if we let this go on what are we

[yuguhun]

DENVER - Danilo Gallinari picked a good time to have a breakout game. Mark Lowe Tigers Jersey . Gallinari had 19 points, including a key 3-pointer at the end of regulation, and then made a big defensive play in the final seconds of overtime as the Denver Nuggets beat the Atlanta Hawks 118-117 on Tuesday night. It was Gallinaris best game since returning from a monthlong absence due to a severely sprained left ankle. "Im feeling better with my ankle and my legs," he said. "You sit out more than a month youre legs are not the same. Its going to take a while but Im feeling better." Nene scored 22 points, Ty Lawson had 21 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who have escaped with overtime wins twice in the first five games of their nine-game homestand. "Atlanta had their moments, we had our moments. There were so many twists to that game," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "We won it, they won it, we won it, they won it, we won it. Ping pong back and forth. Way too offensive minded for me." Joe Johnson scored a season-high 34 points and Josh Smith also had a season-high with 33 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Trailing by one with 3.5 seconds left, Atlanta got the ball to Zaza Pachulia at the foul line. He drove the open lane before Gallinari rotated over to disrupt the play, and Pachulia missed a layup off the glass with 2.2 seconds left and Denver grabbed the rebound. "There wasnt anything wrong with our execution. We ran it just like it was designed," Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. "It was the best executed play we ran all night." Johnson took control in overtime after Smith fouled out, scoring seven straight points to give Atlanta a 117-112 lead. However, Denver came back and took a one-point lead on two free throws by Nene with 26 seconds left. "I looked like Ray Allen right there," he said. Without Smith in the game the Nuggets blanketed Johnson on the final play. He found Pachulia open and fed him. "I just missed it," Pachulia said. Before the game Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson tried to dispel trade rumours surrounding Smith, saying "the likelihood of us trading Josh at the trade deadline is as close to zero as you can get." Smith shrugged off the rumours after the game. "The talk was talk. Nothing but rumours. All rumours," he said. "Unless you heard it coming from my mouth, you knew it was a rumour. I was always going to be a part of this program." Smiths play wasnt impacted by the rumours or Thursdays trade deadline, especially in the fourth when he scored 15 points and put the Hawks ahead 104-102 with 29 seconds left. Lawson drove the lane but his layup went off the side of the rim with 15 seconds left. An Atlanta turnover with 9 seconds left gave Denver another chance, and Gallinari made a 3-pointer as he fell out of bounds to give Denver a 105-104 lead with 3.9 seconds left. "I was feeling pretty good," Gallinari said. "When I went up my lift felt pretty good, it was a tough shot and I made it." Hinrich was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1.1 seconds left to send it to overtime. Hinrich finished with a season-high 22 points. "That was disturbing," he said. "I made the harder one, the first one, and I couldnt make the last one at the end of the game." Atlantas outside shooting kept the game close for most of the first half. The Johnson had 15 points and Smith scored 13 for the Hawks, who hit 8 of 14 from behind the 3-point line before intermission. The Nuggets countered with a balanced scoring attack that had four players in double digits at the break. Lawson led the way with 12, including two 3s in the final 62 seconds of the first half to help the Nuggets extend the lead to 64-55. NOTES: Smiths career high is 38 set Nov. 17, 2007, vs. Milwaukee. ... Al Harrington scored 19 points off the bench for Denver. ... Hawks G Willie Green (back spasms/right hamstring) did not play and F Ivan Johnson was not with the team due to personal reasons. ... Nuggets F Kosta Koufas was dressed but did not play. He has missed six games with a strained left knee. Miguel Cabrera Jersey . "It feels great (to re-sign with Rochester)," Vitarelli said. "Ive had two great years so far and weve been very successful, so its great to be part of the team again. Alan Trammell Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens represent the nations only hope of ending a 21-year Stanley Cup drought, and thats a long shot.TORONTO - The next player to hammer a goaltender outside of his crease isnt likely to get off as easily as Milan Lucic. A discussion among the leagues 30 general managers Tuesday produced a strong consensus that goalies need to be better protected - even when they stray from their own goal to play the puck. Thats exactly what Buffalos Ryan Miller was doing on Saturday night when he suffered a concussion after taking a hit from Lucic. The Sabres were outraged that the only punishment given to the Boston Bruins forward on the play was a two-minute minor for charging. But Buffalo GM Darcy Regier left Tuesdays meeting believing that the next offender would be dealt with more harshly. "Based on our conversations in the room, I personally believe (he) would be," said Regier. NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan spoke with Lucic on Monday but decided against suspending him because he didnt feel that he had the latitude under the current rules to do it. The Bruins forward claimed not to have run into Miller on purpose. After learning Tuesday that roughly two-thirds of GMs would have preferred to see a suspension in the case, Shanahan acknowledged that his mandate had been altered. "I think theres certainly a very heightened sensitivity to the goalies and the future of all the goalies in this league," he said. "Certainly theyre not fair game. I think that players have to understand that. The general managers expressed to me the importance of all the players on the ice but also the extreme importance of the goaltender in that position. "So I do think thats something as a message to the players around the league, if anybody does think that its a tactic and a tactic that is a smart gamble on their part, it wont be." The former NHL star has been busy since replacing Colin Campbell in the off-season and used Tuesdays meeting as a chance to have an open discussion about some of his decisions so far. Among the controversial plays he highlighted during a video presentation was the hit by Rangers forward Wojtek Wolski on Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson that went unpunished. There were no calls for Shanahan to ease off on the tough standard hes established while suspending 14 players to date. "I think overall Brendans done a real good job," said Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. "I dont sense any problem there." Amonng the other issues discussed was the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap that saw a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning literally come to a standstill last week. Miguel Cabrera Authentic Jersey. . The Flyers essentially refused to skate the puck out of their zone while the Lightning passively sat back in what was still a 0-0 game. The GMs agreed that its not something they liked to see, but arent currently planning to alter the rulebook in an effort to legislate it out of the game. "It hasnt happened very often," said Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, who has vehemently defended coach Guy Bouchers system. "Virtually every team in the league plays pretty similar. I think its a byproduct of the way the rules are now - coaches figure out ways to play and ways to be successful with the personnel they have. "If incidents like that happen occur more regularly, we have to obviously look at altering the rules once again. But Tampa Bay plays virtually the same way every other team in the league does." Also on the agenda was a brief update on realignment, but that hot-button issue wont be sorted out until the board of governors meeting in California next month. In the meantime, players have been warned that goalies are essentially being given the same latitude as a quarterback in the NFL. Essentially, they arent to be touched. "This is the first time this has happened in a while, where a goalie has kind of got run over outside the crease," said Penguins GM Ray Shero. "Usually its in and around the crease, or playing the puck, and theres incidental contact. I think guys are looking at it saying `Geez, OK, if we let this go on what are we doing?" And even though change is coming too late for Regier and the Sabres, he still thinks its a positive step that it came at all. Hell feel better knowing that Miller should be better protected when he returns to action. "Its not just my feelings, its the feelings of my counterparts," said Regier. "When you look at the position of goaltending - they were never taught how to check, they were never taught how to take a check, theyre not equipped to do either. "On any given night on the rosters ... youve got 360 forwards in the league, youve got 180 defencemen and you have 60 goaltenders of which on a given night only 30 are playing. Its significant that we take this seriously."