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(SportsNetwork.com) - The New Orleans Pelicans once again become road warriors on Friday as they travel to the Target Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pelicans played one game in the Big Easy following a five-game road trip. New Orleans went 2-3 on that trip with wins over the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons and losses to the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. On Wednesday, the Pelicans returned home and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 96-80. Anthony Davis, who was named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team, had 29 points and eight rebounds as the Pelicans pulled away from the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Davis returned from a three-game absence with a toe injury. Eric Gordon posted 17 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, while Tyreke Evans added 19 points for the Pelicans, who outscored the Lakers 27-12 in the fourth to turn the game into a rout. We just love Gordons floor game, having 10 assists was huge for us, Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. New Orleans scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to grab a 10- point cushion at the 8:32 mark. The Lakers never got within less than eight the rest of the way. Following Fridays contest, the Pelicans head home for a six-game residency. The Timberwolves have lost two straight since winning two of three. Minnesota has dropped nine straight at home and hasnt won at the Target Center since Dec. 10 against the Portland Trail Blazers. On Wednesday, the home losing streak reached nine with a 98-75 setback at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Andrew Wiggins paced the Timberwolves with 18 points, with Thaddeus Young tallying 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in defeat. Nikola Pekovic, playing his first game since Minnesotas loss in Dallas on Nov. 15, had 14 points in 23 minutes in his return. The Mavericks hit on 11-of-27 shots from beyond the arc. Minnesota, in contrast, went a poor 2-of-15 on 3-point tries and shot just 34.8 percent overall. It felt like we were playing with deflated balls tonight, Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders joked in reference to the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots recent win in the AFC Championship Game. We couldnt shoot at all tonight. The Timberwolves might be getting some reinforcements soon in the form of Kevin Martin. He has practiced for almost a week and is listed as questionable for Friday. There is no return timetable for Ricky Rubio or Shabazz Muhammad. The Pelicans beat the T-wolves in New Orleans on Nov. 14 and have taken two straight versus Minnesota. The Timberwolves are 4-0 in their last four as the host in this series. Marshall Newhouse Bills Jersey .3 seconds remaining, and No. 7 North Carolina held off a resilient No. 25 Virginia team, 54-51, on Saturday. John Henson contributed a double-double with 15 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels (25-4, 12-2 ACC), who have won five straight and 10 of 11. Phillip Gaines Bills Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. http://www.billsnflgears.com/Black-Chris-Ivory-Bills-Jersey.html?cat=950 .The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. Taron Johnson Jersey . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. Jim Kelly Bills Jersey . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kevin Durant insisted the Thunder facing elimination was all the motivation he needed. Thanks to the NBAs best scorer, the Thunder remain alive and can finish off the Memphis Grizzlies back in Oklahoma City. Durant scored 36 points to break out of a slump, and the Thunder routed the Grizzlies 104-84 on Thursday night to force a deciding seventh game in the first-round Western Conference series. His performance came on a day where the hometown newspaper questioned his struggles with a headline calling him "Mr. Unreliable." "We needed to win this game," Durant said. "Thats more motivation than anything, so our team responded. Weve got to do an even better job in Game 7." Russell Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who havent been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs since 2010. They took control early with Durant scoring 14 points in the first quarter, led by 15 at halftime and never let Memphis get that close again in the second half in the first game in the series that didnt go to overtime since the opener. "You dont get to his level as an NBA player and a great player as he is to have other people motivate you," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Hes self-motivated. Hes a tremendous kid and does everything for his team, for our organization. Were proud of him because he gives everything he has. That was the only focus for tonights game." Durant also had 10 rebounds and made 14 of 15 free throws. Reggie Jackson had 16 points off the bench for the Thunder, who will host Game 7 on Saturday night. Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said the Thunder simply wanted the game more and called the loss embarrassing in front of a sellout crowd. "Now, weve shot ourselves in the foot, and we have to go to a hostile environment now and pretty much show where our heart is at," Allen said. Marc Gasol had 17 points and Zach Randolph 16 for Memphis. Guard Mike Conley strained his right hamstring, briefly returned and left for good with 8:48 left. Conley went down in the third quarter near midcourt dribbling when Kendrick Perkins reached in for a steal. The Memphis guard returned briefly, but Conley was limping noticeably. With the Thunder in control, Conley went to the locker room again and didnt return. Nick& Calathes currently is suspended for violating the NBAs anti-drug policy, leaving Memphis with only Beno Udrih at point guard.dddddddddddd Memphis coach Dave Joerger said Udrih will play a lot of minutes if Conley cant. Conley said he will be re-evaluated Friday and receive as much treatment as possible before tipoff Saturday. "I plan on playing," Conley said. Durant had to answer questions after the shootaround Thursday about that headline in The Oklahoman newspaper. Durant said he had no problem with the headline and that he just needed to hit shots and be more aggressive. Smiling just before tipoff, Durant did just that. The man who led the NBA scoring 32 points a game during the regular season opened by hitting five of his first seven and finished 11 of 23 from the floor. He continued to struggle outside the arc where he missed all six of his attempts. The Grizzlies had a chance to advance to their third semifinal in four years on their own floor. Yet they couldnt shoot well or match the Thunders intensity with a sloppy performance in front of a sellout crowd that tried to energize the Grizzlies. Oklahoma City outrebounded Memphis 47-36 and easily outshot them 49.3 per cent (37 of 75) to 37.3 per cent (31 of 83). "We knew sooner or later our shots would fall," Brooks said. Brooks also benched Thabo Sefolosha and started Caron Butler. "This is why you play the game to prove doubters wrong, and adversity builds character," Butler said. "This team has a strong character and a will." Memphis last led 6-4. A team that thrives off defence, the Grizzlies couldnt knock down shots even when they managed to get consecutive stops. The Grizzlies got to 42-37 with 3:08 left on a steal and fast-break layup by Conley. The Thunder finished the half with a 14-4 run for a 56-41 lead. The Grizzlies missed their first six shots to open the third quarter, finishing any hopes of a comeback. James Johnson scored 15 points off the bench for Memphis, and Allen added 13. Notes: This will be the second Game 7 between the teams in four years. Oklahoma City beat Memphis in seven in the 2011 conference semifinals. ... The Grizzlies are 4-1 with a chance to close out a series. ... Steven Adams blocked a career-high five shots off the bench for the Thunder. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. 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