Clan-Members » ibbert combined for all of Indianas 23 points in the

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- After six straight one-goal games and a seventh which was tight before an empty-net goal, the Minnesota Wild got the chance to breathe easier at the end of a game.Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves and five players scored a goal each as Minnesota won its fifth straight game, 5-1 over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.Zach Parise, Erik Haula, Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker scored for the Wild, who have points in 10 of their last 11 games. Zucker added an assist, and Jason Pominville and Jonas Brodin each had two assists for Minnesota, which has seen 18 of its 28 games this season decided by one goal.Nice to not have one come down to the wire with someone pulling their goalie and a one-goal game, Parise said. You hope that we can have more of those. We know thats not always easy, but thats what were trying to do.Florida goaltender Roberto Luongos regrettable history in Minnesota continued as he stopped 12 of 17 shots before being pulled midway through the third period. Luongo is 0-7 and has been pulled in four of his last seven games at the Xcel Energy Center.James Reimer stopped all five shots he faced in relief of Luongo. Dylan McIlrath scored his first goal of the season for the Panthers, who have one win in their past six games.Its a bad loss, Florida interim coach Tom Rowe said. Guys have got to understand that if youre going to play in the National Hockey League youve got to show up every single day, cant show up when you feel like it.Dubynk is 7-0-2 in his last nine games and leads the league in goals-against average and save percentage. Since making his Wild debut on Jan. 15, 2015, Dubnyk leads all NHL goaltenders in shutouts, save percentage and goals against-average while placing second in wins in that span.The Panthers thought they had pulled within a goal midway through the second period when Kyle Rau scored off Dubnyks skate. A video review showed Derek McKenzie was offside and the goal was waved off.Florida was also 0 for 5 on the power play.Obviously you learn from every game, but this was a tough one, Panthers center Nick Bjugstad said. We knew they play a tight style and they capitalize on chance. I think we had more shots but that doesnt mean anything when you give up odd-man rushes and they capitalize on them.Staal scored his seventh goal 67 seconds after the reviewed goal to make it 3-0. Pominville passed to a streaking Staal for a breakaway. Luongo got his blocker on the initial shot, but Staal followed by batting the puck out of the air.Parise opened the scoring in the first period with his first goal in eight games. He has five on the season and three in 11 games since returning from injury.We need to keep climbing, Dubnyk said. Its exciting to be in this spot with games at hand, as well, and again those games dont matter unless we win them, but its still a good situation to be in and winning is fun so you just got to keep doing it.Game notes Luongo is 3-12-1 all-time at the Xcel Energy Center. He entered with a goals-against average of 3.21 and .884 save percentage in Minnesota. ... Wild D Christian Folin returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. ... Florida D Keith Yandle played in his 581st consecutive game, surpassing Johnny Wilson for sole possession of the ninth-longest streak in NHL history. ... Minnesota F Kurtis Gabriel had to retreat to the locker room following a first-period fight with McIlrath. Gabriels jersey ripped nearly the length of his back, splitting the numbers. It was Gabriels fourth fight in six games since being recalled from the AHL.UP NEXTPanthers: The second game of their three-game trip is Thursday in Winnipeg.Wild: They are at Nashville on Thursday. Leandro Barbosa Jersey . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. George King Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. https://www.thesunslockerroom.com/Deandre-Ayton-City-Edition-Jersey/ . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Deandre Ayton Suns Jersey .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Mikal Bridges Suns Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. MIAMI -- The game was very much in doubt. A sold-out arena was basically silent. The chance of getting back to the NBA Finals for a third straight year could have slipped away. Cue LeBron James. A third quarter for the ages by the four-time MVP turned the game, and perhaps the entire Eastern Conference finals, around. James scored 16 of his 30 points in the quarter, fueling what was a 20-point turnaround at one point, and the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 90-79 in Game 5 on Thursday night. The Heat lead the series 3-2, with a chance to finish it off in Indiana on Saturday night and move on to a finals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. "Thats what I came here for, to be able to compete for a championship each and every year," James said. "Im one step away from doing it once again. Its not promised. Its not promised at all. I made a tough decision. Obviously, I think we all know the story. I envisioned something that was bigger as far as a team ... and weve got an opportunity as a team, once again, for the third year straight to make a trip to the NBA Finals." Indiana was up 46-40 early in the third, surely sensing a chance to grab total control of the series. Over the next 11 minutes, the Heat outscored the Pacers 30-10, with James either scoring or accounting for 25 Miami points. He shot 7 for 10 in the third quarter; the Pacers shot 3 for 14. He had four rebounds in the quarter; the Pacers, as a team, grabbed six. He had four assists in the quarter; the Pacers had one. "Thats LeBron showing his greatness and making it look easy," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "What we talked about was doing whatever it takes and competing for each other without leaving anything out there. His engine in that third quarter was incredible. He was tireless, he was making plays on both ends of the court, rebounding, covering so much ground defensively and then making virtually every play for us offensively. Its really remarkable." James added eight rebounds and six assists, and Udonis Haslem made his last eight shots on the way to a 16-point night. Mario Chalmers scored 12 and Dwyane Wade added 10 for the Heat, who ousted the Pacers in six games in a second-round matchup last season and will look to do the same this time around, albeit one round deeper. Paul George had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who got 22 points from Roy Hibbert and 17 from David West. The Pacers led by as many as seven at one point, but had no answer for the Heat in the third and now have to win back-to-back games -- against a team that hasnt lost consecutive games since early January. "I dont really know," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said, when asked if theres anything a team can do when James gets on a roll like the one he had in the third quarter. "He was pretty special tonight. Theres no question about it. This whole team is special. Its one of the best teams that this leagues ever seen and were enjoying competing against them. We know we can beat them, but weve got to play better than we did tonight." Haslem said Juwan Howard threw a few things in the locker room and had a few choice words for teammates at halftime -- "a lot of bleeps and stuff like that," Haslem said -- and that James echoed the same remarks just before the start of the third. "We had 24 minutes to play for our livelihoods," Haslem said. "And thats how we played in the second half." Haslems first shot of the night was a complete brick, bouncing off the top of the backboard. He was perfect the rest of the way, including going 5 for 5 in the third. For the second time in the series, Haslem -- who has struggled with his shot for the better part of two years -- finished 8 for 9. "That burned us," Vogel said. Haslem got past Hibbert easily and into the lane for a dunk that put Miami up 47-46, the first Heat lead since 4-2. The Pacers were back on top by a point with 66:58 left in the third when fighting words reappeared, on a play where George Hill was called for an offensive foul after getting caught pushing off on a drive.dddddddddddd West angrily approached Chalmers after the play and both of those players, along with Haslem, got technicals when it was all said and done. It clearly fired up Miami. James and Haslem combined to score 18 of their teams 21 points in the final 6:04 of the third. Everything came on jump shots, including a 3-pointer from Chalmers, three jumpers averaging 20 feet from Haslem, and five more from James, including a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the quarter that put Miami up 70-56 and had him yelling at no one in particular as the arena roared. "We didnt have enough fight," West said. "We stalled." George didnt sound overly impressed even after James third-quarter numbers. "He just came out and make some shots," George said. "You take away that third, and were in the ballgame." As if this one needed any more buildup, there was plenty of news long before tipoff. The NBA announced Thursday morning that it fined James, West and Lance Stephenson $5,000 each for flopping in Game 4, plus upgraded a foul that West committed against Wade in the fourth quarter of that game to a flagrant-1. Then Hibbert and West, speaking after Indianas morning practice, said they have to protect their knees when Shane Battier is in the game for Miami, though neither flatly accused the Heat forward of dirty play. And all that happened more than eight hours prior to game time. Things didnt exactly calm down once the ball went into the air. Indiana was blown out in Game 5 of a tied-up series at Miami last season, never holding the lead and losing by 32 points. This one took a much different tone from the outset, with the Pacers running out to a 15-9 lead that could have been worse for Miami given that West and Hibbert combined to miss three easy layups in the opening minutes. "Theres no question, we blew some opportunities in the first quarter," Vogel said. George and Hibbert combined for all of Indianas 23 points in the first quarter. Indianas lead was four after the period, and when the second began, the reminders that these teams simply do not like each other started coming fast and furious. Chris Andersen and Tyler Hansbrough needed to be separated early in the second, and both got technicals after Andersen appeared to hit Hansbrough twice, first with a shoulder and then with a two-hand shove. Andersen also picked up a flagrant-1 for his efforts, things cooled off a bit for the rest of the half, and Indiana went into the break up 44-40. The Pacers then scored the first basket of the third. After that, all Heat. Or more specifically, all James and Haslem, who put together a burst that the defending champions desperately needed. "Its the playoffs," Wade said. "Shane Battier said this is when you feel alive, when your backs against the wall. ... Youve got to go out there and play. This is what we prepared for all season." A year ago, the Heat lost Game 5 of the East finals to Boston, and needed a 45-point game from James in Game 6 just to extend their season. Not this time. The finals are now one win away. "We were able to respond," James said. NOTES: The last time Haslem had a 10-point third quarter was also against Indiana -- but in March 2009. ... David Beckham was courtside near the Heat bench, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was courtside near the Pacers bench. ... Hansbrough left in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle after falling over Battier, who was down on the court after going for a rebound. ... Both teams seemed a tad nervous in the opening moments. Wade had two airballs in the first quarter, Haslem had a jumper bounce off the top of the backboard, and Hill tossed an alley-oop that missed everybody and bounced off the backboard like a fastball. ' ' '