News » ember 4, 2016Finally, in one of the feel-good stories

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves finally built a lead too big to lose. Trent Williams Womens Jersey .That their first victory of the season came against a weakened lineup mattered little after two stinging road losses to begin the year.Zach LaVine scored 31 points and hit five 3-pointers, and the Timberwolves led by as many as 40 points in a 116-80 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.Gorgui Dieng scored 17 points for the Timberwolves (1-2), who led by 17 points in the opener against Memphis and 18 against Sacramento before losing both games.More focus. Stop messing around, LaVine said of the difference. We know what we did the last two games. Dont let it happen again.Memphis coach David Fizdale decided to rest Mike Conley and Marc Gasol on the front end of a back-to-back that finishes at home on Wednesday night against New Orleans. Tony Allen made his season debut for the Grizzlies after missing the first three games of the season with a right knee injury.Conley and Gasol are both coming off surgeries, so the Grizzlies are playing it safe in the middle of a four-game in five-night stretch.We just thought it was best that tonight, you know, we rested them and then you load up and you try to get a win at home tomorrow, Fizdale said.Memphis shot just 36.5 percent and turned the ball over 22 times.Rookie Kris Dunn had 10 points, six assists and five steals in his first career start after Ricky Rubio sprained his right elbow in their last game. Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and Dieng shot 8 for 9 one day after signing a four-year, $64 million contract extension.When the ball moves and the spacing is good, were going to score, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said.Deyonta Davis led Memphis with 17 points.The Timberwolves shot 55 percent for the game, including 60 percent from 3-point range (12 for 20) against a Memphis team missing the grit and toughness that gave the Wolves so many problems on opening night.Zach Randolph played just 10 minutes after bullying the Wolves for 19 points and 11 boards in Game 1 and Vince Carter only played 15 minutes.I guess everything is a learning experience, but especially coming in here and being down at the margins that we had been, it doesnt make any sense even with Marc and Mike not playing, Grizzlies rookie Wade Baldwin said. Guys got to play better.TIP-INSGrizzlies: Allen had four points and four rebounds in 19 minutes. ... Memphis hit 11 of 24 3-point attempts to erase that big deficit in the season opener, but hit just 4 of 24 from long range on Tuesday night.Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. ... With Dunn starting for Rubio, it gave the Wolves four players in the starting lineup age 22 or younger. Thats the third time it has happened in franchise history.CARTERS MILESTONESThe 39-year-old Carter played in his 1,278th game, tying him with A.C. Green for 25th on the NBAs career list. He also surpassed 24,000 points with a runner in the lane in the third. He ranks 25th in league history for career scoring.I plan on using him all year in different ways, Fizdale said.JONES STEPS UPOne of the intriguing subplots entering the game was who would be elevated to No. 2 point guard behind Dunn. Thibodeau kept four point guards on the roster, including second-year man Tyus Jones and veteran John Lucas III, who played for Thibodeau in Chicago. Jones got the nod on Tuesday night and delivered a crisp performance.The heady Minnesota native kept the ball moving with the second unit and helped the Wolves get rolling after a sluggish start by the first team. He finished with two points and six assists in 18 minutes.UP NEXTGrizzlies: Memphis hosts New Orleans on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies swept the Pelicans last season 4-0.Timberwolves: Minnesota hosts Denver on Thursday night. Towns will meet Nikola Jokic in a battle of two of the best sophomore big men in the league. Alex Smith Womens Jersey . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Washington Redskins Jerseys . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Wome...nverted-Jersey/ . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. NEW YORK -- It was the match of the tournament, hands down. Lucas Pouille, the fearless Frenchman, beat No. 4 Rafael Nadal in a hair-raising 4-hour, 7-minute battle.It has twists and turns aplenty, but in the end, Pouille showed why he is touted as one of the top up-and-coming talents. In case you missed it, heres how that match, along with other top storylines from Day 7, unfolded:Seemingly down and out, Nadal made one final push.?Ready, Set, Rafa2-time champ isnt going down without a fight. He wins 4th set 6-3, pushing Pouille to a decider. pic.twitter.com/cGVFh0XBHI- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 4, 2016The fifth set was an ultra-intense, back-and-forth battle.Things are HEATING up on Ashe.Pouille consolidates the break and is just one game away from a R16 win over Nadal. pic.twitter.com/URE5Hu5t5i- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 4, 2016The final set reached 6-6 -- a situation Nadal had not seen in more than a decade.Rafa has played 3 5th set tiebreakers. None in a Slam. Last one was 2006 Rome. (D. Federer)- Chris McKendry (@ChrisMcKendry) September 4, 2016In the end, an untimely mistake by Nadal deep in the tiebreaker cost him the match.WHAT. A. MATCH.22yo @la_pouille wins 4hr 7min thriller over two-time champ Nadal 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6(6). #USOpen pic.twitter.com/nMCYuuBeeY- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 4, 2016Amazingly, the loss ended one of Rafas great streaks.This is the 1st year since 2004 Rafael Nadal has not reached the quarterfinal at a Grand Slam in a calendar year. pic.twitter.com/j48TSJQxt4- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 4, 2016But worry not, the 14-time Grand Slam champion isnt going anywhere, so he says.I need to keep improving the level of tennis, to be back where I was before the injury. - Rafael Nadal pic.twitter.com/GucXfLzGnE- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 5, 2016The truth is, though, that Nadals loss opened up a lot of questions about his future. He has openly admitted to a crisis of confidence, and hes not getting any younger. Doug Williams Jersey. At this point, we have to wonder whether Nadal is becoming a sentimental favorite rather than a player with realistic title hopes. ?Nadal: Another opportunity lostPouille wasnt the only Frenchman who walked away from the US Open pumped up Sunday.En quart !!! ??????? #USOPEN #TsongaTeam pic.twitter.com/ZP7bqnbash- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (@tsonga7) September 4, 2016Tsonga put an end to any hope an American man would win a Grand Slam by beating Jack Sock,?the last remaining Yank. That makes it 12 years and 362 days since an American man captured a Slam. But in this case, it wasnt about what Sock didnt do; rather what Jo-Willy did do. Serving notice like never before?And not to be outdone, ANOTHER Frenchman moved on. Gael Monfils beat down Marcos Baghdatis. Monfils has yet to drop a set in the tournament. And, naturally, he put on a show for the fans as well.ICYMI: This happened today.#USOpen https://t.co/cHKBQ1SBLl- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 4, 2016Finally, in one of the feel-good stories of the tournament, Caroline Wozniacki beat Madison Keys with little resistance. How was she feeling afterward?Mood!!!! @usopen ???? pic.twitter.com/28mJ7XCtZ3- Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) September 4, 2016Woz, who was twice the year-end No. 1, said she had become more or less irrelevant when it came to vetting the top stars chances of winning Grand Slams. But while we might have lost self-belief in the Dane, she sure did not. As she said afterward, To be honest, at this point, Im very much like I dont care what my ranking is. Because if Im not in the top five, I feel like its not where I want to be. So at that point, whether Im 20 in the world or 100 in the world, it doesnt matter. Im going to play the same people anyway. Read more ' ' '