several players in contention in the American Century Championship tour

HOUSTON - The Houston Rockets finished off the preseason with a solid defensive effort against the San Antonio Spurs.James Harden scored 25 points, and Houston used a big run before halftime to beat San Antonio 96-87 on Friday night.Harden struggled in the first half, going 2 for 9 from the field for five points. But he scored 20 in the third on 7-for-10 shooting, and then rested during the final period.The Rockets held the Spurs to 41 per cent shooting. They also forced 16 San Antonio turnovers, 13 in the first half.We got more physical, Houston coach Kevin McHale said. We got a little tighter. Everyone got into their guys. In the second, we had active hands and tried not to give them anything easy. Our defence has been solid as long as we keep our eyes on people and be aggressive.Isaiah Canaan had 18 points, including the final seven points after San Antonio had cut the lead to two. Terrence Jones had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza added 11 points and nine boards for the Rockets, who shot 42 per cent from the floor, including 15 of 35 from behind the arc.The Spurs did a good job of not giving up with the big lead we had, Canaan said. We just wanted to seal the deal, so I just made a couple shots to kind of put the icing on the cake.Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 19 points, and Danny Green scored 14. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker finished with eight points and 10 assists.We look very poor, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. We looked like were not very interested. Sure we look for our guys to kick it up a notch. We obviously dont want them to kick it down a notch.The Rockets used a 22-5 run over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the second to open a 49-32 halftime lead. Ariza had seven points in the surge.San Antonio had one field goal during Houstons big run, a Parker jumper with 6:52 remaining. The Spurs started the quarter 3 for 4 from the field but finished 1 of 11 and missed their final seven shots.Its the last preseason game, and I just cant wait until the season starts, Parker said. This was preseason, and it doesnt mean anything.The Spurs cut the lead down to two with two minutes left in the fourth on an Austin Daye 3-pointer, but they couldnt complete the comeback.Houston played without centre Dwight Howard, who suffered a laceration in his right forearm that required stitches. He is listed as day to day.TIP-INSSpurs: San Antonio signed forward Robert Vaden, who most recently played overseas for Belfius Mons-Hainault in Belgium, where he averaged nine points and 1.6 rebounds in 10 games this season. . San Antonio also signed forward Equan Edwin. Edwin, who played four seasons at Seton Hall, was on Oklahoma Citys Orlando summer league team.Rockets: Houston claimed forward Earl Clark off waivers and requested waivers for forward Josh Powell, general manager Daryl Morey announced.TIMEOUTPopovich used all five of his second-half timeouts in the third quarter. The Spurs were issued a technical in the fourth quarter for calling another timeout.UP NEXTThe Spurs and Rockets open the regular season on Tuesday night. San Antonio hosts Dallas, and Houston is at the Los Angeles Lakers. Wholesale Nike Air Max 90 . With Washington teammate Nene drawing double-teams coming off his big game against the Lakers, Gortat scored 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Wizards to a 100-92 win in overtime over Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Fake Nike Air Max 90 . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. https://www.cheapnikeairmax90china.us/ . The Tinkoff-Saxo rider was still dealing with the right shin he broke in a crash which ended his Tour de France on Stage 10. He hoped to defy his doctors and race in the home Grand Tour he won in 2008 and 2012, but he says there have been complications in his recovery. Nike Air Max 90 From China . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate. Nike Air Max 90 Outlet . -- Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 to take the lead after 36 holes and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship tournament on Saturday.Orlando, FL - The Orlando Magic have signed guard Ben Gordon. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Gordon was released by Charlotte in March after playing just 19 games for the club last season. He averaged only 5.2 points after a productive first season in Charlotte that featured 11.2 points in 75 games off the bench. The 31-year-old Connecticut product has averaged 15.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 688 NBA games over 10 seasons with Charlotte, Detroit and Chicago..dddddddddddd. "Ben brings valuable experience to our team," said Magic general manager Rob Hennigan in a statement Friday. "His competitiveness and ability to score and stretch the floor adds versatility to our backcourt and overall roster. We are excited to welcome Ben to the Orlando Magic family." Gordon was selected by the Bulls with the third overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. He was the leagues top sixth man during his rookie season in Chicago. ' ' '