This would not leave their first teams

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies are headed on a three-game road trip with a better grip on the Western Conferences final playoff spot. Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 109-99 on Tuesday night. The victory kept Memphis in the conferences eighth spot with a one-game edge over the idle Phoenix Suns. But players are not satisfied with the current position. "Even though we are in, we want to be higher," guard Courtney Lee said. "Were still chasing, and I think thats the right mindset to have going forward because if you continue to chase, youll never get complacent and fall off." Mike Conley added 17 points and Lee finished with 16. Mike Miller had 14 for Memphis, which won its third straight. Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 32 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the field, but connecting on 12 of 13 free throws, including six in the fourth quarter when he was fouled on a pair of 3-point attempts. LaMarcus Aldridge had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Nicolas Batum contributed 15 points for Portland, which lost its third straight, matching its longest skid of the season. Memphis built its lead to double-digits early in the fourth quarter and Portland got it under 10 -- to nine -- on only two occasions the rest of the way. The common refrain from the Trail Blazers was it was "just one of those nights." "They would just get a tip ball or a loose ball and they would hit a 3 with it," Lillard said. "It was just one too many of those situations." While Memphis heads on a road trip to New Orleans, Toronto and Philadelphia holding the final playoff spot, Portland sits in the conferences fifth slot. Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was pleased with the way his team competed and shooting 22 of 29 from the foul line. "I thought we had a lot of shots we normally make," Stotts said. "We took care of the ball (eight turnovers). We got to the free-throw line. We were aggressive. "I thought it was just one of those nights." Portland struggled from the field, connecting on 41 per cent for the game. In addition to Lillards percentage, Aldridge was 8 of 23 and Batum was 5 of 13. Wesley Matthews managed only one field goal on seven attempts. "I think he had good looks," Stotts said of Aldridges shooting. "But you cant make them every night." Aldridge considered it just part of a shooting slump that will end at some point. "I am going to find my rhythm, and I am going to make those shot Ive been missing soon. It will get a lot better," he said. The Grizzlies, who shot at least 50 per cent in each quarter, finished the night at a season-best 56 per cent including 6 of 12 from outside the arc. Memphis held a 54-47 lead at the break, but Portland was close despite shooting 41 per cent. The Trail Blazers gathered nine offensive rebounds for 10 second-chance points. Memphis stretched the lead back to 15 to open the second half, and kept the advantage through the middle stages of the quarter. Lee was the catalyst for Memphis, scoring 13 in the quarter, a difference, he said, of not playing as passive as he had in the first half. "Coaches and my teammates were telling me to go out and be more aggressive," Lee said of the second half. "You dont have to tell me that twice." The Trail Blazers closed the stanza on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 78-69 entering the fourth. After Nick Calathes connected on a 3-pointer to open the fourth period, Memphis had its double-digit lead back. NOTES: Memphis has won five straight in the series. ... Portland G Will Barton, who played at the University of Memphis, got in for the final minute of the game. ... Five of the previous seven games in the series were decided by six points or less. ... Memphis has a seven-game home winning streak. Fake NFL Jerseys . The eighth-year point guard played in his 500th career game on Sunday, a 98-93 win over the Orlando Magic. Does he feel like hes played in that many games? "No," he said initially, before reconsidering. Fake College Jerseys . "I honestly dont know," he said. Try this: 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds by Rajon Rondo, a 62-37 rebounding advantage by the Celtics and a horrible 4-for-30 shooting performance on 3-pointers by the Nets. http://www.fakejersey.com/fake-ncaa-jerseys/.Hoffenheim forward Anthony Modeste opened the scoring on a counterattack in the 15th minute, shooting though Jaroslav Drobnys legs after Lewis Holtby lost the ball in midfield. Fake Jerseys Online . And like the near entirety of last season, Jonathan Bernier and Torontos goaltending tandem is up to the task. Fake Hockey Jerseys . The Padres made the moves before Fridays game at Washington. They promoted infielder Jace Peterson from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso.Like the flowers and blossoms suddenly appearing on a sunny spring day in Vancouver, the Whitecaps young guns are themselves starting to bloom. On Tuesday afternoon, a group of (dont call them reserve) players who didnt feature in the 2-1 win over Houston, took care of business against an FC Edmonton team preparing for its NASL campaign. Throughout the afternoon, the Whitecap squad averaged a tender 20.8 years of age. That number was brought up by 26-year-old Carlyle Mitchell, and 25-year-old goalkeeper Paulo Tornaghi. Had 17-year-old Marco Carducci started in goal, the average age might have dropped into the teens. But as they say in the game, "if youre good enough, youre old enough", and the young Caps proved it with a sterling performance going forward, scoring three goals in the first 17 minutes. They also held their nerve defensively against a big, physical Colin Miller-coached team that will be trying to join the NASL elite in 2014. The culture of competition that Carl Robinson has built is starting to permeate through the residency program, which Gordon Forrest helps oversee in addition to his first team assistant coaching duties. That common thread, and the managers desire to connect the entire club, is starting to bear fruit in the form of players like Marco Bustos, Kianz Froeze, Mitch Peraux, and a more recent revelation, Nicholas Prasad.dddddddddddd The 18-year-old Surrey native stepped into an unfamiliar right back spot over his more natural centre back role, and didnt put a foot wrong in his 45 minutes of work. It was a side that wouldnt look out of place against MLS competition, when you consider that Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Kekuta Manneh and Eric Hurtado have all seen first team spells in their young careers. The Whitecaps depth will come in handy during next months Amway Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup, a competition the Whitecaps have yet to win in their MLS era. Despite a small sample size, youd have to think Vancouver would be considered favourites to finally win it at this stage. If they do represent Canada in CONCACAF, the club could easily send a young squad to play the group qualifying games. This would not leave their first teams regular season endeavours severely hamstrung, as weve seen from so many CCL campaigns in the past. For now, the youngsters will have to keeping pushing and competing until the opportunity presents itself. But as in springtime, when the fruit starts to ripen, its only a matter of time until it gets picked. ' ' '