back just to get him off my rear end,

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops. Utahs second-half effort pulled the Jazz even in the fourth before Memphis clamped down its defence and beat the Jazz 96-86 on Wednesday night. Zach Randolph scored 21 points, Marc Gasol added 20 as Memphis maintained its hold on a Western Conference playoff spot. "When we do things were supposed to, everything is easier. Its more us," Gasol said of holding off the late Utah threats. "When we start breaking down and not doing what were supposed to, things get ugly quick." Mike Conley finished with 18 points and seven assists, and Tony Allen scored 10 points. Memphis won its eighth straight home game and fifth straight game at home over the Jazz. Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke and Alec Burks each scored 16 points for Utah, while Enes Kanter had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Jazz lost their sixth straight and 11th of their last 12. "I love the way we fought in the second half," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We gave ourselves a chance, and we fought back in the game." Memphis weathered several runs by the Jazz before six straight points in the fourth quarter provided a sufficient buffer. The Grizzlies victory, coupled with Dallas overtime loss to Minnesota, moved Memphis into the seventh playoff spot by percentage points over the Mavericks. Utah kept making runs at Memphis and finally caught the Grizzlies near the midway point of the fourth. Memphis had carried its advantage to 12 early in the period, but Utah answered with a 16-4 run to tie the game at 84 with 5:38 left. The tying basket came after Memphis fourth turnover of the quarter, leading to a breakaway by Burks. Helping the Utah run was the Jazz hitting 10 of their first 12 shots in the fourth. But Memphis got inside for its next three baskets -- by Tayshaun Prince, Randolph and Conley -- to increase the lead to 90-84, enough for the Grizzlies to secure the game. After tying the game, Utah would commit four turnovers the rest of the way and missed nine of its final 10 shots, preventing the Jazz from threatening again. "I think we kind of settled too much, tried to just get the game over with instead of going out there and playing the style that got us the lead," Conley said. "Late in the fourth quarter, we finally got that back." As poorly as the Jazz played in the first half when they trailed by as many as 18, they reversed their fortunes in the third quarter. Hayward, who converted only one of eight shots in the first half, got untracked, helping Utah go on a 16-4 rally to get the Jazz close. "We just came out in the second half and played hard," said Jazz forward Derrick Favours, who was limited to six points on 3-for-10 shooting. "Gordon Hayward got going. We were just out there playing hard. We will get one of these games sooner or later." Utah would get within 3 in the third, but Memphis responded to run the advantage back to 13 before holding a 74-63 lead heading into the final period. Hayward scored eight in the quarter, while Richard Jefferson had nine for Utah, which made 13 of 22 shots in the third. "I think the second half we played pretty good, especially in the third quarter," Kanter said. "We got a really good run and we came back." Memphis, which led 48-32 at halftime, maintained its poise as Utah pecked away at the lead. Despite tying Memphis in the fourth, Utah never led in the game. "We stepped up our game, got three stops in a row, scored three times in a row and executed most of the rest of the way," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said of holding off Utah. NOTES: The Grizzlies, who hadnt played since Saturday remained undefeated (4-0) when coming off three days rest. ... Memphis native Ian Clark, a Utah rookie out of Belmont, did not play in the game. ... Utahs only win in their last 12 was over the Philadelphia 76ers. ... Memphis reserves shot 42.9 per cent, ending a streak of 14 games where the backups shot at least 50 per cent. Cheap Tennessee Titans Jerseys . Vonn had another scary moment at Saturdays World Cup downhill in Val dIsere, ending up clutching her knee in pain after losing her balance and missing a gate. But she gave a reassuring answer shortly afterward, saying no new damage had been done to the surgically repaired knee, and that her plans for the Sochi Olympics were still intact. Cheap Titans Jerseys Authentic . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal. http://www.cheaptitansjerseysauthentic.com/ .5 million. University officials released the term sheet signed by Harsin Wednesday, the day the former Broncos walk-on player and Boise native was named the successor to Chris Petersen, who left for Washington last week. Titans Jerseys China .C. - Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Danny Granger, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem are still not ready to play and will miss Wednesday nights game against the Charlotte Hornets. Titans Jerseys China Cheap . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Rams hope they saved some points from their previous win and will visit the Washington Redskins Sunday at FedEx Field. The Rams annihilated the lowly Oakland Raiders, 52-0, at home this past weekend and took advantage of five turnovers by the visiting team, including a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by Trumaine Johnson. All three phases worked in St. Louis favor and the team rode the legs of Tre Mason, who ran for a season-high 117 yards and two scores. He had an 89-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and posted just his second 100-yard game of the season. Mason also scored on a 35-yard screen pass. We practiced with a purpose, we met with a purpose, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said. Weve been doing that all year long. It all just came together for us today. St. Louis improved to 5-7 and has rotated wins over the past eight games. Veteran quarterback Shaun Hill made his third start since replacing rookie Austin Davis and threw for 183 yards with two touchdowns on 13-of-22 passing. Hill won his only career start against the Redskins as a member of San Francisco in 2008. Oakland used two quarterbacks after rookie Derek Carr was intercepted twice and passed for 173 yards. Matt Schaub came on in relief and was intercepted, completing 5-of-9 attempts for 57 yards. Johnson had two interceptions and was excited for his pick-six. This is my first pick six, Johnson said. I scored and forgot what it was like to be in the end zone. My celebration was trash, but Im just glad I caught it and put some points up for our team. E.J. Gaines posted the other interception for the Rams, who recorded six sacks, three of which by Robert Quinn. Quinn has nine sacks on the season and is 10 shy of matching his 2013 total. The Rams are on the road, where they have lost two in a row and four of the last five games. Washington is a dismal 3-9 this season and mired in a four-game losing streak. It will play three of four games at home to close the season. The Redskins made a statement by benching franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III after a 17-13 loss at San Francisco. The move to Colt McCoy produced some numbers, but it wasnt enough to overcome Sundays 49-27 loss in Indianapolis. McCoy threw for a career-high 392 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in his second start of the season, and Jordan Reed was his favorite target. Reed caught nine passes for 123 yards and DeSean Jackson finished with five receptions for 84 yards and a score. Wide receiver Santana Moss recorded his first reception of the season in the second quarter, gaining 13 yards. Players have to start stepping up and taking some accountability at some point, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. Weve got to do a better job coaching, thats all I can say. The Colts had 487 total yards to Washingtons 425. Ryan Kerrigan posted the lone sack for the Redskins and has 9 1/2 this season. He also posted the 13th forced fumble of his career for the Redskins, who had three takeaways for the second straight week. Washingtons defense has seen better days and is ninth in rushing yards allowed (102.8), 11th in total yards (344.0), 15th in passing yards (241.2) and 27th in points allowed (26.8). The Redskins are 14th in sacks (28.0) and 29th in interceptions (5). I think everybody in our room works hard, Redskins defensive back Ryan Clark said. I love these dudes. I like the guys I work with. I love the way they work. I love the way they prepare, but you got to bring it to the grass and we need to bring it to the grass as a group. The Redskins lead the all-time series with the Rams, 24-12-1, but have lost four of the past six meetings between the two teams. St. Louis won the latest installment of this series by recording a 31-28 win on Sept. 16, 2012. RG3 passed for 206 yards with a TD and an INT, and also ran for 82 yards and two scores. Alfred Morris posted 89 yards on 16 carries in defeat. Washington is 11-5 all-time in regular season home games against the Rams. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Redskins are 10th annd 11th, respectively, in passing yards (260.dddddddddddd5) and total yards (370.2) this season. The Rams are allowing 245.2 passing yards and 356.3 total yards on defense, so this could turn out to be a win for the hosts. St. Louis sacked the Raiders six times and Quinn led the way. Now he gets to face McCoy, who was sacked six times on Sunday and 11 times in three appearances this season. Quinn has nine sacks and four forced fumbles in his last seven games. McCoy and the Redskins are closing out the season with pride and effort. We have unity. We have good guys in that locker room. We have good coaches and we know this isnt how the season, this isnt how we drew it up, McCoy said. But we all still have a lot of pride and certainly in that receivers group, theres a lot of pride. So I can be better and I think we all can be better. And we just have to continue to grind and continue to improve. The most important thing is to find a way to get a win. Were going back home this week, so Ill put my best foot forward and keep going. Speaking of the receivers, wide receiver Pierre Garcon surpassed 5,000 career receiving yards and Jackson posted his 400th career reception. Jackson eclipsed 7,000 career receiving yards and is a deep threat for the Skins. He has 10 catches for 40 or more yards this season, and is nursing a leg bruise. Jackson has faced St. Louis twice in his career as an Eagle, posting 12 receptions for 208 yards and a touchdown. Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather suffered a sprained toe and his status for Sunday is unknown. Other defensive players who sustained injuries against the Colts were cornerback Chase Minnifield, linebacker Will Compton and defensive lineman Kedric Golston. Gruden said its not looking good for Meriweather to play this week. Golston could be out with both a back and foot ailment. St. Louis hopes to run up the score on Washington like it did versus Oakland, and can take advantage of a nicked-up Redskins defense. Mason will face a Washington defense allowing just over 100 yards a game. The Colts had 126 rushing yards on Sunday and Dan Herron had 88 yards and a TD on eight touches. Mason is riding a strong wave from the Oakland game and will try to carry it over into FedEx Field. I want to be the best player to ever touch a football, and thats what Im heading after, Mason said. Thats a goal of mine. While those aspirations may be a bit far-fetched, Mason should have similar numbers Sunday. My mindset is that if Ive done it once, why not do it again? Mason said. I told myself coming into the league to be the best, to be the greatest. And Im trying to do it. Mason leads NFC rookies with 562 rushing yards and has led the Rams in rushing in all eight games played. Rams defensive end Chris Long returned against the Raiders after suffering an ankle injury in Week 1. Long had a sack and his coach is happy hes back. Its great to get him back. Hes not 100 percent yet, but I brought him back just to get him off my rear end, Fisher said. He was just wearing me out to come back and play. Chris understands the game, he plays with leverage, hes a good run defender. Its great to get on the board from a sack standpoint. OVERALL ANALYSIS Shutting out the Raiders in blowout fashion was no fluke by the Rams, but theyve struggled on the road all season. The Rams are out of the playoff mix and would like to end the season on a positive note with high expectations for 2015. And so would the Redskins. With a new QB in tow for a second straight week, the home team has the edge in this one. Gruden liked the way McCoy competed against a tough Indy squad and had admiration for his QB, which has been rare this season. Colt competed, Gruden said. There are some things I wish we would have done differently, play calls and execution-wise, but I feel like he competed and did a nice job out there. Washingtons defense may be banged up a bit, so its up to McCoy, Morris and some talented receivers to keep team pride intact. Sports Network predicted outcome: Redskins 26, Rams 21 ' ' '