LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Mike Conley thinks the Memphis Grizzlies are atop the NBA standings because theyve been consistent and determined each night, no matter whether theyre playing title contenders or the Los Angeles Lakers.The Grizzlies needed every bit of that focus to hold off those 15th-place Lakers, who fell a few minutes shy of an unlikely win.Marc Gasol had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Conley added 19 points and the Grizzlies beat Los Angeles 99-93 Wednesday night for their seventh victory in eight games.Zach Randolph scored 16 for the Grizzlies, who improved to 13-2 and kept pace with Toronto atop the overall standings. But Memphis barely withstood a strong effort from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, who kept it close throughout a tense fourth quarter.It says a lot about our focus early this season, Conley said. Thats all we want to do, is to come out focused for the first couple of months of the season, set a good standard for ourselves, and have to just hold ourselves accountable and try to get better.Coming off back-to-back 30-point games, Gasol scored 16 points in the second half, including 12 in the third quarter while the Grizzlies moved ahead. Gasol saw a familiar pattern in the final minutes for Memphis.We got more stops, got a little more physical with each possession, Gasol said. Put more pressure on them, everything we should have done all night. Its never perfect, but you aim for perfection.Bryant scored 22 points for the Lakers, who have lost seven of nine. Los Angeles dropped to 1-7 at Staples Center after missing several chances to seize control down the stretch. The Lakers have lost six games by seven points or fewer.Its just as frustrating no matter how many times we lost by seven points or less, Bryant said. I mean, its not like we have levels of frustration. Its either all or nothing. Weve had some opportunities against some of the top teams in the West to win, and we just let it get away from us.The NBAs worst defensive team held the Grizzlies to six field goals in the fourth, and the Lakers trailed 97-93 after Jeremy Lins free throws with 1:41 left. But Los Angeles offence flopped down the stretch, capped by Bryants brutal turnover with 16 seconds left.The Lakers opened with one of their better halves of the season, and they did it without much help from Bryant, who took his first shot and scored his first points about three minutes before halftime.___TIP-INSGrizzlies: Memphis went 5 for 22 on 3-pointers. ... The Grizzlies beat the Lakers in Memphis on Nov. 11. ... Compton native Tayshaun Prince had two points in 9 minutes.Lakers: They tied their season high with nine blocked shots, including three by Ed Davis — two on the same Memphis possession early. ... Ronnie Price had 11 points and five assists in a reserve role, providing a notable spark during his 18 minutes. ... Carlos Boozer returned after missing one game with a strained left shoulder.ENCOURAGING SIGNSLin sees hope in the Lakers latest failure to execute down the stretch: If you learn from them, I dont see them as wasted opportunities. ... There are going to be rough times, and as long as we learn, which I think we really are doing, I think well be able to use these losses and turn them into something better.EARL ON THE WAY?Although the Lakers havent formally announced theyre bringing back Earl Clark, the forward posted a photo of himself in his Lakers jersey on Instagram. With Xavier Henrys torn Achilles tendon on Monday, Los Angeles already has lost three players to season-ending injuries, and Clark had the best season of his five-year NBA career with the Lakers in 2012-13. Clark went to training camp with Memphis, but was waived last month.UP NEXTGrizzlies: At Portland on Friday.Lakers: Host Minnesota on Friday. Orel Hershiser Indians Jersey . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. George Hendrick Indians Jersey . The NFLs Defensive Rookie of the Year will be named at the NFL Honours Award show on February 1. The 23-year-old 2013 second-rounder out of Oregon becomes the third Bills linebacker to win the honour after Jim Haslett (1979) and Shane Conlan (1987. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/4058u...dians.html.Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts. Dean Chance Indians Jersey .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. A. J. Cole Jersey . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports.ATLANTA -- Major League Soccer is closing in on a deal with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to bring an expansion franchise to Atlantas new downtown stadium. The team would likely begin play in 2017, when the $1 billion retractable roof stadium is set to open next to the Georgia Dome to provide a new home for the NFL Falcons. "Our discussions with Major League Soccer continue, but we do not have a final agreement at this time," Kim Shreckengost, the chief administrative officer for Blanks AMB Group, said Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. "We hope to complete the agreement soon, at which time we will make a formal announcement." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that a new team will be announced April 16. "We are continuing discussions with Arthur Blank to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Atlanta," said Dan Courtemanche, a spokesman for MLS. "However, we have not finalized an agreement at this time." The MLS has long coveted the Atlanta market, the largest in the U.S. without a team, as it moves toward its goal of expanding to 24 franchises. The 19-team league has already announced expansion franchises in New York City and Orlando that are scheduled to begin play next season, in addition to a provisional franchise in Miami owned by a group that includes David Beckham. That team is contingent oon a deal for a new soccer-specific stadium in south Florida.dddddddddddd There are no such concerns in Atlanta, where the Falcons new stadium was designed to accommodate an MLS team, providing Blank with additional revenue streams for the elaborate facility. While most MLS teams are moving toward smaller stadiums that are built solely for soccer, the Atlanta franchise would follow the model of teams in Seattle and Vancouver, which play in larger facilities downsized to provide a more intimate setting. For instance, Vancouvers BC Place has a curtain system that blocks off the upper deck, reducing capacity from 54,000 to 21,000. Atlantas new stadium will likely have a similar capability. Atlanta had two franchises in the old North American Soccer League. The Chiefs won the leagues first championship in 1968 but folded after the 1973 season, having spent their final year known as the Apollos. The Chiefs returned to the NASL in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta. That incarnation lasted only three seasons, never drawing as many as 8,000 fans a game before folding due to heavy financial losses. Atlanta has a team in a new version of the NASL, a league that ranks below MLS on the U.S. soccer ladder. The Silverbacks play at a 7,500-seat stadium on the outskirts of the city and are apparently not involved in talks on the MLS expansion team. ' ' '