Gruppen » pull defenders toward him and findd an open teammate, onl

MINNEAPOLIS -- Richard Pitino wants to make sure his players arent reading too much into their 6-0 record.After impressive wins against St. Johns and Arkansas, some Minnesota players said they expected an easier time against mid-major Southern Illinois.You cant overlook anybody; we cant do that, Pitino said Saturday night after his Gophers beat Southern Illinois 57-45. We should be a no-ego program. We have not earned the right to have an ego.Amir Coffey had 13 points, Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer each scored 11 against the scrappy Salukis, who never led in the second half but always seemed within striking distance.With upcoming games against Florida State and Vanderbilt in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge next week, the Gophers acknowledged they may have gotten ahead of themselves.Came out flat, thinking it was going to be an easy game, McBrayer said. So weve just got to have the mindset that every game is going to be like a Big Ten game, or a Big Ten feel.The Gophers (6-0) won despite missing starting center Reggie Lynch, who sat with an ankle injury. Even without the 6-foot-10 Lynch -- whos averaging nine points and 3.6 blocks per game -- the Gophers size advantage ground down a Salukis team that entered the game averaging 81 points per game.Minnesotas much taller backcourt held Mike Rodriguez -- SIUs leading scorer -- to seven points, half his season average. Thik Bol led The Salukis (3-3) with 15 points, but no other Southern Illinois player had more than seven.This game tonight was two ends of the spectrum, Salukis coach Barry Hinson said. We played phenomenal defense and then we played, I wouldnt say bad offense, but we just didnt produce when the shots were there.Southern Illinois led by four in the first half before hitting an eight-minute scoring drought. The Gophers took advantage, ripping off a 12-0 run that put them in front for good.BIG PICTURESouthern Illinois: The Salukis, who didnt lose their third game last season until Jan. 9 against Wichita State, had their three-game winning streak snapped and are 0-2 against major-conference teams this season. They lost to Arkansas by 25 earlier this month, and will have at least one more chance to beat a major team this year at Louisville on Dec. 7.Minnesota: The Gophers are 6-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season. All six games, though, have come at home; it marks the first time since 1999 that Minnesota has opened with six straight home games. They went 6-0 that year, too.FREE-THROW WOESMinnesota made a season-low 12 free throws on 22 attempts, which played a big part in allowing Southern Illinois to hang around.You know what happens, you miss a couple and then all of a sudden everybody gets a little tight, Pitino said.SILVER DEFENSIVE LININGSHinson called the game Southern Illinois best defensive performance of the young season. We just held a Big Ten team to 18 percent from the 3 and 38 percent for the game and we are the first team to do that in their six games. We are the first team to hold them under 80 points, Hinson said.UP NEXTSouthern Illinois will host Murray State next Tuesday; the Racers will try to snap a two-game skid Saturday against Alabama A&M.Minnesota travels for the first time this season to face Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It gets a lot tougher now going on the road, so well see how we look with more adversity I guess, Pitino said. Brandon Roy Jersey . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Bill Walton Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Jusuf-Nurkic-Blazers-Jersey/ . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Brandon Roy Blazers Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Tobias Harris scored 22 points, Aron Baynes added 20 points and eight rebounds and the short-handed Detroit Pistons beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-88 on Monday night.The Pistons (6-5) improved to 5-0 at home despite being without their two best players. Reggie Jackson hasnt played this season due to knee tendinitis, and Andre Drummond was sidelined with a sprained ankle.Russell Westbrook had 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City (6-5), which has dropped four in a row. Victor Oladipo finished with nine points, but he was the only other starter to score more than four.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 points for Detroit.The Pistons used their post players to build a 59-47 halftime lead despite Westbrooks 25 points. Oklahoma City missed nine of 10 3-point attempts in the half, and Oladipo went 1 for 7 from the floor. Harris and Baynes each scored 13 points.Detroit led by as many as 19 in the third, but its reserves didnt have as much success as they had in the first half. The Thunder finished the quarter with a 13-2 run to trail 78-68.Despite Westbrooks best efforts, the Thunder couldnt put together a serious run down the stretch. On several occasions, he was able to pull defenders toward him and findd an open teammate, only for them to badly miss the shot.ddddddddddddTIP-INSThunder: Westbrook scored Oklahoma Citys last 14 points in the first half. ... Jerami Grant and Enes Kanter combined to hit nine of 16 shots in the first three quarters, helping keep Oklahoma City in the game. ... Westbrook picked up a technical foul in the first half for an accidental low blow against Caldwell-Pope.Pistons: Detroit is the last team in the NBA to be undefeated at home. ... With Drummond sidelined, the Pistons only grabbed one offensive rebound in the first half. ... Baynes got hit on his protective mask by Westbrook late in the fourth, and needed medical attention to stop the bleeding from his previously broken nose.JUST TOO LATEWestbrook almost had 28 first-half points, but a replay review showed his 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer was still in his hand when time expired.UP NEXTThunder: Return home to host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.Pistons: Travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks on Wednesday. Detroit beat the Knicks 102-89 on Nov. 1 behind 25 points from Harris. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 24 points. ' ' '