were called per game during the 2013-14 season, according to STAT

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Kenneth Faried scored 26 points and Wilson Chandler added 21 points and 10 rebounds to rally the Denver Nuggets to a 120-112 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. JJ Hickson had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Ty Lawson added 17 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, who ended a two-game losing streak. Arron Afflalo led Orlando with 24 points. Nikola Vucevic added 20, but had only four points in the second half. Jameer Nelson scored 19 points and had nine assists in Orlandos fifth loss in six games. After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, Denver took an 85-74 lead into the fourth quarter. A fast-break layup by JJ Hickson gave the Nuggets a 105-92 lead with 4:49 to play. The Magic trimmed the deficit to five on two occasions, but couldnt get any closer. Afflalos two free throws made it 115-110 with 1:26 to play, but the late rally died when Kyle OQuinn couldnt run down a pass on a fast-break and turned the ball over. Aaron Brooks converted a layup on the ensuing possession to give Denver a 117-110 lead with 1:03 to play and the Nuggets coasted home with the win. Denver, which played in spurts during the first half, came out with energy to start the second half and took command of the game. Faried and Chandler had nine points each during an 18-6 run that gave Denver an 80-70 lead. The burst included a four-point play by Chandler, who was knocked out of bounds as he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner. It helped that the Nuggets assigned Faried to cover Vucevic in the second half. Vucevic had 16 points in the first half, but missed his only shot in the third quarter and had just four points in the final period. The first half was back and forth with Orlando slipping away and Denver reeling them back in and eventually taking a 52-50 halftime lead. Vucevic had 12 points and seven rebounds in the first eight minutes to help the Magic build a 23-15 lead, but Denver cut it back to 27-23 by the end of the period. Orlando took advantage of four straight Nuggets turnovers at the start of the second quarter to go up 40-27. Oladipo and Harris both had breakaway dunks during the 13-4 run, but it ended when Oladipo lost the ball on another breakaway. The Nuggets, once again, slowly gained on the Magic, tying the game at 48 on Chandlers 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the half. Lawson made a 3-point play to give Denver its first lead of the game at 51-50 with 4 seconds left, then stole the inbounds pass and fed Faried, who was fouled on a dunk attempt. He made one free throw to give Denver a slim halftime advantage. NOTES: Denver outrebounded Orlando 52-38. The Magic are 0-31 when being outrebounded this season. . Denver had a .388 winning percentage against Orlando (19-30), the second-worst winning percentage against any franchise in the NBA. . Lawson is averaging 22.9 points and 11.1 assists his last six games. . Magic reserve G Doron Lamb made only his second basket in his last five games. He is 2 for 17 (11.8 per cent) in that stretch. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . -- With Tony Allen back, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to turn up their defence pressure and hold off the Los Angeles Clippers down the stretch. Fake Jerseys 2020 .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11. http://www.jerseyscheapcustom.com/ . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Fake China Jerseys . The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. Cheap Fake Jerseys Free Shipping . Coverage on TSN is underway now while action resumes on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. TSN GO also offers TSN subscribers bonus online coverage, with live streams of all four venues.Hours before the Stanley Cup finals began, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman proudly proclaimed that concussions are down across the league and there are numbers to back him up. That does not mean the league has figured out how to prevent head injuries among its players. Or that the numbers tell the whole story. According to data from STATS provided to The Associated Press, there were 53 concussions during the regular season, a sharp decline from the 78 reported during the leagues last full season two years ago. But even Bettman said there is only so much the league can do about a player hiding a head injury to stay on the ice. "Obviously, its difficult for us to get into a players head, no pun intended, with this concussion discussion," he said. "But if a player is going to not follow the protocol, not say exactly what hes feeling, thats pretty difficult to address." Dr. Jeff Kutcher, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based neurologist who works with NHL players believed to have concussions, wasnt sure the lower numbers indicated a dramatic change. "Im not surprised that the numbers are down, but I wouldnt read too much into those numbers," Kutcher said. The NHLs concussion protocol, like other leagues, requires players to get a team doctors OK before they can return to play. They are taken to a quiet place for evaluation, questions and tests of their memory, balance and general awareness. Players, though, seem to be able to skate around the protocol. Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman James Wisniewski said he avoided return-to-play protocol after he went head first into the boards during the playoffs. He wanted to keep playing. The Montreal Canadiens were criticized for letting forward Dale Weise return to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals after a blindside hit sent him to the dressing room. General manager Marc Bergevin insisted the team did not know Weise had a concussion until the next day and that the leagues protocol was followed. "Its flawed, but Im not a doctor," Bergevin said. "We all worry about our players, but we can only go by what were given." Hockey Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan, who was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to be their president two months ago after he was the NHLs chief disciplinarian, said it is good for the game that concussions are part of the conversation. "When there are situations like weve had in the playoffs, whether it is a hit to the head or mis-reporting, it gets put in the spotlight and it should," Shanahan said. "That is part of the continuing change of culture, and its going to be an ongoing process. I dont think there ever will be a perfect system because players are always going to want to play.&quuot; The NHL Players Association says it has taken steps to educate its players about the dangers of concussions, including bringing doctors to each team before the season for discussions.dddddddddddd. "The players understand the seriousness of concussions, and along with our consulting doctors we continue to discuss with them the importance of early diagnosis, treatment and proper recovery," NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said. Detroit Red Wings forward Drew Miller said players choose to keep playing with head injuries for at least a few reasons. "Guys downplay the symptoms or dont report them because of job security and they dont want to lose their spot," Miller said. "And, guys want to keep playing because they want help their team. In the back of our minds, too, you dont want other teams to know you have a head injury." Retired players Dave Christian, Reed Larson and William Bennett filed a class-action suit nearly two months ago in federal court that alleged the league has promoted fighting and downplayed the risk of head injuries that come from it. They joined another group of former NHL players in the fight for compensation for head injuries they blame on a game that promotes hard-hitting action. Current players seem to be adapting to the NHLs emphasis on safer play: Physical penalties -- such as illegal checks to the head, checks from behind and elbowing -- have dropped in each of the last six regular seasons. An average of 1.03 physical penalties were called per game during the 2013-14 season, according to STATS, down from 1.14, 1.16, 1.25, 1.36 and 1.39 the previous five years. Suspensions have generally held steady at around 35 per season the past few years, and players are sometimes forced to sit even if no penalty is called. Montreals Brandon Prust wasnt penalized for a hit that broke the jaw of New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan during the Eastern Conference finals, but he was suspended for two games by the league. Stepan sat out one game after going through a series of tests. "The protocol helps make sure that the player is OK and that he is not playing with something that he shouldnt be," he said. "I think its a good step in the right direction." Ultimately, though, players have to protect themselves and each other. "It comes down to the guys on the ice respecting each other and playing it as safe as possible," Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. "You see some of the big hits this year, inevitably youre going to catch a piece of the head and cause a problem, but the leagues done well with suspensions and penalties and the players have done a good job as far as the respect factor." ' ' '