one -- their sixth top seed in the Duncan era -- is somehow even more surprising. Two days before Duncan turns 36, the NBAs standard-bearers beat out the young Oklahoma City Thunder for ultimate home-court advantage. Wesley Matthews had 24 points for the Trail Blazers, who lost their sixth straight and have one game left in a tumultuous season in which the franchise effectively hit the reset button. J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Raymond Felton scored 13 points and Jonny Flynn had 10 on a night when the injury-depleted Trail Blazers again only used nine players. "If we knew we were going into the playoffs, of course were going to keep playing," Matthews said. "But now, short-handed, nine players -- Im never going to say Im looking forward to not playing basketball. But the seasons winding down for us and we got one more left." San Antonio could also know its first-round opponent as early as Tuesday. Thats when Phoenix plays at Utah in a game that could decide the No. 8 seed. Danny Green also had 18 points for the Spurs, while Parker scored 13 and Stephen Jackson and Gary Neal both added 12. Neal left in the fourth quarter clutching his shoulder after colliding with Portlands Kurt Thomas. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said X-rays were negative and called it a stinger. Duncan wouldnt predict how Popovich would set his lineup the rest of the week to prevent any other scares. "Obviously, we dont want to do to go into a game somebody get hurt from some silly play," Duncan said. Portland is skidding toward a merciful end of its first season out of the playoffs in four years. Their losing streak is at a season high and interim coach Kaleb Canales -- who grew up two hours south in the border city of Laredo -- was humiliated in his homecoming. "It was a great challenge for us coming in, playing a team that had a lot to play for tonight. Were getting thrown into the fire and we just didnt respond on the defensive end of the floor," Canales said. It was the Trail Blazers most lopsided defeat since Canales took over in March after Nate McMillan was fired. Before the game Canales, the NBAs first Mexican-American coach, played down the emotion of being home with a caravan of friends and family watching in the stands. Not to mention working down the bench from the coach who taught him basketball basics as a kid. Canales is 33. Popovich, when he was an assistant under then-Spurs coach Larry Brown in the late 1980s, would join other Spurs coaches and players on promotional bus tours along the Texas border to drum up interest. Popovich still recalls one of the youngsters at a stop outside a Laredo grocery store. "I taught him all he knows as far as dribbling skills are concerned in the parking lot at the H-E-B," Popovich said. Notes: The 35-point win tied for San Antonios biggest blowout this season. ...Canales said he cold-called Spurs general manager R.C. Buford while trying to get his break in the NBA. Buford had nothing for him, but Canales said he was nice enough to call back. nfl jerseys china . "I cant say much, we agreed not to say much, but talks are ongoing and Andrei wants to stay in Montreal," agent and former NHL player Sergei Berezin told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on ESPN.com on Friday. "Well see where it goes. Hes played 13 seasons with Montreal. wholesale jerseys .C. -- Bobcats centre Al Jefferson says hell play in Game 3 Saturday night against the Miami Heat.RALEIGH, N.C. -- Coach Kirk Muller and the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes are making the most of a makeshift lineup. Without No. 1 goalie Cam Ward and captain Eric Staal, the Hurricanes stretched their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night. "Momentum is a big thing," Muller said. Alexander Semin and Jeff Skinner both had a goal and an assist, and Anton Khudobin made 31 saves. Skinner netted the winner with 3:31 left on a shot from the right wing that slipped under goalie Carter Huttons pads for his team-leading 20th goal. He has scored six times during the winning streak. "Were just trying to keep this thing going right now," Skinner said. "Were being consistent in our game and playing solid for all 60 minutes." Patric Hornqvist had tied it for Nashville with a power-play goal at 6:46 of the third period when he tipped in the puck at the right post for his ninth goal. But the Predators, who had earned points in four straight games, dropped their third in a row. The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead on Semins goal 4:28 into the game. Semin gathered the puck from behind the net and sent a shot in off of Huttons back. Nashville coach Barry Trotz wasnt pleased with either goal allowed by Hutton. "I thought we really held them down to no chances," Trotz said. "We got zero saves. (Skinners goal) wasnt much of a shot at all." The Predators will now return to Nashville for a five-game homestand after an 0-3 trip. "We should have had five or six points out of this trip," Trotz said. "We camee away with two, and thats discouraging. cheap jerseys. We put ourselves in the position to get points, so we just need a save." Staal sat out after he sustained a lower-body injury Saturday night in a win at the New York Islanders. He could be sidelined for a few more days. Nashville, which avoided its first shutout against the Hurricanes, held a 32-25 shots advantage. The Predators went 1 for 2 on the power play and killed Carolinas two man-advantages. Khudobin, filling in for Ward, improved to 5-0 this season and helped the Hurricanes win both ends of a back-to-back set for the first time this season. "It wasnt easy at all," Khudobin said. "I was just doing my job, trying to stop the pucks. We know the situation right now with every game being important." Khudobin started his third straight game after missing 33 because of an ankle injury. Muller said it was a risk to go back to him after Khudobins 38-save effort against the Islanders. "We took a chance, three in four nights for him, but hes been playing well," Muller said. "We just went for it." The Hurricanes, in their third game in four nights, played well without Staal in the lineup. Staal, who missed his first game since Feb. 26, 2011, had played in 191 consecutive regular-season games -- the third longest streak in franchise history. He holds the team record of 349 straight games. NOTES: Skinner extended his point streak to five games. ... The Hurricanes activated D Jay Harrison from the injured list and placed Ward on it, retroactive to Dec. 31. ... Hornqvist moved into a tie for seventh place on the Predators career goal list. ' ' '
