It has been a mixed fortnight for Roma and coach Rudi Garcia.After being knocked out the Champions League, Roma cut the gap to Serie A leader Juventus to one point last weekend. However, that 1-0 win over Genoa proved costly for Garcia as he has been banned for two matches for allegedly attempting to assault a steward.Roma has vowed to appeal the ban and it remains to be seen whether Garcia, who was named French coach of the year last week, can take his place on the touchlines for the last match of the 2014 against AC Milan on Saturday.Following the unfounded accusations which have been levelled against me and the resulting sanctions, I denounce this intolerable attack on my honour and my reputation, Garcia said. I will fight with every means available to me to defend myself against this injustice and this lie.Juventus visits Cagliari on Thursday in its last fixture before the winter break, while Inter Milan hosts Lazio on Sunday night in the final Serie A fixture of 2014.Bottom club Parma also plays Thursday, away at Napoli, with coach Roberto Donadoni hanging on to his job after 12 defeats in 14 matches and a recent change in ownership of the club.Here are some things to know about this weekends matches:___AMBITIOUS MILANAC Milan travels to the capital in confident mood and looking to underline its bid for a Champions League spot.New coach Filippo Inzaghi appears to be settling in well and enthusiasm is growing in the red half of Milan, with one defeat in five matches.Milan is sixth, two points behind a cluster of three teams — Lazio, Sampdoria and Genoa — all on 26 points.One of the surprising stars of Milans season so far has been midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura, who signed from Atalanta in the final hours of the summer transfer window.Well try for third spot, said Bonaventura, who scored in last weekends 2-0 win over Napoli. We have a squad that is of the right level, with important players.We have to be ambitious. The match against Roma will show us at what point were at in our development.___FIGHT FOR THIRDThe battle for third spot is heating up.Lazio, Sampdoria and Genoa all have 26 points, with AC Milan and Napoli two points behind and Fiorentina a point further back.Lazio — which leads on goal difference — visits Inter Milan on Sunday, while Sampdoria hosts Udinese and Genoa visits Torino.Inter is 11th, but only six points off third spot following Roberto Mancinis first win since his return to the club.Lazio will be looking to end the year on a high and pick up its third successive win.We wanted to step up a gear before the break, Lazio defender Lorik Cana said. If we want to remain up there, it all depends on us.___DERBY DELLA SCALAIt will be a merry Christmas for one half of Verona as the citys two teams face each other in the final match of the year on Sunday.Both are struggling at the wrong end of the table, but Chievo Verona has seen a change in fortune since changing manager and last weekends loss to Inter Milan was its first defeat in six matches.Hellas Verona has four more points than its city rival but has slipped down the table after a run of three consecutive defeats, which was ended by last weekends win at Udinese.If we beat Chievo, our season will once again be considered exceptional, said star striker Luca Toni, who hit his 300th career goal against Udinese. Because for a club like Verona its normal to be fighting for safety, not to be mid table.The fierce rivals have played each other just 12 times, with five wins each and two draws. Gary Harris Nuggets Jersey . 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Michael Porter Jersey .com) - Minnesota Vikings fans would surely concede Teddy Bridgewater is not Peyton Manning.SALT LAKE CITY - Alec Burks had 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the reeling Oklahoma City Thunder 98-81 on Tuesday night.Enes Kanter added 16 points and a season-high 15 boards for the Jazz, who enjoyed a 55-44 edge on the glass. Trey Burke scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half, and finished with nine assists.Oklahoma City has lost three straight and seven of nine. Jeremy Lamb led the Thunder with 19 points, and Steven Adams had 11 and eight rebounds.Playing without the injured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City shot 35.7 per cent (30 for 84) from the field. But the Thunder still led by as many as 17 in the first half before fading.The Jazz, who went 2-3 on a long Eastern Conference road trip, looked sluggish in the eearly going.ddddddddddddAfter trailing by double-digits much of the opening half, Utah coach Quin Snyder ran past half-court to protest a foul call on Adams attempted dunk in the second quarter. Snyders extended tirade directed at official Courtney Kirkland earned him his first technical foul as a head coach.Snyder then turned and yelled at his own team, Wake up! After Reggie Jackson made the free throw for the Thunder, the Jazz responded with 10 straight points.Utah cut the margin to 42-40 at halftime.The Jazz grabbed control by outscoring the Thunder 32-17 in the third, closing the period with a 13-2 run. The spurt featured 3-pointers from Joe Ingles, Burks and a capper from rookie Dante Exum that brought the crowd to its feet and gave Utah a 72-59 lead. ' ' '