Dein erstes Forum » How did they stay atop of the division

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant put a dazzling end to Memphis gritty comeback. The Grizzlies erased most of a 25-point deficit before Durant, the leagues scoring champion, got hot. He scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Memphis 100-86 on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series. The Thunder already were regaining control in the fourth quarter before Durant took over. He scored 11 points in a 5-minute, 21-second surge that stretched Oklahoma Citys lead from seven points to 14 and put the game out of reach. "We just stayed together," Durant said. "We made plays in the fourth quarter. The third quarter was tough for us, but we stayed together. We didnt stray away." Russell Westbrook had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just seven of 21 shots and got into foul trouble in the second half. Mike Conley had 16 points and 11 assists, Marc Gasol scored 16 points and Tony Allen added 13 points for the Grizzlies. Memphis might have stolen the game if not for a miserable first half. "Weve got to make adjustments to get off to a better start," Randolph said. "We cant exert so much energy trying to come back from 20 points. Its the first game, weve got to stick together. Weve been here before, we know what weve got to do and come out and be ready for Monday." Memphis shot just 36 per cent from the field and made just 18 of 31 free throws. "We got good looks. I cant say it was anything other than that," Conley said. "We got good looks. We got some open 3s. Our bigs got some good looks in the post. We just didnt knock them down. We have to be more focused at the line as well. Making free throws is a big deal for us. We got opportunities. Weve got to make them." Oklahoma City was the only home team to win on the first day of the post-season, but the Thunder nearly made it four losses for higher seeds after getting outscored 31-13 in the third quarter. "We didnt want to be the leading trend on losing a home game," Westbrook said. "Were just happy we won a game. We did a great job of just coming out and hitting them first. Theyre a physical team and we did a great job of going by our game plan." The Thunder pushed the pace to take an 8-0 lead, and Memphis called a timeout less than three minutes into the game. Conley finally scored Memphis first point at the 9:04 mark after the Grizzlies missed their first five shots. The Thunder led 29-16 at the end of the first period. Oklahoma City shot 52 per cent in the first 12 minutes while holding the Grizzlies to 17 per cent shooting. Oklahoma City continued the onslaught into the second quarter and took a 56-34 advantage into the locker room. Memphis scored the first six points of the second half, and though Oklahoma City quickly called a timeout, the Grizzlies continued their surge. A three-point play by Allen trimmed the Thunders lead to 60-51, and by the end of the third quarter, Memphis had cut its deficit to 69-65. Allen scored nine points in the third quarter, and Randolph scored eight. Memphis held Oklahoma City to 3-for-16 shooting in the period. "I just think as a point guard, my job is to set the tone, and I didnt do a great job of that in the third quarter, of coming out and setting the tone," Westbrook said. "I had a few bad turnovers and kind of let them get easy baskets. Ive got to do a better job of that." The Grizzlies had whittled Oklahoma Citys lead down to three early in the fourth before a powerful drive and jam by Caron Butler brought life back to the nervous arena and gave the Thunder a 74-69 lead with just under nine minutes to play. Memphis Mike Miller came back with a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game, but the Thunder responded with a 13-1 run. Though Oklahoma City held on, Memphis will take confidence from its rally into Game 2. "We see what we did," Randolph said. "I think we cut it down to two, and they made another run, but we see what we can do. We know what we can do and weve got to come like that at the beginning of the game." NOTES: Saturday was the 19-year anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. The crowd observed a moment of silence before tip-off. ... Memphis reserve point guard Nick Calathes has been suspended for 20 games for violating the NBAs anti-drug policy, starting Saturday. The league said Friday night in a release that Calathes tested positive for tamoxifen. "It is what it is," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said before the game. "Weve dealt with adversity all season." ... Thunder rookie Steven Adams blocked three shots in the first quarter in just 1:26. The Thunder blocked five shots in the period. David Nwaba Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. Joe Harris Nets Jersey . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Kevin-Durant-City-Edition-Jersey/ . For Sweed, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, this will be his second go around in the CFL after previously having spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Theo Pinson Jersey .com) - Ames, IA (SportsNetwork. DeAndre Jordan Nets Jersey .C. -- Charles Oakley, one of the NBAs all-time tough guys, may not return to the Charlotte Bobcats bench next season because of a painful back condition he says was caused during an assault last year in Las Vegas.With their loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night, the Toronto Blue Jays lost sole possession of first place in the American League East for the first time in 43 days. Not only were they bumped out of first in their division, but theyve also dropped out of a wild card spot, trailing the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners by a game going into Fridays match-up. Which brings the question with just over a week until the All-Star Break - is this team actually a playoff contender? Since their last World Series victory, the Blue Jays have been mired in a 20-year playoff drought. But it wasnt like they werent trying to change their ways. That blockbuster trade with the Marlins in 2012 produced just one more win last season than the previous one. They finished 23 games behind the John Farrell-led Boston Red Sox and 17 1/2 games back of a wild card spot. So where do things sit for this season? How did they stay atop of the division for such a long period of time? The offence has certainly been a factor. The team has had their fair shaare of home runs - especially in the month of May led by Edwin Encarnacion - but the small ball has been evident too.dddddddddddd And it certainly has - until recently - a lot to do with a healthier roster. But the real question around this team making it to the postseason will depend on their ability to crawl back to a comfortable lead. They have a tough ten-game road trip prior to the All-Star break. In their first lengthy road trip of the season, they went a combined 3-7 in Baltimore, New York and Cincinnati. And over the past six seasons, Toronto has struggled hard on road trips of nine or more games. In fact, since their nine-game road losing streak in 2009, the Blue Birds have an abysmal 66-108 record over 18 road trips of nine or more games. Over those 18 road trips, they returned home with a winning record just three times. That all said, do you think the Toronto Blue Jays will re-take the division and make the playoffs this October or will are we looking at another disappointing season? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '