RIO DE JANEIRO -- Andrew Bogut rested his sore left knee against China. His Australian teammates didnt relax without him.Bogut sat in street clothes on the bench, cheered and even collected basketballs at halftime Friday as Australia, so far the biggest surprise team in the mens Olympic tournament, coasted to its third win by smashing China 93-68.Bogut badly bruised his knee while playing for Golden State in the NBA Finals and the former No. 1 overall draft pick was given little chance of competing in Rio. However, the 7-foot center, who signed as a free agent with Dallas this summer, worked hard so he could play for his country.With a favorable matchup against the Chinese, the Aussies decided it was a good time to sit Bogut, who had little time to build up strength or stamina in the weeks before coming to Brazil.Hes a little bit sore, Australian assistant coach and former Chicago Bulls center Luc Longley said. Hes coming off not playing and an injury. Theres a lot of basketball on it, so he just needed rest and we expected that.Bogut did not stop for interviews following the days first game at Carioca Arena. An Australian spokesman said the team was managing Boguts knee.The 31-year-old played 26 minutes in Australias 98-88 loss to the United States on Wednesday. During the fourth quarter, Bogut, who scored 15 points while banging inside with American big men DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan, walked slowly toward the bench after some contact in the lane and sat out the final minutes.Bogut was engaged throughout the game and spent a portion of halftime looking over the box score. When his teammates finished shooting before the third quarter, Bogut helped corral loose balls on the floor. He didnt favor his knee while dribbling and dropping in a few layups afterward as his teammates stretched along the baseline.Cameron Bairstow scored 17 points and Aron Baynes 12 against China for the Aussies, who are eyeing their first Olympic medal. Coach Andrej Lemanis also played guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova less than 20 minutes.Australia concludes pool play on Sunday against Venezuela, another team it should handle with ease. The tournaments quarterfinals will start on Wednesday and thats when the Aussies will want to have Bogut at full speed -- or as close as he can get to it following his injury.Mills joked he wouldnt mind joining Bogut on the sideline.I could use a little rest as well, he said. Curry 2 For Sale . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Curry Shoes For Sale . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. http://www.curryshoesclearance.com/ua-curry-2-shoes.html . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Curry 4 Shoes Cheap . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Curry 2 Low For Sale . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg thinks relying too much on his new slider put stress on his pitching arm and contributed to the injury problems that sidelined him during the second half of last season and the playoffs.I fell in love with it, the Washington Nationals right-hander said Sunday at the teams annual fan festival, because it was working, especially the first half. I mean, it was a quick out.Strasburg threw sliders on 17.1 percent of his pitches last season, according to Fangraphs, more than changeups (13.1 percent) or curveballs (12.6). He said that because the slider was not a pitch he was used to throwing, he had trouble delivering it exactly the same way each time.That altered his motion, and the fact that he went with the slider more often than he should have, he believes, led to a tendon issue in his right elbow -- although one that is now resolved, he said.I had a new pitch, and I probably abused it. So I need to go back to what Ive thrown much longer, said Strasburg, sporting a thick beard.The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft, now 28, had Tommy John surgery in 2011, then was shut down by the Nationals late in 2012 to protect his repaired elbow. This season, he started 13-0 with a 2.51 ERA, and in the midst of that stretch signed a $175 million, seven-year contract.He went on the DL with elbow soreness in August, then made one more start before being out again.Strasburgs final 2016 numbers: 15-4 with a 3.60 ERA and 183 strikeouts in only 147 2/3 innings.His biggest takeaway? He said he plans to do everything I can to make the adjustments to stay healthy for the whole season next year.To that end, pitching coach Mike Maddux mentioned that he thinks Strasburg might opt for a tweaked between-starts throwing program in 2017.Were going to sit down with him and discuss it, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said, noting that Strasburg had been in town to meet with the teams medical staff and strength aand conditioning staff.ddddddddddddhrough spring training, Rizzo added, well devise a workout program to handle the forearm soreness.Strasburg will start his offseason throwing, as usual, in late December or early January. Until then, strengthening his forearm is key.I did stuff like that in the past, but it wasnt as much as Im doing right now, he said. When you get older and youve had Tommy John, youve got to kind of tweak it a little bit, because the muscles in your arm are just going to maybe change a little bit. Ive just got to make more of an emphasis on slowing everything down and just making the most of the exercises.Game notes Rizzo did not offer much insight or information on where things stand on a closer for 2017. The GM said he has spoken to the agent for free agent Kenley Jansen several times, but did not directly answer when asked whether the Nationals had made an offer. Were looking for back-end-of-the-bullpen help -- and were looking for bullpen help, in general, Rizzo said. ... Trea Turner spoke Sunday about the trade that sent 2016 starting SS Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels for two minor league pitchers, allowing Turner to return to his natural position, shortstop, after learning to play center field last season. Excited to have an opportunity to go back there. Thats where Im more comfortable, where Ive played the majority of my career, Turner said. I look forward to trying to prove I can play there at a high level and be consistent. Espinosa would most likely have been a reserve and utilityman with Washington, and Rizzo said: I knew hed be frustrated with the bench role. Manager Dusty Baker called the deal, made late Saturday night, definitely good for Danny, because he deserves to play every day.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '