FU Turniere » A commissioner -- or the solid

PLANCHER-LES-MINES, France -- Italys Vincenzo Nibali stamped his dominance on the Tour de France by winning Stage 10 in the Vosges mountains on Monday -- shortly after his biggest rival for the title, two-time champion Alberto Contador, crashed out with a fractured shin after a high-speed spill. Nibali, the Astana team leader, also regained the overall race lead from Frances Tony Gallopin -- who had taken the leaders yellow jersey off him a day earlier -- in the 161.5-kilometre trek from the eastern city of Mulhouse to a super-steep uphill finish at La Planche des Belles Filles. With a final burst of speed in the last two kilometres, Nibali overtook breakaway rider Joaquim Rodriguez. The Spaniard, heaving hard as Nibali overtook him, caught back up briefly but then the Italian accelerated brutally with 700 metres to go. By the end, Nibali crossed 15 seconds ahead of Frances Thibault Pinot in second and Spains Alejandro Valverde in third, a further five seconds behind. The Italian recovers the yellow jersey that he wore for seven days after he won the Tours second stage in the hills of Yorkshire in northern England. "My legs felt good. I knew the last three kilometres were the toughest, and thats when I accelerated," said Nibali, sucking his thumb in a tribute to his young daughter as he finished. "I thought Rodriguez would follow but he seemed to have trouble." With Contador out, Nibali is now the favourite to win his first Tour. He has won the Italian Giro and the Spanish Vuelta -- cyclings other "Grand Tours" along with the French race. Overall, he leads Richie Porte of Australia by nearly 2 minutes, 23 seconds, and Valverde, who is third, 2:47 back. A string of crash injuries has meant that the Tour will have a first-time winner this year. The departure of Contador, a 31-year-old Spaniard with Tinkoff-Saxo Bank, follows that of defending champion Chris Froome of Britain who crashed out in the fifth stage. Before the race began, they were considered the top two favourites. Andy Schleck, the 2010 Tour winner, dropped out before Stage 4 following a crash injury a day earlier, though the Luxembourg rider said before the race that he wasnt in good enough shape to contend this year. According to his spokesman, Contador said he wasnt exactly sure what caused the crash -- which happened while he was speeding downhill at over 70 kph about halfway through the stage. Contador began the stage in ninth place overall -- 4 minutes, 8 seconds back of Gallopin. "He explained to me just a few minutes ago that he (hit) a stone or a hole in the road or something -- and he crashed," Contador spokesman Jacinto Vidarte told The Associated Press by phone during the stage. "He couldnt do anything about it." TV images showed thick streams of blood pouring from Contadors right knee after the crash, his hip was scraped up, and the back of his jersey torn. Team director Bjarne Riis rushed over and bandaged the knee. Philippe Mauduit, a team sporting director, said initial X-rays showed that a Contador had a fractured shin. Contador then sat back down on the grass bank and changed his left shoe as riders weaved through the narrow gap between him and his bicycle. After several minutes, he got back in the saddle of a new bike, and three teammates who had dropped back escorted him to try to make up lost time as the peloton pulled away up the Col du Platzerwaswel mountain pass. The Spaniard rode for about another half-hour, clearly in pain, and finally stopped, got off, wiped his eyes and climbed into a team car. Nibali said he was riding next to Contador, and almost went down himself. "I feared that the Tour might be over for me too," the Italian said. "There were a lot of risks today, and Im really sorry for Alberto Contador. I was right behind him and luckily I was able to avoid him. It was on a descent. The road wasnt in great condition. "I dont know what happened, but it was just incredible," said Nibali. "He fell right in front of me and was rolling on the floor. We must have been going about 60 kilometres per hour." There were crashes elsewhere. Italian rider Michele Scarponi -- Nibalis Astana teammate -- sustained a heavy crash coming down from the penultimate climb up to Col des Chevreres. He misjudged a turn and thudded into a protective crash barrier, flipping over his bike and colliding with an adult spectator who was standing up. Scarponi was able to continue riding. British rider Geraint Thomas also crashed near the end and continued riding with blood pouring out of his left elbow. The stage featured four steep Category 1 climbs. The last section of the final ascent up to Belles Filles featured a punishing 20 per cent gradient which, as expected, shook up the pack and gave a clearer indication of contenders for overall victory of the three-week race on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27. The race has its first rest day on Tuesday before resuming with a slightly hilly 187.5-kilometre route from Besancon to Oyonnax in eastern France on Wednesday. Stage 11 will feature four moderate climbs toward the end. ------ Eds: AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire in Plancher-les-Mines, France, contributed to this report. Joel Embiid Jersey . Billy Hamilton finished off Cincinnatis biggest comeback of the season for a doubleheader sweep. Amir Johnson Jersey . Kerr said he had dinner with Jackson, his former coach with Chicago and the new Knicks team president, on Friday night and they talked again Saturday. Kerr is in New York to work the game between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors for TNT. http://www.76ersstore.com/kids-wilt-cham...n-76ers-jersey/. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each scored 19 points, Bass added 15 points and had a game-saving block in the closing seconds Saturday, and the Celtics held on for a 103-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Maurice Cheeks Jersey . -- The Atlanta Braves added to their extensive wave of long-term deals with their young stars on Sunday by agreeing to a $42 million, four-year contract with All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Jimmy Butler Jersey . Yet heading to New York, the Habs remain positive as it all comes down to the one main ingredient that the organization has built its team on - character. WASHINGTON -- The first half ended with a case of the Marquee Miscues. Kevin Durant lost the ball to John Wall, and Wall then missed an open fast-break layup at the horn. It was Durants fourth turnover and Walls seventh miss in a row. At halftime, Wall changed his shoes. Maybe that was the difference. The newly minted first-time All-Star guard scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, and the Washington Wizards took advantage of a rare off-night from Durant and snapped the Oklahoma Thunders 10-game winning streak Saturday with a 96-81 win. "I didnt like how I played on the road trip in my white shoes, so I tried the red ones," Wall said. "They didnt work in the first half, so I got rid of them and went back to my old white ones, and they kind of helped me out. Im kind of superstitious." Wall also had 15 assists and six steals and went 7 for 11 from the field after halftime, more than making up for the 0-for-7 first half. Marcin Gortat had 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Trevor Ariza added 18 points and did a solid job defending Durant, whose 26 points came on 8-for-21 shooting, including 0 for 6 from 3-point range, and enough calls to make him 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. He also committed five turnovers. "Just stay in his grille, man," Ariza said. "Just try to make him take tough shots. Try not to give him no easy, easy looks." Durant had a streak of 12 consecutive 30-point games end during a 25-point win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Sitting at his locker before Saturdays game, his legs hooked up to compression tubes for a high-tech massage, he talked about the 100 or so tickets he had to secure for family and friends in D.C. Whether it was hometown jitters -- or fatigue from the night before -- or the unfamiliarity of the new balls with Adam Silvers signature on the first day of work for the new NBA commissioner -- or the solid defence of Ariza -- the citys native son had a rough night fighting the Wizards defence. "They made me see a crowd," Durant said. "There were a few shots that I should have it hit. I had some good looks, but they did a good job." The Thunders only lead was 2-0. They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers iin the first quarter.dddddddddddd. "We were just a step slow in everything," Durant said. "We didnt start up with enough energy and intensity and that falls back on me as a leader." The victory moved the Wizards to .500 for the seventh time this season, which means they get yet another chance to overcome an obstacle that has flummoxed them in recent weeks. A win Monday against Portland would give Washington a winning record for the first time since October 2009. "Thats cool for yall. I dont know if its cool for us," said guard Garrett Temple, when the subject that has become increasingly taboo in the locker room was broached by reporters. "But weve got to not even worry about that. Weve got a tough team coming here on Monday night." The Thunder had averaged 110.2 points during the winning streak, but they matched their season-low in points in a game against the Wizards. They did have a chance to tie the score in the second half when Derek Fisher was fouled while making a 3-pointer, but he missed the free throw that would have evened the game at 58. From there, Wall and the Wizards pulled away. A Durant turnover became a Wall dunk. Walls floater gave Washington a 78-64 lead after three quarters. The Thunder didnt challenge the rest of the way, failing to get within single digits in the fourth. "Twenty-one turnovers, 10 in the first quarter. Thats basically six minutes of basketball, giving them the ball back without ever trying to score," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "It wasnt good enough -- bottom line." NOTES: Temple went 3 for 4 with the new balls. "My shot felt real good. Even with those now Adam Silver balls," he said. "It was slippery at first, but we got into a rhythm." ... The Thunder had won nine straight road games against Eastern Conference teams, while the Wizards had dropped five in a row at home vs. the West. ... Durants hefty ticket purchase gave him a convenient excuse to laugh off the notion that he would think about playing for the Wizards someday. "I spent a lot of money on tickets today -- imagine if I played here," Durant said. "I dont even want to think about that." ' ' '