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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies celebrated the return of Marc Gasol with a victory over one of the leagues top teams -- and one of their biggest rivals. Courtney Lee scored a season-high 24 points, including the closing two free throws, and the Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87 on Tuesday night in Gasols first game in almost eight weeks. While Lee provided the early offensive punch for Memphis, many teammates were talking about the return of the Gasol, the leagues reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who missed 23 games with a left knee injury. The 7-foot-1 centre played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points. "Everybody is excited, especially for him," said guard Mike Conley, who had 19 points and seven assists in Memphis third straight victory. "Hes been itching to get out there forever, and I thought he did great. It gave us a good boost." Gasol, whose return was not announced until just before the game, received a rousing ovation from the Memphis crowd when he was introduced with the starting lineup. He said the cheers gave him "goose bumps" and made him feel like a rookie again. He said the knee did not bother him, but the large knee brace he is wearing is uncomfortable. "It felt really good, especially since we got the win," Gasol said of the knee. "That makes everything worth it." Zach Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds on the night his inside partner returned. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 37 points, converting 15 of 28 shots. Reggie Jackson scored 17, but also committed seven of Oklahoma Citys 19 turnovers. Serge Ibaka finished with 11 points and four blocks as the Thunder lost their third in the last four. Durant, who has dealt with an aching left wrist and did not practice Monday, had ice on it after the game, but said he did not aggravate the injury. Lee converted a 22-footer from the right wing as time ran out in the third period to help Memphis carry a 72-67 lead into the final frame. Memphis, which trailed 47-43 at the break, converted 10 of 18 shots in the third, while the Thunder managed only 9 of 22. That led to the Grizzlies outscoring Oklahoma City 29-20 in the period. Memphis still held the lead at 87-84 with less than a minute left. Jackson missed a 4-foot runner, then Gasol missed a 7-footer in the lane for Memphis. Oklahoma City had the ball after a timeout with 20 seconds left. Durant drove and kicked the ball out to Ibaka, who missed a 3-pointer from the left corner. "I seen (the defender) come off of Serge and he was wide open, and I trust him 100 per cent," Durant said. "That shot looked good, but it hit the side rim and rimmed out. "Great shot. Weve just got to live with the results." Randolph split a pair of free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining for an 88-84 lead, enough that Ibakas 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left wasnt enough. Lees free throws provided the final margin. "Courtney Lee had his way," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "We didnt do a good job of starting the game off on him. Throughout the game, he sprinkled in some good shots." The Thunder weathered an early burst of points from Lee, who had 14 in the first quarter as Memphis built a 12-point lead. Oklahoma City erased the advantage with a 15-1 rally spanning the first and second quarters. NOTES: The Grizzlies went 10-13 when Gasol was out of the lineup. ... Despite travelling with the team and warming up before the game, Thunder G Russell Westbrook remained on the inactive list recovering from right knee surgery. ... Lees previous season high was 18 on Dec. 13 against the Knicks when he was with Boston. ... Thunder C Kendrick Perkins now has almost as many fouls (105) as points scored this season (117). ... The game marked only the fourth time this season the Thunder has lost when outrebounding their opponent. Babe Ruth Jersey . Catch the action live on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Wild lead the Northwest Division and look to get back into the win column after having a season-high seven-game winning streak cut short with Tuesdays 2-1 loss at Winnipeg in the finale of a five-game road trip (4-1-0). Braves Jerseys China . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. https://www.cheapbraves.com/1003o-chris-martin-jersey-braves.html . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Francisco Cervelli Braves Jersey . Though the 26-year-old said he was able to participate, coach Dwane Casey kept Johnson out as a precaution. Ralph Garr Jersey . -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena to a $25 million, five-year contract Saturday.Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Make if 5-for-5 for Ben Bishop against the Hurricanes. Bishop stopped 25 shots and the Tampa Bay Lightning got goals from Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn in a 2-1 victory over Carolina on Saturday. I dont know if it was going to go down as the most exciting game of the year. The puck was bouncing all over the place, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. I thought we had a lot of really good chances to blow it open. We couldnt do it. Bishop has five wins in as many career starts against Carolina. He took a shutout into the third period until Andrej Sekera lit the lamp on a wrister from just inside the blue line with 5:56 remaining. Cam Ward made 36 saves for the Hurricanes, who lost for the third time in four contests. They lost at Tampa Bay by the same score Dec. 11. You have to score to win and we just having a hard time generating enough offense to win, Carolina forward Eric Staal said. Against good teams its that one play or one goal that you need. For us, its tough finding that. The Lightningg grabbed the lead 8:50 into the contest.dddddddddddd Ondrej Palat stole the puck in the left corner and fed it to Kucherov for a shot from the inside edge of the left circle. The puck fluttered into the top right portion of the net. Killorns eighth of the season came 4:53 into the third on a shot from the slot. Bishop smothered a shot from Victor Rask with 55.1 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes, with their goaltender pulled, put pressure on Bishop. Tampa Bay was called for icing with 15.7 seconds left. Another icing call gave Carolina an offensive zone faceoff with 3.3 seconds to go, but the visitors couldnt get off a shot on net. Game Notes Kucherov, who has 15 goals on the season, tallied both goals in Tampa Bays Dec. 11 win ... Over his past eight games, he has posted six goals and five assists ... Tampa Bay has won back-to-back games for the first time since capturing four straight from Nov. 22-Dec. 1 ... The Lightning have won nine of the last 10 meetings. ' ' '