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San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - With the worst month in recent memory behind them, the San Antonio Spurs shot better than 55 percent in their first game of 2015 and beat the Washington Wizards, 101-92. Cory Joseph scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and Boris Diaw dropped 12 of his 14 in the second, as the Spurs rallied past the struggling Wizards. If I can go help the team, Im going to go help the team, said Joseph, who was playing through a sickness. I felt like I could go after the first couple minutes, so I kept on playing. Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills added 16 and 15 points, respectively, for San Antonio, which finished December with a losing record (8-10). It was San Antonios first losing month since February, 1999. John Wall and Bradley Beal led six Wizards in double figures with 15 points apiece. They fell to 1-3 on a five-game Western Conference road trip. It was their 17th straight loss to the Spurs. Shots werent going down, but we werent executing, said Wall. We didnt run the plays, we took bad shots. Washington owned the biggest lead of the first half at 51-41 following Kevin Seraphins three-point play at 6:50 of the second quarter. The Spurs cut into the deficit with a 6-0 run, then erased it with six of the final eight points before halftime. Joseph and Manu Ginobili made layups around an Otto Porter jumper, and Joseph beat the buzzer with a turnaround jumper to make it 58-58 at halftime. The third quarter played much like the second, with Washington creating a bit of distance and San Antonio fighting back. Walls finger roll capped a 10-0 run that spanned two Spurs timeouts and left the Wizards with a 73-66 lead. From there, Diaw took over with three straight baskets, and Marco Belinelli put the Spurs back up with a jumper off an assist from Diaw. Diaw continued his strong play into the fourth, bookending a 6-2 run with baskets to open the frame and make it 84-79. Later, he got a difficult reverse layup to fall during a 7-0 flurry that also included four points from Belinelli. That layup made it 98-88, and the Spurs held on from there. Game Notes The Spurs havent lost in this series since November, 2005 ... The Spurs were shorthanded once again, as Kawhi Leonard (hand) and Tony Parker (hamstring) were sidelined with injuries ... These two teams meet again in Washington on Jan. 13 ... Nene and Marcin Gortat scored 12 apiece for Washington. Nike Clearance Sale . The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night. Discount Nike Shoes . Trailing by a goal after 20 minutes of play, Joe Pavelski responded with three goals and an assist as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. http://www.clearancenikeshoes.com/ . The win puts Arsenal four points clear of Everton in fourth place with two games to play in the Premier League, a position which would qualify the club for Europes top competition for the 17th straight year. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping .com) - The disappointing Ottawa Senators hope to record consecutive wins for the first time since early November, as they visit the Boston Bruins on Friday for the opener of a home-and-home series. Nike Clearance Store . -- Chris Jones and Louisville have done a tremendous job protecting the basketball this season and thats led to easy victories.NEW YORK -- There wasnt much reaction at Yankee Stadium when Phil Hughes name was announced during pregame introductions Sunday. A small smattering of boos, maybe. Mostly, collective apathy from a crowd still filing in. Then the right-hander went out and showed New York fans hes no longer the floundering pitcher they last saw. Looking all grown up on the mound with a well-manicured beard, Hughes threw eight poised innings in his return to the Bronx and wound up a winner when the Minnesota Twins rallied past the Yankees 7-2 behind big hits from Josh Willingham and Brian Dozier in a six-run ninth. "It was a little bit strange," said Hughes, who tipped his cap to New York pitching coach Larry Rothschild while walking onto the field. "But once I got on the mound, it just kind of cleared away and I was just able to focus on how I was going to pitch. After the first inning, I was just hoping I wouldnt start walking toward their dugout." Willingham belted a tying homer on the first pitch from closer David Robertson, denying rookie Chase Whitley his first major league victory. Robertson (0-2) then walked two batters and gave up Doziers two-out double, putting the Twins on top 3-2. Eduardo Nunez, also let go by the Yankees, lined a two-run double on Matt Daleys first pitch. Oswaldo Arcia added a two-run single off Matt Thornton to make it 7-2, all but sealing Minnesotas second victory in the three-game series. Hughes (6-1) held his former team to three hits -- all in a row to begin the fourth -- and retired his final 15 batters during his sixth straight win. "I dont think it means more than any other start," he said. "A little bit more nerves than usual, but thankfully I was throwing strikes early and was able to make some pitches," Hughes explained. "Obviously, it was a half-inning away from being a different story, but the guys rallied there in the ninth and it was a solid win for us." Hughes never quite lived up to lofty expectations in New York, though he did make his mark during seven seasons in pinstripes. He was a key member of the bullpen in 2009, helping the Yankees to a World Series championship, and made the All-Star team while winning 18 games the following year. But he faded to 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA last season, struggling with the homer-friendly dimensions at Yankee Stadium. With the second-highest flyball ratio among major league starters, he went 1-10 with a 6.32 ERA at home. "He didnt need too much real estate here today,"; Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.dddddddddddd Minnesota, which plays at pitcher-friendly Target Field, signed Hughes to a $24 million, three-year contract in December, and hes off to a terrific start with his new team. He was 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in his previous seven starts, and acknowledged Friday there would be "some weird at-bats" when he faced his former teammates. "We all know how big this is for him," Gardenhire said before the game. Hughes came right after the Yankees with 91-94 mph fastballs and cutters. He faced the minimum through three innings and only had trouble in the fourth. Brett Gardner tripled off the auxiliary scoreboard in right-centre and Derek Jeter singled. After a single by Jacoby Ellsbury and a rare walk to Brian McCann, Hughes did not permit another baserunner. "He never stopped attacking," Gardenhire said. Ichiro Suzukis bases-loaded sacrifice fly gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. It stayed that way until the ninth, when Robertson was charged with five runs in two-thirds of an inning. He was booed off the mound after his second blown save in 14 chances since taking over as closer for Mariano Rivera. "I just made some big mistakes and it cost us the game," Robertson said. "I stunk today, what can I say? ... Im itching to get out there to prove I can still do this." Hughes struck out six and walked two, throwing 72 of 100 pitches for strikes against a lineup missing injured sluggers Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran. "These are the guys we have and theyve got to find a way to get it done," manager Joe Girardi said. Trevor Plouffe had a two-out RBI single for the Twins in the third. Hughes went 178 straight batters without issuing a walk before McCann drew a free pass on a full count leading off the second. "He was more mad about that than anything else," Gardenhire said. Dozier turned an artful double play to end the inning. The second baseman grabbed a bouncer toward the middle and went into a neat pop-up slide, touching the bag with his glove before throwing to first just in time to get Suzuki. NOTES: Beltran (elbow) is headed to Tampa, Florida, to begin taking at-bats in extended spring training Monday. ... New York RHP David Phelps (1-2, 3.38 ERA) faces Seattle ace Felix Hernandez (7-1, 2.57) on Monday night in the makeup of an April 30 rainout. ... Minnesota RHP Kyle Gibson (4-4) starts Monday night in Milwaukee against ex-Twin Matt Garza (2-4). ' ' '