"You try not to hold on to (the football) too long to give those guys extra sec

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Chad Henne Jersey . -- The Memphis Grizzlies celebrated the return of Marc Gasol with a victory over one of the leagues top teams -- and one of their biggest rivals. Courtney Lee scored a season-high 24 points, including the closing two free throws, and the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87 on Tuesday night in Gasols first game in almost eight weeks. While Lee provided the early offensive punch for Memphis, many teammates were talking about the return of the Gasol, the leagues reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who missed 23 games with a left knee injury. The 7-foot-1 centre played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points. "Everybody is excited, especially for him," said guard Mike Conley, who had 19 points and seven assists in Memphis third straight victory. "Hes been itching to get out there forever, and I thought he did great. It gave us a good boost." Gasol, whose return was not announced until just before the game, received a rousing ovation from the Memphis crowd when he was introduced with the starting lineup. He said the cheers gave him "goose bumps" and made him feel like a rookie again. He said the knee did not bother him, but the large knee brace he is wearing is uncomfortable. "It felt really good, especially since we got the win," Gasol said of the knee. "That makes everything worth it." Zach Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds on the night his inside partner returned. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 37 points, converting 15 of 28 shots. Reggie Jackson scored 17, but also committed seven of Oklahoma Citys 19 turnovers. Serge Ibaka finished with 11 points and four blocks as the Thunder lost their third in the last four. Durant, who has dealt with an aching left wrist and did not practice Monday, had ice on it after the game, but said he did not aggravate the injury. Lee converted a 22-footer from the right wing as time ran out in the third period to help Memphis carry a 72-67 lead into the final frame. Memphis, which trailed 47-43 at the break, converted 10 of 18 shots in the third, while the Thunder managed only 9 of 22. That led to the Grizzlies outscoring Oklahoma City 29-20 in the period. Memphis still held the lead at 87-84 with less than a minute left. Jackson missed a 4-foot runner, then Gasol missed a 7-footer in the lane for Memphis. Oklahoma City had the ball after a timeout with 20 seconds left. Durant drove and kicked the ball out to Ibaka, who missed a 3-pointer from the left corner. "I seen (the defender) come off of Serge and he was wide open, and I trust him 100 per cent," Durant said. "That shot looked good, but it hit the side rim and rimmed out. "Great shot. Weve just got to live with the results." Randolph split a pair of free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining for an 88-84 lead, enough that Ibakas 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left wasnt enough. Lees free throws provided the final margin. "Courtney Lee had his way," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "We didnt do a good job of starting the game off on him. Throughout the game, he sprinkled in some good shots." The Thunder weathered an early burst of points from Lee, who had 14 in the first quarter as Memphis built a 12-point lead. Oklahoma City erased the advantage with a 15-1 rally spanning the first and second quarters. NOTES: The Grizzlies went 10-13 when Gasol was out of the lineup. ... Despite travelling with the team and warming up before the game, Thunder G Russell Westbrook remained on the inactive list recovering from right knee surgery. ... Lees previous season high was 18 on Dec. 13 against the Knicks when he was with Boston. ... Thunder C Kendrick Perkins now has almost as many fouls (105) as points scored this season (117). ... The game marked only the fourth time this season the Thunder has lost when outrebounding their opponent. Armani Watts Chiefs Jersey . There will be no Down Under four-peat for Djokovic, as the eighth-seeded Swiss slugger Wawrinka outlasted the second seed 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 at Melbourne Parks Rod Laver Arena in yet another five-set thriller in their burgeoning rivalry. Custom Chiefs Jerseys . Canada will host Japan in a World Group first-round match in 2015. It will be a rematch of their first-round clash last year when Japan defeated Canada 4-1 to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time in its history. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Dorian-ODaniel-Chiefs-Jersey/ . The Earthquakes (6-9-7) were coming off a 5-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas. Even with the draw, the Sounders (13-7-3) climbed back into a tie for both the Western Conference and overall top spot in MLS. Seattle, West co-leader Real Salt Lake and East leader Sporting Kansas City all have 42 points.TORONTO -- Scott Milanovich doesnt want the Toronto Argonauts to completely forget their dismal start to the 2014 CFL season. Toronto opened the campaign with a lopsided 45-21 road loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On Saturday, the Argos host a Saskatchewan Roughriders squad that registered 10 sacks in a 31-10 dismantling of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in its season opener. "Take nothing away from Winnipeg but I think we were embarrassed with the way we performed and should feel like weve got a lot to prove (Saturday)," the Argos head coach said Friday. "I know Im looking forward to kickoff to see if we can get this bad taste out of our mouth. "I dont know if you ever really let one like that go. Those happen from time to time but they need to stick with you a little bit." The upstart Bombers, who posted a league-worst 3-15 record in 2013, dominated the Argos. Quarterback Drew Willy threw for 308 yards and four TDs while running back Nic Grigsby rushed for 122 yards. Winnipeg also recovered two fumbles, with Demond Washington returning one for a TD. Toronto was also flagged 22 times. The defending Grey Cup-champion Riders were very impressive in their opener. Former Toronto defensive end Ricky Foley had three sacks as the defence held Hamilton to just 114 net offensive yards. Newcomer Anthony Allen -- replacing departed Grey Cup MVP Kory Sheets -- rushed for 158 yards and a TD and also had a touchdown catch. So effective was the run game that Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant only threw 22 passes, completing 15-for-136 yards and two TDs. Torontos revamped defence -- it has just four returning starters -- will have four new faces against Saskatchewan. Cornerback Vincent Agnew, safety Jermaine Gabriel, linebacker Antwaun Molden and defensive tackle Marcus Thomas all get the nod as cornerback Matt Ware, linebacker Jamie Robinson and safety Matt Black go on the injured list while defensive lineman Greg Romeus is placed on the practice roster. Running back Jeremiah Johnson goes to the injured list, with Anthony Woodson (practice roster) replacing him. That means sophomore Curtis Steele and rookie Anthony Coombs -- Torontos 14 first-round pick from the University of Manitoba -- will share tailback duties. "Its a great opportunity for us to see how much weve improved in one week playing the champs in our building," Milanovich said. "They (Riders) are going to get some plays but the other thing you look for is how are we going to react to adversity? "When you have that many new guys like we do now, part of it is fun because you dont know whos going to be the person whos going to take the leadership reigns of this team. Im really anxious to see who thats going to be. Hopefully its several guys." However, Milanovich said its important to keep Saturdays game in proper perspective. "Win or lose, this game isnt going to define who we are in three months," he said. "Everybody, myself included,, gets caught up in what happens today and what happened last week and theres no avoiding that but I try not to lose sight of the big picture. Kendall Fuller Jersey. "Even if we win the game if we didnt improve and build towards becoming a better team by the time October and November roll around, it doesnt matter. To me, that was the biggest difference in my two seasons here as the head coach. Even though we were below a .500 club in 2012 we improved every week throughout the season and by the end of the season were playing well. Last year we were leading the East probably most of the way but I dont think we made the incremental improvements we did the year before so I dont know if we got any better while other teams were getting better." In 2012, Toronto won its final two regular-season games to finish second in the East Division with a 9-9 record before mounting its Grey Cup-winning run. Last year, the Argos were first with an 11-7 record before losing to Hamilton in the conference final. Saskatchewans Corey Chamblin -- the CFLs coach of the year in 13 -- said Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray, who had a league-record 77.2 completion average last year, will present the Riders defence with plenty of challenges. "At the end of the day were going to play a different style football team, especially with the quarterback," he said. "This is a more seasoned quarterback than the one we played (Hamiltons Zach Collaros). "We didnt get a lot of looks, we just played fast. But with this quarterback its going to be tough. Youre going to have to play fast and do some things you dont usually do to keep Ricky off his game." Ray was 27-of-38 passing for 283 yards and two TDs against Winnipeg but Toronto rushed for just 42 total yards and had the ball less than 24 minutes overall. However, Ray said there are the things the Argos can do to help limit Saskatchewans pass rush. "You try not to hold on to (the football) too long to give those guys extra seconds to get in there," he said. "Another thing is weve got to be balanced, weve got to be effective with our run and pass game to keep those guys off balance and guessing about whats going to be coming. "We also want to try and get a lead . . . to make sure youre not having to throw on every down because youre behind." Not much has separated Saskatchewan and Toronto the past two years as theyve split their regular-season series 2-2. "Even the year we won it I thought they were very, very close," Milanovich said of the Riders. "Its a very good football team, our guys know we can match up with them and have the ability to compete with them and win the game. "I certainly hope they know that. Were going to have to play well, certainly, to do it." Durant expects a more fundamentally sound Argos squad Saturday. "I dont think theyll give up any easy plays," he said. "Theyre going to make us earn everything we get." Cheap Chargers Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Cheap Texans Jerseys Cheap Ravens Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Titans Jerseys Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Cheap Bengals Jerseys ' ' '