Jurgen Klopp said Mamadou Sakhos absence was not to blame for Liverpool giving up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Newcastle on Saturday. Sakho was not involved in the squad after the pre-match announcement that he is being investigated by UEFA for a potential anti-doping violation.Instead it was Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren who played at centre-half as Liverpool saw their winning streak come to an end after being 2-0 up at half-time. Sakho probed over dope test Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho investigated for alleged anti-doping violation Asked by Sky Sports whether Sakhos absence played a part in the result, Liverpool boss Klopp said: Thats not a reason. We have changed a lot in the last few games.Playing like we did in the first half is not easy so we did really well, but at half-time they had nothing to lose and we conceded twice, but we could have scored again.It was an intense game and we did well against a team who are fighting for their lives in the Premier League. Mamadou Sakho (C) was in attendance at Anfield Liverpool looked to be heading for a fifth straight victory after first-half goals from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana.But Newcastle battled back to grab a point and leave Klopp to acknowledge it was not his sides best day. Matt Le Tissier gives his thoughts on Newcastles comeback to earn a point against Liverpool From 2-0 up it doesnt feel like you have won a point it feels like you have lost two, he said. I didnt feel we would concede a second so I was confident and thought we could score a third.At 2-2 you are not in your flow and it becomes harder work. But we have to take what we get and carry on. Also See: Sakho probed for doping violation Liverpool 2-2 Newcastle As it happened Get a ￡10 free bet! Johnny Cueto Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Buster Posey Jersey . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. http://www.cheapsanfranciscogiantsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-andrew-mccutchen-jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Willie McCovey Jersey . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Gregor Blanco Jersey . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. CHICAGO -- Kyrie Irving scored 13 points, DeMarcus Cousins powered a dominant performance in the paint, and the United States pulled away from Venezuela for an ugly 80-45 exhibition victory Friday night.Coming off three straight flashy victories in Las Vegas and California, the United States shot 42.4 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers in by far its worst offensive performance of its five-city tour in preparation for next weeks Rio de Janeiro Olympics. But the Americans used their superior athleticism to limit Venezuela to 24 percent shooting and owned the interior with a 54-29 rebounding advantage.Returning to Chicago for the first time with the U.S. national team, Bulls star Jimmy Butler was cheered every time he was announced at the United Center. He had four points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes in his first start with Team USA.Butler had one of the few electric plays for the U.S. when he ran out on the break and dunked Kyle Lowrys tip pass in the fourth quarter. DeAndre Jordan also had a vicious dunk off a lob from Kevin Durant, and DeMar DeRozan drew chants of USA! USA! with a windmill jam in the final minutes.Klay Thompson also scored 13 points, and Cousins finished with seven points and 12 rebounds. Durant had nine points of 3-of-9 shooting.John Cox scored 14 points for Venezuela, which will pplay the U.dddddddddddd.S. again on Aug. 8 in the Olympics.Irving and company were greeted with a round of hearty cheers when they came out for pregame warmups. Fans lined the side of the court where the Americans had their layup line, and Anthony and Durant posed for pictures with a couple of eager boys.Before Butlers introduction drew the most applause of the night, former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau received a thunderous ovation when he was announced with the U.S. coaching staff. Thibodeau took a year off after he was fired by the Bulls in May 2015, and then was hired as Minnesotas coach and president of basketball operations in April.The star power also extended to the sideline near the U.S. bench, where former Olympians Scottie Pippen and Dwyane Wade watched the action attentively. Wade was joined by his wife, actress Gabriel Union, hours after he held his introductory press conference for his new contract with his hometown Bulls.Pippen played on the 1992 Dream Team that rolled to gold in Barcelona, and also helped the U.S. win gold in 1996. Wade was on the Americans gold medal-winning teams at each of the last two Olympics.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '