dominant offensive line only lessens the sting for a Utah defense tha

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies are showing a knack for pulling out close games.The Philadelphia 76ers were just too young and too short-handed to stop that trend.Marc Gasol had 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Memphis finally put away the 76ers 96-91 on Tuesday night.The victory was the Grizzlies 11th straight that either went to OT or was decided by five points or fewer. Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said he hasnt determined the formula that allows the Grizzlies to escape in close encounters.All I know is that group in (the locker room) really believes in each other, and when it gets tough, they dig in, Fizdale said. They know how to rise to the occasion when it calls for it.To keep the streak going, Memphis scored the games final seven points, erasing Philadelphias lead with less than 2 minutes remaining, sending the Sixers to their eighth straight loss.We are all professionals, and we cant make excuses, said Philly forward Ersan Ilyasova, who led the Sixers with season bests of 23 points and 17 rebounds. We have no margin for error.Injuries and rest left the 76ers with only nine players dressed. But Philadelphia was scrappy enough to stay close until the closing minutes.When Dario Saric, who had 17 points, scored inside, the Sixers led 91-89 with 1:57 remaining. But Zach Randolph, who had 12 points and 14 rebounds, scored inside and Memphis made enough free throws in the closing minutes.JaMychal Green finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including a pair of free throws with 4 seconds left to seal the Grizzlies fourth straight win and 10th in the last 13.Philadelphia committed 16 turnovers and was 13 of 26 from the foul line, contributing to the downfall.We came down with nine guys, and you are playing against a veteran, tough, playoff, hard Memphis team, Sixers coach Brett Brown said. We had a chance to win the game, and I was proud of their effort.TIP-INSSixers: Earlier Tuesday, Philadelphia announced the hiring of recently retired forward Elton Brand as player development consultant. ... Philadelphia has dropped nine straight in the series, including a 104-99 double-overtime loss on Nov. 23. ... The Sixers, who lead the league in turnovers at 17.4 a game, committed 11 in the first half.Grizzlies: Randolph played in his 1,000th career game -- 494 with the Grizzlies. ... Rookie Wade Baldwin recorded his first double-digit scoring game with 11 points. ... Memphis is 6-0 on the second night of back-to-backs.RANDOLPH RETURNSRandolph returned to the team after missing seven games following the death of his mother, Mae, on Thanksgiving Day. He received a standing ovation from the crowd when he entered the game in the first quarter. It felt great to be back, the veteran forward said. With my brothers out here and to compete. . Getting back into the mix and doing what I love.SHORT-HANDED SQUADSSixers: Were without Jerryd Bayless (left wrist soreness); Robert Covington (left knee sprain); Joel Embiid (Rest), Nerlens Noel (inflamed left knee); Jahlil Okafor (gastroenteritis), Ben Simmons (acute fracture, right foot). For the Grizzlies: G Mike Conley (back injury), G Vince Carter (right hip injury), F Chandler Parsons (left knee soreness), F Brandan Wright (left ankle) and F James Ennis (right calf injury) all were out.FUMBLED AWAYTurnover problems plagued the Sixers down the stretch, allowing Memphis to pull away. After Memphis tied the game at 91, Philadelphia committed turnovers on consecutive possessions. On the next possession, the Sixers had four misses, including three tip attempts, and didnt score the rest of the way.UP NEXTSixers: Continue their road trip, heading down the Mississippi River to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.Grizzlies: Will play the second of three home games this week on Thursday, facing the Portland Trail Blazers. Cheap Tony Perez Jersey . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Cheap Chris Sabo Jersey . 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Cheap Reds Jerseys . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. PASADENA, Calif. -- Five years after Utah running back Joe Williams and UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul left Fork Union Military Academy together, they both posted record-breaking performances on the same wild afternoon.Only Williams left the Rose Bowl happy with his effort -- and his decision to get back in the game with the Utes.Williams rushed for a school-record 332 yards and four touchdowns in his second game back from retirement, and No. 19 Utah held off pass-happy UCLA 52-45 Saturday.Williams broke off TD runs of 3, 43, 64 and 55 yards during the greatest rushing day in Utah (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) history, surpassing Mike Andersons 1999 record, and the most prolific rushing performance ever by a UCLA opponent.Im pretty sure [the Bruins] are tired of seeing the back of my jersey running down the field, Williams said, giving the credit to his offensive line. Weve got five grown men out there that could be in the NFL tomorrow. Im just glad to be running behind them.Cory Butler-Byrd returned the opening kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown on a day of stunning superlatives for the Utes in their second straight win at the Rose Bowl.Williams quit football last month before returning last week when injuries decimated Utahs depth, and he has 511 yards on the ground in two games since.Its awesome, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. Weve had some really good running backs come through here, and played against some inferior teams (compared to UCLA). He broke the record of all-time, and weve had a bunch of guys in the NFL, running backs that have done a lot of great things.Williams broke Andersons Utah record shortly before shredding Edgerrin James record for a Bruins opponent on his fourth scoring run with 10:28 to play.That young man had a world-class day against us, and thats disappointing because weve been playing the run so well, UCLA coach Jim Mora said.Williams didnt get a chance after the game to talk to Fafaul, his former high school teammate in Virginia.Fafaul made his own history, setting UCLA records for pass attempts (70) and completions (40) while throwing for 464 yards, third most in school annals.dddddddddddd UCLA essentially abandoned its awful running game, which began the weekend ranked 126th out of 128 FBS teams.We wanted to do something to help our run game and catch the defense off-guard, Fafaul said. Its not about the records or my performance. I just wanted a victory, and its really disappointing.The former walk-on had five touchdown passes and four interceptions for the Bruins (3-5, 1-4) in their fourth loss in five games.Fafaul was prolific but erratic in his second straight start in place of injured Josh Rosen, who went through warmups but didnt play. Fafaul had the third-biggest passing performance in UCLA history, trailing only 500-yard games by Cade McNown and Drew Olson.THE TAKEAWAYUtah: Williams ran wild on a record afternoon, but the ground game behind a dominant offensive line only lessens the sting for a Utah defense that got beaten for several big plays with poor tackling. Whittingham wont be happy about the Utes inability to limit a backup quarterback and an offense with no running game.UCLA: After struggling to run the ball all season, the Bruins abruptly reverted back to the spread passing offense run by departed offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. After running the ball just seven times in the first half, the Bruins didnt call another running play until the final snap of the third quarter. Its difficult from the standpoint that (the Utes) kind of know whats coming, Fafaul said.POLL IMPLICATIONSUtah: Injuries and defensive woes cant slow down the Utes, who appear to be Colorados biggest competition for the Pac-12 South title. The Utes should slide up a bit in the polls with a difficult late-season schedule looming.UP NEXTUtah: The Utes return home to host dominant Washington in one of the seasons biggest matchups in the topsy-turvy Pac-12.UCLA: After a bye, the Bruins continue chasing bowl eligibility with a Thursday night trip to suddenly powerful Colorado. ' ' '