drubbing of the Miami Heat. Kendall Marshall sc

MELBOURNE, Australia - Novak Djokovic did enough to beat defending champion Stan Wawrinka in a semifinal match that lacked the intensity of their recent five-setters, setting up an Australian Open final against long-time friend and rival Andy Murray.The top-ranked Djokovic beat Wawrinka in a peculiarly seesawing 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 match Friday night to ensure two members of the so-called Big Four will meet the season-opening Grand Slam final.Djokovic has a 100 per cent winning record in finals at Melbourne Park, claiming his first Grand Slam title here in 2008 and winning three straight years from 2011 before his streak was ended in the quarterfinals last year by Wawrinka.The previous three Grand Slam meetings between Djokovic and Wawrinka had gone five sets, including two at the Australian Open that lasted a combined nine hours. Unlike those, though, the Friday night encounter was relatively muted and Wawrinka even described it as Strange. Not the best, for sure.There were parts of the match where I stepped in and played a game I needed to play, but parts of the match where I played too defensive and allowed him to dictate, Djokovic said. So, yeah, it was very emotional, very tense, as it always is against a top player in semifinals of a Grand Slam.So the battle was great ... in terms of fighting from both sides .. but the level of performance was not where I wanted it to be.Djokovic improved his record to 17 wins in 20 matches against Wawrinka, who will drop to No. 9 in the rankings next week.Djokovic has beaten Murray in seven of their last eight matches and is 15-8 overall, but theyre level in Grand Slam finals with two wins apiece — Djokovic in Australia in 2011 and 13 and Murray at the 2012 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2013.Wawrinka made his career breakthrough here last year, when he beat Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal to claim his first Grand Slam title, but he hadnt been past the quarterfinals at a major since his return to Melbourne Park.Theres no pressure for that. Im surprised we went five sets again, he said. But, no, for sure we had some great battle here last two years. Today was strange match. He was there playing good enough to win and he deserve to win and play the final.At times Wawrinka got on top of Djokovic, who looked lethargic at times and didnt realize after winning the third set that hed taken a 2-1 lead. But Djokovic kept his composure in the 3-hour, 30-minute match as Wawrinka blasted 42 winners but offset that with 69 unforced errors. Djokovic hit 27 winners — none in the fourth set — and finished with 49 unforced errors.The momentum shifted suddenly in three of the five sets, with both players struggling to turn service breaks into big leads. Djokovic was broken once in each of the first three sets and twice in the fourth. He broke Wawrinka seven times in the match, including three in the last set.Sixth-seeded Murray, who has lost three Australian Open finals, moved into the championship match with a fiery four-set win over No. 7 Tomas Berdych on Thursday night.Djokovic said hes going to have to improve considerably to maintain his perfect record in Australian Open finals.I think I have much more positive things to reflect on in my game and then all the matches that I played so far in the tournament than the negative, he said. Im in the finals. In the end of the day, thats why Im here. Getting to the finals in any way possible is a great achievement. Im going to try to use that to build up of the confidence for finals. Replica Soccer Jerseys . A 19-game winner with the New York Yankees in both 2006 and 2007, Wang spent most of this year at Triple-A for the Yankees and Blue Jays. The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 7. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Fake Soccer Jerseys . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Mavericks had a five-game winning streak snapped last time out, but theyll try to get back into the winners circle Sunday evening when the Milwaukee Bucks pay a visit to American Airlines Center. The Mavs fell at home to the Phoenix Suns Friday night, 118-106. Dallas was done in by a terrible first quarter which saw the team allow 40 points. The Suns shot 69.6 percent from the field in the first quarter en route to a 13-point lead. When you start out giving up a 40-point first quarter, youre just not ready to play defensively. I take responsibility for the effort, said head coach Rick Carlisle. I have got to get these guys more ready to play than I did. Monta Ellis ended with 33 points for the Mavericks, who have lost two of three at home. Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons each had 15 points, with Chandler also pulling down 18 boards. Dirk Nowitzki returned from a one-game absence with a back issue and only managed 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting. Devin Harris also scored 10 in the defeat. Dallas leads the NBA in scoring at 110.0 ppg, but is 23rd in opponents scoring. The Mavericks have allowed 100-plus points in seven straight and 10 of their last 12. The Bucks will tryy to avenge a home loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday, the game Nowitzki sat out.dddddddddddd Dallas prevailed by two when Ellis hit the game-winner as time expired. That was Milwaukees third consecutive setback, but it bounced back on Friday with a 109-85 home drubbing of the Miami Heat. Kendall Marshall scored 20 points to lead the Bucks past the four-time defending Eastern Conference champions. Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton each scored 14 points for the Bucks, who have won two of their last three on the road. Jerryd Bayless scored 11 of his 12 points in the third quarter for the Bucks, who turned a tight game into a nine-point lead going into the fourth with a 13-2 run that came mostly at the foul line. The Bucks then outscored Miami 29-14 in the fourth, leading by double-digits all the way after Middletons jumper to open the quarter. They shot better than 64 percent in the quarter and over 56 for the game. Our guys shared the ball and knocked down shots, said Bucks coach Jason Kidd. The Mavs have now won four straight against the Bucks and nine of the last 12 encounters. The two squads have split the last four meetings in Dallas, but the Mavs hold a 9-2 advantage since 2003. ' ' '