BRISBANE, Australia - Yaser Kasims deflected shot from close range after a weaving run gave 2007 champion Iraq a 1-0 win over Jordan on Monday in a physical Group D match at the Asian Cup.Kasim wrong-footed three defenders as he surged into the area and his shot deflected off Tariq Khattab and past Jordan captain Amer Shafi as he dived to left in the 77th minute.Jordan finished with 10 men after Anas Bani Yaseens rough challenge on Saad Abdulameer in the 84th resulted in a second yellow card.Iraq had a chance to go further ahead two minutes later but Abdul Zahras powerful strike from Dhurgham Ismails cross was tipped away by Shafi.The win earned a crucial three points for Iraq, and increased its chances of advancing to the knockout stage from a group that contains defending champion Japan, which opened with a 4-0 win over tournament newcomer Palestine earlier Monday in Newcastle.The Iraqis will remain in Brisbane for their next match against four-time champion Japan on Friday, while Jordan will travel to Melbourne to take on Palestine.Jordan had three shots on target, including two tame long-range strikes in the first half that were both easily handled by Jalal Hassan, but squandered a series of opportunities around the hour mark with a glut of possession in the attacking third.Kasim earned the player of the match award.Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud, the player of the tournament when Iraq won in 2007, lacked match fitness and was a touch off the pace up front. The 31-year-old striker, without a club contract but considering a move to Australia, was replaced after 73 minutes.His impact on the game was minimal against a defence that only conceded three goals in six qualifying games, with his shot from 10 yards in the 16th minute deflected out in the challenge from Khattab. He was called for a foul as he leaped for a header on the edge of the box in the 71st. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Stitched Royals Jerseys . Cleary also had two assists and Patrick Eaves added two goals for the Red Wings, who also ousted Phoenix in seven games during the first round of the 2010 postseason. Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which got a goal apiece from Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Kronwall and suffered no shortage of offense despite the absences of Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . No surprise there. Kershaw, who also earned the title after throwing his first career no-hitter in June, had a 1. Cheap Royals Jerseys . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets. Kansas City Royals Gear . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder are now down two superstars, but time wont stop as the Denver Nuggets head to Chesapeake Energy Arena Saturday night. With Kevin Durant already out at least six to eight weeks, fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook joined him on the injured list. Westbrook suffered a fracture in the second metacarpal of his right hand in Thursdays loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and is reportedly out four to six weeks. That puts their timetable almost at the exact time, but the Thunder will be in a really difficult spot without two of the leagues best players. Its unfortunate the way it is right now, but its the way it is, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said. We have to figure out how to continue to improve. The Thunder havent started 0-2 since the 2008-09 season, the teams first in Oklahoma City. That season, the Thunder won game three, then lost 14 in a row. While it might be tough sledding without Durant and Westbrook for a while, that kind of futility seems unlikely. OKC played the Clippers tough despite Westbrook going down in the first quarter. The Thunder fell, 93-90, and were led by a career night from Perry Jones. He scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds. My teammates were in my head, especially Kevin (Durant), Jonees said.dddddddddddd He was telling me to be aggressive and telling me that the team is going to need somebody to step up and be aggressive. Thats all I tried to do. Serge Ibaka finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Sebastian Telfair chipped in 11 and Steven Adams grabbed 10 rebounds in the losing effort. The Thunder are expected to once again be without Reggie Jackson (ankle), Jeremy Lamb (back) and Anthony Morrow (knee). The Nuggets opened the season with an 89-79 victory at home over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Kenneth Faried continued his success from his stint with the gold-medal- winning Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. He had 22 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in Denvers victory. Every night I have to go out there and prove myself, said Faried, who made the All-Tournament team in Spain and signed a new contract extension this offseason. Finally healthy, these Nuggets hope to contend in a crowded Western Conference. Arron Afflalo chipped in 15 points and Timofey Mozgov tallied 13 and 11 rebounds. All 12 Nuggets that took the floor scored at least two points. The Thunder won three of four against the Nuggets last season, including both home games. OKC has taken nine of the last 11 meetings as the host against Denver. ' ' '