LOS ANGELES, Calif. Rueben Randle Jersey . - The Washington Wizards are in a great position to make the playoffs for the first time in six years, and John Wall has a lot to do with it. Wall had 28 points and 14 assists, leading the Wizards to a heated 117-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. "Hes a competitor that comes every night," coach Randy Wittman said. "Hes obviously a big part that gets our engine running. So I want him to understand how important he is in continuing that." The Wizards are having their best season since 2007-08, when they ended a string of four consecutive playoff berths. Theyve already surpassed last seasons win total by seven with 13 games remaining, and are sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a seven-game lead over the New York Knicks for the final playoff seed. "The difference this year is just trusting each other," Wall said. "This is a group that enjoys playing with each other, and we know the one thing we can do is play hard for 48 minutes and trust any guy down the stretch. I give a lot of credit to our organization and our coaches for helping our second unit improve." Washington (36-33) is one of only six teams in their conference with a winning record. But if they were in the West, they would be in 10th place — 4 1/2 games out of contention. "Im glad Im in the East," Wall said with a grin. "But we still havent solidified a playoff spot, so we knew we had to get back on the right track — pushing the ball and playing team defence. When we get stagnant, we dont play great and lose a lot of games like that. So it was great to get to come back tonight and get back on the winning track." Bradley Beal added 18 points for the Wizards, who began this four-game western trip with back-to-back losses to Sacramento and Portland. Nene sat out his 13th in a row with a sprained left knee, but Marcin Gortat returned to the lineup with 13 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes after missing his first game of the season because of pain in his lower back. "Kudos to our guys and their connections out here on the coast to get him some treatment," Wittman said. "Last night we thought he was day-to-day, but he got here and he said: You know what? I feel pretty good. I wasnt anticipating that, but it was a pleasant surprise." Tempers flared with 2:14 remaining and the Wizards ahead 108-98, as Jordan Hill and Nick Young got into a scuffle with Gooden after a battle for a loose ball. Referees Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte and Nick Buchert went to the video monitor at the scorers table review, and Gooden was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. So was Hill, who received a technical foul. Young also got a technical, but stayed in the game. Young and Jodie Meeks each scored 21 points for the injury-jinxed Lakers, who welcomed Young, Hill and Steve Nash back into the mix and had 12 players in uniform for the first time since March 4. Coach Mike DAntoni, unable to play Wesley Johnson because of an upper-respiratory infection, used his 30th different starting lineup with Robert Sacre at centre and Pau Gasol shifting to power forward alongside newcomer Kent Bazemore. Gasol had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Nash, who sat out the previous 15 games because of chronic nerve damage in his back that has limited him to 11 appearances all season, had 11 assists and five points in 19 minutes off the bench. On March 13, following an individual workout by Nash at Oklahoma City, DAntoni told the media that the two-time MVP was done for the season. But when Jordan Farmar was sidelined by a groin strain, all bets were off. "Steve always kept in shape," DAntoni said. "He wanted to play and he was getting there, so it made sense to go ahead and get him in there." Young sat out the previous 11 games and 17 of 18 with a sore left knee, and Hill was sidelined for eight games due to a sore right knee. All three of the returning Lakers ended up on the court at the same time when Nash and Hill reported in with 3:26 left in the first quarter and Los Angeles trailing 24-12. Trevor Bookers short running jumper gave the Wizards their biggest lead, 72-51, with 7:22 left in the third quarter. Nash reported back in with 3:44 left in the period and orchestrated an 18-7 Lakers run that included seven points by Sacre, whose dunk with 3.3 seconds on the clock narrowed the gap to 88-81. "It didnt look like he missed a beat to me. Thats how talented he is," Wall said. "No matter how old Steve Nash is, man, whenever he runs that pick-and-roll, hes efficient and one of the best at passing and getting his shot. A lot of people are writing him off, but when hes healthy, hes still one of the greatest all-time. So youve got to respect a two-time MVP in this league." NOTES: The Lakers failed to sell out for the fifth time, drawing 18,112 — 885 short of capacity. ... Nash has played in just three games since his 40th birthday on Feb. 7, when he scored 19 points at Philadelphia. ... C Chris Kaman and G MarShon Brooks suited up for the Lakers, but didnt play. ... Wall is the only player to start each of the Wizards first 69 games. No one has started all 82 for them since swingman DeShawn Stevenson in 2007-08. ... The Lakers have held opponents under 100 just 18 times. The only team that has done it fewer times is Philadelphia (nine). ... The Lakers only lead came after Meeks made a layup for the first basket of the game. Reggie White Eagles Jersey . -- Justin Verlander watched helplessly as his first pitch went sailing toward the outfield wall. Connor Barwin Jersey .C. -- Abbotsfords Sven Baertschi is feeling confident now that the points are starting to come.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - John Elway doesnt see Peyton Manning riding off into that orange Rocky Mountain sunset the way Elway did 15 years ago if the Denver Broncos quarterback caps his record-setting season with a second Super Bowl ring. Elways body was breaking down, having been sacked 516 times — 244 more than Manning has been in about the same number of games. "I still think hes young and hes playing well," Elway, now the Broncos executive vice-president, said Thursday of his quarterback, whos coming off his best statistical season just two years removed from neck problems that weakened his throwing arm. "Thats going to come down to Peyton. Its going to come down to what he wants to do." Manning has given no indication that hes anywhere near calling it quits at age 37, although he has dropped phrases lately like "light at the end of the tunnel" when talking about his career. Elway takes that to mean Manning knows that whenever he does walk away, these are the days hell look back on. Manning is preparing to lead the Broncos (14-3) against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (13-4) Sunday in the AFC championship. Elway said hell meet with Manning after the season to talk about his future. But the four-time MVP who will likely have No. 5 soon certainly doesnt seem to be wringing the last Sundays out of his battered body like Elway was doing back in 1998. After all, Manning has thrown for 97 touchdowns in his two seasons in Denver, including an NFL-record 55 this season. "When you leave this game, you want to leave it on your last leg and try not to leave anything on the table. ... I was just fortunate to be able to be on two great football teams and be able to win world championships when my last leg broke," said Elway, who retired after leading the Broncos to their second straight Super Bowl title on Jan. 31, 1999. "I missed four games my last year. So, could I have gotten through another year? Sure, I could have," Elway said. "But would it have beenn at the level I want? . Jordan Hicks Jersey. .. Was I enjoying the game as much as I had enjoyed it? No, because it took me so long to heal. It was kind of the beginning of the body breaking down. So the combination of both — and being able to run off into the sunset — made it easier for me." Elway said running the Broncos front office has proven much different from running the team from the huddle. "It takes some getting used to," he said. "I enjoy watching the regular season games, but I was absolutely miserable last week watching this game. I mean, it took me four hours to get the pit out of my stomach after the game was over." Elway has hit the jackpot less in the draft than in free agency, none bigger than when he lured Manning to Denver after his release by the Indianapolis Colts. Together, the two great quarterbacks are one win from returning to the Super Bowl. "He has been a great resource," Manning said. "He doesnt come to our quarterback meetings and he is not on the phones with me during the game. I think he wants to make that clear. Its his job to hire good people to communicate with me on those. At the same time, I think you would be crazy not to ask a quarterback with his experience questions. "And it was kind of the same way growing up. My dad was never my coach by any means. But when you enjoy playing quarterback and you want to learn about the position, you try to use resources around you and so I have asked John a number of questions and hes provided me with knowledge or tidbits from experiences that hes had and hes been very helpful that way." Elway said his conversations with Manning are less Xs and Os and more philosophical. "There is a fraternity and there is a closeness among quarterbacks," Elway said. "I enjoy those conversations and weve had a lot of good ones." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org ___ Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '