still be attacked Arnold Palmer once said

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- This is what the Thunder had in mind when they picked up Caron Butler after the trade deadline. The forward scored 23 points to help Oklahoma City defeat the Denver Nuggets 117-96 on Monday night. He made 10 of 19 shots in 29 minutes as a reserve and posted his highest points total since joining the team. Kevin Durant, who had 27 points and eight assists, liked what the Thunder got from the 34-year-old Butler. "Thats what we want him to do," Durant said. "He was aggressive, and thats what we need him to do for the rest of the year." Butler said it felt good to get loose. "Im just getting into a rhythm," he said. "My teammates are doing a great job of finding me in flow, and Im starting to get a little more familiar with my game and understanding where I like the ball at." Reggie Jackson had 16 points and a career-high 11 assists, and Serge Ibaka added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder, who won their fourth straight. The Thunder sat point guard Russell Westbrook so he could rest his surgically repaired right knee. Westbrooks knee took a hit from Toronto guard Kyle Lowry on Friday, but tests showed no further damage was done. The Thunder have been resting Westbrook for one game of back-to-backs, and Oklahoma City plays at Dallas on Tuesday. As usual, other players filled in successfully. "You have a system thats functioning," Butler said. "The only thing guys got to do is plug into that system and play a certain style and way and give a certain type of effort, and things just continue to move forward." Jackson, who had struggled at times since Westbrook returned after the All-Star break, played one of his best games of the season. "Hes just playing free now," Durant said. "You can just tell hes not getting in his own way, you know, thinking too much mentally and hes just going out there and playing." Ty Lawson scored 25 points, Quincy Miller and Timofey Mozgov each scored 12 points, Kenneth Faried had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Randy Foye had 11 points and four assists for the Nuggets. Denver allowed the Thunder to shoot 51 per cent. "We didnt get into the ball defensively," Denver forward Darrell Arthur said. "Our communication was off." The Thunder matched their highest points total in a quarter this season, making six 3-pointers in the first to take a 41-24 lead. Oklahoma City kept the pressure on and led 72-58 at halftime. The Thunder shot 60 per cent from the field and had their highest points total in any half this season. Durant had 22 points and six assists in the first half while Ibaka scored 15. Only one Thunder player shot worse than 50 per cent in the first half. "They came out strong, and we gave them a lot of easy shots," Lawson said. "It felt like they werent working for anything. Everything was pretty much easy in the first half, I think." Oklahoma City made just six of 18 shots in the third quarter, but the Nuggets were an even worse 3-for-16, so the Thunder actually extended their lead to 90-73 by the end of the period. "We got stops on the first two possessions (of the third quarter), so we could have cut the lead down to 10," Denver coach Brian Shaw said. "Instead, we dont capitalize on those situations, and they come down and score after that and push it right back up to 18 or 20. It was just one of those kinds of nights." NOTES: Thunder C Kendrick Perkins (left groin strain) and G Thabo Sefolosha (left calf strain) are improving, but still are out. Both have missed about a month. ... Durant has scored 25 or more points in 35 consecutive games, the longest streak since Michael Jordan did it 40 consecutive times during the 1986-87 season. ... Nuggets F Wilson Chandler (left groin strain) and F Jan Vesely (left rib cage contusion) did not play. ... Thunder C Hasheem Thabeet missed the game for personal reasons. ... Oklahoma Citys Adams scored in double figures for just the third time this season. ... Thunder G Mustafa Shakur played for just the third time this season. He was NBA D-League Player of the Month in February while playing for the Tulsa 66ers. J.J. Watt Jersey . Bozak and Clarkson suffered the injuries in pre-training camp workouts, according to Carlyle, who said they made "small amounts of improvement" from Friday to Saturday. After the players were deemed less than 100 per cent by doctors after Thursdays medical testing, the Leafs held them out of on-ice testing and are being cautious. Michael Jordan Jersey Chicago Bulls . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/david-ortiz-jersey/ . His stated reason for abruptly resigning as head coach of Canadas Olympic womens hockey team was he felt there were doubts about his ability to coach the team to Olympic gold in February. Roberto Clemente Jersey . -- Jerel Worthy and his Michigan State teammates charged across the field, holding four fingers in the air while celebrating another sweet victory over their biggest rival. Cheap Sports Jerseys . You can watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV at 9pm et/6pm pt. Jonathan Huberdeau and Quinton Howden are expected to make their debuts for Team Canada.Paul McGinley reflects on a second day of tough conditions at Augusta National and highlights the importance of bouncing back from inevitable mistakes at the Masters. The most impressive thing for me about Rory McIlroys second round was his mental resilience. It was a war of attrition out there, and this years Masters is a very different test to 12 months ago.Last year turned into a shoot-out and we saw record scoring, birdies and eagles all over the place. The conditions were benign, and the course played softer than in previous years.But this week, the wind has got up and its gusting to 20mph, and the course is playing so much more difficult as a result because its much firmer and faster. Everybody is making bogeys, you cant get round Augusta without a couple of mistakes in these conditions. Rory McIlroy showed great mental resilience and birdied three of the last six holes So its a real test of resilience and your ability to bounce back from the bogeys and double-bogeys that every player in the field cannot avoid. Earlier in the week, I spoke about the importance of knowing when to attack and when to hold back. But when Augusta is playing this tough, finding that balance becomes even more vital as every mistake is accentuated.You can still attack 13 and 15 if you get a good drive away, and theres a few holes playing downwind. Players are going into the ninth with wedges, and 14, 17 and 18 are also playing reasonably short.But the first, fourth and fifth have been particularly brutal, and you can go through the whole course and find dangers. You have to accept you are not going to make many birdies, and the chances of making more bogeys than birdies are greater. McIlroy was able to bounce back from his double-bogey at the fourth Theres been a lot of talk about makinng courses longer because of how far the professionals are hitting it these days - putting a new tee in to lengthen the 13th here has been widely mentioned.ddddddddddddBut the biggest test for the pros is not length, it is getting to grips with firm greens and fairways. And when you add a swirling breeze like weve had here for two days, those three factors have combined to have a huge effect on the scoring. Thats why only seven players are under par after 36 holes.Rorys second round was all the more impressive considering the conditions and the overall scoring, and his 71 was the joint low round of the day and one of only four sub-par scores. The 13th at Augusta can still be attacked Arnold Palmer once said: The greatest gift you need mentally in this game is the ability to forget. Thats what Rory McIlroy did today. He was two over for his round after a bogey at 11, but he had the mental strength to bounce back with three birdies coming in.When Augusta is like this, you have to accept youre going to make bogeys and you need to go to the next tee with a clear head. Its a lot easier said than done, but having that ability is what separates the great players from the rest.With Rory playing with Jordan Spieth in the final group on Saturday were in for a great weekend, and we could see the course playing a little easier if the forecast is right. The wind is predicted to drop a little, and I would expect the set-up to be friendlier on Sunday in particular. They will probably soften the greens a little and choose pin positions that will yield more birdies and eagles, especially on the back nine. That will create atmosphere and the opportunity for someone to come out of the field and make a run.We should see some more aggressive golf this weekend, and you can catch all the action with myself, Ewen, Butch, Monty, Boxy and Rich Beem on Sky Sports. Also See: McIlroy: Best position in years Monty: Rory the favourite ' ' '