" NOTES: The Devils cleared

LOS ANGELES, Calif. cheap jerseys . - Although Kobe Bryant has endured just about every basketball injury over the past 16 seasons, a concussion and a simultaneous broken nose are new experiences. So Bryant strapped on a mask and went to work — and that sweaty piece of plastic caused much more trouble for him than the Minnesota Timberwolves, who couldnt slow down the Lakers durable superstar. Bryant had 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists while playing in an uncomfortable mask, and Los Angeles returned from the All-Star break with its 17th consecutive win over the Timberwolves, 104-85 on Wednesday night. Bryant didnt miss a game after Dwyane Wade broke his nose and left him with a concussion on a hard foul in the All-Star game Sunday. Bryant said he doesnt blame Wade, his good friend, for the injuries, but hes also not yet comfortable in his Richard Hamilton-style mask, saying it felt like "a sauna on my face." "It happens," Bryant said. "You just have to deal with it and try to heal up as quickly as you possibly can, and get back on the court." Few players are better at that than Bryant, who has played through countless nagging injuries in the last few years as the prep-to-pro star approaches his mid-30s. After all, he has been playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist since the season began. Bryant made major strides over the previous 24 hours in his recovery from the All-Star injury. He was bothered by headaches, nausea and neck pain afterward. "A lot of pressure," Bryant said. "It just feels like constant throbbing at the base of my head and neck." But Bryant passed every test for concussion problems from his neurologist, Dr. Vern Williams, who declared him symptom-free before the game. "I understand the severity of the situation," Bryant said. "You have to go through those steps. Its part of the job. ... Its definitely different. In that sense, youre pretty helpless. You just have to be patient and hope for the best." After Bryant got clearance to play about an hour before tipoff, the mask didnt appear to affect the NBA scoring leader, who even made nine of 10 free throws through the plastic. "I was drinking my own sweat or something," Bryant said. "It was totally disgusting." Bryant hit his first two jumpers in the opening minutes and finished the first quarter with 10 points. He also received several brief massages from the Lakers physical therapist on the bench, both before and after scoring 12 points in the third quarter while Los Angeles pulled away. Lakers coach Mike Brown even felt confident enough in Bryants health to put him back in the game with the Lakers other four starters in the closing minutes when Minnesota chiseled the lead below 20 points. "Kobe is a special human being," Brown said. "I dont have answers for him. I dont know what hes made of. Hes just different. His body reacts different." Pau Gasol scored 15 points and Andrew Bynum had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who improved to 15-1 at home since losing their Christmas opener. Michael Beasley and Martell Webster scored 14 points apiece as the Timberwolves played the middle game of a back-to-back-to-back set without Kevin Love, who sat out with an apparent case of the flu. "From the start, they played harder than us," Beasley said. "They wanted it more than we did. They were playing physical from the beginning. It got us out of our game, and we couldnt fight back." Minnesota couldnt duplicate its stellar shooting in an impressive win over the Clippers one night earlier, going 5 for 20 in the decisive third quarter of the Wolves second loss in their last seven games. Rookie forward Derrick Williams, from nearby La Mirada, Calif., had 10 points while taking Loves starting spot for Minnesota, which finishes its three-night odyssey on Thursday in Phoenix. Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman said he decided to rest Love in hopes hell be ready to play in the third game of the set. "You cant say its (Loves) fault," Williams said. "Its our fault we didnt play to the level were supposed to play at. We hit every shot last night, but we just didnt hit the same shots that we normally hit." Los Angeles led by 15 in the first quarter, but Minnesota got back within 50-44 at halftime. The Lakers gradually took control while outscoring the Wolves 33-15 in the third quarter, led by Bryants scoring and Gasols 10 points after a quiet first half. NOTES: Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., was in attendance at the game. ... The Wolves havent beaten the Lakers since March 6, 2007 — the longest active streak of victories in an NBA matchup. Minnesota will get two more chances to end the streak in the next 16 days. ... The Lakers have won 11 straight home games over Minnesota. ... Fans near courtside included Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, comedian Chelsea Peretti and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, who greeted Minnesota G Ricky Rubio at halftime. wholesale nfl jerseys ." The 28-year-old Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and played in four major finals from 2004-09, but has fallen to No. 10 in the rankings. Connors coached Roddick for two years before resigning in 2008. "I think for him to win one, hed have to come up with something very, very special now," Connors said on a conference call Tuesday to promote next months World TeamTennis match in New York against John McEnroe. wholesale jerseys . An in-person hearing means there is a possibility any suspension could be five games or more. Early in the first period, Kostka was gaining possession of the puck and coming out from behind his own net when he was hit into the end boards. http://www.cheapjerseys2014.us.com/ . Behind every great team is a great coach. And the NHL has more than its fair share of distinguished bench bosses this season.NEWARK, N.J. -- The snow was falling steadily outside, the crowd inside the Prudential Center was small and the offensively challenged New Jersey Devils were hosting the high-flying St. Louis Blues. The Devils rewarded the several thousand fans who braved the storm with a stunning 7-1 rout. Mark Fayne and Ryan Carter scored 24 seconds apart early in the first period to spark the victory. "With the atmosphere in the rink, we knew it would be tough to get a lot of momentum," Fayne said. "We tried to come out with as much as we could, and we were lucky to get three in the first." Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe, Adam Henrique, Damien Brunner and Eric Gelinas added goals and the Devils celebrated a return to the snow-bound Prudential Center after losing three of four on the road. The seven goals were a season high for both teams -- it was the biggest outburst by the Devils and the most surrendered by the Blues. Cory Schneider, 3-0-2 in his last five appearances, made 26 saves. Alexander Steen scored for the Blues, who sported two impressive marks coming in: they were 14-2-1 against Eastern Conference foes and 15-5-3 on the road. None of that mattered as the Devils stunned the Blues with goals by Fayne and Carter only 2:51 in. "We had a good start, we jumped on them right away," Jagr said. "I think they were a little bit surprised. We were lucky, no question about it. The power play helped. It was a day when everything worked for us." And nothing clicked for the Blues. "We were poor right across the board," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Poor with our discipline. Our top players took poor penalties. Poor in every aspect of our game. Were going to have to regroup. This is on everybody, on me, the players. A total team loss." Fayne got it started with a high floater from the right point that eluded Brian Elliot at 2:27. It was the New Jersey defencemans first goal in 25 games. Carter followed 24 seconds later with a backhanded rebound. Steen settled things momentarily for St. Louis with his career-high 25th goal to cut the Devils lead to 2-1 at 8:47. Jagr put New Jersey back up by two at 10:27 with his 697th career tally. The paass from Reid Boucher bounced off Jagrs left skate and was affirmed by a video review. jerseys from china. Elliott was yanked about two minutes later, having surrendered three goals on nine shots, and Jaroslav Halak came on in relief. The first period ended with New Jersey up 3-1 thanks to a 13-6 shot advantage. The Devils tacked on a pair of power-play tallies in the second, by Clowe at 1:03 and Henrique at 15:42, to expand the lead to 5-1. Schneider, who had a relatively easy night, came up with perhaps his best stop midway through the middle period, denying David Backes when he was all alone in the slot. In the third, Brunner added the Devils third power-play tally at 1:18. Brunner was activated before the game from the injured reserve list after missing 14 games with a right knee injury. He didnt miss a beat, stepping right back in with the goal and two assists. "I felt really good in practice," Brunner said. "I had the legs underneath me. Sometimes the game rhythm is different. I can still be a little bit faster, and the hands are a little bit rusty. I think it was a solid three periods to get back on it and I hope to progress from here on." Gelinas scored on a fluke, making it 7-1. He fired a shot from the red line that hit a Blues defender and bounced past Halak. It was that kind of night for the Blues. "I wish I had a great explanation for you," Backes said. "It was an unacceptable start that was a combination of our lack of willing to go into the hard areas and win those battles and they were willing to do those things all game long." NOTES: The Devils cleared roster space for Brunner by placing RW Cam Janssen on waivers. Janssen was assigned to Albany (AHL). ... The Blues remain in the New York area for games against the Rangers on Thursday and the Islanders on Saturday. ... Blues RW Vladimir Tarasenko missed a second straight game with the flu. ... The Devils invited fans in the top levels to "come on down" to the lower bowl to fill the available empty seats during a break in the first-period action. Fans also were offered a pair of tickets for an upcoming game. ... Henrique missed the third period with an undisclosed injury. ' ' '