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TRIESTE, Italy -- Nairo Quintana showed why hes considered as cyclings next star by winning the Giro dItalia on Sunday to follow his runner-up finish in last years Tour de France. The 24-year-old climbing specialist with the Movistar team won two stages and finished with a 2 minute, 58 second advantage over fellow Colombian Rigoberto Uran for his first Grand Tour victory. "Its really emotional," Quintana said. "I didnt think there would be so many Colombians here today. It was incredible seeing how much support and how many banners there were." One such banner held aloft during the podium celebration with the Colombian flag on it read, "The Giro is ours. Gracias muchachos." Fabio Aru, a 23-year-old Italian who is also considered a top rider for the future, finished third overall, 4:04 back. Quintana took the pink jersey by winning the grueling 16th stage over the Gavia and Stelvio climbs then also took the 19th leg, a mountain time trial. Quintana finished second to Chris Froome in last years Tour. While he isnt planning to enter the French race this year, he has designs on winning it next year. "We need to look at our plans carefully," Quintana said. Slovenias Luca Mezgec won the final stage in a mass sprint. The Giant-Shimano rider clocked 4 hours, 23 minutes, 58 seconds over the mostly flat 172-kilometre (107-mile) leg from Gemona del Friuli to Trieste, which concluded with eight laps of a city circuit. "It couldnt be a better day than this. Were close to Slovenia," Mezgec said. Giacomo Nizzolo of Italy finished second and Tyler Farrar of the United States was third, both with the same time as Mezgec. Dressed entirely in pink, Quintana finished safely in the middle of the pack and pumped his fist as he crossed the line then hugged his teammates when he got off his bike. "I can finally say Ive won the Giro," Quintana said. "I have to thank my teammates and my family here supporting me." During the playing of the Colombian anthem, Quintana held his pink-clad daughter Mariana, who was born in February. Quintana faced controversy after the 16th stage, in which he attacked on the descent from the Stelvio then powered up the final climb in the lead. There had been some confusion over whether the descent on a wet road was going to be neutralized but race officials declared afterward that his victory was legitimate. Quintana is the first Colombian to win the race -- and with Uran, it was a sweep of the top two spots. Another Colombian, Julian Arredondo, won the mountains classification. Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos travelled to Quintanas hometown of Combita to watch the final stage with dozens of friends and neighbours of the cyclist, who was raised in the high Andean town of 16,000 by a family of peasant farmers. Dressed in the pink colour of the tour leaders jersey and surrounded by fans holding signs like "Nairo: all of Colombia loves and thanks you," Santos said the Quintanas victory was an inspiration to millions of Colombians. "I feel like the entire country is supporting me," Quintana said numerous times during the three-week race. Dizzy Dean . -- The court fight over NFL concussions should heat up soon as a judge in Philadelphia weighs the fairness of the proposed $765 million settlement. Genesis Cabrera .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/...e-791q.html.com) - The Ottawa Senators will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive when they face the Chicago Blackhawks who are trying to secure their place in the post-season. Nelson Briles . The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. Tim McCarver . Rinehart joins safety Darrell Stuckey and linebacker Donald Butler as potential unrestricted free agents who are remaining with the team.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets keep on rolling, while the hapless New York Knicks continue to lose. Walkers 28 points propelled the Hornets to their season-high fifth straight win, a 110-82 dismantling of the Knicks that extended New Yorks franchise-record skid to 15 games. Walker needed just 28 minutes to record his game-best total, and the New York City native has helped offset an injury to Al Jefferson by averaging 30.2 points during the win streak. Bismack Biyombo delivered season highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, which received 15 points from P.J. Hairston and 14 from Brian Roberts in the rout. Final Score: LA Clippers 120, Dallas 100 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Griffin had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Los Angeles Clippers 120-100 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench for the Clippers, who improved to 6-2 on a nine-game homestand. Matt Barnes scored 18 points, Chris Paul tallied 17 points and 13 assists and J.J. Redick contributed 16 points. Dirk Nowitzki ended with 25 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who have dropped two straight since a six-game winning streak. Monta Ellis added 23 points and six assists. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after getting two technical fouls in the third quarter. The game was officiated by two referees after 63-year-old Joe Crawford left in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Final Score: Detroit 98, Brooklyn 93 Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe posted double-doubles and the Detroit Pistons got back in the win column with a 98-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Jennings scored all 20 of his points in the second half and handed out 11 assists while Monroe finished with 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for Detroit, winners in eight of nine since waiving Josh Smith. The Pistons won seven straight before falling to the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks 106-103 on Friday. Joe Johnson led six Nets in double figures with 17 points, while Brook Lopez contributed 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. Brooklyn has lost five in a row. Final Score: Philadelphia 93, Indiana 92 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Carter-Williams drove for the go-ahead basket with 9.9 seconds left in regulation and the Philadelphia 76ers won for the second time in as many nights with a 93-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Carter-Williams finished with 15 points, the biggest two coming in crunch time when the reigning Rookie of the Year drove past three defenders and scooped in the deciding layup over the imposing Roy Hibbert. David West missed a contested fadeaway jumper from the top of the key just before the buzzer to seal the Sixers fifth win in their last 11 games. They had won two of their first 25. Tony Wroten added 20 points off the bench, and he and Carter-Williams both totaled nine assists. Robert Covington chipped in 16 points. West netted a season-high 28 points with nine rebounds for the Pacers, who have alternated wins and losses over their last six. Final Score: Toronto 109, Boston 96 Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - James Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas each scored eight of their 15 points during the pivotal third quarter, and Toronto snapped its four-game skid by pulling away for a 109-96 victory over the Boston Celtics at Air Canada Centre. Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams had 19 points apiece, and Joohnson pulled down 10 rebounds.dddddddddddd Amir Johnson scored 15, and Patrick Patterson totaled 10 points and nine boards for the Atlantic Division leaders, who beat the Celtics for the fourth straight time. Kelly Olynyk, a Toronto native, had 23 points for Boston, which has dropped nine of its last 11 games. Final Score: Chicago 95, Milwaukee 87 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - On a night the Bulls played without Derrick Rose, it was time for Pau Gasol to take charge. The veteran scored nearly half of Chicagos points in a 95-87 victory over the Boston Celtics at United Center. Gasol dropped a career-high 46 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. He was truly the go-to player for the Bulls, who were without Rose due to left knee soreness. Kirk Hinrich had 16 points and Jimmy Butler contributed nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the Bulls, who snapped a two-game skid. Brandon Knight scored 20 for Milwaukee, which had won its previous two games. Gasols previous career- best was 44 points on March 28, 2006 when he played for Memphis. He went 17-of-30 from the field and missed only one of his 13 free throws. Gasol had 40 points through three quarters, and the Bulls pulled away in the fourth. Final Score: Houston 97, Utah 82 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden scored 30 points and the Houston Rockets forced 31 turnovers in a lopsided 97-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Donatas Motiejunas chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who cashed in with 38 points off turnovers and 28 fastbreak points. Trey Burke and Enes Kanter each scored 16 points to lead the Jazz, who were coming off a loss in Oklahoma City on Friday. Final Score: San Antonio 108, Minnesota 93 Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Austin Daye posted 22 points in a rare spot start, helping the San Antonio Spurs take down the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-93 on Saturday. Daye shot 8-for-13 and pulled down a team- high 10 rebounds in his second start of the season to lead six Spurs in double figures. Patty Mills gave 19 points off the bench and Tim Duncan shot 5-for-6 for 13 points in limited minutes. Tony Parker and Cory Joseph netted 12 points apiece and Boris Diaw had 11 for San Antonio, which was without Kawhi Leonard (hand) for the 13th straight game. Manu Ginobili also sat out with a back injury after playing just 10 minutes in Fridays win over Phoenix. The Spurs have won four of their last five games, but are just 8-8 without Leonard this season. Zach LaVine paced Minnesota with 19 points off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng finished with 18 apiece. The Wolves made all 26 of their free throws to set a franchise record for most makes without a miss from the line. Wiggins has scored in double figures in 10 straight, though the Timberwolves have lost 15 in a row since beating Portland on Dec. 10. Final Score: Portland 103, Orlando 92 Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and six rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Orlando Magic 103-92 on Saturday night. Wesley Matthews posted 18 points and eight rebounds and Damian Lillard added 16 points, five boards and five assists for the Blazers, who have won seven of their last eight games. Nik Vucevic tallied a career- high 34 points and 16 boards, while Victor Oladipo provided 18 points, eight rebounds and four helpers for Orlando, which has dropped six straight contests. ' ' '