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After a stellar 14-2 start, the Los Angeles Clippers have come back down to earth.The Clippers have won just four of their past nine games, facing injuries and the usual bumps of an 82-game season as they prepare to visit the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.The Clippers are not in dire straits by any means. They are as dangerous as ever. Even with Blake Griffin out Saturday, Chris Paul poured in 20 assists and had no turnovers in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.Getting Griffin back in the lineup Monday, Los Angeles held on for a 121-120 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a game where the Clippers showed off the potential and the devastating offense that ran through the league early in the season.But it also showed some of their flaws too -- the defensive lapses and the stagnation of the offense that sometimes slows the team down.The Clippers are back on the winning track, but things are not quite right still.It was a win. I didnt think we played great, but Ill take the win, Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers told the Orange County Register following Mondays win.The Clippers still rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating. That typically means the team is among the very best in the league.Since Thanksgiving, though, the Clippers have been much more middle of the road -- ninth in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating. The certainly explains some of the slippage and the missteps the team has made in the last few weeks.L.A. is hoping the three-game road trip to the East Coast -- all against losing teams in the Southeast Division -- can help the team keep moving back in the right direction and back toward contention.The Clippers opponent Wednesday is doing some soul-searching of its own.The Magic entered last week with the third best defense in the league by defensive rating. This came as they won three of the first four games in a five-game road trip.The defense slipped last week, though. Orlando played four games in five nights to complete an eight-games-in-12-days stretch and struggled defensively. The Magic fell to 12th in the league in a matter of a week, giving up 100 points in all four games. It was the first time they had allowed 100 points in consecutive games since mid-November.Thats the biggest thing in the last four games, Orlando coach Frank Vogel said. We let our guard down for whatever reason on the defensive end. We have to return to form. Its got to happen a lot mentally rather than having three hard days of practice. Theres still not a lot of practice time. We have to get that end of the floor performing at a higher level.The Magic did not quite get their defense under control and back to an elite level in a 131-120 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.But, with just a three-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Magic allowed just 24 points in the final 12 minutes to get some breathing room and protect their lead.For them, it will take more than a quarter of strong defense to hold off the star-powered Clippers as the Magic still seek some consistency and return to form. Nike Air Max NZ Womens . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Nike Air Max Zero Nz .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. http://www.airmaxnzwholeale.com/cheap-air-max-200-nz.html .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. Cheap Nike Air Max NZ . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Air Max 1 Nz . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals relied on power and the pitching of Carlos Martinez to solve their home woes Friday night.Matt Carpenter and Stephen Piscotty supplied two-run homers for the National Leagues leading home run team and Martinez (14-7) pitched seven strong innings in a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.The win improved the Cardinals to 31-38 at Busch Stadium and kept them a half-game behind the New York Mets for the NLs second wild card.Jimmy Nelson (7-14) retired the first eight Cardinals before Martinez started a two-out rally with a single up the middle. Carpenter followed with his 19th home run, Kolten Wong walked and Piscotty gave St. Louis the lead by hitting his 21st homer into the bullpen in right field.That gave me the extra energy to make it through and get the win for the team, Martinez said of the long balls.Martinez gave up nine hits and hit two batters in seven innings but was helped by three double plays. He equaled his win total from last season and improved to 3-0 in four starts against Milwaukee.Hes our guy right now, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. Carlos has been so consistent weve begun to anticipate hes going to have that strong outing.Nelson lasted six innings and allowed five hits but fell to 0-7 in eight career starts against St. Louis.The two guys that can really hurt him, hurt him, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. Make mistakes to those guys and thats whats going to happen.Its just a crazy game and stuff happens, Nelson said. Theres never really just one answer in this game to anything. You dont want to think theres something wrong and start overanalyzing stuff so you just try to keep it simple.Scooter Gennetts two-run homer in the third gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead. Milwaukee scored an unearned run in the first when Gennett walked, Chriis Carter was hit by a pitch and Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a hard one-hopper that shortstop Jedd Gyorko did not handle.ddddddddddddAfter the first-inning error, the Cardinals defense later stopped two potential rallies. Piscotty made a running, over-the-head catch that saved a run in the sixth and Wong helped Martinez escape the third by making strong plays on two grounders at second base.Defense showed up, for sure, Piscotty said.Wong reached base three times by walking twice and getting hit by a pitch.Im just tired of people thinking that Im not good, said Wong, who has been relegated to backup duty much of the season. I believe in myself to the fullest.Seung-Hwan Oh worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his 17th save in 20 chances.DOUBLING UPMartinez induced double-play grounders in the second and third innings to increase his NL-leading total to 32, two shy of the Cardinals team record set by John Denny in 1978. Wong backhanded a grounder up the middle and scooped the ball from his glove to Gyorko to start the third-inning double play. Thats one of the best plays weve seen here, Matheny said. The Brewers popped out into a double play in the fourth.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: SS Aledmys Diaz (right thumb) went 2 for 4 for Double-A Springfield in a rehab start Friday night. ... RHP Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder inflammation) will throw to hitters Saturday for the first time since he went on the DL on July 26.UP NEXTBrewers: RHP Chase Anderson (8-11, 4.73) has allowed three earned runs in 10 1/3 innings in two starts at Busch Stadium this season.Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (10-8, 4.61) has allowed one home run at home this season but has lost his past two home starts. ' ' '