Biff Bangs

Video game sales slumped in the US – their biggest market – in January.

NPD group said stores sold $1.14bn (£720m) worth of games over the month, down 34% on the previous year. It added that hardware sales were down 38%.

The consumer data provider linked the drop to a lack of major new releases.

Other analysts also pointed to worries about the economy and said this might have an impact on the upcoming launch of Sonys PlayStation Vita console.

NPD said that Activision Blizzards Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the months best-selling title. It was followed by Just Dance 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and NBA 2K12.

Microsofts Xbox 360 held onto its title as the top selling hardware platform for the sixth month running.

While the lack of new launches was a major reason for software declines, games which launched in the last three months of 2011 also performed poorly in January 2012, down 31% in units compared to fourth quarter launches in January 2011, NPD analyst Liam Callahan added.

As shoppers were not drawn to stores due to new launch activity, this potentially impacted additional software purchases made on impulse.

The video games news website, IGN, said it had noted a similar drop-off in activity in the UK market. It said sales should pick up when Mass Effect 3 goes on sale in March, but noted that shoppers were worried.

You cant really deny that the economy is a factor, Keza MacDonald, the firms UK games editor, told the BBC.

The lack of big new releases is just a tiny bit of the picture. The fact people are buying less games shows up in the US, European and Japanese data.

People are just buying fewer games because they have less money to spend. The data before Christmas was also not particularly strong.

Vitas challenge

The news comes as Sony prepares the global launch of its new PlayStation Vita games console. The device goes on sale across Europe, Australia and the Americas on 22 February.

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Clippers-76ersGame Review

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Chris Paul hit the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining as the Clippers downed the 76ers, 78-77, on Friday.

A pair of Lou Williams free throws had Philadelphia up, 77-76, with 18 seconds left, but Paul hit a twisting, fadeaway jumper near the foul line to improve Los Angeles to 3-1 on its current six-game road trip.

Paul finished with a game-high 24, Blake Griffin added 16 and 11 rebounds and Mo Williams scored 14. Former 76er Reggie Evans didnt score, but impacted the contest with 10 rebounds — five offensive — in 19 minutes of action.

The Sixers, meanwhile, have dropped two straight for the first time this season. They got 12 points from both Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, who added 10 boards. Lou Williams finished with 11 points.

Caron Butler gave LA a 76-74 lead with a minute to play. Following misses by Iguodala and Paul, Butler fouled Jrue Holiday in the frontcourt with LA in the penalty. Holiday made the first free throw, but missed the second and the Clippers called timeout with 20 seconds left.

Inbounding at half court, Ryan Gomes made an errant pass and Butler fouled Lou Williams while battling for the loose ball under the LA net. Williams made both foul shots, but Paul answered with the game-winner. Williams, double- teamed near mid-court, failed to get a shot off before time expired.

One thing I pride myself on is ball handling, said Paul. I may not make every shot but I feel like I can get any shot that I want because of ball handling. Ive always been undersized, so one thing I know is that I can create my own shot.

The Sixers concluded a challenging stretch, in which they also faced Orlando, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, the Lakers and San Antonio, with a 4-3 mark. They were up 27-18 after one behind 58.8 percent shooting and seven points from Brand. Lou Williams hit a short jumper to open the second, stretching the lead to double-digits, but the Clippers responded.

It was 33-21 when LA reeled off an 18-5 run to go on top. Mo Williams scored the Clippers first 12 points of the burst before Griffin threw down an emphatic baseline jam and Paul finished with four straight for a 39-38 lead.

The half ended in back-and-forth fashion and Philadelphia held a 43-41 advantage at the break. Neither team was able to pull away in the third. The Sixers were up 61-54 on a Jodie Meeks three, but the Clippers answered with a 16-2 run between the third and fourth to take a 70-63 lead.

Philadelphia responded with an Iguodala trey and a three-point play from Lou Williams to trigger the tight finish.

Usually when you play these tough teams in a stretch like we did it usually carries over for a week or two, said Iguodala. Hopefully it will continue to carry over with the high level that weve been playing at.

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No matter how many times the Rockets’ brass said it and how many people they said it to, they couldn’t make Kyle Lowry an all-star.

The lack of buzz around the team, even in Houston, is a factor. But he wasnt exactly snubbed. He just wasnt chosen for the team.

Lowry has played well, on par with the top point guards in the Western Conference, but he wouldn’t even argue with you that he deserves to be in the All-Star Game more than than Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Tony Parker or Russell Westbrook. Those guys are playing well, and they are players fans want to see.

Lowry’s overall game has been steady, and he is unquestionably the Rockets floor and team leader. He has embraced the role that was handed to him last season when Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier were traded.

If Lowry gets more help from Kevin Martin and Luis Scola, veterans who have been somewhat disappointing this season, the Rockets should stay in the playoff hunt and could even be a dangerous opponent in the postseason. Then more people will notice how good a player he has become.

Lowry is unlikely to ever be a dead-eye three-point shooter (32.1 percent on his career), but his improvement to 37.6 percent from long range last season was more than 100 percentage points over his previous career best (aside from his rookie season when he played only 10 games). Now that he is no longer self-checked outside the arc, he can take advantage of his strength and quickness to blow by people.

He has a nasty streak that makes him a solid defender and more importantly a clutch player in key moments. He isnt afraid to take big shots. One underrated aspect of his game is his court vision.

“The one thing I really appreciate about Kyle is of all the point guards that I had (in Houston) he really had a great knack of knowing what the strengths were of each player that we had, and making sure they got the ball where they should,” former Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “He is really great in that are and it has carried right on.”

Lowry is the chief reason the Rockets are off to such a good start. If he keeps this up, dont laugh, he’ll be in the MVP conversation. No, he won’t win that award, but just to be mentioned would say something about how valuable he is to the Rockets.

“The recognition comes with winning,” Lowry said. “If we win games, it’ll come.”

That is the proper attitude.

He doesnt have an all-star name. Not yet. But he could be getting there.

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Bucks-CavaliersGame Review

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) – Brandon Jennings had 24 points and eight assists, as the Bucks earned a 113-112 overtime win over the Cavaliers on Friday.

Drew Gooden added 19 points, including six during overtime, as Milwaukee won its second straight on the heels of a three-game skid.

The guys battled for it in the fourth and in overtime and made enough big plays to get it, Bucks head coach Scott Skiles said.

Antawn Jamison had a season-high 34 points, but missed a pair of free throws in the final seconds of regulation which would have sent Cleveland to its second consecutive win without rookie sensation Kyrie Irving. Ramon Sessions finished with 12 points and a season-high 16 assists.

The Cavaliers, who led 17-2 at the start, were up 85-77 entering the fourth. The Bucks battled back, pulling within two, 88-86, on a Stephen Jackson layup and later tying it at 93 on Luc Richard Mbah a Moutes bucket.

Jamison put Cleveland up 102-100 with a free throw, but Mbah a Moute was fouled with 50 seconds left and hit a pair from the line to tie the game.

Gooden then blocked Tristan Thompsons jumper but he fouled Jamison while fighting for a rebound off of a Jennings miss. Jamison went to the line with three seconds left. He missed both shots, however, and the game went into overtime.

Gooden broke a 104-104 tie in the extra period with a 20-footer and Shaun Livingston followed with a layup to put the Bucks up by four.

The lead remained four, 110-106, on a Jennings layup before Sessions hit a layup and Thompson secured the rebound off Jennings missed trey with 31 seconds to go.

Daniel Gibson got the ball out of a Cleveland timeout but was called for a charge on Gooden in the paint. Jennings followed with 1-of-2 free throws, making it 111-108 with nine seconds left.

Milwaukee then chose to foul, sending Gee to the line. He hit 1-of-2 and Gooden hit a pair from the stripe, rendering Gees three-pointer at the buzzer obsolete.

A very disappointing loss, Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. Our guys continued to battle. They played their butts off, so its just a disappointing loss.

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CORVALLIS, Ore. Its not as if Lorenzo Romar didnt trust his team, but in the days before Thursdays 82-57 defeat at Oregon he wasnt exactly high on the Huskies.

They had a five-game winning streak and were alone in first place in the Pac-12, but Romar cautioned Washington was still a work in progress.

He laughed when it was suggested the Huskies were in the drivers seat with four weeks remaining in the conference race.

I dont feel like that at all, Romar said. Maybe its because weve been digging ourselves out of a hole all year long.

We could look up in two weeks and literally be in fifth place.

Thats not an exaggeration.

With six games remaining, half of the conference has a legitimate shot at the regular-season title. Only two games separate the top six teams, which should produce an exciting scramble down the stretch.

California (19-6 overall) and Washington (16-8) are at the top of the conference with 9-3 records.

If they tied at the end of the season, the Golden Bears would receive the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament because they beat the Huskies 69-66 on Jan. 19. Due to the unbalanced schedule, the teams dont play again this season.

Oregon (17-7), Arizona (17-8) and Colorado (16-8) are tied for third at 8-4, and UCLA (14-10 and 7-5) is sixth.

A year ago, the Huskies were in a similar position at the midpoint of the season and lost three straight games. They fell into third place and finished the season behind Arizona and UCLA.

The Huskies won the Pac-10 tournament, which guaranteed them an automatic NCAA tournament berth. However, they believe the three straight losses led to an unfavorable draw in the tournament.

Shortly after Thursdays loss at Oregon, senior co-captain Darnell Gant began reminding the Huskies of last seasons failures.

And we dont want that to happen because then that could turn our whole season around, he said. These next few days are crucial.

After everything the Huskies did to recover from a disappointing nonconference season, Gant would hate to see their success unravel like it did a year ago.

He said Washington has got to move forward when it faces Oregon State (15-9, 5-7) at 2:30 pm Sunday.

Gant said the co-captains, including Abdul Gaddy and Scott Suggs, have to instill a sense of urgency just to get the guys motivated earlier. I thought everybody was motivated and knew whats at stake, but in the beginning of the (Oregon) game we just didnt start off right.

Oregon State is also regrouping after an embarrassing 83-73 defeat to Washington State and needs a win as badly as UW. The Huskies cant afford a clunker like the one they had Thursday. Another dour performance like that might jeopardize their NCAA tournament aspirations.

Weve got to band together, Romar said. We cant point the finger. Youve got to stay together and rally up and come back and play.

Three weeks from now if we bounce back, well look back at this as a bad exam and throw it out. You just hope this doesnt cost us anything in terms of the postseason.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or .

On Twitter @percyallen

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Thunder-WarriorsGame Review

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Kevin Durants double-double of a season-high 37 points and 14 rebounds powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors Friday night.

Russell Westbrook had a terrific all-around game with 28 points, 11 assists and seven steals for the Thunder, who own an NBA-best 16-3 record. Serge Ibaka also posted a double-double with a season-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, while James Harden contributed 19 points off the bench.

Serge was big, the offensive rebounds and his baskets around the paint, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. He can guard small guys. Thats the advantage that we do have. When we want to go with our big lineup, Serge can step out and guard smaller players because of his athletic ability and length he can cover three-point shooters.

Dorell Wright drained six shots from beyond the arc en route to a season-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Golden State, which has dropped four of its last five games. David Lee scored 19 points in defeat.

With 8:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, Klay Thompsons turnaround jumper trimmed the Warriors deficit to 88-85. But Oklahoma City responded with a 12-1 surge, and Nick Collison completed a three-point play at the foul line to put the visitors up 111-96 with just over two minutes left.

[The Thunder] scored 28 points in the last 5 1/2 minutes basically, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. They have a different motor. Theyre a different animal. We have to learn how to do that. We dont have the luxury to be able to turn it on when we want to. Its a good lesson for us.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 10 in the first quarter, but Golden State pulled even at 50 on a Monta Ellis free throw with 1:57 to play in the opening half. However, the Thunder closed out the second stanza on a 7-2 run, giving them the same five-point lead they owned after 12 minutes.

In the third quarter, Ellis hit a driving layup to draw the Warriors within one at 65-64. Oklahoma City, though, carried an 85-77 lead into the final frame.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP)Dwight Howard sat calmly in his locker and spoke softly,
but with cutting tone as he ripped into his team for what he saw as a lack of
effort.

I look at guys and they dont look like they want to play, Howard said
following Orlandos surprisingly lopsided 93-67 loss to a New Orleans Hornets
team that came into Friday nights meeting on a nine-game skid.

I told them at halftime, `If you dont want to play, just stay in the
locker room, because it dont make sense for a team who we should beat to just
demolish us.

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Pacers-CelticsGame Review

Boston, MA (Sports Network) – Temporarily, the Celtics may not have Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen in the lineup, but they still have Paul Pierce.

As the Pacers cut Bostons lead to two in the third quarter, Pierce put the team on his back, netting 17 of his 28 points in the stanza as the Celtics took down Indiana, 94-87, for their fourth straight win.

We had unbelievable energy, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. We thought the key was to force them into playing versus our half court defense. Thought we did that.

Pierce also added 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics.

Rondo sat out his fifth consecutive game due to a wrist injury, while Allen missed his third straight contest with a jammed left ankle.

But Pierce has really stepped up in their absence, averaging 23.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.4 rebounds over his last five outings — including Friday nights game.

Danny Granger netted 21 points to lead the Pacers, who went 1-of-19 from beyond the arc.

We had a lot of great looks that didnt go down, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said. Some of that was their defense. You have to credit their defense, they shut Orlando down twice, they shut us down tonight. We didnt play a good game and you have to play a good game to beat this basketball team in their building.

An 8-2 Pacers spurt to start the second half, capped by David Wests jumper, trimmed Bostons lead to 44-42.

But Pierce poured in nine points as the Celtics countered with a 15-4 run to increase the advantage back to double-digits, 57-46, midway through the third.

Boston took a 71-61 lead into the fourth.

I like to come out in the third quarter and be aggressive, Pierce said. I focus on trying to get better as the game goes on.

The Celtics led by as many as 16 in the final stanza as the Pacers were unable to rally down the stretch.

Chris Wilcox had six points as Boston led 23-17 after the first quarter. The Pacers turned the ball over six times in the opening stanza.

Boston used a 10-0 run in between the first and second quarters to take a 27-17 advantage with 10:51 remaining in the half. Bostons bench provided the spark, going 4-for-4 from the field during the spurt.

West nailed a jumper at the first-half buzzer to cut Indianas deficit to 42-34 heading into the locker room. Boston held Indiana to just 30 percent shooting from the floor in the opening half.

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Hawks-PistonsGame Review

Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) – Joe Johnson scored 30 points, including a game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 107-101 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Marvin Williams added 22 points and eight rebounds, while Josh Smith had 19 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks in the Hawks third win in four games.

Greg Monroe paced the Pistons with 22 points and 11 boards in Detroits 13th loss in its last 15 games. Brandon Knight contributed 20 points and a career- high eight assists, and Jason Maxiell scored a season-high 19 points off the bench in defeat.

We take every loss personally, not just a close loss. I think every loss is a personal loss, Knight said. You just dont favor one over the other, but this one will hurt a little bit more.

Atlanta trailed 68-63 entering the fourth quarter, but opened the frame with a 7-2 swing to knot the game at 70.

The Pistons, though, scored the next eight points to jump ahead again.

Detroit held at least a three-point lead over the next seven minutes until a pair of Austin Daye free throws put the Pistons up 85-76 with 1:47 to play.

After the teams traded buckets, Williams sank a shot from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to three with 33.5 seconds left on the clock.

The Pistons Rodney Stuckey then had the ball roll out of bounds off his arm after a scramble on the ground, giving the ball back to the Hawks.

Johnson took the ball and set up on the top of the key on Atlantas ensuing possession. He then turned his back to the net before throwing up a turnaround jumper that dropped into the net for the game-tying shot with 1.9 seconds left.

Knights three-pointer at the buzzer bounced wide high off the glass to force overtime.

The extra period belonged entirely to the Hawks, as Atlanta opened overtime with a 12-2 run capped by back-to-back treys by Williams and Smith to jump out to a 99-89 lead.

Detroit could not get any closer than six points from there and the Hawks made enough free throws down the stretch to hold off a late push by the Pistons.

We were relentless. We never gave up, said Johnson. Even when things didnt look so bright for us, we hung in there, stayed with each other, stayed mentally tough, stayed with the game plan and were able to pull a big win out.

Detroit made just 6-of-23 shots from the floor in the first quarter, but held a 17-15 lead as the Hawks committed nine turnovers in the opening frame.

The Pistons never trailed in the second quarter and after five consecutive points by Williams tied the game at 29, Detroit closed out the half on a 17-6 run to take a 46-35 lead into the break.

Atlanta battled back with a 17-6 run to get within one, 56-55, with 4:00 to play in the third, but Detroit scored 12 of the next 20 points and took a 68-63 advantage into the fourth quarter.

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Nadal changes game for Djokovic – but is it enough?By Eurosport | Patrick MouratoglouSat, Jan 28, 2012 11:01 GMT

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