Clan-Members » a rebound performance at Green Bay, as the

SALT LAKE CITY -- Slowing down Golden States offense is a bit like trying to move a mountain with bare hands. The Warriors are scorching one defense after another with their ability to relentlessly score from anywhere on the floor.Golden State (19-3) is averaging 130.5 points per game in the month of December. The Warriors have won their last two games by an average of 27.3 points, with the latest result being a 115-98 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.Their big three of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have been virtually unstoppable over the past four contests. Thompson is averaging 31.3 points on 48.9 percent shooting. Curry is scoring 22.8 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting and dishing out 6.0 assists. Durant is chipping in 23.8 points on 47.0 percent shooting and collecting 8.3 rebounds.This sort of offensive efficiency is no fluke. Golden State leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (.502) and is the only team in the league shooting above 50 percent. The Warriors are also league leaders in assists (32.0) and scoring (120.0).Its reached a point where Golden State almost demands perfection and a 115-point outing against the Clippers is a bit of a disappointment.Honestly, I dont think we played well offensively tonight, Draymond Green said after Thursdays game. We missed a lot of shots that we normally make. The flow wasnt really there. But the most important thing is we defended and didnt turn the ball over. And when you dont turn the ball over and you defend, you give yourself a chance to win every game.Dealing with such a potent offense will be challenging even for one the NBAs best defensive teams. The Utah Jazz are allowing just 95.5 points per game this season and have given up only 93.0 points per contest in 11 home contests.Containing Golden State at that level will be nearly impossible for Utah, which has just 11 available players for Thursday. George Hill (sprained toe), Rodney Hood (hamstring strain), Derrick Favors (knee contusion) and Alec Burks (ankle rehabilitation) will not play against the Warriors.Gordon Hayward is also banged up after injuring the same finger he fractured during the preseason in Tuesdays 112-105 win over Phoenix. Hayward left during the third quarter to get the finger examined and returned for the fourth quarter. His finger was bruised and swollen after the game but, fortunately for Utah, not broken.It was stinging, so I wanted to make sure everything was fine before I came back, Hayward said. Sometimes, you just have to let pain dissipate a little bit. We put some spray on it and re-wrapped it. Its not broken. We X-rayed it and its fine.A troubling trend has emerged for the Jazz over their last three games. In each game, Utah has surrendered a double-digit lead during the fourth quarter and held on in the final minutes for a victory.Fourth-quarter sluggishness was really pronounced against the Suns. The Jazz scored just nine points over the first 10 minutes of the quarter and relaxed on defense, allowing Phoenix to rally from a 19-point deficit and tie the game at 103-103 with 3:07 remaining.I dont think were playing our best defense at all, Utah coach Quin Snyder said. The ball has gotten in the paint too much. Weve been playing teams that are just driving the ball. In some respects, when Rudy is protecting the rim, thats good. But if you look at the lineups weve had, we havent had a lot of quickness on the floor. Guys got to be more disciplined.Golden State has dominated the series with Utah in recent seasons. The Warriors have won five straight and 11 of the last 12 against the Jazz. Utahs lone win in that stretch was a 110-100 home victory on Jan. 30, 2015.Kyler Murray Youth Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Andy Isabella Womens Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/Youth-Adrian-Wilson-Cardinals-Jersey/ . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Pat Tillman Youth Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Kyler Murray Cardinals Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands.There are more bye week and injury issues to deal with in Week 5 of the fantasy football season. Youre going to have to sweat out more tough decisions as you attempt to earn another victory.Dont overthink it or second-guess yourself like crazy, though. All you can do is make the most informed decisions, set your lineup, and hope for the best. We help you come to some of those optimum conclusions. First, lets start with the good news:TOM BRADY RETURNSBradys return from suspension should instantly revive a New England offense that was blanked by Buffalo last week. The Browns have allowed an AFC-high 10 TD passes. Julian Edelman (foot) should be started as long as he is cleared to play and now Chris Hogan becomes an interesting add and play, with a shot at a larger role if Edelman is limited. Brady was developing a good on-field relationship with Hogan in the preseason, so if you have a WR on a bye like Doug Baldwin or Jeremy Maclin, consider Hogan a quality filler in point-per-reception leagues. Rob Gronkowski is battling a hamstring issue, so Brady may work to secondary playmakers such as Hogan and Martellus Bennett this week. Pass-catching RB James White also sees a boost in appeal in PPR formats.QB BYESRussell Wilson and Drew Brees are on byes, and Cam Newton (concussion) is iffy for Monday night. Eagles rookie Carson Wentz is the top QB sub of the week and a top-8 start overall against a Lions pass defense that has surrendered 12 TD passes, the second highest total in the league. Brian Hoyer is coming off a pair of 300-yard games for the Bears, and is a good one week play vs. Indianapolis. Joe Flacco is also a decent streamer against Washington. If your alternatives for Newton are not too attractive, pick up his backup, Derek Anderson, and start either Carolina QB that gets the call against Tampa Bay, which has allowed nine TD passes.RAIDERS RUNNERSOakland running back Latavius Murray has a foot injury and is out for this weeks game against the Chargers. Rookie DeAndre Washington should get the start and has some upside against a Chargers defense that allows 26 fantasy points per game in PPR formats to running backs, according to FantasyPros.com. He is a viable flex play, but Jalen Richard may also see some work and fullback Jamize Olawale could get some goal-line work. Richard is a deeper league option.AND LIONSThe Lions continue to deal with injuries at running back, as Ameer Abdullah is already on IR with a foot injury and now rookie Dwayne Washington could be out this week with a sprained foot and ankle. Theo Riddick has rushed for 40 yards on 21 carries in the past two games. If you are digging for some RB help, Zach Zenner may be the next man up for the Lions as a ball carrier. He has shown some potential in the preseason before and certainly has some promise as a ggoal-line runner, as he is a strong, physical runner who can grind out some yardage and battles hard after initial contact.ddddddddddddDefinitely add him if he is available and he could be a desperation starter.FALCONS REPEAT?Matt Ryan is the best QB in fantasy so far, with 105 points in standard leagues. Julio Jones is coming off a historic performance and Devonta Freeman has scored in each of the past two games. But the Falcons draw the Denver defense this week, a matchup which often leads fantasy owners to consider benching their top performers. Jones cannot be reserved regardless of opposition, but Ryan has a very stern test and it appears safer to use other choices such as Wentz or Hoyer. Jones could still catch a TD, but that scoring catch could conceivably be Ryans only TD connection of the day. The Broncos are allowing 15.6 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, so Freeman should give you a decent floor statistically.HOPKINS STRUGGLESDeAndre Hopkins has not returned his first round value recently, with five catches for 60 yards in his past two games, including a one-catch, 4-yard outing against the Titans last week. The Vikings are allowing 13.6 FFPG to opposing WRs, second-lowest in the league. So do you bench Hopkins? In many cases, you wont have a more proven option with more upside. Fantasy superstars often earn such a label by producing in even the most challenging of matchups. Hopkins may relish such a matchup and the Texans will want to get him involved early and often, so maintain your confidence in him and keep him active.SAME QUESTION FOR BECKHAMThe Giants offense sputtered last week at Minnesota, and Odell Beckham Jr. endured the worst statistical performance of his career. Look for a rebound performance at Green Bay, as the Packers have allowed 307.3 passing yards per game, second-highest in the NFC. Beckham should calm down some of the negative talk about him, and Eli Manning will be good for at least two TD passes. Sterling Shepard should remain in your starting lineup and Victor Cruz can be used as a quality bye week replacement.PANTHERS DEFENSEThe Panthers were embarrassed by Ryan and Jones last week, but dont expect a repeat performance and assume you should start Jameis Winston. After such a poor defensive outing, the Panthers will likely want to recapture their pride in a Monday Night game against a divisional opponent. Winston already has eight interceptions and has not progressed as hoped so far this year. Mike Evans will get his numbers, but Carolina may take its frustrations out from last week on Winston.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com ' ' '