any involvement in off-field distraction

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis and Brian Roberts proved a pair of second-year players can carry the young Pelicans to a victory over a veteran team with playoff aspirations. Davis had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Roberts scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, and New Orleans beat the Atlanta Hawks 105-100 on Wednesday night. "Im always telling our guys, Everybody has written you guys off, so what do you have to lose? Just go out there and play. Ive got your back either way," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Paul Millsap had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have lost two in a row. DeMarre Carroll added 22 points. "Roberts made some big shots," said Hawks guard Jeff Teague, who had 11 points and 13 assists. "We just got stagnant on defence. Our intensity on defence just wasnt there. We didnt play with attention to detail in the last couple of plays." Davis and Roberts made Atlanta pay, each scoring six points in the final 3:40. Davis has been stellar all season, and his performance against Atlanta marked the 16th time hes had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same game. Roberts only recently moved into a starting role at point guard because of Jrue Holidays stress fracture in his right shin. Roberts made only one of five shots in the first half before turning in one of the best second halves of his young career. "Hes growing up and he understands when to make plays," Davis said. Roberts did have one glaring error when he had a turnover that led to a score during a late 7-0 Atlanta run that trimmed the Hawks 10-point deficit to three with a little less than a minute left. Roberts made up for it with a running, off-balance floater on New Orleans next possession to make it 100-95 with 20 seconds to go. "That was a tough turnover right there," Roberts said. "I just try to move on and focus on the next play. ... I was going to get it back and I was able to make that floater and finish them off." Eric Gordon added 18 points and Anthony Morrow 16 for the Pelicans, who have won six of their last nine games. Atlanta was in position to win when Mike Scotts 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run and gave the Hawks an 83-76 lead with 7:45 to play, but the Pelicans then ran off nine straight points to regain the lead. "Thats a tough loss for our group," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said, referring to his clubs blown fourth-quarter lead. "Our execution needs to improve when were in that situation." The Hawks led for the entire third quarter, taking their largest lead at 54-47 on Carrolls 3 12 seconds into the period. Scott hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for the Hawks, while Lou Williams had 11 points. The teams stayed within single digits of each other for nearly the entire game. The largest lead for either team was 10 for New Orleans after Davis free throws late in the fourth quarter. That lead lasted all of 8 seconds before Scott hit a 3. Atlanta had 14 3s on 30 attempts from deep, with Carroll hitting four. The Hawks had one stretch in which they hit nine straight 3-point attempts -- their last four of the second quarter and first five of the third. The Pelicans, however, scored 20 points on free throws, while Atlanta had only 10. New Orleans also outrebounded Atlanta 50-38. NOTES: The Pelicans have scheduled a ceremony on Thursday to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans officials confirmed to The Associated Press and several other media outlets on Wednesday afternoon that they had reached a 10-year naming rights agreement with the Louisiana-based company. ... Davis blocked one shot, ending a streak of seven games in which hed blocked at least four. ... Atlantas Kyle Korver was 2 for 5 from 3-point range. 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Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process.The 2014 Rose Bowl features two almost opposite teams with one thing in common; a College Football Playoff spot. The second-seeded Oregon Ducks have arguably put together more convincing wins than any other team in college football this season. However, their record features an obvious blemish in the form of an upset loss to unranked Arizona in early October. The third-ranked Florida State Seminoles have put together narrow victories over teams critics believe they should have blown out. Though unconvincingly, the Seminoles put together their second straight undefeated season to earn a Rose Bowl berth. The two will meet for the first time this season on New Year’s Day with a trip to the National Championship game. The opposite natures of the two extend further to their star quarterbacks, both on and off the field. Florida State’s Jameis Winston, the 2013 Heisman trophy winner, has been marred in off-field controversies, including a police investigation and one-game suspension for a vulgar comment on campus. Winston also struggled in many games throughout the season, but made a habit of leading game-winning touchdown drives. His three-touchdown game against Georgia Tech snapped a six-game stretch with at least one interception – including three games with two or more picks. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota has avoided any involvement in off-field distraction for the Ducks and has played mistake-free football throughout the season. As Oregon’s offence consistently put up big offensive numbers, Mariota took centre stage. The 2014 Heisman winner threw just two interceptions on the season – one against UCLA and one against Stanford –but made up for each of those with at least four touchdowns in both games. Mariota’s impressive play allowed the Ducks to bounce back to the second ranking after falling in the AP rankings to 12th after their loss to Arizona. Winston and Florida State opened the season as the top-ranked team in college football, the natural selection coming off their National Championship. However, despite never dropping a game, the Seminoles slid back in the rankings, to the extent their CFP spot was still considered in jeopardy even after their ACC Championship win. Dating back to 2012, Florida State has won 29-straight games. Though they failed to dominate opponents this year in the fashion they did in 2013, no team in two years has been able to solve the Seminooles.ddddddddddddJameis Winston has also never been defeated in his career. Though the Oregon defence was often playing with the lead, their defensive statistics indicate Winston could have success against the Ducks. Florida State’s passing attack ranked 14th in college football with just shy of 300 yards per game, while Oregon’s pass defence allowed 259 yards per game, ranking as the unit 95th in the FBS. However, the Ducks defence allowed just 22.5 points per game to rank 29th in that category, one spot ahead of the Seminoles. With the defensive statistics proving inconclusive of who holds an advantage, the Mariota vs. Winston storyline moves further to the forefront. The two potential first-round NFL draft picks and former Heisman winners have been compared throughout the season. Now, they will meet for the first time in their careers. Oregon will likely prove to be the biggest test for Florida State since their 29-game streak began. The Ducks have won games soundly throughout the season and haven’t needed ‘miracles’ to do so, unlike Florida State’s 2013 bowl competitor in Auburn. Oregon is listed as a nine-point favourite to advance to the National Championship game, but if Florida State can keep the game close, the Seminoles may have one more last-minute victory in them. Logic says to the lean towards a Ducks victory, but there is a reason Florida State has never lost with Winston at the helm. Eye on Sunday QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon Mariota is widely viewed as the favourite to be selected first overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and has a chance to secure his position as the top pick with a strong run to the National Championship. Mariota is expected to emerge as the NFL’s next dual-threat quarterback and could put his legs on display against Florida State’s oversized defensive line. Throughout his three-year Oregon career, Mariota’s Ducks have held a top-two ranking only to fall down the stretch. Now finally given his chance in a playoff atmosphere, Mariota can truly prove his worth. QB Jameis Winston Winston ranks behind Mariota on most draft boards, but he can make his case for the first-overall pick in a head-to-head matchup. Though his scouting report is filled with red flags, the redshirt sophomore arguably has more talent than his cross-country rival and a stronger résumé, which he can strengthen with another national championship berth. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '