Mike Conley scored 24 points and Marc Gasol added 22 points and 10 rebounds to power the Memphis Grizzlies over Miami 103-95 on Saturday and snap a four-game losing skid.
Beno Udrih added 11 points and Tayshaun Prince contributed 10 for the Grizzlies, who played a fourth consecutive game without inside star Zach Randolph, who has a knee injury.
Dwyane Wade, whose 31-point performance sparked Miami over Cleveland and ex-teammate LeBron James two nights earlier, scored 25 points, while reserve Danny Granger scored 18 points and Britain’s Luol Deng added 16.
The Heat fell to 14-17 and have not won back-to-back games in more than a month.
Memphis took a big lead, but Miami trimmed the deficit to a single point several times in the fourth quarter, only to fall short of overtaking the Grizzlies each time.
Conley’s floater gave Memphis a 93-86 lead with 2:54 remaining. Mario Chalmers’ three-point play and two Chris Andersen free throws pulled the Heat within 93-91, but Gasol added two free throws and later blocked a Chalmers shot in the closing seconds to seal Miami’s fate.
Heat forward Chris Bosh missed his eighth game in a row with a left calf strain.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping