it," Mattingly said with a weak smile after ticking off all the

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks have moved into a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference.But with 63 games left in the regular season, Kyle Korver isnt getting too excited.Every NBA game is tough, but weve had a favourable schedule to this point, he said. Weve gotten to play some teams that arent as high up in the standings as were going to play later.Paul Millsap scored 23 points, Korver added 15 and the Hawks won their sixth straight game with a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.Wilson Chandler finished with a season-high 29 points and Timofey Mozgov had 14 points for the Nuggets. Chandler and Mozgov combined for 21 rebounds.Denver began the season with a win over Detroit before losing seven of eight. A Nov. 17 victory at Cleveland started a 7-1 stretch, but the Nuggets have since dropped their last three.Al Horford and DeMarre Carroll each had 11 points and combined for 17 Atlanta rebounds.The Nuggets missed 23 of their first 32 field-goal attempts and trailed 45-26 after Mike Scotts short turnaround jumper midway through the second.Denver coach Brian Shaw, whose team was missing Kenneth Faried, Nate Robinson and JaVale McGee, needs less experienced players to fill the void.Alonzo Gee scored a season-high 14 points in a reserve role, but the rest of the bench combined for just nine points.Were down 10 guys, Shaw said. Guys have an opportunity to play, so they have to take advantage of those minutes. Guys have to step up.Atlanta took its biggest lead at 24 when Millsap hit a 3 early in the third. Denver went on a 28-14 run to cut the lead to 10 late in the period, and baseline jumper by Mozgov made it a nine-point lead in early in the fourth.The Nuggets were 5 for 32 on 3-point attempts before Chandlers made it 87-78. He followed with a layup on Denvers next possession, cutting the lead to seven, but Korvers 3 and Teagues layup put the Hawks back up by 12.Atlanta never trailed after Korvers 3 midway through the first.Were starting to figure out how to play, Horford said, and build those habits to play the same way every night.Denver point guard Ty Lawson had four points and 10 assists to snap his streak of six consecutive double-doubles.Dennis Schroder gave Atlanta its first double-digit lead with a free throw late in the first, and his straightaway 3 made it 41-24 midway through the second.TIP-INSNuggets: Faried, Denvers fourth-leading scorer, has a lower back strain and missed his first game this season. J.J Hickson started in his place and had four points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes. .... Robinson (back) missed his first game. He and McGee (left leg) have combined for a 10.9 scoring average this season.Hawks: Atlanta, which began the game with no major injuries, has won six of seven against Denver at Philips Arena. The Hawks improved to 32-7 against the Nuggets at home.UP NEXTNuggets: Visit Toronto on Monday.Hawks: Visit Indiana on Monday. Adidas Ultra Boost Wholesale Canada . Wade is posting a short film on his website next week, with a sneak preview scheduled to come out Wednesday. Adidas Ultra Boost Online Canada . Hamelin overcame a weak start to win bronze in the 500-metre race behind winner Wu Dajing of China and American J.R. Celski on Saturday at the world short track speed skating championship. http://www.wholesaleultraboostcanada.com/ . Not that Durant cared. The only streak he cares about is still intact. Cheap Ultra Boost Canada . Sweeting scored two in the first and three in the second before Strong (4-4) got two back in the fourth. Sweeting then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to grab a commanding 9-2 lead. Adidas Ultra Boost Canada For Sale . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The last time Kyle Hendricks pitched at Dodger Stadium he was in high school and there were a couple hundred people in the stands. The 24-year-old shone on a much bigger stage Friday night, scattering four hits over seven innings in the Chicago Cubs 8-2 victory over the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, whose six-game winning streak ended. "I thought about playing up here, but I didnt think about this moment," Hendricks said. "You always have lofty dreams, but I was more concerned about the day-to-day work to get me here." Making his fourth major league start after being called up from Triple-A, Hendricks (2-1) allowed one earned run, struck out three and walked one. The rookie had two of Chicagos 13 hits, including his first in the majors. "Thats a heck of a lineup over there," he said. "I was just lucky I could go out there and throw strikes. The guys scored a ton of runs for me, which is always nice, but you cant relax. Youve got to still go after the hitters and treat it like a 1-0 lead." Starlin Castro had three hits and scored three runs, Ryan Sweeney had two hits and scored twice, and Luis Valbuena homered and drove in two runs for the last-place Cubs, who have won four of their last five. "Kyle set the tone with his ability to attack the hitters and attack that offence," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "That gave us an opportunity to go ahead and do what we did on offence." Hendricks got dinged in the calf on the first hit of the game by Dee Gordon, but it didnt affect him. "It was really fun, having all my family and friends here, and I saw my high school coach right before the game," he said. As much as Hendricks enjoyed himself, Dan Haren was left feeling miserable. The veteran is in the midst of a career-worst five-game skid, having lost all four of his starts in July. The right-hander (8-9) gave up seven runs — six earned — and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings, struck out three and walked two. "Im frustrated and embarrassed," Haren said. "I feel confident coming into the game, but it seems like the same things happen. I didnt have good stuff. I dont know why. I should be pitching better. I feel bad for the fans. Its the toughest time of my career." The Cubs scored three runs in the third for a 4-1 lead and another three in the fifth to make it 7-1. "We made so many mistakes," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "You know you cant win like that." The wildest play of the game occurredd on a tag play at home plate in the sixth.dddddddddddd It began when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a fielders choice to third baseman Valbuena, who forced Scott Van Slyke at second. Second baseman Arismendy Alcantara tried to complete the double play, but Ramirez got to first in time, forcing Anthony Rizzo to fire to the plate. Yasiel Puig, who was on second, had started home on the throw to first. Puig slid home, where catcher Wellington Castillo was fully sprawled on the ground. Puig reached to tag the plate with his left hand while keeping his right hand away from Castillos outstretched glove in a cat-and-mouse game. Puig was called safe, which the Cubs challenged. There was a 4-minute review before the call was upheld and the Dodgers trailed 8-2. TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: Left-hander Felix Doubront was added to the roster and placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf. He was acquired on Wednesday from Boston for a player to be named. He is 26-22 with a 4.82 ERA and three saves in 98 appearances in the last five years with the Red Sox. Dodgers: Reliever Paul Maholm walked out on crutches with his right knee in a brace after the game. He will have a MRI on Saturday. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez left the game in the third with a right knee contusion. Puig was taken out for precautionary reasons with mild left hamstring soreness in the seventh. The bad luck didnt escape first base coach Davey Lopes, who slipped on some steps. "I think thats it," Mattingly said with a weak smile after ticking off all the injuries. ON DECK Cubs: Tsuyoshi Wada (1-1, 3.38) takes the mound for his fourth major league start. The left-hander has struck out 13 and walked six while holding the opposition to a .254 average in his first three starts. He had Tommy John surgery two years ago, when he was in Baltimores farm system. Dodgers: Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-5, 3.44) starts against the Cubs for just the second time in his career. The left-hander has won three consecutive starts since July 13, going 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA. Ryu has limited opponents to a .186 batting average while striking out 22 and walking two in that span. ADDING ON The Cubs added infielder Chris Valaika to the 25-man roster to take Emilio Bonifacios spot. Manager Rick Renteria said Valaika will be used all over the lineup to give others a breather. GETTING CLOSE Kyuji Fujikawa could join the Cubs next week after his minor league rehab assignment. The right-hander has given up one earned run over five innings in five games at Triple A-Iowa. ' ' '