Notes: DeAngelo Williams, the former

LYON, France -- Lyon paid the price for missed chances in a 0-0 draw against Sevilla on Wednesday that saw the Spanish side advance in the Champions League and the home side drop into the Europa League.Lyon needed to win by a two-goal margin to reach the last 16 by finishing second in Group H, ahead of Sevilla. It showed plenty of attacking intent, striking the crossbar twice in a lively first half, but failed to make the breakthrough. In the corresponding fixture, a 1-0 loss in Sevilla, the French side also hit the woodwork twice.Regret is the word we didnt want to hear after the match. But we have a lot of regrets now, Lyon winger Mathieu Valbuena said. We should have put our chances away, especially in the first half. Its a pity because we played well, even though we dropped off a bit in the second half.Sevillas win moved it up to 11 points and three behind group winner Juventus, which beat Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 in the other match.Lyon finished three points behind Sevilla in third place and both matches were close between them.We closed them down very high up the pitch and caused them a lot of problems tonight, Valbuena said. We played some good football, but thats not enough in the Champions League.Early on, Valbuena darted in from the left and forced a brilliant tip-over save from goalkeeper Sergio Rico with a looping shot from just inside the penalty area.Both sides then had strong first-half penalty claims waved away by Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson, who was close to the action.Valbuena seemed to be barged over by fullback Mariano Ferreira as he cut inside from the left, and Sevilla midfielder Vitolo had his standing leg taken away by goalkeeper Anthony Lopes as he slid in to thwart him.Vitolo was Sevillas most dangerous player in the first half, but also missed a great chance in the 19th minute as Sevilla following a quick counterattack.Running in from the left, Vitolo did everything right, drawing Lopes off his line and curling a shot past him, only for the ball to bounce back off the right post.Lyon almost took full advantage of that reprieve when midfielder Corentin Tolisso somehow missed from four yards (meters) out in the 24th minute, meeting Brazilian Rafaels superb cross with a downward header that bounced up sharply and smacked the crossbar.With Lyon enjoying its best spell, midfielder Maxime Gonalons beat several defenders before passing to top scorer Alexandre Lacazette, but the marksman was off form all night and his shot was too easily charged down.Tolisso then used his strength and excellent technique to burst through midfield and reach the edge of the penalty area before feeding Valbuena on the left, and his superb curling shot beat Rico but struck the crossbar.It was tough for us, Sevilla midfielder Steven NZonzi said on Canal Plus television. Weve won the Europa League for the past three seasons. We knew it would be difficult because the Champions League is a level above.Midway through the second half, Lyon Nabil Fekir came on but the skillful forward failed to unlock Sevillas defense as the Spaniards held on, with substitute Clement Grenier glancing a header wide and Rafaels shot fizzing across the area and wide in the closing stages.Im proud of my players, Lyon coach Bruno Genesio said. We shook this team up, which is no mean feat.China Jerseys Stitched . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Cheap Jerseys From China . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. China Jerseys Wholesale . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. China Jerseys Cheap .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies call it grit and grind, and it got them through another ugly game. Marc Gasol scored 20 points and hit two free throws with 1:03 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the Grizzlies held off Oklahoma City 87-81 Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in this Western Conference semifinal. Gasol scored 16 in the second half as Memphis remained unbeaten at home in the post-season. The Grizzlies pulled out the win in a choppy performance for both teams following a three-day layoff since Game 2 with the Thunder beating them at their own game, dominating the boards and in the paint. After struggling at the free throw line in Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies hit all six at the line in the final 1:03 to clinch it. "We just stayed after it like weve done all year long," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "Its not always pretty. Tonight wasnt pretty, but it was pretty for us because we got the win." Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis, and Hollins wants one more home win for a franchise in its second Western semifinal in two seasons. The Grizzlies lost to Oklahoma City in seven games in 2011 after splitting Games 3 and 4 in Memphis. But they are 18-1 at home since Feb. 8. "Id rather take my chances with where were sitting now and try to win all of our home games," Hollins said. "We got a long way to go, and we got to keep battling." Kevin Durant scored 25 points, but only two in the fourth quarter. A 91 per cent free throw shooter in the regular season, Durant missed two with 39.3 seconds left. Durant also had 11 rebounds and five assists. "Its frustrating, but we cant hang our heads," Durant said. "We have to keep playing and keep improving. We just have to learn from it. We have to embrace the tough times and get better from it. I believe in my teammates." Though his teammates, with Russell Westbrook out with a knee injury, need to give him more help. The Thunder had their worst scoring and shooting performance this post-season. Reggie Jackson had 16 points for Oklahoma city, and Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka each added 13. Jackson and Ibaka also grabbed 10 rebounds apiece. Durant went 3 of 11 from the floor in the second half, and his teammates went a combined 23 of 69 for the game. Tony Allen had his best game in this series, scoring 14 points for Memphis. Jerryd Bayless added 11. Zach Randolph scored only eight points but had 10 rebounds. "It was definitely a good feeling because we didnt play the best Grizzlies basketball that we know we can play as a team," Randolph said. Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks insisted he liked the shots his Thunder took, even though they didnt get as many wide-open looks beyond the arc as they did in the first two games. "We are hopeful that we get those same shots in the next game," Brooks said. The Grizzlies built leads repeatedly, getting to as much as 10 in the second quarter. Memphis won despite not winning in the categories the Grizzliees usually dominate.dddddddddddd The Thunder outrebounded them 51-44, with a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass. The Thunder also outscored the Grizz 44-30 in the paint, with a 23-7 edge on fast-break points. The Thunder didnt score after Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 1:58 left, a shot tying for the eighth and final time at 81. The Grizzlies edge came from getting to the line where they hit more free throws (23 of 28) than Oklahoma City even took (12 of 19). "Obviously, they beat us in a lot of different areas tonight," said Memphis guard Mike Conley, who hit all four free throws in the final minute. "For us to come away with the win, we are very happy. We will take it, but it just goes to show we have a lot of work to do. We have to do better the next game." The rust from the layoff showed early for both teams. Ibaka missed not one but two dunks in the first half, Thabo Sefolosha had an airball and the Grizzlies, who had been so good at limiting turnovers, had five in the first quarter alone. Hollins switched up his defence on Durant from the first two games in Oklahoma City. He didnt put Allen, who finished fifth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year, on Durant until the final minutes of Game 2. This time, he alternated Allen with Tayshaun Prince defending Durant throughout the first half. Allen played Durant most of the third, and that helped limit Durant to 2 of 7 shooting in the quarter as the Thunder went 4 of 20 from the floor. "He is a great defender, dont get me wrong," Durant said about Allen. "But its the Grizzlies team defence. I need to make the right plays for my team. I missed a few shots in the second half." Memphis led 66-60 at the end of the third quarter. The Grizzlies pushed that to 71-62 on a 3 by Keyon Dooling and a 19-foot jumper by Darrell Arthur. Then the Thunder scored six straight, the last on a dunk by Martin forcing Hollins to take a timeout. The Grizzlies, who had hit only one of their first nine 3-pointers, hit 3 of 5 in the third quarter to take a 77-70 lead when Pondexter knocked down a 3 with 6:29 left. Pondexter also helped defend Durant in the fourth quarter. The Thunder led 45-44 at halftime. Durant scored 14 of the Thunders first 24 points as he connected on five of his first six shots. The Grizzlies grabbed their biggest lead at 28-18 on a 28-footer by Bayless. Then Gasol picked up his second foul with 9:02 left and went to the bench for the rest of the half. Notes: DeAngelo Williams, the former Memphis running back now with the NFLs Carolina Panthers, and rapper Lil Wayne had courtside seats with Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones also on hand. ... Durant extended his streak with 20 or more points to 35 straight playoff games. ... Durant had his second-lowest scoring game this post-season, a point off the 24 he had in the opener against Houston. ... The Thunder went 17-4 after a loss in the regular season. ... The Grizzlies had their 14th straight post-season sellout. ' ' '