MINNEAPOLIS -- The Memphis Grizzlies are making a move in the Western Conference and are doing it on the road. Wholesale Flames Jerseys . Zach Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Memphis overcame another strong effort by Kevin Love to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-90 Friday night. Courtney Lee added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who have won five straight games and 10 of their last 11. Memphis has won six straight away from home, including a sweep of a three-game trip to Portland, Sacramento and Minnesota. "It feels good, we are still getting to where we want to get," Randolph said. One-half game behind Dallas for eighth place in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies are 13-7 on the road and 12-13 at home. "This is huge for us, especially for the goals we have as far as making that playoff push," Lee said. "It definitely builds momentum." The win could be costly because Memphis played the final 6:37 without starting guard Mike Conley, who sprained his right ankle when he landed on J.J. Bareas foot. Conley had 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting after scoring a combined 46 in his last two outings. He is to be re-evaluated Saturday. "I can put weight on it now," Conley said. "Tomorrow is looking iffy, but hopefully after some treatment tonight and the next day we will go from there." Memphis hosts Milwaukee Saturday. Playing on a sore left ankle throughout the second half, Love led Minnesota with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Kevin Martin had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who lost for just the second time in seven games. "We had our chances in the end and had some really, really great looks. We just didnt convert," Love said. Randolph did. He scored six points during a 9-2 Memphis run that turned a one-point deficit into a 91-85 lead with 59.6 seconds to play and later added two free throws. "Hes the man, hes the go-to player. Hes a proud man, hes an extremely competitive man," said Memphis coach David Joerger. "Think of all the banging those guys take night in and night out, year in and year out. When he got down there and got it done going 11 of 20 with some offensive rebounds, makes big free throws. Im really proud of him, really happy." With Minnesota trailing by one, Love scored on a fadeaway jumper and on a layup after a feed from Barea for an 83-80 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Love hurt his left ankle when he collided with Marc Gasol on a drive with 2 minutes to play in the first half and landed on the foot of another Memphis player, yet gutted it out until halftime. "When I was moving it felt fine and I continued to keep it moving," Love said. "But right now it doesnt feel so good. We just need to do all we can before tomorrow night and hopefully be ready to go." Minnesota is at Atlanta on Saturday. Loves gimping was gone to start the second half much to the dismay of Memphis. With the Timberwolves trailing 59-43 early in the third quarter, Love scored 14 points during an 18-4 run to get them within two. His jumper with 12.8 seconds left in the quarter gave Minnesota its first lead of the game at 67-66. Love outscored the Grizzlies 18-16 in the frame. Ricky Rubio helped lead the comeback in the third with six assists, but did not get off the bench in the fourth as coach Rick Adelman thought Barea "was the best option for us to win." Rubio finished with six points on 2-of-7 shooting. "Its coachs decision and I respect it. He always does what he thinks is best for the team. Of course I wish I could play, but I respect my teammates and my coaches and what he decides," Rubio said. Early on, Memphis took advantage of Minnesota playing its second straight game without bruising centre Nikola Pekovic, who is out indefinitely with bursitis in his right ankle. Memphis had 36 points in the paint in the first half, and finished with 56. Gasol and Lee each had nine points in the first quarter as the Grizzlies shot 63.6 per cent from the field, and had 22 points in the paint in building a 30-22 lead. A putback by Randolph and a two-handed dunk by Ed Davis off a Minnesota turnover increased Memphis lead to 42-28 midway through the second quarter. NOTES: Minnesotas 37 first-half points were a season low. ... Memphis F Mike Miller, who was questionable after spraining his right thumb Wednesday, finished with five points. ... Minnesotas Gorgui Dieng blocked Davis twice in a 58-second span early in second. ... Joerger grew up in Staples, Minn. Calgary Flames Shirts . According to a police report, Douglas is accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck and slamming her against the wall several times while he carried her from the elevator to their Hartford hotel room early Sunday morning. Flames Jerseys 2020 . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer.WINNIPEG -- General manager Kyle Walters knows what he wants to see in a new coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "We need a leader, we need a strong personality, we need someone that the players are going to want to play for and be driven to succeed," he said Tuesday, as the Bombers made his appointment official. Walters, who started the season as assistant general manager, has been doing the big job on an interim basis since the team fired former general manager Joe Mack mid-season. The team also dumped head coach Tim Burke at the end of the 2013 campaign, after his first full season in a job vacated by the firing of Paul LaPolice mid-2012. Burke left on good terms -- he even received what sounded a lot like an invitation to apply for his old job as defensive co-ordinator -- but after a 3-15 finish, his departure was no surprise. "(His replacement) has to fit into the way we think," said Walters. "I think its imperative that management and the head coach are all on the same page so theres a unified message." A few names have been bandied about, including former Winnipeg quarterback Khari Jones, but Walters refused to comment on any speculation. A new coach may be top shelf but getting the teams scouting department operational, landing a new quarterback and improving Canadian content all rank high on Walters list as well. On the Canadian content front, Walters said Wednesday that linebacker Henoc Muamba will be getting workouts from NFL teams. The Bombers and their top Canadian have been negotiating a possible new contract for months. He wished Muamba well, but if he goes south it will be another blow for a team that is still face down on their new turf at Investors Group Field. At quarterback, they opened 2013 with the oft-injured Buck Pierce as their starter and understudies Justin Goltz, Max Hall and Chase Clement. As they struggled game after game, Pierce was traded to the B.C. Lions, Goltz went from starter to Halls backup, Clement was cut and they brought in other candidates in hopes of finding a better option. Stitched Flames Jerseys. They didnt and are still looking. The Ottawa expansion draft is generating hope an established CFL quarterback will pop loose. But, at the same time, Walters admits a new team in the league doesnt make rebuilding the Bombers any easier. "I guess just simple arithmetic suggests that with a ninth team in the league, that the players will be in higher demand." The Redblacks also have to build from the ground up, he noted. This is Walters first shot at general manager, although he has 12 years experience in the CFL as a player, coach and, most recently, assistant GM in Winnipeg. Team president Wade Miller said he looked at all available candidates and felt Walters was the best. While he could understand fan skepticism of a first-time general manager who came from the outside, Miller said its a different case with Walters. "I was able to work with Kyle every day and from day one, very impressed with his plans for the Ottawa expansion," he said. "And (he) was doing all of those things anyway for the organization, was managing the salary cap and was pretty well doing the entire role." He admitted it certainly doesnt hurt that, unlike Mack, Walters lives full-time in Winnipeg with his wife Rena and children Lawson and Taylor. Miller also had his title confirmed after the season ended. Former president Garth Buchko was sacked along with Mack. While Miller, unlike Buchko, is a former Bomber and has a football background, he insisted hell be leaving the running of the football operation to Walters. Walters joined the Bombers in 2010 and served as Canadian college draft co-ordinator and special teams co-ordinator, after four seasons as the head coach of the University of Guelph Gryphons, his alma mater. The native of St. Thomas, Ont., played seven seasons at safety and halfback with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. ' ' '
RSS Feed
RSS Feed