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LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers push to transform DeAndre Jordan into a dominant interior defender is already paying dividends. Challenged by Rivers before the season began to win the NBAs defensive player of the year award, Jordan is working toward the honour with the kind of performance he had against the Pelicans. Jordan had 14 points and 20 rebounds -- two off his career high -- and Blake Griffin had 21 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with 4:05 left in the Los Angeles Clippers 108-95 victory Wednesday night. "Its fun to take on that challenge," Jordan said. "Its part of my job to be energetic. If Im not playing well I can still play with energy and that spark to get other guys going." Chris Paul added his own double-double against his former team, with 12 points and 11 assists in the Clippers third straight win. "Outstanding," Paul said of Jordans effort. "He had five blocks, too. He was MVP of the game. We were a little sluggish. D.J. kept telling us, Come on, fellas." Jared Dudley had 20 points, one of seven Clippers in double figures. Jamal Crawford scored 17 points, making 10 of 11 free throws, and Darren Collison added 14, hitting all nine of his free throws. "D.J. kept us in it with his defence and rebounding," Clippers coach Rivers said. "Hes just going after things. He accepts his role and hes become a star in it. Hes still going to score by doing all of that stuff." Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 24 points and 12 rebounds in his return after missing seven games with a broken left hand. "Its great just to get back out there with my teammates, have fun and do the things that Im used to doing," he said. "Ive got to get back in a rhythm. You can work out for as much as you want and train as much as you want, but that game rhythm is a lot different. Hopefully it wont take me long to get my shot back and the plays I usually make and get back in the groove." Ryan Anderson added 17 points, Jrue Holiday had 13 points and 10 assists, and Tyreke Evans had a triple-double of 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists after missing the past two games with a sprained left ankle. "When I got in and started running up and down the floor, it was a little tight. But coach kept me out there and it got looser," Evans said. "It was big (getting himself and Davis back), but were going to need everybody on this team. Everybodys a big key, but were still learning to play with each other." Austin Rivers, the 21-year-old son of Doc Rivers, had two points while playing 14 minutes in a reserve role. "Its my first time beating him so thats nice," said the elder Rivers, whose wife watched the game on TV. "She was cheering for Austin 100 per cent." New Orleans lost for the third straight game and fifth time in its past seven. The Clippers reserves carried them in the fourth when Griffin didnt score before fouling out. Willie Green hit two of their five 3-pointers in the quarter, with Dudley adding two of his four and Paul tossing one in, too. "We kept a double-digit lead but you never felt comfortable because we couldnt pull away," Rivers said. "We played pretty flat." The Clippers pulled away in the third after the Pelicans closed within four points. Crawford beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer, launching a 15-2 run that extended the Clippers lead to 70-53. Griffin scored six points. Davis scored the Pelicans final four points to get them to 78-65 heading into the fourth. NOTES: With no practice Thursday, comedy fan Griffin said he planned to see Will Ferrell in "Anchorman 2." ... Clippers F Matt Barnes dressed and was cleared to play, but didnt as he returns from surgery to repair a torn retina in his left eye. ... Former Clippers Eric Gordon (nine points) and Al-Farouq Aminu (six points) both started against their former team. Jackie Bradley Jr Jersey . Cox started the season with San Francisco, but was released by the team on Nov. 12 before being signed by Seattle, where he appeared in two games and tallied three tackles before being released on Dec. Jimmie Foxx Jersey .com) - Nicklas Backstrom scored a pair of goals and Alex Ovechkin notched a highlight-reel tally, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at the Prudential Center. http://www.theredsoxteamshop.com/Red-Sox-Bobby-Doerr-Kids-Jersey/ . - David Tomasek had two goals in regulation time and was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Belleville Bulls upset the Oshawa Generals 6-5 on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Custom Boston Red Sox Jerseys .500 ball against teams with winning records, so they needed a huge lift from somebody Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders. Mitch Moreland Jersey . 1-9 on TSN. With more than 65 hours of exclusive live coverage, TSN delivers all the action beginning with Draw 1 on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.Flying high with the backing of Angry Birds, Finland received a wild card for the World Cup of Basketball on Saturday in a decision criticized for being more about business than basketball. Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. The draw is Monday. Greece is ranked fifth in the world and the only team to beat the U.S. since Mike Krzyzewski became coach in 2005. Turkey is ranked seventh and was runner-up to the Americans in the 2010 world championship. Brazil, which will host the 2016 Olympics, is No. 10. Finland is only 39th, the only one of the 12 teams since 2006 to receive a wild card that wasnt in the top 24. But it had the support of Rovio, the Finnish company behind the popular Angry Birds games that had agreed to provide advertising if Finland was selected. "We are fully aware that despite our strong athletic results and fan support, we need to think creatively about how we can truly show our strength to FIBA and the basketball world," Antti Zitting, president of the Finnish Basketball Association said Thursday in a release announcing Rovios support. "As a small Northern country we cannot deliver the same type of TV audience as some other nations, but thanks to Angry Birds, we can offer an engagement platform that no other country can match.dddddddddddd" FIBA lists economic aspects among the criteria for wild cards, which became part of the organizations biggest tournament in 2006. Secretary general Patrick Baumann noted Finlands recent success on the court but also its potential off it in a statement about the decision, citing the Finns four victories over top-15 teams at the 2013 European championships and their strong fan support. "The Finns are enjoying massive support with their fans travelling in big numbers to their games," Baumann said. "The current growth of Finnish basketball is the result of a solid long-term strategy being executed by the Finnish Basketball Association and still has a lot of potential for development." Russia, the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist , China, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Israel, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Qatar and Venezuela were the other countries that had applied for wild cards. Italy and Germany had previously withdrawn their bids and China, which was considered a leading candidate to get one because of its population and passion for basketball, did Saturday morning. FIBA also announced it had lifted a ban on Senegal and would allow it to be in the tournament. ' ' '