mbinations to get the Americans into the World C

Fighting back from a double-digit deficit to make a final score respectable against an elite Western Conference team might have been seen as a moral victory for the Los Angeles Lakers in recent seasons.Especially when their loss totals were 61 and 65.This year, the young Lakers are not accepting losing a close game or making a score more respectable.Los Angeles is in the beginning stages of a difficult stretch of its schedule that might give a clearer idea about how it stacks up and it continues Sunday night when it hosts the Chicago Bulls.Los Angeles has won seven of its first 13 games with notable wins over the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers had a chance at another noteworthy win Friday but ultimately could not stop the San Antonio Spurs from making enough big shots in a 116-107 loss.Los Angeles was tied with the Spurs early in the third quarter and fell behind by as many as 15 before making the final margin closer.Last year, we would have been out of this game if we were down by that much, Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson said. Were out here to compete every night now. Were not OK with any loss.Friday was the first of a hellacious week for the Lakers. After facing Chicago, Los Angeles hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder, plays a home-and-home with Golden State and hosts Atlanta before playing 12 of its next 15 games on the road.Regardless of their feelings, the Lakers may play Sunday without second-year guard DAngelo Russell. Russell missed Fridays game with a sore left knee and coach Luke Walton does not expect it to be a long-term problem.It makes it really hard, Lakers forward Julius Randle said. (Russell) gets us in our stuff, obviously can really score the ball. Hes a great leader for us.Russell did not practice Saturday and received treatment on the knee. He will be re-evaluated Sunday and is listed as questionable.His knee has been bothering him (but) hes been playing through it, Walton said. It started hurting more, so they decided last night when he got to the arena to shut him down.Russell leads the Lakers with 16.8 points per game, slightly ahead of veteran Lou Williams. Williams scored 24 Friday and has helped the Los Angeles reserves lead the league in scoring at 51 points.Chicago had its four-game winning streak stopped by imploding in the fourth quarter of a 102-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night. The Bulls led by 19 in the second quarter but allowed 30 points in the fourth and made one basket in the final 6 1/2 minutes.Dwyane Wade scored 28 points but shot 9-of-20, including 1-of-5 in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler added 22 but was even more inefficient by shooting 5-of-18.It was a good night for us, we just didnt come out with the win, Wade said. Its the NBA, leads are whatever. Id rather have a 19-point lead in the second half. Im not all about the 20-point leads in the first half, especially on the road. A team is going to come back and the game is going to turn in their favor.Saturday was even more frustrating for Chicago as coach Fred Hoiberg was ejected in the waning seconds after Taj Gibson got called for a technical foul. That came shortly after Butler was called for a questionable foul on Blake Griffin as the shot clock was winding down, resulting in a four-point deficit from the foul shots.Chicago also lost for the first time when taking a lead into the fourth quarter and the collapse cost the Bulls their first 3-0 start to their annual circus trip since 1995.Chicago has swept the season series with the Lakers in two of the last three seasons. 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Detroit Pistons Jerseys . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others.EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Brek Shea didnt expect to get off the bench Tuesday night. When he did, he grabbed the role of hero for the United States. Shea, who struggled in an earlier Gold Cup appearance, scored his first international goal off a feed from Landon Donovan in the 82nd minute, giving the United States a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica and the top spot in its group. Seconds after Sean Johnson made a brilliant save off a corner kick, Joe Corona cleared the ball, setting up the winning sequence. The veteran Donovan, trying to work his way back into a starring role on the national team after a self-imposed hiatus, took the ball on the right side. He quickly spotted Shea, who came on just five minutes earlier, streaking down the middle. Donovans pass hit Shea in stride, and the Stoke City player sent a left-footed shot from 15 yards off goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton for the winner, the Americans eighth straight victory, a team record. "Its good," Shea said, downplaying his massive contribution after struggling earlier in the tournament. "First U.S. goal, only goal of the game, it wins the group. Really good. "I still prepare the same way, but honestly, no," he added when asked if he thought coach Jurgen Klinsmann would use him. Klinsmann did call on Shea, showing faith in a player who has had his ups and downs in the national program. "We have a lot of young players coming through the ranks," Klinsmann said. "All these players, we need to carefully build them and support them when things go wrong. Eventually, it will pay off." The Americans will play El Salvador in the quarterfinals Sunday in Baltimore, while Costa Rica meets Honduras in the knockout round. Sheas goal broke a 785-minute string without being scored upon for Costa Rica. It followed Johnson, considered a fourth-stringer at best in the net for the United States, making a clutch stop on Carlos Johnson. "Once I made the save, we just tried to get it out of there," Sean Johnson said. "Then I saw it cleared and were breaking the other way. It created an opportunity and we finished it." The match was played in slightly different conditions than the last time the nations met. That was in a blizzard in Denver, with the United States edging Costa Rica 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Tuesday night, there was plenty of moisture on the pitch just before kickoff, buut it came from sprinklers trying to keep the turf in shape during a northeastern heat wave.dddddddddddd With both sides already having clinched moving on in the CONCACAF championship, not much happened offensively until late in the match in front of 25,432. Early in the second half, Costa Rica captain Pemberton came out of his net, collided with a teammate outside the area and then had the ball hit him squarely in the hands. He was given only a yellow card, however, then immediately made saves on Jose Torres curling free kick and Donovans shot off a rebound. That sequence opened up play for a while, but then it deteriorated into sloppiness and some roughness in midfield between teams with no love lost. U.S. captain DaMarcus Beasley took a nasty spill and was run over by Rodney Wallace early in the match. A woozy Beasley sat out three minutes before returning -- and almost immediately stripped the ball from Wallace. His teammates struggled to link up, showing their lack of familiarity with each other, through the first 20 minutes. Klinsmanns charge is to find the right combinations to get the Americans into the World Cup -- they lead CONCACAF qualifying through six games with 13 points, while Costa Rica is next with 11 -- and then perform well in Brazil. Hes using the Gold Cup to test as many players as possible, while giving most of the national team regulars who have done so well in qualifying a breather. "Its good giving them a taste of these kind of battles," Klinsmann said of using multiple lineups. "Well keep on building this and giving them opportunities whenever possible." Neither goalkeeper was particularly threatened until U.S. defender Clarence Goodson got free on the left side of the box late in the first half. His left-footed drive was deflected out of bounds by the defence. Costa Rica played a tightly packed defensive style for much of the match, but coach Jorge Luis Pinto felt his players handled themselves well. "The only thing we lacked was getting the goal," Pinto said. "The United States got the goal, we didnt." Notes: The other quarterfinals have Mexico vs. Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba vs. Panama on Saturday in Atlanta. ... Costa Rica had won eight straight internationals. ... The shutout was the first against the Ticos in 12 Gold Cup matches. ... The United States is 13-12-6 all-time against Costa Rica. ' ' '