ings not right about this." Gretzky then told a story about goi

ATLANTA - With their season on the verge of slipping away, the Atlanta Hawks arent going for style points, theyre just glad to string together a couple of wins. Kyle Korver scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta beat the Milwaukee Bucks 102-97 Thursday night for the Hawks first back-to-back victories in nearly six weeks. The Hawks (28-35) expanded their lead over the surging Knicks (26-40) for the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the East to 3 1/2 games. Their victory over the team with the worst record in the NBA followed Mondays 104-102 victory over Utah, the team with the worst record in the Western Conference. Like the Bucks (13-52), the Hawks entered the game having lost 14 of 16, and their first home game after a six-game road trip had an odd feel. "The last two havent been pretty, but theyre wins and its two in a row so were going to try to build on that," said Korver, who was 4 for 4 from the foul line and 3 for 4 from the field in the final period, including 2 for 3 on 3-pointers. "The first game back after a (long) road trip is notoriously a trap game, and I think we fell for it a bit in the first half and didnt come out with the right energy and focus, at least I didnt." Korvers backcourt mate, Jeff Teague, scored 22 points with eight in a final period that saw 12 lead changes and four ties. The Hawks took the lead for good when Korvers 3-pointer gave them a 90-89 edge with 2:15 left. That came moments after Korver missed from long distance, and reserve centre Elton Brand grabbed the rebound and fired it back to the sharpshooter. That play more than any ruined the Atlanta homecoming of Bucks coach Larry Drew, who was the Hawks head coach from 2010-13. He was not asked to return for the final season of his contract, although Atlanta never officially fired him. "If we come up with that rebound were not in that position," Drew said. "You cant leave a guy like that that open. Or even put him in that position, because Kyle is, if not the best shooter, hes one of the top three in our league." Korvers 3 triggered a 9-0 run that was punctuated by Teagues thunderous dunk with 27 second remaining for a 96-89 lead. Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, and guard Brandon Knight added 20 points. Every Atlanta starter, even centre Pero Antic, made at least one 3-pointer. The Hawks were 13 for 29 from beyond the arc. Milwaukee had just eight turnovers and a modest 43-41 rebounding edge, but went 3 for 19 on 3-point attempts. Trailing 53-47 at halftime, the Hawks took a 68-67 lead by closing the third quarter with a 9-0 run during which they made four straight shots. Milwaukee shot 4 for 21 in the period, and scored one point over the final 4:08 of a 14-point quarter. "Our defence picked us up and allowed us to get back in the game," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We keep talking about being better defensively, and at some point weve got to carry it over to the court." Both teams found energy in the final quarter, when the Hawks outscored the Bucks 34-30. Teague, who pitched in eight assists but also committed seven turnovers, was happy with the win because, he said, "Nobody is bad in the NBA. On any given night, anybody can beat anybody." Budenholzer was more mindful of Atlantas opponent. He did not consider his team to be back on track. "No; not really. I think were going to have to play a whole lot better than this going forward," Budenholzer said. "Wins are important ... but I dont think anybody thinks were settled." NOTES: Hawks centre Al Horford, who has been out since tearing his right pectoral muscle Dec. 26 in an overtime win at Cleveland, said he will not return to play this seven even if Atlanta makes the playoffs. He returned after suffering a similar injury to his left pectoral in 2011-12. "No. I think it would be hard. This injury, honestly, was a little more severe than the other one," he explained in his first meeting with reporters since the injury. "And its my right side, shooting arm, and I need to feel 100 per cent confident with it, so I think its going to be a little bit slower." Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys .J. - New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara left Monday nights game against the Indianapolis Colts with a torn biceps. Cheap Vikings Jerseys .com) - Darius Carter and Ron Baker scored 18 points apiece to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Evansville 61-41 on Saturday. http://www.cheapvikingsjerseyselite.com/ . But luckily for the Canadian squad, one goal was all it needed. Winnipegs Sophie Schmidt scored the winner off a Diana Matheson corner kick to seal Canadas third-place spot in the Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino in Brazil on Sunday. Cheap Vikings Jerseys Authentic . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Cheap Vikings Jerseys China . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate). Before the hockey town that Wayne Gretzky built hosted its first outdoor game at Dodger Stadium, The Great One made a rare Hollywood move by going on "Conan" to promote it. In an 11-minute interview on the late-night show with host Conan OBrien, Gretzky reflected on his trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, his guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and several aspects of his on-ice playing career. Beyond all his records and his place in hockey history, Gretzkys Hollywood persona wouldnt have been as pronounced if it were not for that trade 25 1/2 years ago. "It was hard for especially people in Edmonton because they werent just fans, they were friends of mine. A lot of the people that go to all the games, I knew from all the years of being in Edmonton," Gretzky said of the deal. "So it was difficult for everyone. But you look back at it now and everything happens for a reason and we love it here in L.A. and the NHL is thriving here and everyone seems to be doing OK." The Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup in 1990 without Gretzky and made it to the final in 2006 before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Kings made it to the final in 1993 with Gretzky before losing to the Montreal Canadiens, then won their first title in franchise history in 2012. Edmonton hasnt made the playoffs since 2006 and is still in a rebuilding stage. Just now is a new downtown arena under construction. But Gretzky was on "Conan" for the NHLs Stadium Series debut, which is Saturday between the Kings and the league-leading Anaheim Ducks. He called the game happening at Dodger Stadium a "real big dream." Even before this promotional tour, the "Great One" said he was an advocate of outdoor hockey in Los Angeles. "Id love to see an outdoor game in L.A. because we see the Winter Classic and the Heritage Classic with the snow and thats all wonderful. But a big part of our game, too, now and the success of the National Hockey League is California and places like that," Gretzky said before the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. "Its going to be wonderful to see people sitting at Dodger Stadium when its 65 degrees (F) and theyre sitting there in shorts and T-shirts and enjoying a National Hockey League game. I think its going to be wonderful for our sport." It should be roughly 19 C (66 F) when the puck drops around 6:30 Pacific time Saturday night. When Gretzky and the Kings faced the New York Rangers in an exhibition game in Las Vegas in 1991, temperatures ranged between 29 and 35 C. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said after a California heat wave last week he was looking forward to cooler temperatures for this game. "I think its going to be completely unique and its going to be tremendous playing in 60-degree weather outside under the stars," Boudreau said. "I think a lot of people will be real interested to see how that works." Ice technology has improved drastically in the 22-plus years since that Las Vegas game. As Gretzky acknowledged during his appearance on "Conan," so has the NHL, in general. OBrien asked Gretzky about a so-called unwritten rule that opponents wouldnt hit him, which the former Kings captain refuted. "I didnt get hit as much as people probably wanted me to get hit, especially on the opposing teams," Gretzky said. "I knew it was time to retire when I was playing my last year and people I was playing against before they wouuld hit me, they would scream my name or say, Hey, heads up or, Wayne, get out of the way, or Here we are.dddddddddddd I remember thinking, Wow, somethings not right about this." Gretzky then told a story about going to a game with his wife and two sons and sitting in the front row when one of them said to their mother: "Be really honest, did dad really play in this league?" When Gretzky did play in the NHL, he set career records with 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points and single-season ones along the way, including 92 goals in 1981-82. OBrien asked if Gretzky thought "some punk kid" was going to come along and score 93 in a season. "Records are made to be broken," Gretzky said. "When I grew up my idol was Gordie Howe, and he couldnt have been any nicer, couldnt have been any better. He was just a really good man. When I broke his records, he was always the first guy there. "So if anybody ever breaks my records, Ill be the first guy to shake his hand. The players are good today, theres a lot of good players. Nevers a long time." Gretzky went on to say his record he believes will be the hardest to break is 50 goals in 39 games, "because 50 goals in 38 games is a lot of goals." "Yes," OBrien responded. "Thats pretty good. Well see." Gretzky said that being the smallest but never the fastest or toughest player at any point of his hockey-playing career made him consistent in his style. When OBrien brought up the topic of "Gretzkys Office," and his penchant to control the flow of play from behind the net, Gretzky credited Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke. "I had a coach when I was 14 years old that said: Go watch this guy Bobby Clarke play and watch how he plays. Hes not very big, hes smart, he passes the puck and he plays sort of from the corner and a little bit behind the net," Gretzky recalled. "So at the age of 14 I started watching him day in and day out. "He probably had the most influence on my career as far as learning how to play the game and the style of game that I played. I learned to play behind the net, and when I started doing that, it was so unique. Nobody had ever tried to defend that. And so I was able to really master it and become really good at it, and that was sort of my forte." Hockey sense, Gretzky said, was also a strength. Singing, not so much. OBrien mentioned that the first time he met Gretzky came in 1989 on the set of "Saturday Night Live." Although Gretzky originally turned down the appearance, his wife, Janet, accepted for him. On the show, Gretzky had to sing a song called "Waikiki Hockey," despite being, in his words, "tone deaf." "The funny part of the scene was they had this little piece of meat and I was sort of supposed to hit it," Gretzky said. "And I hit it right into a garbage can. I think everybody was shocked that I put it in the garbage can. It was just completely by accident." OBrien, who served as an extra in that scene 25 years ago, joked that "Everyone thought, He is the great one, he can fire meat at will." But that was acting, which Gretzky wasnt trying to be great at after going to Los Angeles. "Athletes come here and they want to be actors sometimes," Gretzky said. "But I never wanted to act, I wanted to be a hockey player." Follow (at)SWhyno on Twitter. Its a real big dream for me. hockeys come a long way. 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