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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is playing like an All-Star lately. Soon hell find out if he gets to be one. Conley had 27 points and 10 assists as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight by beating the slumping Sacramento Kings 99-89 on Wednesday night. One night after outplaying Portland guard Damian Lillard in the Grizzlies impressive 98-81 victory, Conley backed it up with an even better game against the Kings. Conley, who will find out Thursday if he will be picked as one the Western Conference reserves, made 8 of 14 shots, hit two threes, and had two steals. He scored nine points in the fourth quarter. "I wont let it bother me at all if I dont make it. Its something I cant control," Conley said. "If it happens, it happens. Im just playing ball right now. Im playing at a high level and doing what my team needs me to do to do. Im just playing to win." And the Grizzlies are doing plenty of that lately, winning for the ninth time in 10 games. They put their latest win away in the fourth quarter, getting six steals and converting several of them into easy layups. Memphis shot 11 of 18 and made 7 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter in pulling away from the Kings, who cut the lead to four points at the 5:20 mark. The Grizzlies had nine of their 24 assists in the fourth quarter. Conley got plenty of help at the offensive end with Zach Randolph scoring six points and Tayshaun Prince getting six, all in the final three minutes. "Our chemistry right now is as good as Ive ever seen it," Memphis coach David Joerger said. "Our confidence is high and were really trying to stay in the moment." Isaiah Thomas scored 24 points and Rudy Gay had 23 for the Kings, who have lost five straight and seven of eight. DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings leading scorer and rebounder, missed his fourth straight game with an ankle sprain. The Kings are hoping to have Cousins back for Fridays game in Dallas. Gay, a former Memphis player, had missed the previous three games with an Achilles strain. He made a turnaround jumper in the fourth quarter to surpass 10,000 career points. However, Gay was limping some in the fourth quarter and also after the game in the locker room. But he expected to play against Dallas. "I kind of tweaked my foot a little bit more. But it doesnt matter. I still feel that we could have won the game," Gay said. "I was a little rusty. Im not used to being out. Ive actually been hurt one time in my career that actually made me miss more than one game. "So it was a little tough on me. Its going to happen." Kings coach Michael Malone has been critical of his teams defence for much of the season and Wednesdays game was no different. "I told our team afterward that I am going to start playing guys who are willing to defend," Malone said. "And if are not ready to defend ... I can no longer be a hypocrite. Ive been a hypocrite the whole year. I got the job in June and I preached defence and thats what I believe in. Were one of the worst defensive teams in the league." Randolph had 18 points for the Grizzlies, who won their fifth straight road game and have a 12-7 record away from home. Marc Gasol had 12 points and Mike Miller scored 11. Its no coincidence the Grizzlies strong play has coincided with the return of Gasol, last years Defensive Player of the Year who missed 23 games with a sprained knee. A protector of the rim, creative passer and reliable scorer, Gasol has been instrumental in the Grizzlies 7-1 record since his return. In the past two-plus week, the Grizzlies have beaten Phoenix, Houston twice, and Oklahoma City. Memphis finishes its three-game road trip Friday night in Minnesota. "Ever since we got Marc back weve been playing better," Prince said. "You can see our confidence coming back. He helps us so much on defence. He has a real presence back there. When he was out we couldnt get stops regularly like we are now." After making a corner jumper, Prince stole the ball from Gay and converted with a driving layup to give Memphis a 92-85 lead. A basket by Conley and a layup by Prince increased the lead to nine. Randolph came up with a loose ball and fed Davis for a dunk at the other end, concluding an 11-4 run and putting Memphis up 82-71. But the Kings came back and cut the lead to three on Thomas 3-pointer at the 4:35 mark. Conley had 11 points in the third quarter when the Grizzlies outscored Sacramento 21-17 and took a 69-63 lead into the fourth. "I thought out defence was the key. There are very good offensive team that can score in bunches and has a lot of firepower, Conley said. "Were getting two, three, four stops in a row. Were not a high-octane team. But our defence is always consistent." Gay had a strong second quarter with 10 points and was difficult to stop in the third as well. He came up with a loose ball near midcourt and sprinted toward the basket for an emphatic dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and put the Kings ahead 61-59. Gasol scored eight points and the Grizzlies shot 52 per cent and led 48-46 lead at intermission. Both Gay and Thomas had 12 points for the Kings. NOTES: Conley moved past Gay for the all-time franchise record for games played (480). ... Kings public address announcer Scott Moak was sick and missed his first game behind the mic in 12 years. His replacement was Jamie Coffee, a longtime Sacramento radio DJ. ... Memphis reserve forward Miller scored seven points in a 61-second span late in the second quarter. Doug Williams Redskins Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Charles Mann Jersey .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.theredskinslockroom.com/AUTHENTIC-CHARL...NS-JERS EY/ . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Jordan Reed Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Tyler Polumbus Redskins Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.(SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Cardinals take aim at their second World Series title in three years, as they kick off the 109th edition of the Fall Classic against the Boston Red Sox tonight at Fenway Park. These teams havent met in interleague play since 2008, but are certainly no stranger to one another in the World Series, as this will be the fourth time these teams have faced off and the first since 2004 when the Red Sox, of course, ended their 86-year drought with a four-game sweep. St. Louis beat Boston in the World Series in 1946 and 67. You cant ask for a more balanced matchup, as both teams topped their respective leagues with a 97-65 mark. Actually, there home/road splits were almost identical, as well, with the Red Sox going 53-28 at home and 44-37 on the road, while the Cardinals were 54-27 and 43-38, respectively. Its also the first time since 1999 (Yankees and Braves) that the best teams in each league will be facing off in this round. "You hear some of the things that they say," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of the Red Sox, "and its a lot of similar things that have been preached in our clubhouse. That its about team; its not about us individually. And grinding out at-bats and playing tough, playing hard, playing all the way through nine. Those are the things that I believe set good teams apart." St. Louis is back in the Fall Classic for the third time since 2004 after beating Pittsburgh in five games of the NLDS, then taking out the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games of the NLCS. Hoping to get them out to an early advantage in this series, the Cardinals will turn to right-handed ace Adam Wainwright in Game 1. Wainwright, the NL wins leader in the regular season with 19, has been terrific this postseason, going 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA in three starts. His only loss came in NLCS Game 3 against the Dodgers, as he allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. "The guy that sets the tone for our club, especially our pitching staff," Matheny said of Wainwright. "Its fitting that hell be out there." Wainwright has three straight postseason starts of at least seven innings, with one or no runs allowed. Only three pitchers in history had more such consecutive starts in the postseason: Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina and Christy Mathewson. Offensively the Cards are paced by perhaps the best postseason hitter of this generation in Carlos Beltran, who has 37 RBI in 45 playoff games with an incredible 1.173 OPS. This, though, will mark his first-ever trip to the World Series. Beltran is only hitting .256 this October, but has driven in 12 runs in the Cards 11 games. As a team, the Cards are hitting a mere .210 in the postseason, but always seem to come up with a hit when they need one. "During the regular season, we went through ups and downs and we stood together," Beltran said. "We did it as a team, actually. It was fun just being able to watch the veteran guys try to help the younger guys -- being able to see the younger guys coming along and just coming here and do their job. It feels great." St. Louis struggling offense may get a boost, as first baseman Allen Craig is expected to be added to the roster. Craig hasnt played since Sept. 4 due to a a Lisfranc fracture to his left foot. Craig, who has yet to do any defensive work, will likely serve as the teams designated hitter. He finished the year leading the Cardinals with 97 RBI and a .454 batting average with runners in scoring position. What a difference a year makes for the Red Sox, who last year finished with 93 losses and ended the year in last place in the AL East. So, out with the old and in the new, as the team hiredd John Farrell away from Toronto to be their new skipper.dddddddddddd All Farrell did was put himself atop most peoples AL Manager of the Year ballots, as he guided the Red Sox to a 28-game turnaround and led the club to its first AL East title since their World Series championship season of 2007. The 97 wins were also the second most for the team since 1978. Bostons regular season prowess has carried over to the postseason, as it needed only four games to upend the wild card-winning Tampa Bay Rays before eliminating the Detroit Tigers in six games in an exciting ALCS. "Weve got to win four more games," righty Clay Buchholz said. "But the way this team jelled and meshed right away in Spring Training, obviously every team in Major League Baseball has a goal to make the World Series and the playoffs from the start. Everybody here just believed it, and the numbers this year, they speak from themselves. The way guys grinded out at-bats throughout the season, passing the torch to the next guy -- its what this teams about." Offensively the Red Sox are still led by 37-year-old designated hitter David Ortiz, who put forth his seventh 30-homer/100-RBI season and hit .309 to boot. Ortiz is only hitting .200 this postseason, but may have changed the course of the ALCS with his game-tying grand slam in Game 2 against the Tigers. Ortiz, though, was just 1-for-15 after that pivotal blast. Boston was criticized for giving outfielder Shane Victorino a 3-year, $39 million deal this offseason, but the Flying Hawaiian was one of the teams top performers this season, hitting .294 with 15 home runs, 61 RBI, 82 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. Not to mention Victorino has had a penchant for coming up big in the postseason, as he has driven in 38 runs in 56 playoff games. Victorino propelled the Red Sox past the Tigers in the clinching game with a grand slam of his own in the eighth inning that put them ahead. Farrell, of course, was the Red Sox pitching coach under Terry Francona, and his impact was immediately evident, especially among the starting staff which saw their ERA decrease by nearly two runs from the prior season. Nobody benefited from having Farrell back more than Game 1 starter Jon Lester, who was a miserable 9-14 in 2012, but bounced back to go 15-8 this past season, while pitching to a 3.75 ERA. Lester is 2-1 this postseason with a 2.33 ERA. "Jonny Lester is just the epitome of a fighter, of a bulldog," teammate Jake Peavy said. "Hes our No. 1. Hes a horse. Hes our guy." The biggest reason Boston is this position, though, may be its bullpen, specifically ALCS MVP Koji Uehara, who has been the best closer in the league since assuming the role after injuries to both Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey. Uehara, whose ERA was the best in the majors of any pitcher with 50 or more innings, also posted a mind-blowing 0.57 walks plus hits per nine innings - the lowest WHIP in baseball history by a pitcher who logged at least 50 innings, surpassing by a considerable margin the 0.61 standard set by Dennis Eckersley in 1989. He also hasnt walk a batter in his last 30 appearances and has pitched to a 0.61 ERA in his save chances. Its been more of the same for Uehara here in the postseason, as he has saved five games to go along with a 1.00 ERA. The only run he allowed was a walk-off home run in his ALDS Game 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. St. Louis has won 11 World Series with its last coming in 2011 against Texas. Boston, meanwhile, has won seven titles, but hasnt won since sweeping the Colorado Rockies in 2007. The winner in Game 1 has gone on to win nine of the last 10 and 20 of the past 24 World Series. 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