MEMPHIS, Tenn. David Long Youth Jersey . -- The Memphis Grizzlies are headed on a three-game road trip with a better grip on the Western Conferences final playoff spot. Marc Gasol scored 19 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 109-99 on Tuesday night. The victory kept Memphis in the conferences eighth spot with a one-game edge over the idle Phoenix Suns. But players are not satisfied with the current position. "Even though we are in, we want to be higher," guard Courtney Lee said. "Were still chasing, and I think thats the right mindset to have going forward because if you continue to chase, youll never get complacent and fall off." Mike Conley added 17 points and Lee finished with 16. Mike Miller had 14 for Memphis, which won its third straight. Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 32 points on 8-of-21 shooting from the field, but connecting on 12 of 13 free throws, including six in the fourth quarter when he was fouled on a pair of 3-point attempts. LaMarcus Aldridge had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Nicolas Batum contributed 15 points for Portland, which lost its third straight, matching its longest skid of the season. Memphis built its lead to double-digits early in the fourth quarter and Portland got it under 10 -- to nine -- on only two occasions the rest of the way. The common refrain from the Trail Blazers was it was "just one of those nights." "They would just get a tip ball or a loose ball and they would hit a 3 with it," Lillard said. "It was just one too many of those situations." While Memphis heads on a road trip to New Orleans, Toronto and Philadelphia holding the final playoff spot, Portland sits in the conferences fifth slot. Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was pleased with the way his team competed and shooting 22 of 29 from the foul line. "I thought we had a lot of shots we normally make," Stotts said. "We took care of the ball (eight turnovers). We got to the free-throw line. We were aggressive. "I thought it was just one of those nights." Portland struggled from the field, connecting on 41 per cent for the game. In addition to Lillards percentage, Aldridge was 8 of 23 and Batum was 5 of 13. Wesley Matthews managed only one field goal on seven attempts. "I think he had good looks," Stotts said of Aldridges shooting. "But you cant make them every night." Aldridge considered it just part of a shooting slump that will end at some point. "I am going to find my rhythm, and I am going to make those shot Ive been missing soon. It will get a lot better," he said. The Grizzlies, who shot at least 50 per cent in each quarter, finished the night at a season-best 56 per cent including 6 of 12 from outside the arc. Memphis held a 54-47 lead at the break, but Portland was close despite shooting 41 per cent. The Trail Blazers gathered nine offensive rebounds for 10 second-chance points. Memphis stretched the lead back to 15 to open the second half, and kept the advantage through the middle stages of the quarter. Lee was the catalyst for Memphis, scoring 13 in the quarter, a difference, he said, of not playing as passive as he had in the first half. "Coaches and my teammates were telling me to go out and be more aggressive," Lee said of the second half. "You dont have to tell me that twice." The Trail Blazers closed the stanza on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 78-69 entering the fourth. After Nick Calathes connected on a 3-pointer to open the fourth period, Memphis had its double-digit lead back. NOTES: Memphis has won five straight in the series. ... Portland G Will Barton, who played at the University of Memphis, got in for the final minute of the game. ... Five of the previous seven games in the series were decided by six points or less. ... Memphis has a seven-game home winning streak. Aaron Donald Rams Jersey .Y. - The New York Islanders are brimming with confidence these days, thanks to a standout goalie and a newfound winning attitude. Jack Youngblood Rams Jersey . At least 90 players who had college eligibility remaining are expected to enter the draft, shattering last years record number of 73. "Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Cooper-Kupp-Jersey/ . -- Theres nothing like winning to bring hope for a struggling team.DENVER - Patrick Roy returned to the Colorado Avalanche to restore the glory years he helped forge, and hes enjoying the ride with a young team playing at a high level. Nick Holden scored two goals, Ryan OReilly had a goal and an assist and the Avalanche rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3 on Sunday night. Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 shots and Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie also scored for the Avalanche, who have won two straight. Roy helped lead Colorado to two Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001 as the goaltender with a dynamic offence in front of him. Now as the coach, hes bringing back memories of that era. "You ask me what reminds me of the Avalanche of the past, thats the type of hockey we were playing," he said. "And thats the way were playing right now." Those championship teams also featured goal-scoring defencemen, something lacking from last years squad. Colorados blue-liners had just five goals in 48 games a year ago. The Avalanche got four goals from its defence Sunday, including Johnsons first in his return from a two-game suspension for a slash on New York Islanders centre Frans Nielsen three weeks ago. "Its tough sitting out, and to be able to come back and contribute and help the team win is fun," he said. Johnson scored the go-ahead goal at 16:05 of the third when he pinched in to steal the puck and then sent a low shot past 6-foot-7 goalie Ben Bishop from along the boards. "I know (Bishop) from St. Louis, and I shot at him a lot," Johnson said. "Hes obviously a big guy and he doesnt give you a lot of room. Sometimes, big guys like that, you throw it at their feet and they dont see it." Nate Thompson had two goals, Tom Pyatt also scored and Bishop finished with 29 saves for the Lightning, who had four penalties in the last 21:28 of the game. "The penalties killed us," centre Alex Killorn said. "Six minutes where we didnt play in their zone." Holden tied it wiith a power-play goal at 5:12 of the third. Eric Dickerson Rams Jersey. It was Colorados sixth power-play goal in the past three games. Holden notched his second two-goal game when he scored into an empty net with 53 seconds remaining. Paul Stastny added another with 6.3 seconds left. "This is a tough one," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Tied game with under five minutes to go. I thought we were getting points from this one. We let them slip out of our hands." Thompson has eight goals, and four of them have come in a pair of two-goal games. He got his first one Sunday when he beat Varlamov on the short side 6:40 into the second period to tie it at 2. Later in the period, he sent a wrister at Varlamov that settled in the crease, and then he skated through to knock it in at 17:37. The Lightning missed an opportunity to move into second place in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference after Colorados late-game eruption. "I think were going through a little bit of a rough patch," Thompson said. "A couple breakdowns there at the end and they end up in the back of the net, unfortunately." Colorado stayed within three points of St. Louis in the Central Division with the win. The Blues beat Phoenix on Sunday. The game was scoreless for most of the first period despite plenty of chances. Lightning centre Vladislav Namestnikov had two of them and Colorado centre Matt Duchene was stopped on a breakaway. Tampa Bay finally cashed in when Pyatt scored at 16:49 of the first. Barrie tied it 30 seconds later with a shot between Bishops legs, and OReilly gave Colorado a 2-1 lead with his 23rd of the season 1:42 later. NOTES: Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon finished with two assists. ... Tampa Bay C Valtteri Filppula missed his fourth straight game with a non-displaced fracture in his right ankle. ... MacKinnon extended his points streak to 11 games. Its the longest streak by a rookie since Stastny had one of 20 games during the 2006-07 season. ' ' '