Adelaide coach Don Pyke says his side will go into the AFL finals battle-hardened after a bruising 15-point win over rivals Port Adelaide.The Crows withstood a late surge from Port to claim a 15.19 (109) to 14.10 (94) win at Adelaide Oval and climb to second on the ladder.Both sides had predicted Saturdays Showdown would be a fierce encounter despite the distance between the Crows and 11th-placed Power on the ladder.The game lived up to the hype and in the end it was only Adelaides potent forward line that proved the difference, with late goals to Josh Jenkins, Mitch McGovern and Eddie Betts sealing the win.It was a far cry from the Crows three previous outings - against Fremantle, Brisbane and Essendon - which they won by a combined 292 points.With Adelaide facing a six-day break before a final-round clash with West Coast on Friday, Pyke said he was pleased to see his players physically tested.For us it was, in some respects, a really good game to have based on the previous three games which have been comfortable wins, he said.Tonights game and next weeks game will give us a really good lead-in (to the finals).West Coast have been in hot form, dispatching of premiership contenders Hawthorn and Greater Western Sydney in successive weeks, but will go into the clash at Adelaide Oval without star ruckman Nic Naitanui after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.Pyke, who was an assistant coach with the Eagles before taking a senior role with Adelaide this year, said he was sad to see Naitanui injured.I know having worked with Nic the last couple of years hes a terrific guy, and its always disappointing when you see the best players in the league get injured, Pyke said.Clearly its going to be a big out for West Coast but he was out for a number of weeks in the middle of the season so I expect theyll adjust around that with (Scott) Lycett or theyll bring (Jonathan) Giles in.Crows defender Brodie Smith, who was concussed after copping an accidental foot to the head from Ports Aaron Young, will be assessed during the week, Pyke said. Jake Cave Twins Jersey . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Gary Gaetti Twins Jersey . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1092t-tony-oliva-jersey-twins.html . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Ehire Adrianza Twins Jersey . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Nick Gordon Twins Jersey . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Detroit Pistons center Aron Baynes has had surgery to repair a broken nose.Baynes was ruled out for Wednesday nights preseason game against the Toronto Raptors. With a protective mask, he is expected to be available to play when Detroit opens the regular season next week at Toronto.Baynes broke his nose in Tuesdays practice annd had surgery the same day.ddddddddddddThe 6-foot-10 Australian played in the Olympics last summer. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, his first with the Pistons after three with the San Antonio Spurs. ' ' '