Kritik » (-6.5) The last two dominant wins for Denver have been

NEW YORK -- Marcus Thornton has been around the Brooklyn Nets for only two weeks, so hes still trying to learn his new teams playbook. According to Nets first-year coach Jason Kidd, there are some plays his reserve guard understands pretty well. "Its called shoot it," Kidd said. Thornton did just that on his way to scoring 15 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter against his old team while Joe Johnson added 18 points to help Brooklyn overcame an injury to Paul Pierce in a 104-89 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Alan Anderson had 11 points and Shaun Livingston and Deron Williams each scored 10 points as the Nets won for the fifth time in six games. Brooklyns win was its seventh straight at the Barclays Center, matching a season-high set Dec. 27, 2013 to Jan. 24, 2014. Thornton, acquired from the Kings in exchange for Reggie Evans and Jason Terry on Feb. 19, took it to his former teammates over a four-minute stretch that bridged the end of the third quarter and the opening minutes of the fourth. With 5.5 seconds remaining in the third, Thornton made a 3-pointer to extend Brooklyns lead to 77-65. Thornton then continued his streak of 13 straight points by opened up the final quarter with a drive to the basket to extend the lead. He then stripped the ball from Ray McCallum and finger-rolled it to make it 81-65. McCallum later would throw the ball out of bounds and Andray Blatche found Thornton for another 3 that made it 84-68. He then concluded his hot streak with another 3 right over former teammates Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins to make it 87-69 with 9:58 to go and the Nets never looked back leading by as many as 24 in the period. "Anytime you see the ball go through the net, you get confidence about yourself," said Thornton, who scored 15 straight against Memphis last week. "I credit my teammates for finding me in spots I can be effective in. And my shots were going down." So far, Thornton been able to show flashes of that scorer Brooklyn was looking to add when they swung the deal before the trade deadline. Hes averaged 11.8 points in six games despite his limited knowledge of the teams offensive scheme. "If Im open, Im (going) to shoot it," he said. Thorntons presence off the bench will be even more crucial if Pierce is out for an extended amount of time. After the game, Kidd said the team would re-evaluate Pierce and Andrei Kirilenko, who left the game in the third quarter after spraining his right ankle. "Well, I stepped on Derons foot in the first quarter and felt a little tweak," Kirilenko said. "I thought I could keep going but obviously it just stopped me. I dont think its a serious injury." Brooklyn will host the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors on Monday night. The Raptors currently hold a four-game lead over the second-place Nets. Kings coach Michael Malone was criticial of the way the team mishandled the ball throughout the night while also singling out the way they shared the ball. "Once again we continue to beat ourselves on the road. Eleven assists in 48-minute game is absurd. More importantly is the 25 turnovers for 28 points," Malone said. "What I see now on both ends of the floor is a disease of me. Were becoming a selfish basketball team." Of the 25 turnovers forced by the Nets, 14 were steals. Cousins had 20 points and 28 rebounds to lead the Kings, and Gay added 20 points. "Turnovers killed us tonight," Cousins said. "Turnovers and Id say selfish basketball, thats what really hurt us tonight. We let Marcus Thornton get hot. We let one of those shooters hurt us and thats what kind of sealed the game." Brooklyn led by 16 points in the first half after losing Pierce to a right shoulder injury in the early minutes of the first quarter. However, Brooklyn outscored Sacramento 47-32 the rest of the way. Pierce got hurt with just under 11 minutes left in the first quarter when Sacramentos Jason Thompson backed him into the paint and as he kept looking to post Pierce in the paint, he quickly spun around for a layup. Pierce felt the force of Thompson banging into him and clutched his shoulder. Kevin Garnett has also missed the last five games with back spasms. NOTES: Brooklyn improved to 14-11 against the Western Conference this season but are 10-3 since Jan. 1. ... Brooklyns reserves outscored their counterparts 59-19. Mats Hummels Jersey . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. Julian Brandt Germany Jersey . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. http://www.germanysoccerpro.com/Manuel-Neuer-Germany-Jersey/ . Helwani said that Weidman has been dealing with recurring swelling and pain in his knees related to torn meniscus he suffered as a teenager and the problems came to a head last week when he suffered prolonged swelling and pain in his left knee, resulting in the decision to undergo an arthroscopic scope procedure to clean up the tear in both knees. Niklas Sule Germany Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Toni Kroos Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile.With an overall record of 44-47, including 7-8 last week, TSN football analyst Chris Schultz is back with his Week 7 selections in the NFL in Risky Business. New York Jets at New England Patriots (-9.5) In NFL football these days 9.5 is a lot of points. And no Jerod Mayo or Stevan Ridley is a big loss to be felt though the season. Still if there ever was a short week to avoid for a visiting team, it is this one for the Jets. The 31-17 loss to Denver is a bit misleading as Aqib Talib did score on an interception very late in the game. Did you know the Patriots have won 32 consecutive at home against AFC teams? Did you know that at Gillette Stadium the Patriots are 85-15? And that Brandon LaFell has an 18-yard reception average? This one could be very similar to the Bills game, close for a long time but, the Patriots take over in the fourth. I hate giving up that many points, but no comparison at quarterback. I’m taking the Patriots. Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens (-7) I dont think you can gain too much confidence over the Ravens 47-17 win over Tampa Bay. It was just one of those days for the Bucs for a second time (Atlanta on Thursday night) that you hope never repeat but did. With four losses already, this is a huge urgency game for Atlanta. We all know 10 wins is a goal as it means you may qualify for playoffs. On the opposite side, six losses is the number to avoid; if you hit six early then pressure is on to go undefeated. Atlanta has four losses as of right now. Antone Smith has been a nice surprise as a receiver and runner and will need one of those short catches to long runs to keep this one close. The Falcons have lost to Chicago, the Giants, and Minnesota by 10 or more. Ravens at home should be able to do the same. I’m taking the Ravens. Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins (-5) Tennessee could only beat Jacksonville at home by two points and are 22nd in scoring defence and 28th in scoring offence. Washington’s Alfred Morris had only 41 yards against Arizona so back home I anticipate more than 13 carries as accumulated last week. Bottom line for Washington is that they have the league’s worst takeaway/giveaway ratio at -9. At some point that has to change. This is the game; Washington by 7. Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) at St. Louis Rams Coming of the 30-23 loss to Dallas, you would have to think that Seattle will be a focused team. Both teams do have a good pass rush but with the Rams it is revolving around Robert Quinn, with the Seahawks it is a bit of everybody. Colin Kaepernick did a great job finding moments in the pocket to complete passes downfield. Russell Wilson can do the exact same. Austin Davis is playing well as a quarterback but as John Gruden so aptly stated he needs to do it for the full four quarters.” Against Seattle, who is coming off a loss, that will be a tough challenge. Tavon Austin looks good on the fast indoor field of Edwards Jones Dome. So will Percy Harvin. Seahawks by 10. Cleveland Browns (-5.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars It’s not so much that I dont be live in Cleveland as much as Jacksonville at some point will win a game. Maybe just a game, but soon. Cleveland did lose Alex Mack at center, which is a significant loss in run blocking and pass blocking and on pre-snap calls. The success for Cleveland is being physical up front and imposing the running game on an opponent. It is a pattern developed over the season and Jacksonville’s defence knows it’s coming. Cleveland is playing inspired football, Jacksonville is desperate. Desperation over inspiration, Jacksonville keeps it close or wins outright. I’m taking Jacksonville. Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts (-3) I thought the line would be a lot more than three, considering the Colts are coming off the bye week and the Bengals are coming of an overtime tie. Andrew Luck reminds me of a younger Peyton Manning, without all the pre-snap direction and adjustments. And he is a better athlete. With AJ Green probably a game time decision, it will come down to Giovani Bernard to be the difference maker. And he may be that player as the Colts do struggle against the run allowing 141 per game. But the Colts have more difference makers lead not by Reggie Wayne but TY Hilton who accumulated 223 reception yards. Last time these two teams played was Week 14 of the 2013 season in Cincinnati and the Bengals were effective for 155 yards of rushing. The Colts will revisit that game to prepare for this and as priority No. 1, wont let it happen again. Final score in that one was 42-28 Bengals. Not this time. I’m taking the Colts. Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills (-4.5) I like the Bills. I thought their 37-22 loss was misleading and take away two poor defensive back plays and the Bills could have won that game. Kyle Orton to Scott Chandler is beginning to be a consistency. At 67, Chandler is a great target for Orton and it seemed like every catch against the Patriots produced a first down. The Bills defensive line is good against the run and with Jerry Hughes from the outside, good against the pass too. Teddy Bridgewater’s time is coming but he needs a running game as he has yet to throw a touchdown pass. Terry Pegula made himself very visible as new Bills owner and helped the first quarter energy with his pre-game speech. He should do it again. I’m takiing the Bills.dddddddddddd Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears (-3.5) This is a tough one. Miami played very well losing to Green Bay on basically the last play of the game. Chicago on the road beat an Atlanta team that usually does not lose by any significant point total at home. Speaking of home, Chicago has yet to win one at home, losing to Buffalo and Green Bay. I am looking at Cam Wake and Olivier Vernon to make an impact and the Dolphins to keep it close. I’ll take the Dolphins. New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-3) Dome stadium for Drew Brees and they are coming off the bye week. Significant in that the Saints have won their last five games coming off the bye week. That gives some confidence in that the Saints have lost eight of nine away from Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Jimmy Graham and Calvin Johnson may miss this game due to injury but I think if both miss, Detroit will miss Johnson more than the Saints will miss Graham. The Saints are 2-4, they must win this one as the Packers come to town next week. I’ll take the Saints. Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (-7) For Carolina, what was a top NFL defence is no more. Last year it was unusual for a team to score over 20 points on the Panthers. This year the last four opponents have put up 37, 24, 38 and 37. And for the third time in four games Carolina has allowed 450 yards or more to an opponent. They’re just not the same. On the positive side, Newton ran for over 100 yards on 17 carries and passed for almost 300 yards against the Bengals. He alone can change a game. For Carolina to win, they rely on takeaways to offset all the yards given up. Problem is, since Week 1, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has yet to throw an interception. He has 15 touchdowns to one interception on the year. The status of Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Jamari Lattimore is an issue. All did not finish last week and first two are starters in the secondary. When your quarterback is your leading rusher as Newton is for the Panthers, you have problems. Both teams will score points but I’m going with the Packers. Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers (-4) The Chiefs are coming off the bye week and have to find a way to slow down Philip Rivers. In the last five games Rivers’ passing rating has been 120 or higher. No quarterback may be playing better than him right now. But last week in Oakland it took a Jason Verrett interception to keep their 31-28 score secure. Two great running backs in this one with Jamaal Charles and rookie Brandon Oliver but Knile Davis is a surprise player and performer and top power runner. Close to the goal line I am looking for Davis with the Chiefs. San Diego is 9-1 in the last 10 regular season games but they are playing a well-rested Chiefs team that has to win. I’ll take the Chiefs. New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-5.5) Confidence is high in Dallas, and it should be. You take away the blocked punt turned into six fast points for Seattle and what was a 30-23 win is a dominant 30-16 win. Confidence is low with the Giants. I am not sure which Giants team will show up. The one that lost 27-0 against Philadelphia or the previous one that won three in a row. This I do know: only two players in NFL history have started a season with six consecutive 100-yard performances. DeMarco Murray is one, Jim Brown is the other. Yes, it is divisional game and the Giants have thrived at AT&T Stadium recently, but confidence rules in this one. I’ll take the Cowboys. Arizona Cardinals (-3.5) at Oakland Raiders The Cardinals are a good defensive football team. The only time they have imploded was against Denver but in that game they were down to their third quarterback. Tony Sparano did get his team to compete at a high level last week but can it happen again for the second week in a row? This in the past would have been a Cardinals game where they self-destruct and lose to an inferior team. Not with Bruce Arians as head coach. The Cardinals have lost one game and have wins over San Francisco and San Diego. Raiders will compete due to their coaching change but that’s not enough. Deep ball Carson Palmer by seven. I have Arizona. San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos (-6.5) The last two dominant wins for Denver have been misleading. 41-20 over Arizona against back up quarterbacks and last week 31-17 against the Jets but it took a last play interception for a touchdown to make it a dominant win. The 49ers were down 14-0 but won 31-17 and Colin Kaepernick threw for a career high 343 yards and was at his elusive best. I think San Francisco can take the run game away from Denver while I think Denver will struggle to stop Frank Gore. 49ers will have both dimensions on offence, Denver only one. 49ers on points. Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-4) The Texans are better than their record. They could have beaten Dallas but lost in overtime and lost to Indianapolis by five in a game that was in doubt until the fourth. If Houston feeds Arian Foster enough they could win outright. Ryan Fitzpatrick is good for one disaster play a game, many quarterbacks are, but which play and when? Coming off the Thursday game all Texans will be rested. Coming off the loss against Cleveland, Pittsburgh is reeling. Texans are not as bad as 3-3, Steelers not as good.I’ll take the Texans. ' ' '