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Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:02 am
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The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies will renew their postseason rivalry Saturday night when the two squads meet at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Air Force 1 Outlet Clearance . Catch the game on TSN2 starting at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. For the third time in four seasons, the Thunder will face the Grizzlies in the playoffs. OKC dispatched the Grizz in the second round following the 2010-11 season, but Memphis evened the score one year ago. The Grizzlies eliminated the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals last season. Granted, Oklahoma City was without the services of All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, but this seasons first-round battle will be the rubber match. "Its going to be a tough but fun series," OKC star Kevin Durant said. "We have a lot of history with these guys. Were looking forward to getting the opportunity to play for a championship." Durant will be the leagues MVP and carried a heavy load. Westbrook missed time with a knee injury and veteran starters Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins both were shelved late in the season with various ailments. "Guys had to step up and I think we did a good job of fighting through it all," Durant said. "That shows the type of organization, the type of coaching staff and team that we have. Its been a fun season and up and down like any other season." Memphis overcame a hideous start to make the postseason once again. Injuries hit the Grizzlies hard as well. They were without All-Defensive guard Tony Allen for a long stretch, but the main setback occurred when they lost All- Star center Marc Gasol with a left knee problem. Once the reigning Defensive Player of the Year returned to the lineup, the Grizzlies clicked. The Grizzlies went 33-13 in games Gasol played after the injury. The heart of the Grizz rests in their big-man combo of Gasol, who averaged 14.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 1.88 blocks, and Zach Randolph, who continued to be a double-double machine. He posted marks of 17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds while tying for the fourth-most double-doubles in the league. However, the real star that emerged this season was point guard Mike Conley. He averaged 17.2 ppg and 6.0 apg all the while playing stellar defense, the hallmark of the Grizzlies. It all finally came together for Memphis over the final two games of the season. The Grizzlies road victory over the Phoenix Suns in the penultimate game earned them a playoff berth. Their win over the Dallas Mavericks in the finale got them the seventh seed. "Getting 50 wins is something you want on your resume as a player, and people remember those. Those are special seasons. Its a standard, a golden standard I think," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said. It will be a classic offense versus defense matchup. The Thunder were the fifth-best offensive team this season, while the Grizzlies ranked third in opponents scoring. Flip the script and the advantage swings to Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished a respectable 12th in defensive scoring and an impressive third in opponents field-goal percentage. Memphis ranked 27th in scoring The Thunder won three of four regular-season meetings against the Grizzlies. OKC is 7-4 all-time versus Memphis in regular-season games in Oklahoma City. Cheap Sneakers Wholesale China . Make that, almost always subjective. Saturday at Carrow Road, the spirit of fair play trumped the rulebook, costing Norwich City three points. Fake Yeezys For Sale . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.outletsneakersclearance.com/fake-air-jordan.html .C. -- Clemson celebrated a senior class Saturday that brought the program back as a national contender. SHANGHAI, China -- Mercedes set the fastest practice times again at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, though rivals Ferrari and Red Bull may have closed the gap somewhat on Formula Ones runaway leader. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, winner of the past two F1 races, was quickest around the Shanghai International Circuit in the afternoon session after a suspension problem limited him to only nine laps in the morning session. Ferraris Fernando Alonso, however, was just 0.141 seconds behind Hamilton under the watch of new team principal Marco Mattiacci, who arrived in Shanghai to take charge following Stefano Domenicalis abrupt departure this week. Alonso also set the quickest time during the morning practice. Hamilton was delayed in the garage for a half hour in the afternoon session while his crew tried to resolve the suspension trouble. "Its great to be still up front even though we have those issues," he said. "But, still, you want to get the car ready, you want to get the long runs feeling a little better, so theres some work to do." Teammate Nico Rosberg had the third-fastest practice time, about 0.4 seconds behind Hamilton. He said Mercedes still expects to win the race on Sunday, even if its rivals performed well in practice. "Were still looking pretty decent at the moment," he said. "The competitors are pushing -- today, Ferrari was very close." Mercedes has dominated the season, with Hamilton winning in Bahrain and Malaysia and Rosberg in Australia. Only an engine problem on Hamiltons car in the opening race in Melbourne prevented three successive one-two finishes. Air Max 95 Outlet Clearance. But Alonso, the defending Chinese GP champion, kept pace with them in the cool conditions of Shanghai, indicating his struggling team may just emerge as a challenger on Sunday. Ferrari has lagged behind Mercedes following the series switch to V6 turbo hybrid engines, and new fuel-saving regulations. The slow start prompted Ferrari to part ways with Domenicali after six years, replacing him with Mattiacci, formerly president of Ferrari North America. Red Bull also kept up the pace on Friday, with Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Ricciardo said, however, he believes Mercedes may have been holding back during practice. "We have to see where they are tomorrow. The gap seems a bit too close for now," he said. "I would like to say weve caught up but theyve got a bit more in there." He was pleased with Red Bulls improvement since Bahrain, where both drivers finished off the podium. "Were making small improvements," Ricciardo said. "I mean, the gap is a big one so its not going to come over one race, but weve crept up a little bit more." Felipe Massa of Williams was sixth fastest in afternoon practice, followed by Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen, who missed the morning session due to a mechanical problem. McLarens Jenson Button, Lotus Romain Grosjean and Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10. Smog hampered visibility at the circuit on Thursday, but conditions were relatively clear for Fridays practice. Rain and cool temperatures were forecast for Saturdays qualifying session. ' ' ' |
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