Dein erstes Forum » Maple Leafs have taken four straight from Ed

LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers have been giving playoff-contending teams more trouble over the past week than clubs that are way out of contention -- like themselves. Chris Kaman had a season-high 28 points along with 17 rebounds while starting at centre for the vertigo-stricken Pau Gasol, Jodie Meeks scored 22 points, and Los Angeles snapped the Phoenix Suns six-game winning streak with a 115-99 victory Sunday night. It came just five days after the Lakers put a crimp in the New York Knicks post-season plans with a 31-point drubbing at Staples Center. In between that game and this one were a pair of road losses to the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat the Lakers by 36 points Friday night. "Were trying to be the player-haters of the year. Thats definitely what were trying to do, and we embrace it," said point guard Kendall Marshall, who had 13 points and 11 assists. "We want to keep teams out of the playoffs and mess up seedings. Thats our motivation right now. Any type of motivation we can get to grow as a team is good for us right now." The undermanned Lakers shot 53 per cent from the field, avoiding what would have been Phoenixs first season sweep over them since 2004-05. The Suns won the first three meetings by an average margin of 13.3 points, including a 117-90 rout on Dec. 23 at US Airways Center. This was the first meeting between the teams in 2 1/2 months. "I dont know if we had a single guy who came with the energy that they usually have," coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Weve had games like this before, where they think theyre just going to show up and win a game. Were not good enough to do that. These guys have been winning games lately because theyve been focused in, but tonight they just werent." The 25-48 Lakers beat a team with a winning record for only the eighth time all season. Gasol missed his fourth straight game because of his ailment, joining Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Xavier Henry and Jordan Farmar on the inactive list. Gerald Green scored 22 points off the bench and Goran Dragic added 17 for the Suns, who missed their first 11 shots from 3-point range and finished 8-for-36 from behind the arc against a defence that came in having allowed an average of 119.1 in their previous 16 games and 108.9 overall -- second-worst in the league behind Philadelphia. The Suns shot 38.5 per cent overall. "Theyre not shooting them to miss them," an agitated Hornacek said. "They all thought they were going to make them, and its not always going to be there. So at that point, quit shooting them and drive to the basket." The Suns first loss since March 17 at Brooklyn dropped them to 44-30 and put them into a tie with idle Dallas for seventh place in the Western Conference standings, a half-game ahead of Memphis. "Our schedule gets a lot harder after this," Hornacek said. "Play all the top teams now in the next six or seven games, so thats why this game was so important. I mean, if this happens against Oklahoma City or the Clippers, then fine. But this team is not a playoff team, so thats why its disappointing." Kaman, an 11-year veteran in his first season with the Lakers, secured his sixth double-double of the season before halftime with 18 points and 10 rebounds to help Los Angeles build a 61-43 lead at intermission. "Chris can do that. He has talent, and he came ready to play," coach Mike DAntoni said. Dragic, who came in with a team-best 20.6 scoring average, got seven of the Suns first 13 points -- but didnt get another until his driving layup with 8:39 left in the third quarter trimmed the Lakers lead to 70-48. The Suns, who came in fifth in the league in 3-point shooting at 37.7 per cent, didnt get their first one until Markieff Morris ended their drought with 8:45 left in the second quarter. His brother Marcus drained another one 34 seconds later and Green made a three-point play with 7:41 left in the half, tying it at 31 after Suns trailed by 13. But the Lakers responded with a 28-9 run that included nine points by Meeks, and Ryan Kelly capped the rally with a pair of free throws to give Los Angeles a 59-40 cushion with 1:06 left in the third. The Suns got no closer than 11 points with 3:43 to play. "They made a few runs and killed us. We didnt know how to stop them," Dragic said. "I think our intensity was really bad. Its like no one wants to play in the playoffs -- or at least it seems like that. " NOTES: The longest winning streak in Suns history was 17 games in 2006-07, under DAntoni. ... Kaman received a technical foul from referee Derrick Stafford after getting called for an offensive foul with the Lakers leading 80-55. ... The last time the Lakers hosted Phoenix on Dec. 10, they lost 114-108. That game was one of only six that Bryant has played in this season. ... The Suns are only 16-19 when Dragic is their high-point man. The rest of the time, they are 28-10. Air Max Baratas Outlet . The Giants chances of winning the division were dealt a serious blow by the three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Padres. The Giants open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. San Francisco is still in good shape to clinch a wild-card berth, although it dropped into a tie with Pittsburgh in the race for the top spot. Air Max Baratas Online .com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open. http://www.airmaxespanabaratas.es/ . And rest hardly led to rust for the two-time defending NBA champions. Air Max Por Mayor . - A pitch clock will be used this season during minor league games at Triple-A and Double-A, but it has been ruled out for the major leagues this year. Air Max España . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U.(SportsNetwork.com) - The struggling Edmonton Oilers will try to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs in Tuesdays clash at Rexall Place. The Oilers will a key contributor back their lineup as centre Sam Gagner is expected to return after missing the last 13 games due to a broken jaw suffered in the preseason. The Oilers are 0-2-1 over their last three games and have lost eight of their last 10 contests. Edmonton used a strong performance by goaltender Richard Bachman in their last contest to eke out a point in a shootout loss against the Los Angeles Kings. Bachman made 47 saves through regulation and overtime in Sundays road game, but then allowed Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar to score for the Kings in the shootout phase. "I liked the way we stayed in the fight," Edmonton head coach Dallas Eakins said. "We were under siege, especially in the third. I dont think the guys had a lot left in the tank, but Bachman was excellent." Nail Yakupov scored the lone goal for the Oilers in regulation and Jordan Eberle was the only Edmonton shooter to beat Jonathan Quick in the shootout portion. The Oilers enter Tuessdays home test with a 1-3-0 record on home ice and the Maple Leafs have won two straight and four of their last five games in Edmonton.dddddddddddd The Maple Leafs have taken four straight from Edmonton in this series overall, but the last two meetings were decided in overtime. Toronto is coming off Saturdays win against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Nazem Kadri potted the game winner just 1:26 into the final period to help the Maple Leafs down the Penguins, 4-1, at Air Canada Centre. Dave Bolland added two goals, Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist and James Reimer turned away 37 shots for the Maple Leafs, who had dropped three of four coming into the game. "I felt good. There wasnt too much rust. I felt comfortable and the guys played a great game," Reimer said. Reimer is expected to start in goal this evening. The Maple Leafs played their second straight game without key forward Joffrey Lupul on Saturday and the winger is a game-time decision for tonights contest. The oft-injured Lupul, who has six goals and four assists this season, is battling a bruised foot. Toronto is kicking off a three-game road trip tonight and is 3-2-0 as the visiting team this season. ' ' '