Subject :SALT LAKE CITY -- Marc Gasol saw the doubt in the eyes of the Utah players and, with help from Zach
SALT LAKE CITY -- Marc Gasol saw the doubt in the eyes of the Utah players and, with help from Zach Randolph and Mike Conley, he knew just when to pounce. Takkarist McKinley Jersey . After all, the Memphis Grizzlies were in the same position a few years ago as a young team that didnt know how to finish games. Randolph had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and his two free throws with 11 seconds remaining clinched the Grizzlies 91-87 come-from-behind win over the reeling Jazz on Wednesday night. "We were at that stage not too long ago. We would play a good game for 36 minutes or more and then a veteran team would execute, get stops and take the win away from us," said Gasol, who had 18 points. Conley scored 19 points for the Grizzlies, who won for the fifth time in six games and are a season-best 15 games over .500. "When the game is coming down to the end as a young team, you tend to try and make the right play and over-think things. We could see that in them and we tried to take advantage," Conley said. Derrick Favours had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and Richard Jefferson added 15 for the Jazz, who are 1-5 in their last six home games. Though Memphis is the team in a tight playoff race, the Jazz made the extra effort for steals and dived for loose balls and led for most of the contest while playing their starters extended minutes. "They played so hard and they had extra energy and they had us on our heels most of the game, but we felt like we were supposed to win," said Randolph, who had his 400th career double-double. The Grizzlies, however, made the key plays down the stretch and sank their final 13 free throws to secure the victory. Jefferson made a 3-pointer and then added a fast-break layup to give Utah its largest lead, 65-49, midway through the third quarter. The Grizzlies clawed back and by the time Mike Miller hit a rare 3-pointer for Memphis, the lead was down to 78-75 with 7:08 to play. Favours dunked to put the Jazz up 84-77, but the Grizzlies clamped down and went to work. Miller hit another 3 in the midst of 12 straight Memphis points and Gasols layup capped the run to put the Grizzlies up 89-84 with 59 seconds left in the game. Memphis forced six fourth-quarter turnovers and outscored the gasping Jazz 29-16 in the final frame. "I know what its like when you are a young team that was up 16 and then you look up and youre down one. That rim sure gets tighter," Randolph said. Trey Burke, who had 11 points and 10 assists, cut the lead to 89-87 with 15 seconds left but couldnt convert on a 3-pointer in the closing moments to extend the game. The Grizzlies have the third-best record in the NBA, 26-9, since Gasol returned from a left knee sprain on Jan. 14. They also have the leagues best defence in that stretch, allowing just 90.2 points per game. As good as they defend in the half court, the chink in the Grizzlies armour is transition defence. The opportunistic Jazz pushed the ball in the first half and the Jazz big men challenged their more accomplished counterparts by going strong to the basket and banging for rebound position. Enes Kanter had 11 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, but couldnt make his jumpers when Gasol sagged off him. The Grizzlies are among five teams, including Portland, Golden State, Dallas and Phoenix, who are within two games of each other and fighting for the final four playoff berths in the West with three weeks left in the regular season. "We know how important each of these games are for us. We stuck with it and in the fourth quarter, we got stops and played together," Gasol said. The Grizzlies, who kicked off a five-game road trip, are 15-4 in their last 19 against fellow West teams and completed their first season sweep of the Jazz in nine years. NOTES: Grizzlies guard Tony Allen missed Mondays game with a stomach illness but played in this game, going scoreless in 10 minutes. The Jazz were without guard Alec Burks (ankle). ... The Jazz almost made it through the entire third quarter without committing a foul, but gave up a three-point play to Gasol with 14 seconds remaining. ... Hayward lost his shoe as he was fouled going to the hoop in the fourth quarter. Duke Riley Falcons Jersey . He wants to seize that opportunity. The trouble is, Firus has had more bumps on the road to Sochi than most. Last year, Firus had the skate of a lifetime in the short program at the Canadian championships when he landed his first triple Axel in competition and finished third in a stacked field. Sean Harlow Jersey . INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, .(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James return to the Cleveland Cavaliers was spoiled, but he wont have much time to cry about it as his squad faces the Chicago Bulls at the United Center Friday night. Amidst insane hype, immense hoopla and an appearance by Justin Beiber, James took the court at Quicken Loans Arena Thursday as a member of the Cavaliers once again. After four seasons, and two titles, with the Miami Heat, the prodigal son returned. And the Cavs lost and James looked shaky. The New York Knicks rode into Cleveland and left with a 95-90 victory. James, the four-time MVP, scored 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting, and committed eight turnovers. It was the first time in his already illustrious career that he had at least eight turnovers, fewer than 20 points and fewer than five assists. Eight is not okay, James said of the turnovers. I think some of the turnovers were careless. My turnovers, some of them were careless and some of them were chemistry. Im throwing passes where I was hoping some of my teammates would be. It was a huge night. It was exciting for the fans, exciting for the city, said James. But, now we can just play regular basketball. Kevin Love, acquired in a blockbuster deal from the Timberwolves, had 19 points and 14 rebounds in his first action in a Cleveland uniform, while returning star Kyrie Irving led the way with 22 points and seven assists. Anderson Varejao and Dion Waiters both chipped in 10 points. The Cavs allowed the Knicks to shoot 53.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the 3-point line. While all five Cleveland starters scored in double figures, the bench was out-pointed, 41-12. James and Irving both played over 43 minutes in the Cavaliers season-opener. Things certainly dont get easier for LeBron and company. Most pundits predicted a showdown for Eastern Conference ssupremacy between the Cavs and Bulls and their first battle comes just two games into the long campaign, in the home opener for the Bulls no less. Takkarist McKinley Womens Jersey. Its as good as it gets. Just being able to play in that building is very special, said Chicagos Joakim Noah. The Bulls opened the 2014-15 season against the Knicks and squashed them, 104-80, Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The key to the Bulls success this season rests on former MVP, Derrick Roses shoulders. Actually, the key rests in his knees to be more specific. He played only 10 regular-season games the last two seasons, but scored 13 points and handed out five assists on Wednesday. We played good basketball and it led to an easy game, noted Rose. Its just the first game, (but) when things run smooth like they were running tonight, everyone will look at our entire team and see how deep we are. Bench player Taj Gibson led Chicago in scoring with 22 points. Pau Gasol, the prize free-agent acquisition of the offseason, finished with 21. Aaron Brooks chipped in 13 with the reserves and rookie Doug McDermott and Kirk Hinrich both scored 12. The Bulls, one of the best defensive teams in the league since head coach Tom Thibodeau took over, held the Knicks to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and 17.6 from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler, Chicagos versatile young wing, missed Wednesdays game with a thumb injury. Original reports had him done for two to four weeks, but Butler might give it a go on Friday. He did a little more today. It wasnt a heavy day, Thibodeau said after practice on Thursday. Well see where we are tomorrow. Its day to day. Well see. The Bulls won three of four against the Cavs last season and went 13-2 against their Central Conference rivals while James was in South Beach. Cleveland is 2-8 in its last 10 at Chicago. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
|
Majalah Online