NEU » it could give way to Haryana and Andhra qualif

SALT LAKE CITY -- To say Rodney Hood was eager to return to the court after a hamstring injury sidelined him for three games might be an understatement.The third-year guard knocked down basket after basket from the opening tip and finished with 25 points as the Utah Jazz defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-89 on Wednesday night to break a tie between the teams atop the Northwest Division.These last few games have been so tough to watch, Hood said. My teammates have been out there just battling and playing and you cant do nothing but watch. It was good to be back out there.Utah led from start to finish behind 58.3 percent shooting and showed why its one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, holding the Thunder to 36.6 percent from the field.Gordon Hayward scored 17 for the Jazz, who have won nine of 11. Rudy Gobert added 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.Russell Westbrook paced the Thunder with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. He shot 7 for 25 from the floor.When he has an off shooting night, you dont take credit for it with your defense, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. You just try to make sure you do as good of a job as you can, not giving up offensive rebounds when he drives and try not to give him layups. Sometimes thats hard to do.The guys that were guarding him worked hard. And thats really all you can ask.Enes Kanter scored 19 for Oklahoma City against his former team.The Jazz took a 55-41 lead into halftime thanks to a 15-6 run in the second quarter. Hood sank a pair of 3-pointers to highlight the stretch.The Thunder shot just 32.5 percent in the first half and had little offense outside of Westbrooks 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting.I know Gobert is a great rim protector, but I thought we had some shots around the basket that we normally could have made, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. I thought that bled into our struggles scoring.TIP-INSThunder: Victor Oladipo missed his second consecutive game with a right wrist sprain. Jerami Grant started in place of Oladipo for the second straight night. The Thunder had the same starting lineup for the first 24 games of the season.Jazz: George Hill missed his sixth straight game with a sprained left big toe, but is no longer in a walking boot. ... Utah is 15-2 when leading at halftime.A LITTLE RESTThe Jazz played their first game in four days after a stretch of eight games in 13 days. The injury-ravaged roster got Derrick Favors (knee) back after a 13-game absence, and Hood (hamstring) returned after missing three games. Snyder said the injuries didnt allow the team to practice much, but the Jazz tried to be smart and efficient in the things they could do. They also tried to get some rest and get healthy.Theres always a fine line between, you want to rejuvenate and recharge, but then you also dont want to lose timing and things like that, Snyder said.OVER ITWestbrook failed to get a triple-double for the third consecutive game and is starting to get annoyed with all the talk about him averaging a triple-double for the entire season.Honestly, people with this triple-double thing, is kind of getting on my nerves, he said. People think if I dont get it, its like a big thing. When I do get it, its a thing.If I get it, I get it. If I dont, I dont. It is what it is. I really dont care, not for the hundredth time. I dont care. All I care about is winning.UP NEXTThunder: Oklahoma City hosts Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.Jazz: Utah hosts a Mavericks team Friday that has lost 11 of 12 games on the road. 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Wholesale Shoes Cheap .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. The ninth and final round of the Ranji Trophy begins on December 7, with five quarter-final spots up for grabs. Mumbai, Jharkhand and Karnataka are assured of a knockout berth, irrespective of how they fare in their last league game.If teams were to be tied on points, which is very much a possibility across groups, the team with most outright wins will progress. If teams were to be tied on outright wins too, the team with the superior net-run-rate will qualify. We take a look at who has the best chance to join the three sides and complete the line-up for the quarter-finals starting December 24.Group AWith 29 points in seven matches, Mumbai are assured of a quarter-final spot, irrespective of the result in their last round game against Punjab. Gujarat, who it appeared had the advantage of knowing their equation going into their final game against Bengal, are still handily placed with 25 points after the BCCI awarded both sides one point each for the New Delhi clash that was originally postponed because of smog.While a first-innings lead or more against TN will see them through, there is also a possibility of them qualifying even if they concede a lead. They may, however, not want to go down that route.TN would like to ensure qualification through an outright win over Gujarat. They could get through to the quarter-finals even with a first-innings lead over Gujarat. But should MP beat Bengal with a bonus point it would be down to net-run-rate between Gujarat and them. In such a case MP would qualify along with Mumbai, leaving TN and Gujarat in a net-run-rate battle for the one remaining spot.Bengal have to win and hope there is an outright result between TN and Gujarat, while Punjab have to win with a bonus point and hope for two other results to go their way.Theres also a battle for relegation lower down. Railways will be relegated if there is no outright winner in the Baroda-Uttar Pradesh clash in Nasik. An outright loss to UP will mean Baroda will be relegated to Group C. If UP lose outright by a considerable margin, there is a possibility of their net-run-rate falling below Railways, which will lead them to relegation.GGroup BJharkhand and Karnataka, currently the top two sides, are through, leaving Odisha, Delhi and Maharashtra in a three-way race for the final qualification spot.dddddddddddd. All three teams ideally need to win outright to control their fate.A bonus-point win for Odisha in their postponed clash against Jharkhand will see them through irrespective of other results. If they just manage a win, they can qualify if Delhi and Maharashtra dont beat Saurashtra and Karnataka respectively with a bonus point. Delhi and Maharashtra, currently tied on 21 points, will be involved in a net-run-rate battle for qualification if they both win or take a first-innings lead, provided Odisha loses outright.With no matches left and currently placed at the bottom, Assam, semi-finalists of the 2015-16 season, will be relegated to Group C. Group CThree successive wins have meant Hyderabad have come storming back to top the group. At least a first-innings lead against Andhra will ensure a quarter-final spot for the first time since 2011-12. They can, however, ill-afford an outright loss, as it could give way to Haryana and Andhra qualifying should they win. Andhra too, ideally, need to win, but they can progress on the basis of a first-innings lead should Haryana and Kerala lose.Haryana, tied with Andhra on 25, need to win as a first-innings lied that could tie them on points with Andhra, may not be enough since they have just two outright wins to Andhras three. Kerala, meanwhile, will need to win outright and then hope Andhra and Haryana lose to qualify. Goa, with 18, can at best get to 25, but with their net-run-rate in the negatives, they are all but out barring a massive win and several other results going their way.Note: A tie in any of the final round games hasnt been accounted for. Only one match in the tournaments 83-year history has ended in a tie.10.20GMT: The scenarios have been tweaked to reflect BCCIs decision to award Bengal, Gujarat, Hyderabad and Tripura one point each for their cancelled fixtures. ' ' '