LOS ANGELES -- Matt Barnes is back playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, and it looked as though hed never been away. Wearing goggles to protect his surgically repaired left eye, Barnes contributed 13 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers to help the Clippers win their fourth straight, 112-91 over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. "Love having him back," said Blake Griffin, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds. "Hes a guy who has a positive impact even if he doesnt score a basket." Barnes played for the first time since undergoing three procedures to repair a torn retina in his eye. He got hurt on Nov. 18 when Memphis Zach Randolph inadvertently hit Barnes in the eye. "I feel good," he said, adding that he doesnt like the goggles. "I got elbowed and the goggles gave me a bruise. I dont see myself wearing them long." Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Barnes, "He looked good. He just gives us something extra -- the toughness, the cutting, the basketball IQ. His shot looked good." Jamal Crawford scored 27 points, hitting six 3-pointers as the Clippers led all the way. Chris Paul added 10 points and 11 assists. DeAndre Jordan had 12 rebounds. "Whenever we set the tone in the first quarter it kind of carries us," Crawford said. "Chris and those guys threw some good passes. I had the easy part shooting the ball." Wilson Chandler scored all of his 19 points in the first half and Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who lost their third straight. Ty Lawson added 13 points as Denver was held to 35 per cent shooting. "We just got thoroughly outplayed by a better team. They pretty much did what they wanted to do to us on the boards. Inside, outside, and on the break, our energy was bad," Nuggets coach and former Lakers star Brian Shaw said. "Were not in a good place right now. Weve got to do some soul searching and really get back to the basics if we want to right the ship." Nuggets starter Kenneth Faried rolled his left ankle at 8:45 of the first quarter and didnt return. The Clippers made 13 3-pointers, improving to 21-2 since the start of last season when they make at least 11. They hit five 3s in the third, including three by Crawford, who had 11 points in the quarter. Griffin went coast-to-coast for a dunk in the third, when Los Angeles stretched its lead to 79-60. "Thats a tough team," Chandler said. "Youve got to try to take something away on the fast break, but theyve got the layups, theyve got the lobs or theyve got the open man for the 3, so its kind of tough." Grifffin and the other starters got some rest to start the fourth before he, Crawford, Paul and Jared Dudley returned midway through. Griffin made four straight free throws and Crawford scored to restore the Clippers lead to 20 points with under five minutes to go. Griffin provided two highlights in the second. He dribbled the length of the court, drawing oohs from the crowd as he went behind his back three times before doing a 360-degree spin and hitting a layup. It didnt count, though, when Lawson was called for a foul. Griffin made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Clippers their largest lead of the half, 44-27. "I dont even know what I was doing," Griffin said, smiling. Barnes missed and Griffin flew in and slammed the ball down for the one-handed putback that kept the Clippers ahead by 11. Darren Collison got in on the act, too. Barnes tipped the ball as the Nuggets inbounded and Collison tossed up a 22-foot desperation heave that went in at the buzzer, keeping the Clippers ahead 56-43 at halftime. Collison scored 13 points. NOTES: Nuggets F Jordan Hamilton returned after serving a one-game suspension for throwing a punch in Tuesdays loss to Oklahoma City. ... Clippers G J.J. Redick is expected to get the cast off his right hand early next week. Hes recovering from a broken hand and torn ligaments in his wrist. ... The Nuggets fell to 1-4 in the second half of a back-to-back set. They were beaten by Phoenix on Friday. Francisco Rodriguez Jersey . A question that was repeatedly posed last season, and the season before that and in the 2011 campaign before that. Dave Cash Jersey . Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. http://www.philliesrookiestore.com/Phill...ey-Kids-Jersey/. Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Tommy Joseph Jersey . Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. Larry Bowa Jersey . -- Sonny Grays fastball wasnt as sharp as it usually is, and the Oakland Athletics young pitcher even had a quirky replay go against him.MILWAUKEE -- When it comes to the "Biogenesis Bunch," theres Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and then everybody else. Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. As a new season starts up, time to check on how theyre doing. Rodriguez is out for the year. So the A-Rod media circus will have to wait until 2015, assuming he returns. That leaves Braun as the next most notable name on the list. He said hes sorry for getting into the mess and eager to compile the kind of stats that made him the 2011 NL MVP. "I embrace the challenge that lies ahead," the Milwaukee slugger said upon reporting to spring training. "I know it wont be easy, but I intend to do everything in my power to continue to be the best person and player I can be." After apologizing several times in the off-season, Braun returned to a corner locker customary for a top player. He has the strong support of manager Ron Roenicke. Braun got off to a good start at the plate. He went into this week hitting .440 with two homers and five RBIs in 25 spring at-bats. Even had a homer in his first spring at-bat. "Not surprising. Hes one of those guys, just a special athlete," Roenicke said after the Feb. 27 shot. With Braun back to bolster a lineup that had Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Jonathan Lucroy emerge last season, the Brewers hope to contend again in the NL Central. St. Louis is the reigning division champ, and a 50-game suspension for shortstop Jhonny Peralta didnt prevent the team from signing him to a four-year, $53 million deal in the off-season. The discipline stemmed from an investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing substances. A couple big leaguers were miffed. "It pays to cheat... Thanks, owners, for encouraging PED use," Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler tweeted after the deal was announced in November. Not a badd start in Cardinal red: Peralta was hitting over .dddddddddddd.300 with three homers this spring as of the beginning of the week. "I know a lot of fans, they are going to talk," Peralta said when he reported to camp last month. "They are going to say a lot of things. Its baseball. You need to forget about it and try to play baseball." Nelson Cruzs potent bat was enticing enough for the Orioles to bring the outfielder in as a free agent after his suspension while with Texas last year. Cruz is destined for the middle of Baltimores lineup after hitting 26 homers last year. In San Diego, shortstop Everth Cabrera has said his apologies to teammates. He was leading the National League with 37 stolen bases when his suspension started last August. "He knew that he let his teammates down," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I cant speak for everybody, but from what Ive heard from some players, that was enough." Back at short and hitting .264 this spring with three steals as of Tuesday, Cabrera is set lead off again for Black. Reliever Antonio Bastardo (Phillies) and backup catcher Francisco Cervelli (Yankees) are also back with their former teams, each signing one-year deals in the off-season. Seattles Jesus Montero isnt as lucky. Once a top catching prospect, he was moved to first, then demoted to minor league camp. He hit .310 but had reported to spring training overweight. Among less notable players, outfield prospect Cesar Puello had also been optioned to minor league camp by the Mets and ex-Met Jordany Valdespin had signed a minor league deal in December with the Marlins. At last check, lefty reliever Jordan Norberto had signed a minor league deal with the Rays. Once-promising outfield prospect Fernando Martinez, who was traded from Houston to the Yankees last year, and relievers Fautino De Los Santos and Sergio Escalona are still waiting. They apparently wont have a chance to immediately prove themselves, unlike Braun. ' ' '