Dein erstes Forum » nation in both scoring defense (45.8 ppg)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Blake Griffin buried bank shots, turnaround jumpers and spinning layups. DeAndre Jordan gobbled up rebounds and opposing shots, often flexing his muscles and letting out a roar. The high-flying finishers who spawned the nickname "Lob City" are doing far more than dunking in the playoffs. The frontcourt tandem has carried the Clippers to a 2-1 lead in their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, who have found no answer for either with centre Andrew Bogut out with a fractured right rib. "Just two animals out there just beastin right now," Clippers guard Darren Collison said. And both are finally performing in places they havent always flourished -- on defence, in the playoffs and at the most pivotal points of games. Since losing Game 1 in Los Angeles, Griffin has dominated David Lee and every other defender the Warriors have thrown his way. And Jordan -- who tied a franchise playoff record with 22 rebounds and five blocks in the Clippers 98-96 win in Game 3 on Thursday night -- has been the kind of rim protector coach Doc Rivers had long believed he could become. The two big men, both just 25 years old, have caused so much disruption that Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Friday hes considering changing his starting lineup for Game 4 on Sunday. The most likely swap would insert Draymond Green at power forward and push Lee to centre for Jermaine ONeal in a smaller, quicker lineup. "Weve got to figure out a way to present some resistance. I think things are going a little too smoothly for Blake," Jackson said during a light shootaround at Golden States downtown Oakland headquarters. Griffin has scored 32 and 35 points the past two games, respectively. Hes shooting 64 per cent from the floor in the series and has been at his best in the biggest spots. The All-Star power forward made five straight baskets -- three bank shots, a mid-range jumper and a short turnaround -- against Lee to open the third quarter in Game 3, part of a run that put the Clippers ahead by 18 points. "Just continuing to believe," Griffin said, speaking to reporters at the teams downtown San Francisco hotel Friday. "My teammates give me the confidence to go out there and shoot every time Im open." Lee promised hed be better against Griffin in Game 4. He has mostly been tasked with guarding Griffin by himself, though Jackson hinted more double-teams might be on the horizon. "Hes playing at a high level right now," Jackson said. "We forced him to be a jump shooter, and hes making jump shots. On the block, hes aggressive. Hes having an outstanding series capping off an outstanding year." While Griffins star has shined brightest, Jordan has been the insult-to-injury figure. The Warriors tried to lure Jordan away from Los Angeles in the summer of 2011, signing him to a four-year, $43 million offer sheet as a restricted free agent. Instead, the Clippers matched the deal. Now the Warriors -- who waived Jeremy Lin and amnestied Charlie Bell to make room for the offer -- can only watch Jordan make a major difference on defence while Bogut -- acquired in a trade with Milwaukee in March 2012 to be Golden States franchise centre -- sits out with another injury. Three years ago, though, Jordans game was not nearly what it is now. Jordan fell out of favour at times under former coach Vinny Del Negro, who was let go after the Clippers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of last years playoffs. Jordans rising game speaks to the Clippers commitment on defence under Rivers, who challenged the young centre to focus on rebounding and protecting the rim this season. Jordan finished third in voting for the NBAs defensive player of the year award behind winner Joakim Noah of Chicago and runner-up Roy Hibbert of Indiana. "These guys really rely on me a lot defensively, and when Im out there, they have all the confidence in the world in me," Jordan said. "So its definitely a huge step for me in my career, but at the same time, its always something to build on and its more motivation for me. As long as Im my teams defensive MVP, thats all that matters to me." Cheap NFL Jerseys . - Zac Leslie scored two goals and assisted on two more, and Justin Nichols made 34 saves as the Guelph Storm blanked the Kitchener Rangers 6-0 in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday. NFL Jerseys From China . -- Fantasy football owners and Denver Broncos fans can rest easy: Peyton Manning is back. http://www.nfljerseyswholesaleforsale.com/ . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. Getting Creative The Pittsburgh Penguins will try their best to acquire Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks before the Trade Deadline. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Paul George and Darren Collison each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers (9-3), who won their third straight.Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will put their unblemished record in harms way on Saturday afternoon, as they play host to the 21st-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels at Rupp Arena. John Caliparis Wildcats have opened the season with 10 straight wins to solidify their position atop the national polls. Kentucky was last in action on Tuesday and may have shown some chinks in the armor, with a rather bland 56-46 victory over Columbia. This game closes out an eight-game homestand for the Wildcats, who will tangle with UCLA in Chicago next week. Roy Williams Tar Heels have a pair of losses on the season, falling to Butler (74-66) and Iowa (60-55). However, the team got back in the win column and moved to 6-2 on the season with Sundays 108-64 rout of East Carolina. This game begins a three-game road trip that has UNC playing at UNCG and against Ohio State in Chicago next week. North Carolina holds a 23-13 advantage in the all-time series with Kentucky and won last years matchup in Chapel Hill, 82-77. When North Carolina is at its best, it dominates play at both ends of the floor. The Tar Heels enter this contest averaging a hefty 81.6 ppg and boast of an impressive +17.8 scoring margin. The team also lives comfortably in terms of rebounding (+6.8) and turnover margin (+3.0). The starting five has been instrumental in UNCs success thus far, as the entire set averages double figures. Marcus Paige leads the perimeter assault with a team-best 14.0 ppg. Kennedy Meeks has been a monster in the paint, delivering on nearly 64 percent of his shots and averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per outing. Further scoring depth comes in the form of Brice Johnson (11.3 ppg), Justin Jackson (10.44 ppg) and J.ddddddddddddP. Tokoto (10.0 ppg). The Tar Heels erupted for a season-high 108 points last time out, blowing past East Carolina. UNC shot 60 percent from the floor, including a scorching 71.9 percent in the second half, where they tallied a whopping 60 points. Johnson (19 pts, 17 rebs) and Meeks (12 pts, 11 rebs) both posted double-doubles. Tokoto poured in 19 points and doled out eight assists, while Nate Britt tacked on 10 points off the bench. The Wildcats have dominated the competition this season thanks to stifling defensive play. Kentucky leads the nation in both scoring defense (45.8 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.287), while also outrebounding foes (+12.4) and forcing more turnovers (+6.2). A young team did take a hit in terms of its veteran leadership this week however, as big man Alex Poythress suffered a torn ACL on Thursday and is lost for the season. Kentucky still has plenty of talent in the frontcourt to assuage the loss, with junior Willie Cauley-Stein (10.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg), sophomore Dakari Johnson (9.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and freshman Karl-Anthony Towns (9.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.8 bpg). Balance comes in the form of guards Aaron Harrison (9.8 ppg), Devin Booker (8.4 ppg) and Andrew Harrison (7.3 ppg, 3.7 apg). The usually efficient Wildcats really struggled offensively against Columbia last time out, shooting a mere .367 from the floor, a number weighed down by an ugly 2-of-17 effort from behind the arc (.118). However, Kentucky did own a huge advantage over the Lions on the boards (41-28) and held Columbia to just .375 shooting efficiency. Aaron Harrison led the team with 14 points in the win. Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double for Kentucky, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. ' ' '