Join us » NFL with 44 sacks. But when he slows down

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Chicago Bulls felt they played only two quarters of defence Wednesday night. That was all they needed to beat the Detroit Pistons 99-79 and end a four-game losing streak. The Pistons led 53-51 at the half, but Chicago only allowed 26 second-half points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as they pulled away for the easy win. "They made some shots in the first half, but I liked the way we were playing offensively," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "In the second half, we got our defensive intensity going." Chicagos defence was at its best in the fourth quarter, where the Pistons went scoreless on 10 straight possessions. Jonas Jerebkos jumper had pulled Detroit to 80-75 with 8:39 left, but the Bulls didnt allow another basket until Gigi Datomes jumper made it 99-77 with 1:31 to go. "This has been a tough road trip for us," said Kirk Hinrich. "We played to our strengths tonight, we really competed defensively in the second half and we got one in the win column. Detroit shot 27.8 per cent in the second half, missed all six 3-point attempts, went 6 of 13 from the line and turned the ball over nine times. "They were obviously a lot better in the second half than they had been in the first half," Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We couldnt score the ball, and a lot of that was because of their defence." Luol Deng led the Bulls with 27 points, while reserve Taj Gibson had a career-high 23. Tony Snell, making the first start of his career, added 13 points in 37 minutes. "When I heard I was in the starting lineup, I just told myself to play my game and not rush anything," he said. "All the hours Ive put in, working hard in the gym, were so that Id be ready for this." Rodney Stuckey finished with 25 off the bench for Detroit but no one else had more than 13. Josh Smith had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons. Point guards Brandon Jennings and Will Bynum combined for two points on 1-for-8 shooting in the second half. "We certainly needed some scoring from Brandon and Bynum," Cheeks said. "If you dont get anything from either of them, you are going to have a hard time." Neither team played much defence in the first half, with the Pistons shooting 58.5 per cent to Chicagos 52.4 per cent. Stuckey and Gibson both had 15 points off the bench, and each team also had two starters in double figures by halftime. Six quick points from Joakim Noah helped Chicago put together a 18-8 run that gave them 69-61 late in the third. The Bulls had three straight possessions with a chance to move the margin into double figures, but two misses on open jumpers and a fast-break turnover let the Pistons stay close. Stuckey finally ended Detroits drought with a pair of baskets, and the Pistons pulled to 69-65. The fight-back was short-lived, though, and the Bulls had the advantage back to 76-68 by quarters end. The margin stayed in the high single figures for the early part of the fourth, but Detroit started to struggle when Cheeks took Stuckey out of the game. It was 86-75 when Stuckey returned with five minutes left, but he couldnt help. Hinrich immediately made a three-point play to make it a 14-point game, and Chicago led by as many as 24 down the stretch. "They are tough, but we adjusted to the physical play of the game," Thibodeau said. "When the ball was in the air, we got bodies on people and fought for the ball." NOTES: Michigan native Floyd Mayweather Jr. was seated at courtside, a few seats away from Pistons owner Tom Gores. Mayweather, accompanied by a large entourage, engaged in some friendly banter with Bulls players, including an imitation of Joakim Noahs unusual free-throw style. He also got a large ovation when he was shown on the scoreboard during the fourth quarter. ... Stuckey leads the Eastern Conference with points off the bench, coming into the game at 15.9 points. ... Datome finished with four points on his 26th birthday. Roberto Osuna Astros Jersey . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. Carlos Correa Jersey . Yup, he definitely needed this one. Craig homered twice and had three RBIs Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig went 4 for 5 and Yadier Molina added three hits for the Cardinals, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set in hopes of staying within shouting distance of front-running Milwaukee in the NL Central. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/yuli-gurriel-astros-jersey/ . -- Jimmie Johnson has a sixth NASCAR championship in hand and two legends within reach. Houston Astros Jerseys . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Hector Rondon Astros Jersey . The Rainbow FlickNext up is the Rainbow Flick, or as you probably know it, the trick that everybody at soccer camp thought they knew how to do.Jadeveon Clowney is one big question and answer for the Houston Texans. The 6-foot-5, 266 lbs. linebacker exploded into the mainstream with the infamous bone-jarring hit on former Michigan running back Vincent Smith during the 2013 Outback Bowl – one of South Carolinas three straight bowl victories from 2011 to 2013. He collected 24 sacks in three seasons with the Gamecocks but had his work ethic called “OK” by college coach Steve Spurrier before the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He responded to the criticism with a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, best among defensive linemen, a 42-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-9 broad jump, both second among defensive linemen. But poor results in the bench press – 21 reps was less than Miami punter Pat ODonnell (23) – resulted in another knock on Clowneys pedigree. NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp was less kind with his criticisms during an NFL Network segment in April, months after the combine. “I look at Jadeveon Clowneys (game) tape and I dont see a guy that is playing the game with his hair on fire, making plays, running up and down the field sideline to sideline, doing all of the things," Sapp said. Clowneys answer? Although it wasnt his decision, the 21-year-old did enough to make the Texans believe he had the assets worthy of the No. 1 overall pick at the 2014 NFL Draft in May. The question Clowney has to answer next is whether the Texans made the right choice with the top pick and a subsequent five-year deal. First of all, Clowneys “lack of effort” could be in large part due to a sports hernia injury he admitted to playing with in his final season with the Gamecocks. He had groin surgery in June to deal with the nagging problem. The admission in itself is enough to take the work ethic jabs off the table, for now at least. His natural blend of tremendous size and speed makes him a pass-rushing nightmare. His 24 sacks in three years at South Carolina amassed a total of 147 yards lost – an average of 6.1 yards lost per sack. Despite a lackluster showing of three sacks in his final year of college – with the alleged injury – Clowney wreaked havoc when he did get to the quarterback, averaging 8.6 yards lost per sack. Developing a strong partnership with defensive end J.J. Watt – 31 sacks in the last two seasons – could result in a lot of pain for opposing QBss.dddddddddddd The Texans were tied for 29th in the NFL last season with 32 sacks, a far cry from the fifth-highest total of 44 in 2012. A little less pressure on Watt to carry that load could be good for him. Clowneys physical gifts also make him a bandage against opposing ground attacks. Using the sample size available against relative competition, which Vincent Smith can attest to, Clowney has shown the ability to drive right through the offensive line. Though its not always enough to keep the ball in the hands of the quarterback, there is often little space between a handoff and Clowneys 83-inch wingspan. Not surprisingly, he can be overwhelming to block. If by chance an offensive line can keep him out of the backfield that wingspan is more than capable of plugging holes in the blink of an eye. Houston allowed 122.4 yards per game on the ground last season, the 10th highest total in the league. Its tough to argue Clowney wont help lower that figure. The questions remain. Answers pending. POWER SURGE? J.J. Watt needs help. The 6-foot-5 Wisconsin product has accounted for 47 per cent of the Texans sacks over the last two seasons. When Watt is flying – see his league-leading 20.5 sacks in 2012 – life is good. He was named Defensive Player of the Year and the Texans finished the 2012 campaign fifth in the NFL with 44 sacks. But when he slows down – just 10.5 sacks in 2013 – it reverberates through the lineup. Houston finished tied for 29th with 32 sacks last season. Watt can carry the line. He has before. But if the Texans want to be feared across the NFL, the rest of the line will have to carry Watt sometimes. EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing something right. Despite ups and downs at every turn in his career, the Harvard graduate continues to find a job. The Texans are hoping for the quarterback who threw more than 20 touchdowns for three straight seasons from 2010-2012 with the Buffalo Bills, well, without the 54 interceptions he threw over the same span. In his favour is the presence of Andre Johnson, miles away the best receiver Fitzpatrick has ever thrown to. But throwing to Johnson should be the least of Fitzpatricks concerns. The Texans receiving corps features six rookies (two TEs, four WRs) and 13 players with less than four years of NFL experience (three TEs, 10 WRs) A Harvard education cant be a bad thing in this situation. ' ' '