Sterlings wife, Rochelle "Shelley" Sterling, sat in a courtside seat across fro

The Buffalo Sabres have traded goalie Jaroslav Halak and a third-round draft pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla. Adidas Falcon Kengät . Halak, 28, has appeared in 40 games with the St. Louis Blues this season recording a 24-9-4 record, with a 2.23 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. He was acquired by the Sabres on Feb. 28 as part of the five-player deal that sent Ryan Miller to the Blues. He is currently in the final year of a four-year, $15 million contract he signed prior to the 2010-11 season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Halak was selected in the ninth round (271st overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He has appeared in 260 career games with the Blues and Canadiens, posting a 139-81-26 record with a 2.38 goals-against average. The Slovakian has represented his country on numerous occasions including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he backstopped his team to a quarter-final upset over Sweden en route to a fourth-place finish. He was selected to represent Slovakia at the 2014 Olympic in Sochi, Russia where his team finished 11th. Klesla, 31, has scored one goal and three assists in 25 games with the Phoenix Coyotes this season. In 659 career games with the Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets, the Czech defender has scored 48 goals and 111 assists. He was traded alongside Chris Brown and a fourth round pick to the Capitals in exchange for Martin Erat and John Mitchell on Mar. 4. He was originally selected fourth overall by the Blue Jackets at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Klesla is in the final year of a three-year deal worth an average annual value of $2.975 million. Neuvirth, 25, has posted a 4-6-2 record in 13 games with the Capitals this season, alongside a .914 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average. Originally selected in the second round (34th overall) by the Capitals at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Neuvirth has appeared in 134 career games with the Capitals, posting a 59-41-13 record along with a 2.67 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Czech netminder has one year remaining on a two-year deal he signed with the Capitals prior to the 2014-15 season worth an average annual value of $2.5 million. Adidas NMD Ale . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. Adidas NMD Naiset . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-gazelle-halvalla.html . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown. OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Clippers made a silent protest against owner Donald Sterling before Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series against Golden State. The Warriors made a different kind of statement during the game. And just like that, a series pulled into a race-related scandal took another twist. Stephen Curry made a career playoff-high seven 3-pointers and scored 33 points, leading the Warriors past the Clippers 118-97 on Sunday to even their first-round series at two games apiece. "We wanted to come out and focus on all the work weve put in over the summer, throughout the course of the season to get ready for this moment in the playoffs and just have fun and enjoy it -- not let one person ruin it for everybody," Curry said. The game almost became an afterthought -- until tipoff anyway -- after an audio recording was posted Saturday online by TMZ purportedly of Sterling making comments urging a woman to not bring black people to his teams games. The alleged comments, which are under investigation by the NBA, have set off reactions of anger and calls for action through the league. Clippers players made a silent protest against Sterling by shedding their warm-up jerseys and going through the pregame routine with their red shirts on inside out. They also wore black bands on their wrists or arms and black socks in a show of solidarity. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he knew what his players had planned but didnt voice his opinion. He said he wasnt thrilled about the demonstration, though he didnt elaborate why. Curry and company did a better job focusing from the start. The All-Star guard made his first five 3s to give Golden State a 20-point lead in the first quarter that held up most of the way. Curry shot 10 for 20 from the floor, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, and had seven assists and seven rebounds to help the Warriors snap a two-game losing skid. "I just thought they were the tougher team and it wasnt even close. Should have been a first round knockout," Rivers said. Golden State outshot Los Angeles 55.4 to 42.9 per cent. The Clippers had 19 turnovers, while the Warriors had a series-low 15 turnovers. Both coaches and players agreed that Sterlings purported comments affected their preparation, and neither side believed it was a determining factor in the outcome. "I think both teams were somewhat bothered by what has taken place the last 24 hours," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "But my guys just played with great energy, great effort." Rivers blamed himself for not getting his players ready. "Im not going to deny that we had other stuff," he said. "I just believe when the game starts, the gamme starts and nobody cares anymore. Adidas Kengät Suomi. Golden State surely didnt care." Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Andre Iguodala added 22 points and nine assists, and David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each scored 15 as the Warriors went to a smaller lineup to regain their shooting touch in front of a roaring, gold-shirt wearing sellout crowd of 19,596 that stood after every swish. "It just all came together," said Iguodala, who also had nine assists and four rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 26 points, and Blake Griffin had 21 points and six rebounds for a Clippers team wrapped up in the most talked-about topic in sports. "Maybe our focus wasnt in the right place would be the easiest way to say it," Clippers guard J.J. Redick said. New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game and met privately with former All-Star guard and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is advising the players union on the Sterling situation. Johnson even held a news conference during halftime that spilled well into the third quarter. Silver has said he hopes for a quick resolution after the league investigates, and that Sterling has already agreed not to attend Game 5. Johnson said the players trust Silver and are hoping for a quick resolution -- and the harshest penalty possible if the audio recording is authenticated. Once the ball was thrown up and the crowd roared, the Warriors quickly put the Clippers in a hole they could never recover from. Currys five 3-pointers in the first quarter tied a franchise-playoff record for a quarter, matching a mark he and Thompson set last year. Golden State led by 20 in the first quarter, 23 in the second quarter and 66-48 at the half. Jackson used a smaller lineup -- with power forward David Lee playing centre for long stretches instead of Jermaine ONeal, whom Jackson said requested the switch -- to spread the floor more than he had at any point in the series, which big man Andrew Bogut has missed with a fractured right rib. The Clippers never closed within single digits at any point in the second half. Curry kept on shooting -- and kept on hitting -- to send the series back to Los Angeles tied. And with so many in an uproar over Sterlings purported comments, theres no telling what the scene will be like at Staples Center. "Were going home now, and usually that would mean were going to our safe haven," Rivers said. "And I dont even know if thats true." NOTES: The Warriors have won 16 of their past 19 home games against the Clippers. ... Sterlings wife, Rochelle "Shelley" Sterling, sat in a courtside seat across from the Clippers bench. ' ' '