oins Whitecaps FC as a free agent after spending two

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour. In the waning minutes, they went head-to-head in yet another entertaining duel between two of this generations greatest talents.Although LeBron ended up topping his friendly rival again, King James relished what could be one of his final chances to share a court with one of his few true peers.James scored 36 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night despite Bryants 19 points and career-high 17 assists.Its always fun, a pleasure, James said. Its two of the best competitors this game has probably ever seen, and to be on the same floor with him, somebody I looked up to when I was a child growing up, seeing him go straight from high school to the NBA, its fun, its great. I hated him being out of the NBA last year because of injury, and its fun having him back.Cleveland had lost nine of 10 before James held off Bryant down the stretch in a scintillating exchange between the basketball icons.Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 1:54 left and two free throws with 43 seconds to play, cutting Clevelands lead to 103-99. But James drove past Bryant for an acrobatic layup with 20.9 seconds left, and Bryant missed a jumper that essentially ended it.Bryant and James embraced again afterward, and even Kobe allowed himself to relish the moment.If we were contending for a championship, Id be my same moody self, Bryant said. But right now, I tend to have a little more perspective, knowing I really wont get a chance to play against him for much longer. So you want to enjoy it.Bryant set a career high for assists in his 1,279th regular-season game, playing in his second straight after skipping three of four games to rest his 36-year-old body. He showed off his playmaking skills, but James got the Cavs comfortably ahead while Kobe sat out the start of the fourth quarter under a strict minutes limit.James and Bryant laughed and joked throughout the game, exchanging good-natured jibes while waiting to check into the game together. James turned 30 last month, while Bryants season has been defined by his weariness from a 19-year career.Kobe even had something to say when LeBron spectacularly clanged a dunk attempt off the rim.He said, Thats what old age will get you, James said with a laugh. You start missing dunks when you thought you was up there.James has won 13 of his last 16 matchups with Kobe since 2006. When Bryant went back to the bench after getting his 15th assist in the third quarter, James took charge of the Cavs rally to an 11-point lead in the fourth.For all of us, those are two all-time greats going at it ... like two prizefighters, Cavs coach David Blatt said. Its great to see two guys playing the game at that level for so many years and still involving their teammates in the way that they did.Kyrie Irving added 22 points and Kevin Love scored 17 for the Cavaliers, who moved back to .500 with their first victory since Jan. 2.On the fourth stop of Clevelands five-game West Coast trip, James hit four 3-pointers in his second game back from an eight-game absence with an injured right knee.Jordan Hill scored 20 points in the Lakers ninth loss in 12 games.TIP-INSCavaliers: James ripped off the protective sleeve on his elbow in frustration after missing his first three free throws, only to miss a fourth without the support. ... Loves back appeared to be bothering him throughout the game. A trainer attended to him during a second-quarter timeout. ... Cleveland began the night under .500 for the first time since Nov. 24.Lakers: Bryant set his previous career high in assists on Feb. 2, 2002, against Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. ... Nick Young scored 14 points, but his streak of consecutive free throws made ended at 31 in the fourth quarter. ... NBA career assists leader John Stockton also played 19 seasons, getting a season high of 13 assists that year.TIGHT COREBlatt used just three reserves, but got significant contributions from all eight players. J.R. Smith had three 3-pointers and 14 points, while Timofey Mozgov had 10 rebounds.SHUTDOWNBryant wont travel to the Lakers road game against the Jazz on Friday, and he realizes coach Byron Scott has suggested the team might decide to shut him down for the season in several weeks. Thats a tough one for me, Bryant said. I want to play, but at the same time, I understand his position, and I understand managements position, and I will do what they ask of me. But its very, very hard for me to miss one game.UP NEXTCavaliers: At Clippers on Friday.Lakers: At Utah on Friday. 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The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston.The Vancouver Whitecaps announced Tuesday that the club has added Italian goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi to the roster. The move is pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and Canadian work permit and visa. "Paolo is a goalkeeper with great size, MLS experience, and a fantastic upbringing within the Inter Milan youth system," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson in a statement. "I brought him in because I want to have three good goalkeepers on the roster and I expect him to push David Ousted and the already talented pool of goalkeepers that we have." Tornaghi, 25, joins Whitecaps FC as a free agent after spending two seasons with Eastern Conference side Chicago Fire. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound goalkeeper started each of his nine regular season appearances with the Fire, accumulating one clean sheet and a 3-4-2 record. The Garbagnate Milanese, Italy native started the first three matches of the 2012 season for the Fire, which included in a 1-1 draw with Montreal Impact in front of 58,912 fans at Olympic Stadium and a 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union. Tornaghi also appeared in a Lamar Hunt U.S. OOpen Cup match, as well as pair of international exhibitions against Aston Villa and Santos Laguna during his first season in MLS.dddddddddddd This past season, Tornaghi appeared in six regular season matches with the Fire and recorded victories against D.C. United and San Jose Earthquakes. Before joining the Fire in 2012, Tornaghi was a member of FC Internazionale Milano. While on loan from Inter Milan between 2008 and 2011, Tornaghi played two stints with Serie C side Como, where he appeared in six league matches and two Coppa Italia matches. Tornaghi also played the 2009-10 season on loan with northern Italian side Rimini, where he appeared in two league matches and one Coppa Italia match. At the international level, Tornaghi has represented his native Italy at every level from U-16 to U-20 and was part of the Azzuri side that participated in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, where he appeared in two matches. Tornaghi obtained his permanent residency status (green card) from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in September and therefore counts as a domestic player in MLS. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '