the Thunder beat Memphis at its own game

Sky Sports football pundit Paul Merson has given us his thoughts on the race for the PFA Fans Player of the Month award for February. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . The Premier League shortlist has been narrowed down to three candidates - Tottenhams Christian Eriksen and West Ham duo Dimitri Payet and Mark Noble.There is still time for you to cast your vote (voting closes 10am on Friday March 18, with the winner announced at 12pm on the same day), and you could win the chance to meet and present the award to the winning player. As well as the Barclays Premier League award, you can also vote for the PFA Fans Player of the Month in the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two. Vote now! Vote now for your February Player of the Month And if you are still undecided on where your vote should go, Merse has given his thoughts on each candidate in the running for the top-flight award...Dimitri Payet - West Ham Dimitri Payet has been in fine form for West Ham this season MERSE SAYS: Dimitri Payet is different class. Hes one of the top footballers in the Premier League. The Frenchman has tremendous ability and hes such a clever player on and off the ball. I cant talk highly enough of him.Mark Noble - West Ham Merson thinks Mark Noble is unlucky not to be included in Roy Hodgsons latest England squad MERSE SAYS: Mark Noble has got to be one of the unluckiest players in England. How hes not getting into this England squad is beyond me. He has put in some outstanding performances.Alongside Payet, hes been instrumental for West Ham this season and they have been their two best players all season.Christian Eriksen - Tottenham Christian Eriksen popped up with some crucial goals for Tottenham during February MERSE SAYS: Another top player! Christian Eriksen has been extremely consistent for Tottenham. He gets big goals for them, good assists and thats what you need from your big players when you are near the top of the Premier League. You have to keep performing when the pressure is on and hes doing that!Have your say NOW - vote at www.skysports.com/pfafanvoteTo be eligible for the prize, voters must be 18 or over and be a resident of UK or ROI. Travel costs are not included as part of the prize. Click or tap here to read the full terms and conditions. Also See: Premier League - Vote Now! Championship - Vote Now! League One - Vote Now! League Two - Vote Now! Jerseys For Sale . Here are some of the best from Week One and some to watch in Week Two: TOP PERFORMERS Anthony Allen, RB, Saskatchewan (176 YDS, 2 TD, 30 touches vs. Hamilton) - Powerfully-built back burst onto the scene in his CFL debut, after a couple of years in the NFL, playing 21 games with the Baltimore Ravens. Discount Jerseys For Sale . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. https://www.jerseysforsalechina.com/ .com) - Maria Sharapova rallied for a three- set win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday to capture the season-opening Brisbane International tennis tournament.OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder became familiar with Memphis grind-it-out defensive style while losing to the Grizzlies during last seasons NBA playoffs. On Monday night, the Thunder beat Memphis at its own game. Kevin Durant had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Serge Ibaka had 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their home dominance, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 86-77. Oklahoma City (39-11) had a 10-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Washington, but the Thunder moved to 21-3 at home while winning their seventh straight game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. In doing so, the Thunder posted its second-best defensive outing of the season. Oklahoma Citys inside quartet of Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Steven Adams and Nick Collison combined to limit Memphis potent frontcourt duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol Meanwhile, Thabo Sefolosha limited Memphis Courtney Lee -- who scored 24 points in the last meeting between the teams -- to 11 points. Memphis finished 2 of 16 from 3-point range. "I thought we did a good job of playing tough defensive basketball throughout the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "One of the strengths of our team, obviously, is our versatility. I think tonight it showed that sometimes you have to play different styles of basketball to get a win." Randolph had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Gasol added 13 points for Memphis (26-21), which lost for the second time in 13 games. The Grizzlies had won six straight games, the NBAs longest winning streak entering Monday. "We didnt play the basketball that we normally play," Randolph said. "We made bad decisions at important times of the game. There were a lot of turnovers, including myself, but youve got to be smart. And weve got to hit shots." Coming off a remarkable January during which he averaged 35.9 points per game on 54.9-per cent shooting, Durant finished 11 of 21 from the field. Ibaka went 10 of 17 from the field and posted his 19th double-double of the season while helping lead the Thunders interior defence. Oklahoma City finished with nine blocked shots, four of those by Adams, a career high for the rookie from New Zealand. "Steven only had three points and five rebounds and Perk only had one point and eight rebounds, but both impacted the game," Brooks said. Memphis, which trailed by 177 points late in the first half, pulled within three points three times in the final 6:45, the last time at 78-75 after Lees driving 5-foot jumper with 4:54 left. Jerseys For Sale Outlet. Durant answered with a 14-foot jumper, then after an exchange of empty possessions, Sefolosha swished a 3-pointer and Durant followed with a steal and layup to give Oklahoma City an 85-75 cushion with 2:54 left. "That gave us a boost when he hit that shot," Durant said. The Thunder managed only one point after that, but the Grizzlies couldnt take advantage, scoring only on a follow shot by Randolph with 1:12 left. The Thunder used an 18-2 run near the end of the first half to take a 51-36 halftime lead. By halftime, Ibaka already had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. "We started the game great defensively and we built off of that," Durant said. "Offensively we played a little slow but we picked it up in that second quarter and built some momentum going into the second half." With a lineup of reserves, Oklahoma City didnt score for almost three minutes to start the fourth quarter, causing Brooks to reinsert Durant with 9:41 left. Durant promptly drew a foul on James Johnson and hit 1-of-2 free throws, then swished a 14-foot jumper from the left wing to put the Thunder up 72-63. "We played from too far behind," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "We gave them 51 points, lots of layups, in the first half. . It was very difficult for us. When you come back, you have a very small margin for error." Reggie Jackson started the game with two airballs but eventually finished with 12 points for Oklahoma City. Mike Miller added 11 points for Memphis. Notes: With starting point guard Mike Conley out with an ankle injury, Memphis signed G Darius Morris to a 10-day contract on Monday. Morris averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 assists in 22 games this season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. ... Memphis had a six-game road winning streak snapped. .. The Thunder recorded its 113th straight regular-season sellout, although there were some empty seats visible in the lower sections of Chesapeake Energy Arena. ... Joerger was named as the Western Conference coach of the month for January, beating out Brooks. Memphis went 12-3 in January, compared Oklahoma Citys 13-5 mark. ... At least twice, Joerger complained about the volume level in the arena. ' ' '