OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant often says hell do whatever his team needs.
Devin
Hester Falcons Jersey . In the second half against Memphis, his mission
was simply to score as often as possible. He had 30 of his 37 points after
halftime to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Grizzlies 113-107 on Friday
night. Durant made 10 of 15 shots and all eight of his free throws after
halftime to help the Thunder hold off a furious rally. "I just told myself to be
aggressive, to score," said Durant, the NBAs scoring leader. "Thats all I said
to myself at half. I was frustrated with the shots I was taking. I felt that I
wasnt disciplined. I worked my fundamentals. I just wanted to be aggressive to
score. I think thats what my team needed." Russell Westbrook had 21 points and
six assists in 28 minutes, Serge Ibaka had 16 points and nine rebounds and
Reggie Jackson added 14 points for the Thunder, who snapped a three-game losing
streak. Oklahoma City had dropped every game since Westbrook returned from his
latest knee surgery -- and nearly lost again because Mike Miller scored all 19
of his points in the fourth quarter to rally Memphis. Westbrook wasnt worried
about the fact that the Thunder almost squandered the 16-point lead they had
heading into the fourth. "We won, thats what Im going to take from it,"
Westbrook said. "We lost three in a row. We just won." Marc Gasol had 17 points
and Zach Randolph added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had won
five of six. Memphis ran into a team that was tired of losing. "Theyre extremely
talented, but they were very focused, locked in," Memphis coach Dave Joerger
said. "They played at a very, very high level, I thought tonight, as well as Ive
seen them play against us in a long, long time." Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha
left in the first half with a left calf strain and did not return. The Grizzlies
made 26 of 40 shots in the second half, but couldnt stop Oklahoma City in the
final minutes when the game got close. The Thunder offence broke out of a lull
in the second quarter when Westbrook returned from a rest. He scored 10 points
in the final 5:36 to help Oklahoma City take a 57-42 lead at the break despite
getting just seven points from Durant on 2-for-9 shooting. Randolph was held to
2-for-10 shooting in the first half, and the Grizzlies shot just 38 per cent.
Durant got it going in the opening minutes of the third quarter with a 3-pointer
and a dunk to help Oklahoma City take a 65-47 lead. Westbrook showed some of his
old form when he froze Tayshaun Prince with a crossover dribble, then drained a
mid-range jumper to give the Thunder a 70-55 edge. Durant scored 17 points on
6-for-10 shooting in the third quarter to help the Thunder take an 87-71 lead at
the end of the period. Miller came off the bench and made three 3-pointers in
the fourth to help the Grizzlies trim the deficit to 103-97 with 4:22 remaining.
"In the fourth quarter, our bench was unbelievable," Prince said. "We (the
starters) put them in a bad situation and they almost got us out of it." Memphis
cut the margin to three before Durant made a baseline jumper on an assist from
Westbrook with 1:24 to play, then a floater with 33 seconds remaining to seize
control for good. "We cant afford to dig ourselves a hole like we did,"
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said. "Theyre too good of a team, especially at
home. They came out and they wanted to win this game from the very beginning."
The Thunder finally resembled the team that has earned the top record in the
Western Conference. They won for the first time since Feb. 13 and for the first
time at home since Feb. 9 "It feels great," Durant said. "You never take it for
granted. We learned a lesson after losing three in a row. Its tough to swallow,
so its good to get a W." NOTES: Thunder centre Steven Adams played through
flu-like symptoms. The 7-foot rookie from New Zealand started in place of
Kendrick Perkins, who will miss about six weeks with a left groin strain.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the game that Adams might not play. ...
Oklahoma City shot 50 per cent in the first quarter to lead 29-22 at the end of
the period. ... Memphis Kosta Koufos committed four fouls in his first 5 minutes
of play in the first half.
Steve
Bartkowski Falcons Jersey .Y. -- First, Ryan Miller.
Tony
Gonzalez Falcons Jersey . The two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medallist
informed ESPN on Monday he plans to compete in Apsen, Colo.
http://www.falconsteamstoreauthentic.com/Youth-Adrian-Clayborn-Elite-Jersey/ . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his
right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a
pre-season game. ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly felt
strong enough to huddle up and visit his former team Thursday, making a surprise
appearance at the Buffalo Bills practice. Kelly made his way to the sideline as
players warmed up for their final practice until training camp. Coach Doug
Marrone gathered his team at midfield before introducing Kelly, who spoke to the
team in a brief, two-minute address. Kelly thanked the team for its
encouragement throughout his battle with jaw and sinus cancer and said he was
touched by the outpouring of support from both the Bills and the Buffalo
community. "One thing I noticed about Buffalo, New York, was how everybody comes
together," Kelly said. "If somebodys struggling, theres always somebody there to
pull them together whether its on the football field, whether its after a tough
year or whether its when I was in the hospital, they always seem to rally." The
former quarterback also said he was impressed with the amount of skill on
Buffalos offence and urged the team to come together and end Buffalos 14-year
post-season drought, the longest in the NFL. "From everybody Ive talked to, this
is a very special team," Kelly said. "Lets get this thing back on the road, lets
start playing games in January." Wearing jeans, a black jacket and a white
baseball hat, Kelly then watched the start of practice in a chair by the 35-yard
line. He chatted with Bills preesident Russ Brandon, long-time trainer Bud
Carpenter and Hall of Fame teammate Thurman Thomas.
Keanu
Neal Falcons Jersey. Kellys appearance was unexpected, but certainly
welcome in the eyes of Bills coaches and players. "It means a lot for him to
come out and support us in the state that hes in," Bills centre Eric Wood said.
"That was a special moment. You talk to Jim all the time. Hes been around over
the years and Ive become pretty close to him. But for him to come out and
address the team in the state hes in was pretty powerful." Kelly left one hour
into the practice session after receiving hugs from Brandon and Thomas.
"Obviously, it was very emotional," Brandon told The Associated Press. "Jim
means everything to this team, this community, his fans all over the world. "To
see him out here today was really a great way to cap off a really good minicamp
and all the work these guys have put in and see one of the greatest players of
all time coming out here and being a part of it. Its really special." Kelly has
spent the past 10 days recovering at home after spending much of the spring
receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments for sinus cancer. "Were with
him, were fighting through this just like hes been there with us trying to fight
through what were going through," Marrone said. "We support him and it was great
for him to get out there and be among the team."
NFL Jerseys China cheap jerseys ' ' '
