Member » win. And Im approaching it the same way this year."

WASHINGTON -- With the NBA regular season in the final stretch, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic are pushing the Phoenix Suns in the right direction, with a five-game winning streak keeping them in the Western Conference playoff chase. John Walls Washington Wizards, meanwhile, are headed the opposite way, losing four of their last five games to let teams behind them in the East inch closer. After letting a 25-point lead dwindle to three Wednesday night, Bledsoe and Dragic got back to business and combined to finish with 48 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds in Phoenixs 99-93 victory over Washington. "Im glad," Dragic said, "that we didnt panic." The surprising Suns moved into a tie with the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both clubs are 43-29 with 10 games remaining. "We dont care what other people think," Dragic said. "Before the season, they were saying were going to win 15 games." The Suns have won seven of their last eight, coinciding with Bledsoes return to the starting lineup after missing 33 games because of knee surgery. He had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Dragic wound up with 25 points, six assists and seven rebounds. "We were missing him those two months," Dragic said about his backcourt mate. "Now hes back and he looks good. Its much easier for me to play with him. He can handle the ball, I can handle the ball." Wizards centre Marcin Gortat, who used to play for the Suns, offered high praise for their pair of guards. "These guys are hungry. They bring it every night. They compete every night. They know what theyre playing for," Gortat said. "They have character, a lot of will to win the game." Gortat was not nearly as complimentary about his current teammates, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference but now are only 1 1/2 games ahead of No. 7 Charlotte, which beat Brooklyn 116-111 in overtime Wednesday. Gortat called Washingtons showing "embarrassing" and added: "Sometimes we show that mentally we are weak and just not competing. Thats it." Wall, who led Washington with 29 points and six assists, and coach Randy Wittman preferred to put the blame on poor defence that allowed Phoenix to shoot 50 per cent on 3-pointers for the game (14 of 28). Phoenix made 7 of 9 field-goal tries during a 17-4 run to open the second half. The Suns led by as much as 75-50 in the third quarter, but Washington kept chipping away at that, getting as close as 83-79 on Walls three-point play with a little more than 8 minutes remaining. But an 8-0 run by Phoenix that closed with Dragics 3-pointer followed by his reverse layup gave the Suns some breathing room. Washington again cut into the lead, though, and when Wall made consecutive driving layups, it was 93-90 with 1 1/2 minutes left. Sure enough, Dragic and Bledsoe again responded. Bledsoe hit a 3 off Dragics assist, and then Dragic fed Gerald Green, who was fouled and made two free throws. And that was pretty much that. Bledsoe called it "a sloppy win," but knows that his team is going to fare well when six players each make at least one 3-pointer, as happened Wednesday. "We live by the 3, die by the 3, most likely. Thats how it is," Bledsoe said. "When were making 3, its tough to beat us." Notes: Wizards G Bradley Beal missed the end of the first half and beginning of the second because he went to the locker room for treatment of a right hip pointer after a Suns player landed on him. Beal said he hopes to play Friday against visiting Indiana. ... The Suns had lost their previous three games against the Wizards, including at Phoenix in January. ... Wall reached 100 3-pointers for the season for the first time in his NBA career, and he joins Beal, Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster to give Washington a franchise-high four players with at least that many. Christian Dvorak Jersey . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline. Jakob Chychrun Jersey .The Los Angeles Lakers star passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBAs career scoring list Sunday night in a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/authentic-jeremy-roenick-coyotes-jersey/ . -- Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was admitted to the hospital Friday for observation due to minor complications from cancer treatments, his family said. Thomas Steen Jersey . -- Mississippi State was crushed twice by Florida last season, once by 35 points and the other by 25. Alex Galchenyuk Jersey . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. With temperatures dropping and snow piling up outside the teams facility, Johnson wondered who had the bright idea to have Buffalo (4-7) "host" the warm-weather Atlanta Falcons (2-9) inside the climate-controlled confines of Torontos Rogers Centre on Sunday. "Yeah, they must have fixed the schedule or something out there in Atlanta. Its supposed to be out here at the Ralph," Johnson said Wednesday, referring to the Bills home, Ralph Wilson Stadium. "Who put the schedule together to have them come to Toronto?" Johnson and his teammates are finding themselves at a sudden disadvantage as Buffalo prepares for its annual trip north of the border to resume the "Bills in Toronto" series, which was first established in 2008 and renewed for another five years in January. The Falcons have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Bills come off their bye week still on the fringes of the AFC post-season hunt. Theyre 3-3 at Orchard Park, including a decisive 37-14 win over the New York Jets on Nov. 17. "It is what it is," Johnson said. "We cant really make excuses for it. We cant complain about it. We just got to go out and try to handle business." An added wrinkle to the game is news that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment -- the company that controls the Leafs and NBA Raptors -- has aligned itself with New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi to make a push to bring an NFL franchise to Toronto. One logical option would be the Bills. In establishing the series, the Bills turned to their neighbours to the north in a bid to expand their region. The deal provides the Bills a much-needed boost to their small-market franchises revenue base by essentially leasing out a home game to Canadian communications giant, Rogers Communications. What the Bills lose, however, is a distinct late-season edge they would normally get playing in the cold and blustery conditions in Buffalo. "Yeah, wed love to get them outside in the elements. That would definitely be an advantage," centre Eric Wood said. "But this is a deal weve got to embrace. Its importantt to our franchise.dddddddddddd You cant go up there with a bad attitude." Like it or not, the Bills are resigned to knowing they have no choice when it comes to making the two-hour trek to Canadas largest city and financial capital. Its a metropolis of more than 5 million residents, where the NHLs Maple Leafs dominate the sports pages, and a place better known these days for Mayor Rob Fords various attention-grabbing troubles. Wood drew headlines of his own last year after Buffalos 50-17 loss to Seattle at Toronto. Unable to make the trip because of a sprained right knee, Wood grew frustrated watching on TV and seeing the lack of support the Bills got from the crowd. He called it "a joke," and added: "Those non-Bills fans that go to the game are just cheering for plays as opposed to cheering for a team. And that kills you." Wood was in a more diplomatic mood this week when reminded of his comments. "It was a heat of the moment-type deal," he said. "I was excited about the opportunity to go up there and hopefully get a win. And Im approaching it the same way this year." Getting a win would be a start. The Bills are 1-4 in regular-season games at Toronto, with their lone win a 23-0 victory over Washington in 2011. The series opened with a dud, when Buffalo managed just 163 yards offence in a 16-3 loss to Miami. Turnout has been an issue in part because of expensive ticket prices and the perennial struggles of a Bills team thats not made the playoffs since 1999. Though the first four games were listed as sellouts, Rogers acknowledged the count included thousands of freebies. And those fans that do show up represent the mixed loyalties Canadians have toward the NFL. Though a majority of fans attending games wear Bills jerseys, its not uncommon to spot others wearing a wide range of colours -- from the Cowboys, to 49ers, and even the CFL Argonauts. First-year Bills coach Doug Marrone said its up to his team to generate an edge. "In order to create that advantage, you have to go up there and play well," Marrone said. "I think we do have some fans in Toronto. And I think if we play well, well create more fans." ' ' '