The Memphis Grizzlies had every reason to ease up in the regular season

CINCINNATI - When Andy Dalton is on the sideline Monday night, hell make sure to steal a few glances at the field to check out his counterpart. Jessie Bates III Bengals Jersey .Who doesnt want to watch Peyton Manning do his thing in prime time?Yeah, growing up I was watching Peyton play, so its fun to be able to go up against these guys, Dalton said. You definitely want to watch what theyre doing, see how they play, because hes a guy that has been one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.The quarterbacks will get a lot of the attention — Manning for his perfect career mark against Cincinnati, Dalton for his penchant to melt down in big games — when the Broncos play the Bengals on Monday night. But itll be the running backs who are on the spot in a game between teams trying to set themselves up for deep playoff runs.If the Broncos (11-3) and Bengals (9-4-1) get their way, itll be C.J. Anderson and Jeremy Hill getting most of the attention.Both teams have started putting more emphasis on the run as the playoffs approach. The Broncos have already won the AFC West and would clinch a first-round bye with a victory at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals would earn a fourth straight trip to the playoffs with a win.The formula to win a championship this time of the season is teams that can run the ball and play good defence, Broncos nose tackle Terrance Knighton said.Yeah, they all say that. In this case — for this game in particular — its pertinent.Manning is 8-0 against the Bengals, but hes not in the best of health. Manning played with the flu and strained his right thigh during a 22-10 win at San Diego last Sunday. He was limited in practice during the week.Well see how the rest of the week goes and when (Monday) comes around, well see how he feels, offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase said on Friday.So it would be beneficial to get another big game out of Anderson, who led all NFL players with 709 total yards in November and had back-to-back games rushing for 167 and 168 yards. Hes in good shape heading into the Monday night game.Bodys feeling fine, Im great, Anderson said. Its that time of the year where teams want to run the ball and teams want to play defence and we can still throw the ball, which is great because we have No. 18 back there.Dalton is healthy, but the Bengals are looking to make him more of a role player in their third prime-time game of the season. Daltons worst moments have come in the playoffs (0-3) and prime time (2-6). The Bengals got blown out by New England and Cleveland in their two prime-time games this season.Hill leads all NFL rookies with 877 yards rushing. He ran for 148 yards during a 30-0 win at Cleveland last week, making him the first rookie since Tampa Bays Cadillac Williams in 2005 to have three games of rushing for more than 140 yards.The second-round pick from LSU likes to celebrate touchdowns distinctively. After a score in Cleveland on Sunday, he tried to jump into the Dawg Pound but got pushed away by two fans.I like to have a lot of intensity, man, Hill said. Its just bringing a lot of passion and intensity to the game and just running hard. Try to (energize) my teammates and get those guys going. I like to have fun out there, as well.The Bengals ran for a season-high 244 yards in Cleveland, an indication that their running game is finally rounding into form.Its been a long process, but I think were getting there, offensive co-ordinator Hue Jackson said. Do I think were there yet? No. You guys will know when were there because everybody will feel it and see it. I saw a glimpse of it a week ago and weve just got to keep at it.___AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Denver contributed to this report.___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Andrew Billings Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers winger skated with extras and goalies today. Billy Price Bengals Jersey . Tottenham claimed top spot in Group K by winning 2-0 at Tromso after defender Adnan Causevic scored an own goal before Mousa Dembele put the result beyond doubt. Valencia made sure it will finish first in Group A with a 1-0 win at Swansea thanks to an early goal from Dani Parejo. http://www.bengalsgear.com/authentic-mark-walton-jersey.html . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Memphis Grizzlies had every reason to ease up in the regular season finale after pushing hard the past three months to reach the post-season. Instead, they kept grinding and grabbed the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. Mike Conley hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Memphis Grizzlies moved up from the eighth seed by edging the Dallas Mavericks 106-105 on Wednesday night. "Weve been holding on very tight for a long time ...," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "Getting 50 wins is something you want on your resume as a player, and people remember those. Those are special seasons. Its a standard, a golden standard I think." Memphis became the seventh team in the West with 50 wins this season with the victory. The Grizzlies, who set a franchise record with a 14th straight home win in a single season, will open the post-season Saturday night at Oklahoma City. They beat the Thunder in the semifinals last year with Russell Westbrook out. "Playing Grizzlies basketball going into the post-season was key, and we wanted to try to keep that momentum going," Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said. Monta Ellis missed a 17-footer before Conley drew the foul driving to the basket. Dallas had one last shot, but Ellis missed from the top of the key. "It felt good, but it didnt go down," Ellis said. "I think we did a great job. We competed. It went down to the wire, and they won." Conley was face guarding his player when he noticed Ellis got his shot off before the buzzer. "I was like, Howd he get that open?" Conley said. "When I saw it hit the rim, I was like Thank you, God. That would have been a tough one to lose." Avoiding No. 1 seed San Antonio in the first round was the only thing on the line, and Memphis has lost 14 of its last 16 against the Spurs with the Mavericks losing nine straight. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said the Mavericks will be fine with starting in San Antonio on Sunday giving Dirk Nowitzki and Ellis time to rest. Nowitzki banged his right knee late in the first half and played the second half with a sleeve protecting hiss leg. Mark Walton Bengals Jersey. "Tonight is a good indication of the fight we have in us, and were going to take that fight to San Antonio," Carlisle said. Nowitzki called this game a tough loss, but he also is positive about facing the Spurs. "Eventually we will win one," Nowitzki said. "Why would it not be Game 1 or Game 2? We are going to go out there and let it rip in Game 1." Ellis scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime, including seven in overtime. But Conley had five in the extra period, including the clinching free throws. He was 5 of 7 at the line, though the Grizzlies were 15 of 25 for the game. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 27 points and 14 rebounds, and Marc Gasol had 19 points, shooting 9 of 13. He also had nine rebounds and nine assists. Conley finished with 22, and Allen had 13. Courtney Lee added 11 despite shooting 3 of 10 from the floor. Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 30 points. Devin Harris and Brandan Wright each had 10. Harris also had 10 assists. The Grizzlies missed their chance to put away the win in regulation. Memphis was up 93-90 and had just gotten the ball back when Conley crashed into Harris for a charge, giving the ball back to Dallas with 20.3 seconds left in regulation. Ellis then hit a 3-pointer from 26 feet out on the right wing with 13 seconds left over Lee tying it up at 93, and the Grizzlies couldnt score to avoid overtime. In overtime, the Mavericks last led 105-102 on a 3-pointer from Nowitzki with 46 seconds remaining. Dallas didnt score again. Allen had a putback with 38 seconds to go, then Conley sealed the win. The Mavericks already took the season series winning the first three games by double digits. They were the last team to beat the Grizzlies in Memphis on Feb. 5, and owner Mark Cuban was at the end of the bench cheering them on. Notes: Mike Miller played all 82 games for the Grizzlies for only the second time in his career his rookie season with Orlando in 2000-01. He became only the 23rd player in NBA history to play a full season in his 14th season or later. ... Memphis won its fifth straight. ... Dallas snapped a six-game road winning streak. Cheap Chargers Hoodies Cheap Browns Hoodies Cheap Texans Hoodies Cheap Ravens Hoodies Cheap Panthers Hoodies Cheap Jets Hoodies Cheap Titans Hoodies Cheap Chiefs Hoodies Cheap Bills Hoodies Cheap Colts Hoodies Cheap Cardinals Hoodies Cheap Buccaneers Hoodies Cheap Rams Hoodies Cheap Jaguars Hoodies Cheap Falcons Hoodies Cheap Bengals Hoodies ' ' '