Alan Pardew paid tribute to Yannick Bolasie but admitted the Crystal Palace winger was nearly substituted before his equaliser against Arsenal on Sunday. Bolasie scored his first Palace goal since November to earn his side a 1-1 draw at the Emirates.Alexis Sanchez had given the Gunners a first-half lead, and Pardew revealed he almost took his goalscorer off before his 81st-minute leveller. Should Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech have kept out Yannick Bolasies long-range shot? The goal earned Crystal Palace a 1-1 draw at The Emirates It was a big goal, Pardew told Sky Sports. He looked affected a little bit and I was thinking about taking him off, if Im being honest, because we have a lot of offensive players.But hes so important to us and I thought one moment could lift him, and I think that moment will lift him because it was a great goal. Yannick Bolasie scored his fifth league goal of the season You could argue that Petr [Cech] should save it, but its a great hit and Im so pleased for him. That will definitely give him a major boost.There was not much between the sides when Sanchez edged Arsenal ahead in first-half stoppage time. Alexis Sanchez had put the Gunners in front against Palace A subdued Emirates atmosphere turned on the home side after Bolasies equaliser and Palace had the chance to steal a winner on the break with Wilfried Zaha.Pardew hailed the efforts of his players after the game, and said his strategy went to plan.They [the players] deserve tremendous credit because its tough to play here, Pardew continued. We had a game-plan that was to start slow and not let them have a fast start, and then build as the game went, and we did. Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann praises his sides defensive display after earning a 1-1 draw against Arsenal In the end, Wilf went on an amazing run and we almost had the chance to win it. We didnt deserve that, but we had a good strategy to us and the guys were terrific.I was a bit disappointed to concede the goal just before half-time, but we had not retained the ball well enough. Having said that, we made sure they didnt get into fourth or fifth gear.Sometimes when you come to places like this, that is what you have to do. We kept them in third gear, and they came out in the same gear in the second half, and we knew we could get better. Arsenal dropped points again against Crystal Palace after their draw against West Ham The draw moves Palace eight points clear of 17th-place Norwich, and Pardew said he wants a strong finish to the season after flirting with relegation.With our goal difference it means two of those clubs have to get 40 points, and I think they would snap our hands off for 40 points because thats a difficult total with the games they have remaining, he added.There is still a long way to go, and we have ourselves in touching distance of mid-table, which is where I think we belong, but we have to prove that. Also See: Arsenal 1-1 C Palace recap Arsenal held by Bolasie strike WATCH: Seven games, six days Get a ￡10 free bet! Wholesale Custom Jerseys Free Shipping . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Authentic Custom Jerseys Cheap . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. http://www.cheapcustomjerseysauthentic.com/ . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Custom Jerseys Outlet . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. The?Los Angeles Clippers?meeting with Kevin Durant on Friday will be led by coach Doc Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer, but sources indicate that Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul could also attend to pitch the Oklahoma City Thunder free agent on being part of a Big Four.The pitch will be to get Durant to join them this offseason, and Plan B would be to get him to consider joining the trio next summer if he ends up signing a one-year contract elsewhere.Though Durant is meeting with Thunder officials in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon, sources tell ESPNs Marc Stein that Oklahoma City is also seeking a second meeting with Durant and his representatives this holiday weekend.The Thunders hope, sources told Stein, is getting one last chance to pitch Durant after five other teams?make their scheduled presentations.Durants first meeting Friday morning in the Hamptons on Long Island will be with the Golden State Warriors before meeting with the Clippers later in the day. On Saturday, he will meet with the San Antonio Spurs and later the Boston Celtics. He will conclude his weekend meetings Sunday with the Miami Heat.It has been assumed that the Clippers would have to trade one of the threee players in order to make room to sign Durant under the salary cap.dddddddddddd. However, sources have told ESPN that part of the Clippers plan is to pitch Durant on playing alongside Paul, Griffin and Jordan.The Clippers would have to renounce their rights to their free agents -- Austin Rivers, Jeff Green and Jamal Crawford -- and find a trade for JJ Redick.?Durant would have to be willing to accept slightly less than a maximum salary this year.To demonstrate their commitment to keeping Griffin, Jordan and Paul, sources said the Clippers invited all three players to attend their meeting with Durant. Its an important affirmation of Doc Rivers previous statements about keeping the teams core together.Jordan was training at the Clippers facility Thursday and didnt comment on recruiting Durant, but multiple team sources said there is a distinct possibility Paul, Griffin and Jordan could be at the meeting on Friday.The players presence would likely hinge on Pauls availability, as he is returning from a family vacation.ESPNs Chris Broussard contributed to this report. ' ' '