Tell me » in his assignments. As he matured, tho

PORTLAND, Ore. - Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts cautioned that its January, a little early for NBA regular-season games to be played with playoff intensity.Not too early for the Los Angeles Clippers, who admitted Wednesday nights game had a post-season feel, as they rallied during the final six minutes to beat Portland, 100-94.Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and the go-ahead basket on a 3-pointer with 3:55 remaining as the Clippers came back from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit.Chris Paul scored 23 and DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 18 rebounds for Los Angeles (26-13).LaMarcus Aldridge had 37 points and 12 rebounds for Portland (30-9). Aldridge, who missed his season high by two points, went 14 of 28 from the floor.Both teams went to their benches sparingly. Eight players played for each and neither team led by more than nine points. There were periods, particularly the end, when things turned physical and incredibly intense.Its one of those rare regular-season, playoff-type of games, Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. Theyre a lot of fun to get into, but you dont get a lot of those. We didnt go into it that way, but it turned into that.The Clippers ended Portlands four-game winning streak after falling behind 85-79 with 6:41 remaining. They went on a 10-3 run, taking an 89-88 lead on two Paul free throws, then grabbed the lead for good on Crawfords fourth 3-pointer of the game.Each team had a key contributor from its bench.For Portland, it was centre Meyers Leonard, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds. For the Clippers, it was Crawford, who led the team in scoring after hitting 10 of 22 shots.Our bench had 25 points tonight. It was one guy, Rivers said.Los Angeles won largely due to its defence. The Clippers held Portland, one of the NBAs most prolific 3-point shooting teams, to 6 of 26 from the arc. Los Angeles also kept Blazers point guard Damian Lillard under control, holding him to 15 points on 5 of 16 shooting.Its good for us. Weve won a lot of games with offence. Tonight we won by getting stops, Paul said.Crawford said playing Portland, which came in tied with Golden State for most wins in the NBA, provided the Clippers with some motivation.Them being one of the better teams in the league, us being one of the best teams in the league, and obviously the whole country was watching, so it was a really good game, Crawford said. Its one of our better wins.For Portland, Chris Kaman had 15 points and 11 rebounds.The Blazers trailed the entire first half, despite 22 points from Aldridge. Portland pulled to within 50-49 at halftime on two late free throws by Nicolas Batum.Los Angeles led by as many as seven during the third quarter, but Portland eventually wiped out the deficit, as Leonard hit two free throws with 1:26 remaining to tie the score at 72.Lillard triggered a Portland surge early in the fourth, as his 3-pointer gave the Blazers an 85-79 lead. But the Clippers controlled the final six minutes, outscoring Portland 21-9.Usually in the fourth quarter when we have the lead with five minutes to go, were pretty good in those situations. Give the Clippers credit; they made plays. They got stops when they needed to, Stotts said.TIP-INSClippers: Los Angeles signed G Dahntay Jones to a 10-day contract Wednesday. Jones, a 10-year NBA veteran, has been playing for Fort Wayne in the NBA Development League, averaging 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. ... Portland leads the NBA in 3-point field goal defence at .287, but the Clippers had some success, going 8 of 23.Trail Blazers: After playing eight of its past nine games at home, Portland plays three of its next four on the road, at San Antonio, Memphis and Phoenix. ... The Blazers play seven road games during the final 15 days of January.PAUL SAVES BEST FOR LASTPaul didnt shoot a free throw until the fourth quarter, when he went 10 of 10, including six during the final 1:16. Paul is seventh in the NBA in free-throw shooting at .899.UP NEXTClippers: Friday at home against ClevelandTrail Blazers: Friday at San Antonio Cheap Adidas Golden Knights Jerseys .com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Authentic . He was signed to help with depth to the receiving corps because of the loss of Shamawd Chambers to the 6-game injured list. http://www.cheapgoldenknightsjerseys.com/ . -- Miami Dolphins defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle defended the management style of coach Joe Philbin in the wake of the teams bullying scandal. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys . FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case. Beckenbauer refused "repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German," FIFA said in a statement. Wholesale Golden Knights Jerseys . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers.RENTON, Wash. -- Earl Thomas is the latest member of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to be locked up for the future. The best free safety in the NFL is getting rewarded quite well. Thomas and the Seahawks reached agreement Monday on a $40 million, four-year contract extension with just over $27.7 million guaranteed, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. They spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because there had been no announcement from the team. The agreement was first reported by NFL.com. Thomas, a two-time first-team All-Pro, could have gone into the 2014 season with free agency on the horizon. Instead, Seattle made sure to keep the most important cog of its defence through the 2018 season. Its the latest move in a strong off-season for the defending champions. While there were losses in free agency and difficult roster decisions with expensive veterans released, Seattle re-signed defensive end Michael Bennett before free agency began, then locked up coach Pete Carroll with an extension through 2016. The debate was whether Seattle could get a long-term deal done with either Thomas or cornerback Richard Sherman before either became a free agent after the 2014 season. Thomas deal is finished and the Seahawks can turn their attention toward trying to get a deal done with Sherman and solidifying three-fourths of the top secondary in the NFL for years to come. Strong safety Kam Chancellor is already signed through the 2017 season. Thomas was Seattles second first-round pick in the 2010 draft, the first with Carroll and general manager John Schneider leading the franchise. Its turned out to be one of the most important selections the team has made since starting a makeover with the duo in charge of moulding the Seahawks into a championship club. "Earl is as sserious a competitor as you could ever hope to be around.dddddddddddd He is in it, and hes on it and dialed in," Carroll said before the Super Bowl. Thomas was Seattles second-leading tackler last season and added five interceptions, but its what his presence allows the Seahawks to do defensively that underscores his value. His speed in coverage and recognition in the secondary are among the best in the game. Much of what Seattle wants to do defensively is predicated on having Thomas on the roster. At one point early in his career, Carroll had to threaten Thomas with benching because he was trying to do too much. Thomas was getting out of position and being undisciplined in his assignments. As he matured, those mistakes became harder to find. Thomas recognition of what opponents were trying to run became so good that he could play alone in the back of Seattles defence. Often this past season, the Seahawks were able to move Chancellor closer to the line of scrimmage and ask Thomas to patrol the back end by himself. He did that job at an elite level and earned his second straight All-Pro selection. "In this defence, I think me and Kam do a lot. Sometimes dirty work, sometimes a lot of game-changing plays," Thomas said during Super Bowl week. "Everybody on the defence understands that. Thats why this defence is so compatible with each other. Its selfless guys. "Were going to put everything on the line for each other. Love is the highest frequency we have and we understand that, and thats what its all about. When youre filled up with gratitude, its a genuine appreciation for everybody around you. Thats the way I love it." Thomas has 15 career interceptions in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. Thomas will still only be 29 years old when his new deal expires after the 2018 season. ' ' '