ristina Iovu, Moldova, bronze, womens 53kg weightlifting; Hripsime Kh

When people talk about the San Antonio Spurs first quarter of the 2016-17 season, they dont mention the way the Spurs won every game they played on the road, or about the upcoming celebration for the retired Tim Duncan or that they have one of the best basketball players on the planet -- do-everything-and-do-it-well forward Kawhi Leonard -- leading them night in and night out.Instead the talk is about the Spurs middling play at home, where theyve dropped four of their eight contests to the likes of the Clippers, Houston, Utah and, most recently, Orlando.San Antonio has another chance to get rolling at home on Friday when it hosts the Washington at AT&T Center, squaring off with the Wizards for the second time in a week and for the final time this season.Just about everyone associated with the Spurs (15-4) is at a loss to explain why theyve struggled at home. Is it defensive breakdowns, an early lack of intensity or a general malaise built on years of continued success?Weve been ready to play on the road, Spurs forward Pau Gasol said. At home we sometimes come out a little flat. Those slow starts really cost us the ballgames. We put ourselves into too big of a hole to get out of. When most opposing teams come here, they dont expect to win, but once they get an opportunity, they see a window, they jump right through it.On the road weve been ready, understanding that its usually a more challenging situation. We come out ready to play and we usually deliver the first blow and that usually puts us in an advantageous position.After losing to Orlando on Tuesday, San Antonio went back on the road and waylaid Dallas, coming back from 13 points down in the third quarter to post a 94-87 win on Wednesday.The Spurs, with Gasol, guard Manu Ginobili and point guard Tony Parker held out to rest on the second night of back-to-back games, were led by guards Patty Mills 23 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter.Coming home, trying to defend home court, Mills said, is the priority for (Fridays) game.Washington (6-11) heads to the Alamo City off a 126-115 overtime road loss Wednesday to Oklahoma City. Guard Bradley Beal scored 31 points in the loss, point guard John Wall had 15 assists and seven Washington players tallied in double figures but the Wizards relented after holding a seven-point lead with four minutes to play.It was a heck of a basketball game against a very good team, Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. I like the way our guys compete -- our guys fought back twice in a very difficult arena. We didnt give up or give in. It was a great sign of where this team is going as we continue on this season.Washington is 6-7 this season when Beal and Wall are both in the starting lineup. In those games, the Wizards average 105.4 points on 45.8 percent shooting. Beal averages 22.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists while Wall averages 21.8 points, 10.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals.This was probably our most difficult loss of the season, Wall said. We had a chance to win the game at the end and when we didnt the momentum changed in overtime. We have to refocus and be ready to play San Antonio.San Antonio beat Washington last Saturday 112-100 at Verizon Center in the nations capital. The Spurs havent lost to the Wizards at home since Dec. 11, 1999, a streak of 16 games.Custom Golden Knights Jersey China . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Authentic Custom Golden Knights Jersey . 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. http://www.customgoldenknightsjersey.com/custom-marc-andre-fleury-jersey-large-88n.html . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Cheap Custom Golden Knights Jersey . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. Custom Golden Knights T-shirts . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season.LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Yulia Zaripova, the Russian gold medalist in the womens 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2012 London Olympics, was among 12 more athletes sanctioned Monday after testing positive in a reanalysis of their doping samples.Zaripova was among seven medalists -- all from countries of the former Soviet Union -- disqualified retroactively from the London Games after their stored samples were retested with improved techniques and came back positive for banned substances.Also sanctioned Monday by the International Olympic Committee were nine weightlifters, a hammer thrower and a long jumper.Zaripova tested positive for the steroid turinabol on a urine sample she provided after winning the steeplechase final on Aug. 6, 2012, the IOC said.Zaripova was already expected to lose the gold medal over a separate doping violation prosecuted by the IAAF. She had previously served a 2+-year ban for irregularities in her biological passport. As a result of that violation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport had disqualified all of her results from July 2011 to July 2013, including the London Olympics.A three-person IOC disciplinary commission said in its ruling that a decision in Zaripovas case has already been issued and has become final and binding and there is no longer any interest to continue the present proceedings and to issue a decision.The panel recommended that the IOC implement the IAAF decision to amend the Olympic results and strip Zaripova of the gold medal. Under the revised results, Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia takes the goldd, with Sofia Assefa of Ethiopia moving to silver and Milcah Chemos Cheywa of Kenya the bronze.ddddddddddddOther athletes stripped of London medals on Monday were: Alexander Ivanov, Russia, silver, mens 94-kilogram weightlifting division; Natliya Zabolotnaya, Russia, silver, womens 75kg weightlifting; Cristina Iovu, Moldova, bronze, womens 53kg weightlifting; Hripsime Khurshudyan, Armenia, bronze, womens 75kg weightlifting; Irina Kulesha, Belarus, bronze, womens 75kg weightlifting; and Anatoli Ciricu, Moldova, bronze, mens 94kg weightlifting.The non-medalists were Andrei Demanov, Russia, fourth place, mens 94kg weightlifting; Oleksandr Dryhol, Ukraine, 34th place, mens hammer throw; Rauli Tsirekidze, Georgia, ninth place, 85kg weightlifting; Margaryta Tverdokhlib, Ukraine, 26th place, womens long jump; and Almas Uteshov, Kazakhstan, seventh place, mens 94kg weightlifting.The IOC reanalyzed more than 1,000 stored samples from the London Games and 2008 Beijing Games in order to catch cheats who escaped detection at the time. The new tests can detect the use of steroids going back weeks and months, rather than days.The IOC recorded at least 98 positive tests from the London and Beijing retesting program, with more expected in the pipeline. The IOC also plans to retest samples from the 2014 Sochi Winter Games after the former Russian lab director said samples were manipulated to cover up doping by Russian athletes. ' ' '