LOS ANGELES -- Blowing fourth-quarter leads have cost the Portland Trail Blazers during their current five-game journey.The Trail Blazers will attempt to end their road woes when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center.In Saturdays 118-111 defeat to the Indiana Pacers, the Trail Blazers (12-13) gave up an eight-point advantage in the fourth quarter when their offense abandoned them. Portland, which at one point led the Pacers by 20, managed a season-low 13 points in the final quarter while the Pacers scored 28 as the Trail Blazers stumbled to their third consecutive setback.This wasnt a normal loss, said Portland guard CJ McCollum, who finished with 34 points, according to The Oregonian. Weve had a lot of these games we should win, games were up double digits and they make more plays than us down the stretch, they make more hustle plays. They make aggressive moves toward the basket, they get fouls. They finish the game and we dont.Portland, which is 1/3 on the swing, also was unable to finish in back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and Thursday. Against the Grizzlies, the Trail Blazers surrendered a 13-point edge in the fourth.Another tough loss, Blazers coach Terry Stotts told The Oregonian. Thats three games in a row where our offense kind of let us down when we needed it.Starting power forward Al-Farouq Aminu sat out the Indiana game with a back contusion. His status for Mondays contest is unknown.Clippers forward Blake Griffin (sore right knee) is expected to return to face the Blazers. Griffin was held out mainly for precautionary reasons Saturday when the Clippers roasted the New Orleans Pelicans 133-105. The Pelicans played without Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul delivered a performance for the ages, scoring 20 points and recording 20 assists with no turnovers. Paul also snatched five rebounds.That helped the Clippers (17-7) end a two-game losing streak.We have to build on this, said Clippers guard J.J. Redick, who had 16 points against New Orleans. We are trying to be more consistent. We started the season consistently. We were playing a certain way almost every night and we have to get back to that. We havent done that the last two weeks and we are more than capable of doing it.Los Angeles started the season with a 14-2 mark, but dropped five of seven before pounding the Pelicans. Despite a pair of wins already in hand against the Blazers this season, the Clippers expect a stiffer test Monday.The Trail Blazers are a great team, Redick said. They beat us last year in the playoffs. If we move the ball like we did (Saturday), I think we are going to score.The availability of Clippers guard Austin Rivers has yet to be determined. Rivers, who started for Griffin against the Pelicans, took a hard shot to the face in the third quarter from New Orleans forward Terrence Jones. Rivers was treated and returned to the game for 46 seconds in the fourth quarter before team officials became concerned the blow had a delayed impact. Ofertas Zapatillas Nike Outlet .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Zapatillas Nike Baratas China . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. http://www.zapatillasbaratasnike.es/ . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Comprar Zapatillas Nike Baratas Online . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Zapatillas Nike Baratas Online China . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Rowers packed up their oars for the day while cyclists hit slippery roads on skinny time-trial bikes unsuited to harsh weather conditions as sun-drenched Rio turned blustery, wet and gray on Wednesday.Strong winds rattled palm trees along the coast and whipped up waves on the scenic lagoon where rowing was canceled for a full day for the second time at the Rio Olympics.Twenty-two races, including the first two medal races, were postponed but international rowing federation director Matt Smith said theres still room on the schedule without having to resort to drastic measures -- even if Thursdays competition is also called off.If Friday morning at 10 oclock we are sitting here, we may have to lose some races, Smith said.The regatta already lost a day to bad weather on Sunday, but race officials made up for it by rescheduling heats for Monday and Tuesday.Under dark skies, cyclists braved lashing rain and wind on the time-trial course along Rios southern coast. Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands slid off the road. Although she stayed on her bike, she got tangled in weeds, which may have cost her a medal. She finished fourth.Gold-medalist Kristin Armstrong of the U.S. said she got a bit concerrned when she woke up at 4:30 a.ddddddddddddm. and looked out the window.I had a choice at that moment to take it and get super nervous and say, `Oh my gosh, she said. Or I could say, `Ive probably ridden in the rain on my time-trial bike more than anybody out here, so I just tricked my mind and said, `Take it, Armstrong said.Time-trial bikes have skinny tires and aerodynamics that dont always work well in the wind.The mens competition took place in similar weather, with parts of the course drenched in rain and others more or less dry.The biggest problem for rowers is not so much the rain as the wind. On Saturday, the competition went ahead despite choppy waters that left rowers struggling to keep their boats balanced.Some athletes who struggled in the waves said the races should have been postponed, but rowing officials insisted the conditions were the same for everyone.Its much more stressful when we have unfair wind, said Smith, recalling how at the London Olympics the wind sometimes varied from lane to lane.---Associated Press writer David Skretta contributed to this report. ' ' '
