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DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks got the early scare. Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans ended up with the bigger problem. Nowitzki shook off a shoulder issue in the first minute to finish with 18 points, but Davis was knocked out of the game with a similar problem and the Mavericks beat the Pelicans 108-89 Wednesday night. "Im thinking Dirks going to be out when he goes out with a shoulder injury and then a few plays later AD gets hit and hes out," said New Orleans coach Monty Williams, who could now be without three of his top four scorers. "Dirk comes back. So, it just hasnt gone our way." Nowitzki left the court 31 seconds into the game but emerged a short time later and returned to the game. He even had a spin move and finished with a left-handed finger roll in the first half. "Ive had it ever since Karl Malone hacked me in 99," said Nowitzki, who was favouring the shoulder after throwing an alley-oop pass to Sam Dalembert for a layup on the first possession. "The shoulder just sometimes comes in and out a little bit. Its happened a good 20 times already over my career." Davis, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Pelicans, was holding his sprained left shoulder on his way to play defence and didnt return after leaving the game during a New Orleans timeout with 4:13 left in the first half. After the game, Williams didnt have an update on the condition of his All-Star big man, who was on the bench during the second half with his left arm in a sling. "When you play as hard as AD and these guys who go after it every single night, theyre going to have bumps and bruises," Williams said. "It could be nothing. It could be a day-to-day thing. Weve got to let the doctors do their deal." The Mavericks (36-23) are a season-high 13 games over .500 after their fourth straight win, and the Pelicans stayed winless since the All-Star break at 0-5. Eric Gordon led New Orleans with 19 points, and Brian Roberts had 17. Monta Ellis led Dallas with 23 points, seven assists and four steals, while Vince Carter scored 17. "Monta has been doing a great job I think picking his spots, attacking when its there," Nowitzki said. "Hes been great for us all season making plays off the dribble and getting in the lane." The injury to Davis is the latest in a litany of them for the Pelicans. Second-leading scorer Ryan Anderson is likely out for the season with a herniated disk. Jrue Holiday, another double-digit scorer and New Orleans assists leader, is sidelined after breaking his right shin in early January. Davis, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and leads the NBA in blocked shots, was sharp early to help the Pelicans build an eight-point lead. He had six points to go with a game-high nine rebounds and two blocks in just 12 minutes. "Its difficult, but guys have been in and out all year," Gordon said. "Weve just got to keep on adjusting." Even when they had Davis on the floor, the Pelicans couldnt protect the ball while getting swept in the four-game season series with Dallas. They had a season-high 19 turnovers after committing at least 16 in each of the previous three meetings. One of New Orleans turnovers ended with a pass to Nowitzki standing alone under the basket for a dunk and an 84-69 lead early in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki was 7 of 13 from the field two nights after he hit his first game-winning shot at the buzzer since 2009 to beat the Knicks in New York and finish a 3-0 trip through the Eastern Conference. The big German led the Mavericks with eight points in the third quarter, when they took their first double-digit lead. Dallas put away its 10th win in 12 games with a 15-2 run to start the fourth. "Weve done better over the last couple of weeks," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "But weve got a long way to go." NOTES: New Orleans C Alexis Ajinca had 14 points and eight rebounds in his first game after setting career highs with 19 points and 12 rebounds in loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. ... Ellis led the Mavericks with eight points in the second quarter, when they turned an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead before settling for a six-point edge at halftime. Dante Exum Jersey .com) - Thursday marks the official debut of a new dirt racing surface at Meydan Racecourse. Joe Ingles Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. http://www.cheapjazzjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-donovan-mitchell-jersey .A. Happ is coming off his first start of the year, a win at Philadelphia Monday. The former Phillie allowed three hits in five scoreless frames of a 3-0 triumph. Pete Maravich Jersey . a€“ All signs point to the Maple Leafs having their top offseason acquisition in the lineup on opening night. Cheap Swingman Jazz Jerseys . -- Adam Tambellini scored three times and set up one more as the Calgary Hitmen won their sixth in a row by crushing the host Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-1 on Saturday in Western Hockey League play.CLEARWATER, Florida – Erik Kratzs friendship with R.A. Dickey, he who throws that strange knuckleball, is growing. At 33, back with the Blue Jays organization and tasked with catching a pitch Dickey once described as a "capricious animal," Kratz is a veteran who is evolving under the bright Florida sun. "Its a cool challenge, it really is," said Kratz of catching the knuckleball. "Its something that as any athlete, any competitor will say that the competition, the effort level is something that youre never going to be someone that says, I didnt quite give it all I had today, but in a sense you have to kind of just relax and let the game come to you, which you have to do normally, but as a catcher you kind of have to have that energy." Kratz is like any other ballplayer. Hes been at this game for years and has developed habits that suit his game and have become second nature. Some of these habits are obvious, things youre taught the moment you strap on catchers gear, like giving the pitcher a firm target. Throw up your glove as he enters his wind up. Will your battery mate to locate his pitch. It doesnt work that way catching Dickey. The knuckleballer doesnt want a target. When Dickey is on his game, he has a good idea of where his pitch will end up, but it still can be unpredictable. Kratz is still at the point where hes reminding himself to let his glove rest over his left knee in his crouch, even when Dickey throws his fastball. Kratz has to be consistent every pitch or the hitter could know whats coming. Its a different mindset and he admits he finds it mentally taxing. "Thats something that as a catcher, I take pride in receiving the ball," he said, moving his left hand as if to put up a target. "I take pride in making the pitch look good. Its something that is a hard habit to break, but on the same hand, its something Ive got to be cognizant of that. I call fastball, normally Im like, Hey, lets get it out there; whoops, maybe not because I dont want to tip his pitches." When youre tasked with catching the knuckleball, you have to set your ego aside. "Its a part of my game that I feel is, not to sound conceited, but I feel like Im pretty good at it," said Kratz of his receiving prowess behind the plate. "I feel like Im really good at it. (Catching the knuckleball is) a challenge that is exciting and every time I go out there, kind of at the beginning I was like, jeez, now Im like lets go out there and do it and see what I can get." The battery-mates spend a lot of time together. Dickey says Kratz has "improved" at handling his pitch. The Blue Jays havent publicly committed to Kratz as the second catcher behind Dioner Navarro, saying that the other alternative, Josh Thole, has an extensive history with Dickey and the club needs to see whether Kratz can do the job.dddddddddddd Navarro hasnt played in more than 89 games since 2009, making it likely the Jays will need their backup to play more often. Assuming thats the case, the club requires reasonable improvement over Tholes .175/.256/.242 slash line he posted last season. Kratz has hit 18 home runs in 375 at-bats over the last two seasons playing for the Phillies. He is a low batting average, low on-base percentage hitter but he at least is a threat to go deep. Acquired from Philadelphia, along with left-handed pitcher Rob Rasmussen, for reliever Brad Lincoln on December 3, the former Blue Jays draft pick is preparing as if the job is his. Kratz is using a first basemans glove, instead of an oversized catchers mitt, although, he may revert if he finds a prototype with more flexibility. Each time hes catching Dickey in a bullpen session, he simulates game situations in his mind. Kratz will pretend theres a runner on third. If the knuckleball gets by him, chances are that run scores. Its not quite like live game action, but hes trying to put himself in the right frame of mind. Its important not only for himself, Kratz believes, but also for his teammates. He needs to project the right aura. His is the only position each of his teammates can on the field see in front of them. "If you have a bad energy catcher, you have a bad energy team, in my opinion," said Kratz. "The best teams that have guys that are high energy, you look at them and theyre in every play and theyre ready to go." DICKEY WORKS IN TRIPLE-A GAME While the Blue Jays lost a Grapefruit League game 6-3 to the Rays in Port Charlotte on Saturday, R.A. Dickey was pitching in a Triple-A game in Clearwater, against the Phillies Lehigh Valley Ironpigs affiliate. He logged 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks. Dickey struck out two hitters. He threw 100 pitches, 60 of which were strikes. "Its a great mental exercise to come out here and execute your pitches regardless of the situation, surroundings, competition," said Dickey. "Im competing against myself more than I am those guys, anyway, so its a great exercise for me." "I feel more ready," said Dickey. "Now, Im going to take that into the season with me. Its no guarantee that things are going to be perfectly smooth, but at the same time the way that I feel brings a level of confidence with it that I dont have when youre not as prepared. And, yes, I do feel more ready." Dickey has two more starts before he takes the mound on opening day, March 31, against the Rays in St. Petersburg. The first, in which he plans to throw another 100 pitches, will be in a minor-league game, likely on Friday. He will make a shorter start on March 26 versus the Yankees in Dunedin. 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