Denver Nuggets blow big leads as Los Angeles Clippers rally to win

Denver Nuggets blow big leads as Los Angeles Clippers rally to win

LOS ANGELES — Down two points with 14.6 seconds remaining, Will Barton ultimately ended up with the basketball and free space to drive the left baseline. But the ball popped high into the air before he could get a shot off.

In the end, it was just another Nuggets turnover, coach Michael Malone said. One of 17 in the second half as Denver again faltered down the stretch in a key 109-104 loss at the Clippers that dropped the Nuggets to ninth in the Western Conference standings.

“That’s back-to-back nights where defenses have turned up the pressure, turned up the heat, and we have not handled it well,” Malone said. “ … (Opponents) are watching us. They’re just gonna ratchet up the pressure and watch us turn the ball over and self-implode.”

The loss in which the Nuggets surrendered multiple double-digit leads came one night after they escaped with a 105-102 win over Dallas in a game Denver led by as many as 23 points in the second half. Clunky offense was partially to blame, as Jamal Murray’s absence due to concussion protocol left Barton as the Nuggets’ starting point guard and added Mason Plumlee (16 points, 14 rebounds) back to that group to pair with Nikola Jokic (18 points, eight rebounds) inside. But after committing just four turnovers before halftime, the Nuggets again regressed to the team that entered Wednesday ranked 28th in the NBA in opponent points off turnovers (19.3).

Denver set the wrong tone while up nine at the beginning of the third quarter, giving the ball away four times in the first three minutes. That helped fuel a 16-2 Clippers run to surge ahead 68-66 on a Tyrone Wallace layup. Then after the Nuggets answered with an 11-1 spurt to regain a double-digit lead, Los Angeles closed the period on an 11-2 run.

“Things were going kind of easy for us,” Barton said. “We let our guard down a little bit, and they kind of blitzed us. And then once they did that, then we’re scrambling to pick the pieces back up …

“When we’re winning the game and we’ve got a comfortable lead, we’ve got to know teams are gonna try to make that last push to get back in the game. We’ve got to be ready.”

That yo-yo third quarter set up a highly contested final period, capped by a wild finish.

Barton scored nine of his 17 points in the period, twice giving Denver a two-point lead on a pull-up 3 and 19-foot jumper on back-to-back possessions with about six minutes remaining and then tying the score at 96 on a tough finish inside about two minutes later. After Montrezl Harrell air-balled a free throw and clanked the next, Denver started intentionally fouling him but could not capitalize on the other end. Then after a Wesley Johnson 3-pointer put the Clippers up seven with less than two minutes to play, Denver initiated a 6-1 spurt to earn a chance to tie or win in the final seconds.

The Nuggets also could not take advantage of Los Angeles’ own sloppy play, committing 20 turnovers for 32 points. Though Blake Griffin totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds, first-half surprise Lou Williams needed 18 field-goal attempts to reach 17 points and turned the ball over four times.

Jokic called Denver’s bevy of turnovers “stupid.” Malone called them “silly” and “frustrating.”

But Barton’s fumble in the closing seconds? That miscue stemmed from aggressively attacking the basket.

Still, Barton lost the ball before he could send it toward the rim.

“I didn’t deliver like I was supposed to,” Barton said. “I just gotta stay strong and learn from it, and I will. Not being able to come through for my team, that’ll haunt me for the night.”

Source:- https://www.denverpost.com

How to Use Statistics in Playing Cards

Millions of people enjoy playing bridge and millions of players understand the basic rules of the game. They practice and play every day. Many reach a certain level of expertise and then plateau. Their game stops improving.

What's responsible for this plateau? For many the answer is statistics. Or to be more accurate, a lack of understanding or knowledge of how to use statistics when you are playing.

What do statistics have to do with playing bridge, I hear you ask? The answer is "a lot". They can be, and often are, the barrier to becoming a better bridge player.

Let's assume, for example, that you are declarer. Once the opponents have made their opening lead dummy's hand is exposed for all to see. You know which cards you hold and which cards dummy holds.

Now assume that you are playing a trump contract. Dummy holds 5 cards in trumps and you hold 4, a total of 9 cards. That means that your opponents hold 4 trump cards between them.

You need to plan your play. Depending on which cards you hold in trumps you may need to try and work out how the trumps are split between the opponents. A 4-0 split may mean the game plays very differently from the way it would play if there was a 2-2 split.

You can't know for certain how the cards split in any given situation, but you can use statistics to give you a better chance. Then you can play for the most likely scenario - the percentage play. This won't always work, but over a number of games it will give you the better chance of winning more games.

As you might imagine, there are a lot of statistics associated with playing bridge. The best players will have memorised and will use all of them. Those of us who are more modest, home or club players will just remember a few - the ones that we think will be most useful to us and that we will be able to understand use.

So, back to our trump split. While we are planning our play it may seem to us that a 4-0 trump split between the opponents will need us to play differently from a 2-2 split, or a 3-1 split. We can't know how they split and we might not be able to plan for all 3 scenarios. So which should we choose as the most likely?

Statistics tell us that the probability of a 4-0 split is 10%. However, the provability of a 2-2 split is 40% and the probability of a 3-1 split is 50%. It probably doesn't make sense to plan for a 4-0 split - although if it becomes obvious early on that the cards split that way, you will want to rethink your plan.

In a scenario where a 4-0 split could have a major effect on the number of tricks you win, you may feel that you want to test the split early on in the game by drawing a round of trumps (or whichever suit is of concern). If one of the opponents shows out in the first round, then you know you are up against a 4-0 split and can replan your play.

If testing the split isn't possible, then you will probably want to make the percentage play and hope your approach pays off.

If there are 5 cards missing from a suit, the percentage chances change. The probability of a 5-0 split is just 4% (and the opponents may have helped you work out if that is likely to be the case by bidding that suit). The probability of a 4-1 split is 28%, but the probability of a 3-2 split is 68%. You will probably want to make your initial plan on the assumption of a 3-2 split.

Planning your play is an essential skill, and knowing some basic statistics will help you plan. But bridge is a dynamic game and you need to be prepared to rethink your plan if the opponents wrong foot you, or the statistics don't work in your favor.

You can find all the bridge statistics and percentages that you need to help you become a better player by joining No Fear Bridge - the perfect site for beginning and improving bridge players, where you can practice and learn online at your own pace. You can join by visiting Blueberry Bridge and signing up for your trial membership of No Fear Bridge. What are you waiting for??



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9782409

Ways to Make Your Gaming Experience Safe

Games are an indispensable part of our life. Right from the kids to the elders, we are all interested in games. And the credit goes to that introduction of games in desktops. Nowadays, there are several devices that have been introduced in the attempt to recreate gaming experience on the go. They are of great use but to my belief, none can recreate the experience that PC games offer. They are interesting and with them, you are sure to forget everything else.

Only playing games would not do. You also have to maintain the security and safety being a conscious gamer. If you play online then there are several threats that might attack your PC. So you need to know some hacks that make gaming safer. Let us guide you with some of them.

Check the Links

If you are an online player and interact with many such players then you have to be sure that you are dealing with a genuine site. Check the URL if it is having a locked symbol in green color. This is a simple way that demarcates that all your data on the PC is safe. Do not use links that might be linked to several pages. Try to avoid links whose main page can be reached after visiting several pages.

No Personal Information, Please!

There are games that ask for personal information. It is normal to ask your gender and age but if the game goes way too far try avoiding it. Don't use too much personal information because that can lead to duplication or misuse of identity. So, try to provide minimum information that is of least importance. Also, avoid sharing your location while you are playing online.

Use Antivirus Systems

New viruses are being invented almost every day. So, prevention is a must. The easiest and hassle free way to make your PC and any gaming safe is by using antivirus or internet security systems. This will prevent any unauthorised access to the infected or highly malicious sites. Even if some threats try to attack the system will automatically prevent it and make it safe. Having an antivirus will prevent duplication of data because of any breach of the security.

These are some of the ways that can help to prevent any problems with gaming online on PC. They over contribute to better gaming experience. Make sure that you are careful of them while you are playing games online.



Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Games Can Be Much More Useful Than You Give It Credit For

The age old sayings have always said that games are the best way to keep you away from complete dumbness and boredom.

Games are the perfect sort of escape from a monotonous life and it helps to refresh your brains from extreme tiredness and same old routine.

In today's world, video games have risen to an unexpected level of entertainment. It has gained a lot of popularity and has come up with different kinds of variations in its content.

With technology speeding up in lighting speed, Video Games have created quite a name for itself amidst the younger generation and it happens to have a lot of health benefits as well.

1. A healthy shot for the development of your vision

A lot of discoveries and research by scientists have led to the belief that there are certain games which if played in moderation can help you in improving your eye sight for the better. Do not bend more towards straining your eyes, but a moderate amount of times spent focusing and enjoying video games was seen to get a minimal amount of improvement in the affected eye. It has been heard saying lot that watching too much of television is harmful for the vision, but in the case of video games, the outcome is opposite but again it should be done in moderation and the limit should not be exceeded.

2. Getting the crowd to like knowing about the history of places and people

Some of the video games involve historical excerpts and references in their video games. A lot of these games use a historical background to create a story around the game so that it comes out in a flow. These uses of historical characters and places can get kids excited to know more about such historical facts and gain their interest. Thus these video games are a sort of educational inspiration as well to spark the interest regarding history amidst the players.

3. Helps in getting some physical exercises done

There are certain games that would require you to participate a lot more and get your entire body involved thus indulging in a lot of bodily movements. However there are some games in which even a simple handheld controller would drive you towards some physical activity. Certain sports games such as football, basket ball, and long tennis can motivate and help the children to practice and enjoy the same skills outdoors as well. So it is not like it is only limited to indoor activities or indoor involvement.

Therefore since now a day's kids are more enthusiastic about video games; this article has focused more on that area of games and how it is helping in rekindling some beneficial acts for the users.



Article Source: EzineArticles.com/