Atlanta, the NBA assists leader, handed out 25. The Hawks have had

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Mike White felt his team could have been more competitive against No. Custom Jerseys Nike . 7 Oklahoma State. Sure, the Louisiana Tech coach believes Oklahoma State is a "legitimate Final Four contender," but he likes his team as well. While the Bulldogs (8-3) were effective at slowing down All-America guard Marcus Smart, there was little they could do down the stretch to avoid a 70-55 loss to the high-powered Cowboys (9-1). LeBryan Nash scored 22 points as Oklahoma State overcame a sluggish start and pulled away after Louisiana Tech got within 49-42 with 8:44 remaining. "We missed the few open looks that we had and just couldnt cut into a lead, couldnt get it going offensively against a terrific team," White said. "I was proud of the way we defended and rebounded. We completed." With Louisiana Tech determined to slow down Smart, Nash grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored 15 of Oklahoma States 31 points in the first half. Nash made six of his first 11 shots to pick up the slack for Smart, who finished with 13 points. Smart was only 1-of-4 shooting in the first half, and he said he made a conscious effort to be more of an all-around player who created shots for his teammates. He added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Markel Brown had 13 points and Kamari Murphy added 10 for the Cowboys. "Im just trying to focus on making sure that I dont force a lot of things because I do have a talented group of guys around me that I really dont need to force things," Smart said. "They can create also, so I just kind of let them get in the flow of their game." Chris Anderson scored 14 points and Alex Hamilton added 12 points for Louisiana Tech, which held Oklahoma State scoreless over the first 4 minutes of the game. But the Bulldogs couldnt maintain the energy down the stretch. The Cowboys used their athleticism and multiple scoring options to turn a close game into a lopsided victory in the All-College Classic. "I thought wed be more competitive to be honest, but I just think that we struggled so much from an offensive standpoint," White said. "(We) had a lot of droughts offensively, couldnt really get into a rhythm." Louisiana Tech trailed by only seven points with less than 9 minutes remaining, but Smart helped build Oklahoma States lead back to double digits. He put back a missed shot, then found Murphy for a dunk to put the Cowboys ahead 55-42 with 6:25 remaining. Oklahoma State hadnt played since a 79-52 rout of South Carolina on Dec. 6. The Cowboys struggled early to regain their rhythm and didnt score their first point until Brown hit a free throw with 15:41 remaining in the first half. Oklahoma State missed all five of its 3-point attempts and made only 7 of 13 free throws in the first half, allowing Louisiana Tech to hang around into the second half. "(We) didnt get off to a good start," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "We can contribute it to taking eight days off, finals week, different things, but we just didnt make good decisions offensively early in the game." Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, looked fresh playing its second game in four days and facing its highest ranked opponent since the two teams met in 1991. The Bulldogs relied on their defence to take a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes and hold the Cowboys to just 38.7 per cent shooting in the first half. But Nash and Smart created some fast-break opportunities, and Oklahoma State used a 10-2 run midway through the first half to take a lead it never relinquished. The Cowboys expanded their lead to 22 points and pulled away for their second consecutive win following their only loss of the season, a 73-68 defeat to No. 16 Memphis. Fake Custom Jerseys . -- Josh Smith made a 3-pointer as time expired and finished with 20 points to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 99-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night in both teams exhibition finale. Custom Jerseys Cheap . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/ . The American secured his first back-to-back ATP match wins since June to leave Tsonga relying on his performance at next weeks Paris Masters to clinch one of the final three places for the season-ending event in London. Tsonga would have moved up one spot to No. 6 with a win over Querrey at the City of Arts and Sciences, but his serve deserted him in the second set as the 116th-ranked American broke twice to reach the quarter-finals.ATLANTA -- After losing 14 of 15 games, the Atlanta Hawks seem to be getting their mojo back. Paul Millsap says its been a long time coming. "Yeah, were due for it," he said. "We got a few (loose) balls. We got a few calls. Things just went our way in foul situations when its been the other team getting breaks." Millsap had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Teague added 15 points and 10 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks rallied for their third straight win with a 97-92 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Kenneth Faried finished with 25 points and Wilson Chandler scored 12 for the Nuggets, who were coming off a dramatic victory Friday at two-time defending champion Miami. Kyle Korver, who hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to make it 96-92, had 18 points and Pero Antic added 16 for Atlanta. Denver erased a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to take its first lead at 81-80 lead on Darrell Arthurs two free throws with 7:10 remaining. But Teague hit a 3 with 3:59 remaining that put the Hawks up 89-87 and followed with a long jumper to make it 91-89 at the 1:51 mark. "Every team has big wins," Arthur said in reference to the victory at Miami. "(With) the good teams, its consistent, and we havent been consistent all year. We can beat anybody. We just dont." Ty Lawson, Denvers leading scorer this season, handed out 11 assists, but went 0 for 12 from the field and finished with just two points. Before winning Monday at Utah, the Hawks had dropped from third to eighth in the Eastern Conference during their 1-14 stretch. The Hawks are 3 1/2 games ahead of New York for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Atlantas three-game winning streak is its longest since beating the Jazz on Dec. 20. "We knew they were going to make a run, but I think our mindset was just goiing back to being an aggressive team," said DeMarre Carroll, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists for the Hawks. Wholesale Custom Jerseys. "I think our biggest thing is we just have to keep staying aggressive for the entire game instead of just for 36 minutes or 40 minutes." Faried gave the Nuggets a 92-91 lead on a three-point play, but they trailed the rest of the way after Antic hit a long jumper over Faried from the left corner and Wilson Chandler missed a 3 that gave Atlanta possession with 30 seconds to go. The Nuggets, who had erased a 14-point deficit Friday in a 102-97 victory at Miami, had won two straight and four of six. After Korvers 3 made it 16-3, Denver coach Brian Shaw called timeout, and the Nuggets went on a 23-15 run, but they trailed 53-37 on Teagues three-point play with 12 seconds left before halftime. Atlanta went ahead by 21 early in the third on Antics 3, but Denver cut the lead to seven on Foyes 3 at the 5-minute mark, and the Nuggets only trailed by six entering the fourth. "Just a case of too little, too late," Shaw said. "We were real lethargic in the first half. We needed to play the way we played the end of the third quarter (and during the) fourth quarter from the start of the game." NOTES: Antics long jumper with 41.8 seconds remaining was originally scored as a 3, but officials changed the call after watching a replay. ... Carrolls double-double was the second of his career. ... J.J. Hickson scored 12 points for Denver. ... The Nuggets outscored Atlanta 44-26 in the paint and 39-13 off the bench, but Atlanta converted 21 turnovers into 25 points. ... The Hawks have won five of six at home against Denver and are 20-3 since 1989-90 versus the Nuggets in Atlanta. ... Atlanta, the NBA assists leader, handed out 25. The Hawks have had 20 assists in 60 of 64 games this season. ' ' '