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NEW ORLEANS -- Rudy Gay went from ejection to redemption in just a couple of days. One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. "Honestly, I didnt even know how much I scored," Gay said. "It was more about getting the win." In a loss two nights earlier to the Thunder, Gay scored only six points before being sent off the court with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter. But Gay hit 16 of 25 shots in the Big Easy, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, to match a point total he last put up on Dec. 13, 2009, in Miami. It was going so well for Gay that he casually walked the ball up the court with an eye on the clock late in the third quarter, and then drilled a pull-up jumper from 27 feet. "He put on a show tonight, coming off a game in Oklahoma City where he didnt play very well and got thrown out," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "He wanted to bounce back and show everybody what he is capable of." DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for the Kings, who have won five of eight. Isaiah Thomas added 20 points and 11 assists. "When in doubt, go to Rudy and youll get an assist," Thomas said. "He really carried us tonight." Tyreke Evans scored 17 for New Orleans, which trimmed a 23-point deficit to six shortly before halftime, only to fall behind by 23 again in the third quarter and remain behind by double digits the rest of the way. Anthony Davis scored 16 points and blocked four shots, and New Orleans rookie centre Jeff Withey had a career-high 14 points, but that was not nearly enough to prevent the Pelicans from losing for the ninth time in 10 games. The latest loss came one night after the Pelicans snapped an eight-game skid in Memphis. "We just didnt have a lot of juice collectively from our starters tonight and certainly didnt play with any kind of intensity that was comparable to what we did last night," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "That is just part of being a pro and understanding that when you have an emotional win like we did last night, theres a quick turnaround." Quincy Acy grabbed 10 rebounds for the Kings, who outrebounded New Orleans 46-35. The Kings were the sharper team from the outset, shooting 70 per cent (14 of 20) in the first period, during which they scored 38 points and built an 18-point lead. "Obviously I could point to a few things, but that would be emotional and I dont want to do that," Williams said. "Theres some things Ive discussed with our team that they need to be better at, and they understand. ... Were not the type of team that can just put our jersey on and step onto the floor. Weve got to go out and play with a high level of energy." New Orleans had 10 players in uniform, out of 15 on the roster. Ryan Anderson (herniated disk), Jrue Holiday (stress fracture, right shin) and Jason Smith (right knee) were injured. Reserve shooting guard Anthony Morrow was sick and newly acquired guard Tyshawn Taylor was not with the team. All 10 active players had checked in before the first quarter ended, in part because four players --Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu, Greg Stiemsma and Alexis Ajinca -- each had two fouls in the period. The Kings lead grew to 23 on Gays 3 midway through the second quarter, and it might have been worse if not for Witheys 12 points in the period. New Orleans enjoyed momentum for only the last half of the second period, scoring on 10 of its last 11 possessions. Witheys dunk sparked a 12-3 spurt, capped by Roberts fast-break layup. Next came an 11-2 run during which Evans scored eight, trimming Sacramentos lead to six before Derrick Williams free throws gave the Kings a 64-56 halftime lead. The Pelicans second-quarter surge put them in striking distance of a memorable comeback, but Sacramento opened the third with a 17-4 run. The surge began with two baskets by Cousins and included two 3s by Gay, the second making it 83-60. "When we play that type of basketball, were a tough team to beat," Cousins said. "Weve got a long way to go to grow as a team, but were definitely on the right path." NOTES: The Kings conclude a six-game road trip Wednesday night at Houston. They are 2-3 on the trip so far. ... Four players spent at least one season of college under current Kentucky coach John Calipari: Cousins, Davis, Evans and Darius Miller. All are former Kentucky players except Evans, who played at Memphis, Caliparis previous stop. cheap jerseys . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. Wholesale jerseys from china . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. http://www.nfljerseyscheapfromchina.cc/. He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. Wholesale jerseys . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 11 aces and did not have a double-fault as he comfortably advanced to the third round at the Masters Series event. wholesale nfl jerseys . Ryan Callahan trade talks caught a lot of people off guard. Details are now emerging about why the Rangers would consider such a move. Darren Dreger: He wants a lot of money. Its been widely reported that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around $6 million per year. That is not accurate. Im told that it is more than $6.EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers have taken another step in locking up their young core by signing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a seven-year contract. Nugent-Hopkins got US$42 million, the same amount the Oilers gave Taylor Hall on his seven-year deal. The $6-million cap hit is also the same as Jordan Eberles, making for uniformity among Edmontons top young forwards. "We felt when we did the contracts with Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, that at that point we knew wed be doing a very similar, if not identical, contract to what we did with those players," Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish told reporters. "This is just a reflection of how highly we hold Ryan within our organization." Nugent-Hopkins underwent surgery on his left shoulder April 23 to repair a torn labrum. Hes currently skating but has been non-commital about being ready in time for the start of the NHL season. But that doesnt concern MacTavish. "During the term of this contract I feel very strongly hes going to outperform the number on the contract," he said. "I dont know when thats going to happen but I anticipate it will happen pretty soon during the length of this contract." Predictably, Nugent-Hopkins is very pleased to have the deal done. His extension starts in the 2014-15 season. "I definitely want to come back and play my best whenever I am ready to play," he said. "Im just happy to be here, to be locked up for the next so many years. "Its going to be great." Nugent-Hopkins downplayed the significance of his cap hit being the same as Halls and Eberles. "I dont think any of us really worried about it too much," he said. "Once you get on the ice you kind of forget about all that stuff and you just want to go out there and play and perform the best for the team. "Obviously having all three of us the same is not going to cause any problems even though it wouldnt anyway. Its definitely exciting for all of us." But Nugent-Hopkins said his first goal is to get to the point physically where he can play. "Obviously my first priority is getting healthy and making sure that Im ready to play," he said. "Getting the contract done now is definitely a positivee thing.dddddddddddd "Its something I dont have to worry about and something thats not on my mind, not even a little bit. I just want to get back healthy and get back to playing." MacTavish said he never approached Hall and/or Eberle during his contract talks with Nugent-Hopkins. Nugent-Hopkins, the first pick in the 2011 draft, has 22 goals and 54 assists in 102 career NHL games. He had four goals and 20 points in 40 games last season. "I thought last year I definitely didnt put up the points that I wanted to," he said. "I thought I made some steps in my defensive zones. "I want to put everything together this year and make sure I have a great year." MacTavish said the organization has no concerns about Nugent-Hopkins shoulder. "No, zero," he said. "Weve had lots of success with that procedure in the past. "His surgery is solid and theres a good history to lead us to believe and have every confidence that there wont be a problem going forward." The Oilers have just over $41 million of salary-cap commitments to 10 players for next season. That does not include a new deal for defenceman Justin Schultz. But Edmontons priority during its youth movement has been cultivating young forwards. Nugent-Hopkins was the second of three straight No. 1 picks, sandwiched between Hall in 2010 and Nail Yakupov in 2012. Yakupov has two seasons left on his entry-level contract. In addition to Nugent-Hopkins, Hall and Eberle, the Oilers signed centre Sam Gagner to a $14.4-million, three-year contract during the off-season. And they acquired winger David Perron in a trade with the St. Louis Blues to provide some more experience. MacTavish said Nugent-Hopkins extension contains a no-trade clause -- sort of. "Ive asked Ryan to never ask for a trade through the term of this contract," he said. "Thats our no-trade. "He has promised me that he wont ask for one, thats important for us. I dont anticipate anything happening, obviously. Its our objective as an organization to make this experience so rewarding for everybody that they wouldnt want to leave, much like it was many years ago where Edmonton really was where everybody wanted to play." ' ' '