OKLAHOMA CITY -- There has been a national debate taking place this past week over star players sitting out games due to rest. From Cleveland to Atlanta, head coaches have decided to sit their best players in order to save them for the entire season.Indiana coach Nate McMillan wishes he had that problem. He has been forced to scratch forward Paul George from Fridays lineup due to a sore left ankle. The Pacers wound up falling 116-96 to the Phoenix Suns.He really hasnt done anything in the last two days, McMillan told the Indy Star. The ankle was sore when he was playing and the last two days it really hasnt gotten any better. We just want to make sure everything is OK there, for his sake and ours. Hopefully there isnt anything and he just needs some time.The Pacers didnt announce whether George will be suited up for Sunday nights game in Oklahoma City. He was scheduled to have an MRI Saturday.But there is no doubt, they play much differently when their All-Star forward is on the floor or not.George leads Indiana in scoring (21.0), rebounds (7.1) and steals (1.7). If he cant go, thats a lot of slack the rest of the Pacers have to pick up.Indiana is hoping the return of Rodney Stuckey will make up for some of the loss of George. Stuckey played Friday after straining his right hamstring Oct. 28.He said he felt pretty good and was ready to go, McMillan told the Star. You want to slowly work him back into conditioning and rhythm and not give him a ton of minutes right off the bat.The Thunder also sustained an injury during its win over Brooklyn Friday. Backup point guard Semaj Christon suffered a concussion and is currently in the NBAs concussion protocol. He also has a non-displaced left facial fracture.According to Thunder officials, once Christon passes the protocol, he will be able to return to the lineup wearing a facemask.That leaves the Thunder with only Russell Westbrook as the only point guard on the roster. Cameron Payne is still healing from foot surgery in the preseason.According to Thunder coach Billy Donovan, Victor Oladipo will see time running the point with the second unit.Victor I feel very comfortable with just because hes played some point in Orlando and hes done it a little bit here, Donovan said. Im fine with that. I think we can create and generate enough ball handling when Russell is off the floor to at least get into our offense. That will be the biggest thing.Its the Thunders reserves that have been a big reason the team has won two straight after a four-game losing streak. On Friday, they accounted for 39 points and 15 rebounds.I thought they did a really good job, Donovan said. I mentioned after a couple games ago that I felt like we as a staff, myself in particular, try to help those guys. I thought they were on the same page. I thought they moved the basketball. I thought they made the game easier for each other. They generated good shots. They helped each other. They defended. It was good to see them play the way they did and it was good to see them extend onto the lead. Discount Air Max . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Air Max 95 China Wholesale . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.airmaxwholesaleforsale.com/air-max-90-wholesale.html .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Cheap Authentic Air Max 97 . It might not have mattered. 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WASHINGTON -- House Republicans on Thursday called for an independent review of allegations that the National Football League sought to improperly influence a government study into the link between football and brain disease.In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee said that a thorough assessment is needed to ensure the integrity of the process for awarding research grants.The committees top Democrat said in May the NFL tried to strong-arm the National Institutes of Health into taking the project away from a prominent researcher that the league believed was biased.But the committees chairman, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, and other GOP members of panel said they dont have all the facts needed to reach conclusions. All the attention generated by claims the NFL tried to sway the study have tarnished the reputations of leading researchers into traumatic brain injuries and other medical experts, they said in the 21-page letter to the departments inspector general, Daniel Levinson.The lawmakers also said that based on the information they have, the institutes may have contributed to the breakdown of the structures and processes that exist to preserve the integrity of NIH research.The NFL said in a statement that it looks forward to cooperating with the inspector general. The NFL has never wavered in its commitment to advance the science and understanding of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, the league said.Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., initiated an investigation after ESPN reported in December that the league had agreed to donate $30 million to the NIH to fund brain research. But the league backed out after the institutes went ahead with a $16 million grant to Boston University researcherr Robert Stern, according to the sports networks report.ddddddddddddStern is a leading expert on the link between football and brain diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He also filed a declaration opposing a settlement between the NFL and former players, fearing that deserving players would not be compensated.The NFLs critics say the league has downplayed the link between football and brain damage, alleging that an NFL committee on brain injury had ignored or minimized the link between repetitive head trauma and brain damage.Pallone said his probe confirmed the NFL inappropriately attempted to use its unrestricted gift as leverage to steer funding away from one of its critics, Pallone said.The NFL denied Pallones findings. The league at the time acknowledged it had raised concerns about the study and a potential conflict of interest involving Stern, but said it had communicated those concerns through appropriate channels.The league said in the statement Thursday that its $30 million commitment was never in doubt and said its unfortunate that the allegations have distracted attention from the broader goal of further traumatic brain injury science.Upton and other Republicans said if the NFL acted inappropriately, then NIH not only failed to identify and address this behavior, but rather encouraged ongoing discussion, thus creating a perception that the league had input on the use of (research) funds.There is little evidence to suggest, Upton and his colleagues wrote, that anyone affiliated with the NFL advocated on behalf of a specific research team or grant proposal.---Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rplardner ' ' '