PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have activated closer Jason Grilli off the disabled list and optioned catcher Tony Sanchez to Triple-A Indianapolis. Grilli hasnt pitched since straining his left oblique in late April. Manager Clint Hurdle says the right-hander will make a couple of appearances in middle relief before the team determines whether to return Grilli to the back end of the bullpen. The 37-year-old is 0-1 with four saves in seven opportunities this year. Mark Melancon has seven saves in eight chances filling in for Grilli. Sanchez hit .278 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 21 games for Pittsburgh but was forced back to the minors when the team activated Russell Martin off the disabled list Thursday. Discount NBA Jerseys .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. NBA Jerseys Store .com) - Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 12 points in the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 70-55 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ .Y. - Major League Soccer is prepared to start its season this weekend even if there isnt a labour deal with its referees and other on-field officials. Clearance NBA Jerseys . -- The Washington Redskins coaching staff distanced itself from other coaches Thursday by siding with ownership -- and not the players -- in the NFLs labour dispute. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. OKLAHOMA CITY -- It took a fraction of a second for the Memphis Grizzlies to take control of their first-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With 2.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant missed a long 3-point attempt. Teammate Serge Ibaka tipped the ball in on the rebound, sending the crowd into a celebration. The shot was reviewed, however, and it was determined that it was released just after the buzzer, giving Memphis a 100-99 victory Tuesday night and a 3-2 lead in the series. "I had a good look at it and I thought it was good when it left my hand," Durant, the NBAs scoring champion, said. "And then Serges follow shot was just late. It was a tough finish but weve got to come back." It was a record fourth straight overtime game in the series, and Memphis has won three of them. The seventh-seeded Grizzlies can close out the second-seeded Thunder on Thursday night at home. "Nothing comes easy for us," Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. "We get it out of the mud, we grind and were underdogs. Its what we do." Before the final overtime sequence, Durant made the first of two free throws with 27.5 seconds left to cut Oklahoma Citys deficit to 100-99. Before his second shot, referee Joey Crawford took the ball from Durant and walked over to the scorers table. Moments later, Crawford was screaming at the scoreboard operator, asking him to make a change. After the delay, Durant, an 87 per cent free throw shooter during the regular season, missed the second attempt. "Im not sure what happened, but Ive got to focus and Ive got to make that foul shot," Durant said. The Grizzlies didnt understand what was going on, either. "We just looked at Joey and we were like, What is Joey doing?" Memphis guard Mike Conley said. Mike Miller scored 21 points, Randolph had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Conley added 17 points for the Grizzlies. Russell Westbrook had 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, but he made just 10 of 31 shots from the field. Durant scored 26 points on 10-for-24 shooting. He has struggled throughout the series, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks said hes not worried. "Hes going to get his shots and hes going to make his share," Brooks said. "Hell get himself ready for the next game.&quoot; Overall, the Thunder shot just 39 per cent.dddddddddddd The Thunder, one of the leagues most potent offensive teams in the regular season, have shot below 40 per cent in four of the five games in the series. "We understand this team very well," Memphis guard Tony Allen said. "Weve been playing against this team the last four years with this group. We understand their plays, we understand who theyre trying to run their offence through. We know Kevin Durant is going to take his shots and Russell Westbrook is going to take his shots. We have to contest those shots and stick to our defensive coverages for 48 minutes." Oklahoma City trailed by 20 points in the third quarter but trimmed its deficit to six by the start of the fourth quarter and finally took a 79-78 lead on a 3-pointer by Durant. Memphis maintained its composure. Consecutive baskets by Conley put the Grizzlies up 87-82 with just under 4 minutes to play. Oklahoma Citys Caron Butler was fouled by Randolph as he hit a 3-pointer with 2:40 to play. He made the free throw to cut Memphis lead to 87-86. Oklahoma City, trailing 89-88, had a chance to take the lead in the final minute of regulation, but Durant was stripped, and the ball was stolen by Conley. Allen made the first free throw with 30 seconds left. He missed the second, but Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies got the rebound with 20.3 seconds to play. Conley was stripped by Westbrook, and Westbrook dunked with 4 seconds left to tie the game at 90. Memphis didnt get a shot off in time at the end of regulation and the teams went to overtime again. Miller hit two early 3-pointers in the extra period for the Grizzlies. "Defensively, we made a few mistakes at the end of regulation," Gasol said. "But we came out in overtime, made a couple of 3s, and that gave us a big lift in confidence. We were able to manage it and control from there." NOTES: The Grizzlies wore their warmups inside out and the Thunder wore black socks and shoes in protest of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterlings incendiary racial remarks. ... The Grizzlies shot 60 per cent from the field in the first quarter to lead 30-25. ... Oklahoma City made 6 of 9 3-point attempts in the first half, but just 9 of 34 shots inside the arc. ... Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins attended the game. ' ' '