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MEMPHIS, Tenn. Dion Sims Womens Jersey . -- Russell Westbrook is putting to rest any doubts he has recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss the first two games of the season. Westbrook scored 27 points and added nine assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Westbrooks performance against the Grizzlies followed double-doubles Tuesday night in a win over Atlanta (14 points, 11 assists) and Sunday in a victory over Indiana (26 points, 13 assists). "Im great, I feel good," said Westbrook, who was sidelined by a lateral meniscus tear to start the year. "Im taking it one day at a time and Im taking care of my body, which is most important. Im trying to get us wins." Kevin Durant, the NBAs leading scorer, added 18 points and six rebounds. Reserve guard Jeremy Lamb scored a career-high 18 points to help the Thunder to their fourth straight win and 12th in 13 games. Neither Westbrook nor Durant played in the fourth quarter, when the Thunder maintained a double-digit lead. "Russell is calming down, relaxing and just playing his game," Durant said. "He is getting confidence. We tell him when he does no one can stop him." Westbrook scored 12 points in the first seven minutes of the third quarter, including a three-point play after the Grizzlies had trimmed the Thunder lead to 13 points. The Grizzlies never got closer than 13 the rest of the way. "Russells a no-excuse player," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We could play back-to-back, we could play four in five nights, we can play every night for a month and hes going to come in and play the game that he loves to play every night. He sets the tone for us and our guys do a great job following his lead." Mike Conley had 20 points for the Grizzlies and Zach Randolph and reserve Jon Leuer scored 17 apiece. Memphis ended a season-long six-game homestand with the loss. A depleted Grizzlies squad -- missing starters Marc Gasol and Tony Allen with injuries -- stayed close to the Thunder through most of the first half and trailed 40-37 after Conleys floater in the lane with 4:19 to go in the second quarter. Then the Thunder put together a 17-5 run to end the half for a 57-42 advantage at the break. During the run, Durant had two driving dunks and Westbrook added a 3-pointer and four assists. Oklahoma City opened the third quarter by extending its lead to 20 points as Westbrook scored nine points during a 13-8 start. The Thunder boosted their advantage to as many as 24 points in the second half on several occasions giving the Thunder the luxury of resting Durant and Westbrook. "The first five minutes of the third quarter were probably the most important of the game," Westbrook said. "We wanted to come out and set the tone early defensively and we did a good job of that." The Thunder were playing back-to-back games after defeating the Hawks Tuesday night in Atlanta. The Thunder, who shot 61 per cent in a win over Indiana on Sunday, shot 56 per cent against the Grizzlies. Memphis shot 42 per cent and was outrebounded, 42-33. "The Thunder is a good team," Leuer said. "This is what they do. They go on runs. We tried to limit their easy stuff, but they got a few open looks and got into a rhythm after that." NOTES: Thunder reserve centre Steven Adams sprained his right ankle in the second half and didnt return. ... Grizzlies guard Tony Allen missed his fourth straight game with a right hip contusion and reserve forward Ed Davis missed his third straight with a left ankle sprain. ... The Thunder won for the first time this season on the second night of a back-to-back. They had been 0-2 in such games. Brent Grimes Green Jersey ." Thornton went after Orpik during a stoppage in play a week ago, slew-footing him to the ice and punching him twice in the head. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher and transported to the hospital.Brent Grimes White Jersey . Masai Ujiri - one of the leagues lowest paid general managers - was set to begin his third season at the helm of the Denver Nuggets, a season that would see his team produce a franchise-record 57 wins, earning him NBA Executive of the Year honours.CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jose Bautista extended his torrid spring training with a double and Esmil Rogers gave up just one run in five innings Thursday as the Blue Jays beat a Philadelphia Phillies split squad 3-1. Bautista went 1 for 3, and is hitting .359 with five homers, four doubles and 11 RBIs. Erik Kratz homered twice and was 3 for 3, and Moises Sierra also connected for Toronto. Phillies starter David Buchanan gave up two of the homers but was sharp otherwise. Buchanan, who has a decent shot to make the team, gave up the two runs and struck out six in four innings. Buchanan started six games in Triple-A last year. Tony Gwynn Jr. went 2 for 2 with a double, a run and a walk. Chase Utley drove in Gwynn with a first-inning double for the Phillies only run. STARTING TIME Blue Jays: Esmil Rogers enjoyed his finest outing of the spring, allowing just one run over 4 2-3 innings. Rogers is unlikely to make the Blue Jays rotation, but could land a spot on the opening-day roster as a long bullpen arm. He has a 5.27 ERA this spring. "It doesnt matter where Im going to be I just want to help the team win," Rogers said. "It doesnt matter if its in the bullpen or as a starter. Right now, they gave me an opportunity to compete for a spot so Im going to do my best." Phillies: Buchanan, 25, is in his first major league spring training camp, and looks to have a solid shot to either join the Phillies hurting rotation or nab a spot in the bullpen as a long reliever. Buchanans runs came on back-to-back homers in the second inning. "I was impressed with his composure," Phillies manager Ryyne Sandberg said. Dan Marino Premier Jersey. "He had a couple of balls that were connected on, one was an 0-2 breaking pitch, he kept his composure, actually came inside on a couple of hitters after that to keep them honest. I thought he rebounded well there to minimize." TRAINERS ROOM Phillies: Darin Ruf was scratched from the Phillies split-squad lineup in Kissimmee, Fla., after straining his left oblique during batting practice. He will visit with team doctors Saturday. The injury will likely cause Ruf, a leading candidate for a bench job, to miss opening day. "Hes a guy competing, obviously, with what hes doing and his ability, his right-handed bat, hes competing for a bench job," Sandberg said. "Well see what that means." Ruf is hitting .217 this spring with two homers and seven RBIs. GWYNN IMPRESSING Tony Gwynn Jr., who signed a minor league deal with the Phillies this winter, is making a good impression on Phillies coaches this spring. Gwynn went 2 for 3 Thursday. Hes hitting .346 and provides crucial depth for a team thin on outfielders. Its a strong possibility Gwynn begins the season on the 25-man roster. "Hes a bright spot," Sandberg said. "His defence, his at-bats, his base running, are quality." PICK UP The Blue Jays have claimed outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks. To make room on the 40-man roster, they cut left-hander Luis Perez. Tuiasosopo appeared in 16 games this spring for the Diamondbacks, hitting .118 with six RBIs in 34 at-bats. He hit .244 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 81 games last year for Detroit. ' ' ' |
