News & Neuigkeiten » We just need to learn how to close that game out

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum said he isnt planning to alter how he plays the game after signing a five-year, $120 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets.And thats just fine with coach Steve Clifford.Clifford said Batum doesnt need to put additional pressure on himself to score just because hes now the highest-paid player in Hornets history. He told him to play how he plays.You dont change the nature of how you play. I think guys get messed up with that, Clifford said. ... I dont think you try to reinvent yourself because the money changed. We gave him the money because he played so well. In my opinion he was an All-Star-caliber player last season when healthy.Batum was acquired in a trade with Portland before last season and turned out to be a gem for Charlotte, which won 48 games and tied for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Batum averaged a career-high 14.9 points and 5.6 assists while becoming one of the teams top three go-to options.Batum said hes learned from experience that its not worth putting pressure on himself just because he signed a big contract.He did in that 2012 after inking a four-year, $46 million deal to remain with the Portland Trail Blazers. While he still played well, he said it was pointless.I was a young guy at the time and I didnt know what to expect, Batum said. Now I know. I know what I have to go through right now. I know what the views of the media and the public will be. I know that, and Im good with it.For Batum, pressure no longer enters the equation because the Hornets trust him and believe in him.Its more relief than pressure, Batum said.The Hornets made re-signing him their No. 1 priority, offering the Frenchman a huge deal about an hour into the free-agency signing period. Batum also received several offers from other teams shortly after the deadline, which he called flattering.The 6-foot-8, 200-pound Batum enters the season as Charlottes best all-around player and a favorite among teammates.Guys are so much more comfortable when hes out there on the floor because he makes it so much easier at both ends, forward Marvin Williams said.Williams said theres a naturalness to Batums game, and hes incredibly unselfish -- hes always looking for the better shot option.He likes to make the assist, and he likes to get everyone involved, Williams said. I think that is why so many people like playing with him. Its why I love playing with him.And why Clifford views him as irreplaceable.When Batum went down in the second half of last season with an ankle injury, the Hornets struggled to find their rhythm.Hes not a numbers guy to me, Clifford said. People can say, `Well, hes making this or hes making that (much money), but if he plays at the level he played at last year when he was healthy, we have a chance to be a really good team.The Hornets continue to work on 5-on-5 scrimmages extensively during practice as Clifford gets a feel for his team.But there were several key players missing on Thursday.Point guard Kemba Walker (knee) and center Cody Zeller (knee) remained out of practice while rehabbing from injuries. Guard Jeremy Lamb did not practice after stepping on a basketball and twisting his ankle, while Brian Roberts was held out after injuring his hamstring when he slipped on some water on the court. Clifford said he hopes to have Lamb and Roberts back in a few days. Sammy Watkins Super Bowl Jersey . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Mecole Hardman Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Derrick-Thomas-Chiefs-Jersey/ . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. Damien Williams Super Bowl Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Tanoh Kpassagnon Super Bowl Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. DUBLIN -- Dedrick Mills knew he just had to finish the play when given a chance to atone for a fumble in his first college game.He made up for the mistake by also finishing Georgia Techs comeback win.Mills 4-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds remaining capped a drive that included two big completions from Justin Thomas and lifted Georgia Tech to a 17-14 win over Boston College on Saturday.Mills, a freshman from Ware County High School in Waycross, Georgia, said he had to regroup after fumbling in the third quarter.I kind of got down but Justin kept coming back up to me and saying `Hey man, youve got to forget that last play, Mills said. ... I got my chance again. I just had to finish the play.Thomas threw two key completions on the go-ahead drive. The senior passed to Qua Searcy for 22 yards on a fourth-and-19 play and found Ricky Jeune for 26 yards on third down.It felt like a movie, Thomas said. We stuck together. We kept our heads up high and we found a way to do it.Georgia Tech (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its first game played outside of the United States in the 124-year history of the program. Mills, who led the Yellow Jackets with 68 yards rushing, was especially impressed by the dramatic setting.In high school we had a good fan base, Mills said. The stadium was kind of big but wasnt that big. Coming over here, being overseas for the first time with a big crowd, I havent played in anything like that.The Yellow Jackets only touchdowns came on their first and last drives of the game. Backup quarterback Matthew Jordans 3-yard scoring run capped the opening drive. Boston College held Georgia Techs spread-option attack to 240 yards, including 121 yards rushing.Its tough, said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. I tell you, theyre as good defensively as anybody weve played, including Clemson or anybody. Theyre good and we had a hard time getting anything going consistently.It was a crushing loss for Boston College (0-1, 0-1 ACC), which was winless in conference games in 2015 and has lost nine straight overall. The Eagles took a 14-7 lead on quarterback Patrick Towles 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.There was a lot of improvement and there were a lot of good thhings were going on out on the field, said Coach Steve Addazio.dddddddddddd. We just need to learn how to close that game out. We had good opportunities in the red zone. We missed two field goals. You cant do that. Thats two opportunities when you have limited possessions in the game.Towles, a graduate transfer from Kentucky making his first start for the Eagles, threw an interception and lost a fumble in the first half.I know, for a fact, that this football team will win a lot of football games this year, Towles said. Its not going to be more of the same.Harrison Butkers 39-yard field goal cut the lead to four points.Jon Hillmans 73-yard touchdown run on the Eagles first play of the second half tied the game at 7-7. Hillman ran for 102 yards on 17 carries.The game, which had a 7:30 a.m. EDT kickoff, was played through rain, leaving the grass turf at Aviva Stadium slippery.THE TAKEAWAYGeorgia Tech: It was a confidence boost for the defense, as Georgia Tech won despite ending scoring at least 20 points in 21 straight conference games. The streak, which began in 2013, was the second-longest by a Power 5 team, behind TCUs 22-game run.Boston College: The Eagles defense, which led the nation in 2015 by allowing only 254.3 yards per game, looked strong again before Georgia Techs go-ahead drive. Colton Lichtenberg had a 43-yard field goal attempt blocked in the second quarter, and he missed a 35-yarder late in the third. Addazio called for the second attempt instead of going for the first down on fourth-and-1 from the Georgia Tech 18.UP NEXTGeorgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets will face FCS in-state rival Mercer for the first time in 75 years. The first game in Georgia Tech history came against Mercer on Nov. 5, 1892, and the teams last game came in 1938. Mercer revived its program, which had been dormant for 72 years, in 2013.Boston College: The Eagles will take a break from the ACC schedule when they look for their ninth straight win over in-state rival UMass. The last win for UMass in the series came in 1978.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '