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SASSUOLO, Italy -- Juventus all but clinched its third successive Serie A title by coming from behind to win 3-1 Monday at relegation-threatened Sassuolo in heavy rain. jerseys from china . Antonio Contes side moved eight points ahead of Roma with three rounds remaining. The two sides face each other in the penultimate match of the season, but Juventus is expected to seal the title next week when it plays Atalanta at home, where it has won all 17 of its league matches this season. Juventus also remained on course to become the first Serie A club to reach the 100-point barrier. "We have taken a very important step toward a historic third title," Conte said. "We are having a super season. I hear talk about an out of this world Roma side but we are eight points ahead of them and in the Europa League semifinals. So find adjectives for us." Juventus hosts Benfica on Thursday looking to overturn a 2-1 first leg defeat in their Europa League semifinal. Simone Zaza -- who is co-owned by Juventus -- gave Sassuolo a surprise lead in ninth-minute when he finished off an electric counterattack. Nicola Sansone raced downfield before setting up Zaza, whose effort took a slight deflection off Angelo Ogbonna to beat Gianluigi Buffon at the near post. Juventus levelled in the 35th when Carlos Tevez collected the ball from Claudio Marchisio just outside the area and unleashed a fierce shot, which took a decisive deflection off Alessandro Longhi. It was Tevezs 19th of the season and leaves him two behind Torinos Ciro Immobile, the top scorer in Serie A. Claudio Marchisio fired Juventus ahead in front shortly before the hour mark after a chipped pass from Andrea Pirlo over the Sassuolo defence. And Fernando Llorente sealed the result when he finished off Stephan Lichtsteiners cross with a delightful backheel from close range 14 minutes from time. Contes jubilation after that goal and the whole teams reaction after the match expressed how close they are to the crown. "It wasnt a title celebration at the end because there is still a chance for our pursuers," Conte said. "We have to seal it in the next match, I dont like anticipating things but we took a huge step forward." Sassuolo is only above the relegation zone thanks to its head-to-head record with Bologna. cheap jerseys . The Denver Nuggets played as though they were already relaxing on a tropical beach. Love started practicing early for All-Star festivities, making six of 11 shots from 3-point range and totalling 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Timberwolves to a 117-90 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night. nfl jerseys china. -- The Buffalo Sabres got the lead for a change, and held onto it thanks to a stellar performance in goal by Jhonas Enroth.TUCSON, Ariz. -- Aaron Gordon went on wild, fruitless drives to the basket, repeatedly shook his head in frustration and shot a free throw that had a better chance of bouncing off the floor into the basket. The talented freshman never stopped hustling, though, and came through with some of the biggest plays of the night. Gordon overcame a difficult night on the offensive end with his relentlessness, providing top-ranked Arizona with a huge boost down the stretch of a 65-56 victory over Utah Sunday night that extended the Wildcats winning streak to a school-record 20 games. "Ive learned from a young age that when its not going your way, you have to try to turn the tide and make it go your way," Gordon said. "The ball wasnt going through the rim tonight, but I picked up my play in other aspects." Its a good thing for the Wildcats that he did. Arizona (20-0, 7-0 Pac-12) struggled early, falling into an early 10-point hole as they struggled to figure out Utahs variety of defences. The Wildcats eventually managed to decipher what the Utes were doing and wore them down with relentless defensive pressure and a dominating performance on the glass. Arizona shot 3 of 14 from 3-point range and 40 per cent overall, but made up for it with 20 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. The Wildcats had a 40-29 rebounding advantage overall and outscored Utah 38-24 in the paint. Nick Johnson had 22 points, hitting some big shots down the stretch to help Arizona pull away. Gordon scored 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, but had seven of his 12 rebounds on the offensive glass and blocked two shots, including one during Arizonas decisive run. Fellow freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also provided a lift with his hustle, scoring 10 points while grabbing five of his seven rebounds on the offensive end. No, it wasnt easy, but the Wildcats pulled it out just like they have all season. "To set a record at Arizona, its so meaningful because of the history here," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "Its special." Utah (14-6, 3-5) remained winless on the road. Delon Wright led Utah 19 points and Jordan Loveridge added 13 on 3-of-14 shooting. "To use a football analogy, its a team that runs the ball," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said of Arizona. "They grind on you and grind on you and eventually the defence gets tired of being on the field at the end of the game. cheap nfl jerseys. Theres a lot to be said for the way they play." Utah has been good at home, earning all 14 of its wins in Salt Lake City, including a 74-69 victory over then-No. 25 UCLA on Jan. 18. The road has been a different story for the Utes. But Utah clearly wasnt intimidated by Arizona or the atmosphere of playing the nations top-ranked team in one of college basketballs most difficult road arenas. The Utes opened with a 12-2 run, punctuated by Wrights steal and fast-break layup, and the Wildcats couldnt get anything to go in, missing shots at the rim and perimeter while starting 1-for-12. "We jumped out early and came out with a lot of energy like coach wanted," Utah forward Dakaral Tucker said. A hustle play by Hollis-Jefferson got Arizona rolling. Scrambling after his own missed free throw, the freshman dived on the floor and hit the ball off Wright before falling out of bounds. With the crowd cheering instead of groaning with every possession, the Wildcats found their rhythm, using a 12-0 run to take the lead. Both teams settled down after that and traded baskets and physical play the rest of the half. Arizona went up 33-26 at halftime after Kaleb Tarczewski threw down a two-handed rebound slam at the buzzer. The Utes didnt back down, scoring the first six points of the second half and hitting seven of their first 11 shots while the Wildcats managed to it close despite struggling on offence. Gordon helped turn the tide for the Wildcats. The freshman missed 10 of his first 12 shots, but he broke Arizona out of its funk with a two-handed dunk over Dallin Bachynski, followed with a blocked shot on a jumper by Loveridge, and then grabbed an offensive rebound to keep possession alive, leading to a runner by Johnson. Johnson added two more baskets, one a dunk on a baseline drive, to cap a 12-2 run that put Arizona up 59-49 "Those two guys bring a lot to the table," Miller said of Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson. "Their athleticism and physicality and just big-moment plays. The bigger the game, the more competitive the game, those guys are first-year players but theyre really at home when its like that." wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
