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The Whitecaps extended their unbeaten run in Major League Soccer to five matches, but Saturdays 2-2 tie at home to Seattle Sounders finished in controversial fashion, denying Vancouver the three points their performance deserved. The penalty call by referee Ismail Elfath on Jay DeMerit late in the game was baffling, and it took the shine off an entertaining Cascadia Cup battle in which the Whitecaps created numerous chances with their impressive attacking style of play Credit to Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson for keeping his cool post-game. Had he launched a scathing attack on the referee, no one would have questioned him. But in public, Robinson reacted with dignity and humour rather than spending his time complaining about the officiating. It was a refreshing approach. Maybe Robinson just didnt want to lose any more money - earlier in the day, he lost a bet with Chilean midfielder Pedro Morales over which team would win the Champions League final and the coach will now have to take the whole squad out for dinner! As my colleague, Jason deVos said after the match, if that was a penalty, he would have been sent off four or five times in every game of his career! The decision let the Sounders back into a match in which they had rarely threatened, but they could have won it late in the game when Obafemi Martins went close, as could the Whitecaps, who had two or three excellent chances after Seattle had tied things up. Cascadia Cup matches very rarely disappoint. The atmosphere, the drama, the fast moving play were all evident on Saturday in front of the Whitecaps sixth successive sell-out in MLS this season. The performance shows just how far the Caps have come in a short space of time, considering how easily they were out-battled by the Sounders in a couple of early preseason meetings. Carl Robinson has created an identity for this team, and very quickly they have become one of the most entertaining in MLS to watch. The youthful exuberance was on show once again on Saturday with the pace and trickery of Kekuta Manneh and Sebastain Fernandez causing the Sounders problems, and Erik Hurtados new-found confidence in front of goal a joy to watch. Hurtados superbly taken goal tied things up just three minutes after a well-placed header from Chad Barrett had given Seattle a surprise first half lead. Hurtado is certainly enjoying his football now. Saturday was the first time in his pro career that he has made consecutive starts. He scored in both of them, and with the goal against Toronto thrown in as well, it is three goals in three matches in all competitions for the man who has certainly taken the chance that has been provided to him following the hamstring injury to Darren Mattocks and the departure of Kenny Miller. Carl Robinson told me before the match that the difference with Hurtado now is that he isnt trying to over-think things. He certainly gave Seattles defenders plenty to think about when he turned them inside out on the goal. Gershon Koffie played his best match of the season - one of his best as a Whitecap. At only 22 years old, he has so much potential. He took his goal really well to give the team a 2-1 lead, capitalizing on a mistake by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei but his all-round play was superb. Koffie and Matias Laba have been developing a good relationship in the Whitecaps midfield, and it is starting to pay off. Koffie was an attacking threat throughout and could have had more than the one goal. Once again, there were many positives for the Whitecaps to take away from the game, but the next step will be to win against the top Western Conference teams on a regular basis, especially at home. Caps president Bob Lenarduzzi said at half-time on our MLS on TSN broadcast that in his short time as head coach, Robinson has "done everything the club has asked of him and then some." The former Wales international is moulding a young, entertaining team playing a brand of football that people are excited to watch. The Caps could have won the game in the first 20 minutes. They were quick out of the blocks, but couldnt find a finishing touch. It has been a familiar theme over the last few games. Lots of chances are being created, but sometimes the killer instinct is missing in front of goal. Robinson has made no secret of his desire to add a top striker to his squad when the transfer window opens in July (a return for Camilo?) and that with all of the chances coming the Caps way, that would be a mouthwatering prospect. Next up is another Cascadia clash on the road at Portland Timbers next Sunday (live on TSN2 at 9pm et/6pm pt). Its another great chance for the Whitecaps to test themselves against a team that will be challenging them for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Nike Shox Clearance Wholesale . Scotlands Greg Laidlaw made one of two penalty kicks and all three conversions, and Stuart Hogg added a try in the second half. "The most important thing to come out of the game is that we did not get scored against," Laidlaw said. Nike Shox Cheap Wholesale . Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week in New Orleans. Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. http://www.nikeshoxdiscount.com/. Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Clearance Nike Shox . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nike Shox Discount . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Early in the second half the Memphis Grizzlies found a way to change the momentum and ended up with a key win. Memphis turned up the defensive intensity, overtook Denver in the third quarter and stayed in post-season contention with a 100-92 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night. "I thought we did a much better job coming out of the locker room in the third quarter," said Memphis centre Marc Gasol, who led the Grizzlies with 24 points. "We were more us, especially defensively. Offensively things may go well; may not. But defensively, we feed off that. We need that energy defensively." Mike Conley was a key factor in Memphis second-half burst, scoring 19 of his 21 points after the break. Memphis, which trailed 47-43 at halftime, outscored the Nuggets 57-45 in the final two quarters and forced 13 Denver turnovers in the second half. "I was happy with the way we responded after they came back at us at the end of the first half," Conley said, acknowledging he was angry with the way Memphis closed the second quarter. "We came back in the third quarter and guys were focused and guys had a lot of energy." Zach Randolph added 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince scored 12 before leaving with an ankle injury in the first half and Courtney Lee scored 10 for Memphis, which won its 11th straight home game. Randy Foye led the Nuggets, while Kenneth Faried finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which lost its fifth in the past six. Ty Lawson, who didnt start for disciplinary reasons, scored 16 points, while Timofey Mozgov had 13 points. Aaron Brooks scored 11. But Lawson also left the arena in a boot, suffering left ankle sprain with about 3 minutes left. "That is just, unfortunately, been the story of our season," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said of the Lawson injury. Memphis entered the game a half-game behind Dallas for the seventh playoff spot and tied with the Phoenix Suns for eighth. Dallas and Phoenix played later Friday night. Memphis, which was coming off a five-game road trip, strugggled at times, and the Nuggets took advantage by erasing a double-digit first-half lead.dddddddddddd Neither team shot well for the game, Memphis connected on 39 per cent of its shots, compared to 36 per cent for the Nuggets. There were some ugly individual stats as Darrell Arthur was 1 of 9 for the Nuggets, including 1 of 5 from outside the arc. Conley scored 21 points, but was 5 of 14 and missed six of seven from 3-point range. There were 53 fouls in the game to slow the pace. "It was kind of an ugly game," Shaw said. Memphis took the lead midway through the third quarter and built the advantage to 14 on a 3-pointer from Conley topped off by a free throw when Shaw was given a technical with 4:43 left. "(The Grizzlies) are scrapping," Shaw said. "They want to solidify a spot in the playoffs. Obviously, were just trying to play hard and doing what we can to get the win." Denver dominated the second quarter after Memphis took an early 12-point lead. The Nuggets guards had little problem getting to the rim as Lawson, who didnt start after missing the team breakfast Friday, scored 15 points in the half leading Denver. Memphis was 5 of 6 to start the game, but was 11 of 42 the rest of the half for a 33 per cent shooting performance. Denver was only slightly better, hitting 36 per cent. "We had a good start to the game," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "We were crisp, executed well and got stops. ... We were lax after that (in the second quarter)." But the Grizzlies opened the second half with much more energy and, led by 10 points from Conley in the third, were able to retake the lead, carrying a 69-65 lead into the fourth. "In the second half, we had three stops in a row seven times," Joerger said. "That was very positive for us. We came out with a good defensive mindset. I know outside of the second quarter, I was very impressed with our performance defensively." NOTES: The game was the first at home for Memphis since March 24. The Grizzlies went 2-3 on a road trip since then. ... The Nuggets are 3-27 this season when they dont reach 100. ' ' '