CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson is happy he didnt make the All-Star game. Kemba Walker said it might be a huge blessing for the Charlotte Bobcats that the big man got a few days off to rest his 29-year-old legs for the stretch run, particularly with four games in five nights coming out of the break. "Im glad he didnt make it either," Walker said with a laugh. "Hes fresh now. And you dont have to make the All-Star game to be an All-Star. I know hes a great player and unguardable in the post." Jefferson dominated the Pistons for the third time this season Wednesday night, and Walker played his best game since returning from an ankle injury to lead the Bobcats to back-to-back wins over Detroit, 116-98. Jefferson scored 29 points, while Walker had 24 points and a career-high 16 assists. The win gives the Bobcats (25-30) a sweep of the season three-game series and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Pistons in the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We had a bad reputation around this league for a long time, at least since Ive been here," Walker said. "Coach (Steve Clifford) has done a great job of changing the culture. We just want to win. We dont want to be those Bobcats where guys come in here and beat us up every night." The 6-foot-10, 289-pound Jefferson, who had 32 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in Tuesdays 108-96 win at Detroit, went 12 of 20 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. He has scored at least 20 points in 16 of the last 18 games and barely missed his seventh 30-point game in the last 10 games. Jefferson said the Bobcats (25-30) are playing their best basketball of the season as they gear up for the stretch run and a shot at the franchises second career playoff appearance. "We have been a top 10 on defence all year," Jefferson said. "But now our offence is picking up and were learning how to play with each other." Frustration seems to be setting in for the Pistons, who have lost nine of 14. Brandon Jennings had 20 points for Detroit before being ejected from the game with 1:13 left after picking up his second technical foul for arguing a call. Jennings did not speak to the media after the game. "We definitely have to do a better job as a team of keeping our composure, especially in tough games like this," teammate Greg Monroe said. "Down the stretch these games mean a lot. You know, keeping a level head and playing hard, as a team is something were going to have to do." Coach John Loyer said its not too late to regroup. "Its two games," Loyer said. "Granted its two that we wanted to get, two we needed to get, but we didnt get them. You move on. You figure out your next plan and you just try to go win the next game." Josh McRoberts chipped in with 15 points for the Bobcats and Ramon Sessions had 10 points and 10 assists off the bench. But its Jefferson who is setting the tone. "We are just getting acclimated to Al," Walker said. "It took a little while but we know how to play with him and play off him. He makes all the right plays. All we have to do is get him the basketball in the right spots all we have to do is make shots." The Bobcats led by six at halftime, but opened the second half with a 17-3 tear to take a 70-50 lead behind 3-pointers from Walker, McRoberts and Gerald Henderson. The Pistons got within nine in the fourth quarter, but McRoberts buried a pair of 3-pointers and Walker hit a jumper to put the Bobcats safely ahead. Loyer stressed before the game the importance of starting fast, but Monroe and Josh Smith combined to miss their first 14 shots. Meanwhile the Bobcats got off to a fast start for the second straight night, hitting 7 of 9 shots to start the game and build a double-digit first quarter lead. Cody Zeller brought immediate energy and production off the bench for the Bobcats with a career-high three blocked shots. NOTES: Former South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end and top NFL draft prospect Jadeveon Clowney attended the game. ... Charlotte had lost five straight games at home to Detroit prior to Wednesday night. ... The more aggressive Bobcats dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Pistons 49-31. Frank Ragnow Lions Jersey . The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. DaShawn Hand Lions 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. http://www.authenticnfllionslockroom.com...n-Elite-Jersey/. - The infectious smile was missing from Nam Nguyen last week. Detroit Lions Jerseys . -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. DaShawn Hand Jersey . -- Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson couldnt hear himself amid the roar in Koch Arena, so he kept stomping on the floor in a fruitless attempt to get his teams attention.TORONTO - Nearly eight years ago, the Raptors took a low-risk chance on an intriguing prospect out of Texas when they used a second-round draft pick to select the position-less P.J. Tucker. Tucker, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound bull, had the build of a power forward trapped in the frame of a shooting guard. By all accounts he was a misfit, destined to end up in the leagues scrapheap with the vast majority of its second-rounders. During his rookie season, Tucker played 21 games for Toronto, bouncing back and forth from the D-League before he was waived by the team less than a year into his NBA journey. After playing in six countries over the next five years, Tucker returned to the league and put up career-highs as a 28-year-old starting for the Phoenix Suns last season. The league has changed and, as a result, so has the need for players that are able to easily adapt. Enter Iowa State senior and Toronto-native Melvin Ejim, who is hoping to hear his named called sometime during the second round in this months draft. Like Tucker and many talented prospects before him, Ejim has been labeled a "tweener" - a hybrid player stuck in between positions as a result of size, strength or skill set. For a long time, the term carried a negative connotation in NBA circles. Who will he defend? How does he fit in? Now its become the norm. Tweeners, combo guards, stretch fours. As teams continue to challenge the defence with smaller, quicker lineups, the NBA is evolving into a league void of prototypical positions. On Thursday, the Miami Heat will begin their pursuit of a third consecutive title led by LeBron James, perhaps the most unique basketball player weve ever seen, capable of playing and guarding four or five positions on the floor at a high level. Last week, Oklahoma City was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals with three point guards on the court together down the stretch of Game 6. The team that ousted them and Miamis opponent in the Finals, the Spurs possess the versatility to match up with almost any style of play, thanks in large part to their versatile wings - Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Boris Diaw. Ultimately, what position you play is less important than the underlying question - can you play? At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Ejim is confident that theres a place for him and his well-rounded game on an NBA team. "I think it depends on how you look at the word tweener," he said following Wednesday mornings pre-draft workout in the Raptors practice facility at the Air Canada Centre. "If you see it as a valuable thing, then I think that I bring a lot of stuff. I think that Im a small forward and I bring versatility to be able to defend bigger guys, I have a strong body that can do a lot of things defensively. Then offensively [Im] versatile, can shoot the ball aand play inside and out.dddddddddddd And if you dont consider those good things, then I guess tweeners a bad thing." Ejim, the Big 12 Conference player of the year, has fully embraced his basketball identity. "Its better than being called a glue guy," he said of the tweener label. "Ive yet to see anyone say, yo, youre a tweener, we dont really do tweeners over here," Ejim joked. "And honestly, its not even about being a tweener, its about being a player. If youre somebody that can go out and play basketball on different levels and play at different positions, then youre valuable, youre a good player." Following Tuesdays auditions, a pair of combo guards, Jordan Clarkson and Nick Johnson - also expected to go in the second round - echoed a similar sentiment. Versatility will also be a valuable commodity when the Raptors make their first-round selection at pick no. 20. UCLAs Kyle Anderson is a point guard in a 6-foot-9 body, athletic Clemson product K.J. McDaniels can defend multiple positions, while NC States T.J. Warren projects as a versatile and unconventional scorer. All three wing players are expected to workout in Toronto later this week. "Its almost a positive in todays game," said Dan Tolzman, director of scouting for the Raptors. "You want the flexibility that if a team goes big against you, you have the ability to just shift guys over a spot and keep your best players out there. I think the same goes the other way. If guys go small, youd like to have perimeter players that can bang down low and can rebound hard when youre in a small ball game. I think its just the progression of the game." Working out alongside fellow Canadian Khem Birch, a Montreal-native out of UNLV, Ejim impressed the Raptors, not only with his versatility and commitment to defence but with his approach, maturity and professionalism. "He came in [wearing] slacks and a nice button-down shirt," Tolzman said of Ejim. "He looked like he was coming to an interview and I think that clearly it resonates with us because this is a professional job interview for these guys." With a couple second-round picks at 37 and 59, the Raptors could consider selecting the hometown product, who would be a welcomed addition within Dwane Caseys system. Although his skill set continues to fly under the radar in a talented, wing-heavy draft class, its not hard to envision him catching on with a team and working his way into a rotation, not unlike Tucker in Phoenix. "His niche in my opinion will be as a defensive player," Tolzman said. "Hes a strong defender and I think the level of intensity he plays with bodes well for guys that focus on defence because when they give their all, they impact the game somehow, even if their shots not there." Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 China Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Stitched Jerseys NFL T-shirts From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '