TORONTO -- The Memphis Grizzlies will be dealing with yet another injury when they play the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre.Point guard Mike Conley is expected to be out for about six weeks with a broken bone in his back.It is bad news for the Grizzlies (11-7), who will be facing a Raptors team that was able to rest some players down the stretch in a 122-95 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.The Raptors (11-6) are 5-3 at home and the Grizzlies are 6-3 on the road.Memphis has lost two of its last three after winning six straight. The Raptors have won three in a row.Conley was injured during the third quarter of the 104-85 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday after taking a charge from Michael-Kidd Gilchrist.The Grizzlies said that Conley was diagnosed with transverse fractures in the vertebrae located in his lower back. The injury is expected to resolve itself with rest. Conley is expected to miss six weeks and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.Conley scored seven points in the first four minutes of the third quarter in trying to lead a comeback from a 56-39 disadvantage at the half. The deficit had been cut to 11 points when Conley was injured. He left with 14 points and five assists.There was another setback with Mike leaving the game, Memphis guard Tony Allen said. A lot of guys looked like they were worried. I think the game got away from us at that point.At that point you are only concerned about that guys health, center Marc Gasol said. You just worry if he is OK or not.The Grizzlies said that Vince Carter also was injured early in the fourth quarter on Monday. Carter, a former Raptors star, suffered a right hip flexor strain. He traveled with the team to Toronto and will be listed as questionable for the game.The Grizzlies already have plenty of absences. Chandler Parsons, James Ennis and Brandan Wright are out with injuries. Zach Randolph has missed the past three games after the death of his mother last week.Meanwhile, the Raptors had better news on the injury front. Center Jonas Valanciunas did not play in the fourth quarter Monday because of a minor ankle injury. The ankle was rewrapped and he could have returned but coach Dwane Casey rested him with the game well under control.Hes OK, Casey said.The Raptors concern has been the defensive part of their game. They have kept the opposition under 100 points the past two games. Casey is still not satisfied.We had a lot of defensive mistakes, Casey said Tuesday. Our defensive fundamentals, weve got to continue to work on.The Raptors easily defeated Philadelphia despite getting only 14 points from DeMar DeRozan, who has been averaging 30 per game.Teams are sending extra bodies to him, Casey said. They stay a little longer on the pin-downs.Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 24 points and Terrence Ross scored 22 off the bench as six players hit double figures.Consistency has been huge for him, Casey said of Ross. I know he had 22 points but the most important thing is his defensive focus. Authentic Custom Tigers Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Alan Trammell Jersey Large . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. http://www.customtigersjersey.com/ . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Custom Tigers T-shirts .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Wholesale Custom Tigers Shirts .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- When Philip Speerings mother told him she would do something special for him making good grades, he focused on the Cleveland Cavaliers only visit to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.Speering, 15, wanted to see LeBron James. He wanted to see Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.Speering got his wish to see the Cavaliers and Grizzlies game Wednesday night, but without Clevelands main three players in the ever-growing playing maintenance NBA teams are employing.Honestly, I feel like they should come and support their (fans), said Speering in a Believeland T-shirt. I understand rest, but its kind of disappointing.Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue announced immediately after beating Memphis 103-86 in Cleveland on Tuesday night that James, Irving and Love would not make the overnight, one-game trip. The Cavaliers next game is at home Saturday against the Lakers.The Grizzlies took a similar approach to Tuesdays game in Cleveland. Center Marc Gasol was left at home rather than making that trip. Theres an increase in teams relying on minute calculations or number of games in a stretch in deciding to sit their main players.That can be upsetting to visiting teams fans who -- in the Cavaliers case -- have only one chance to see Cleveland come to town. With the Cavs in the Eastern Conference and Memphis in the West, the teams face each other twice a season -- once on each others floor.Throughout Wednesday, sports talk show hosts debated the decision -- both from the focus of the team, but also from the fans, some of whom paid premium prices for the one opportunity to see the defending champions. Some noted in sharing ticket packages, the Cleveland visit was among the first games selected.Rick McKenna of Memphis was sitting by himself in the stands. A native of Ravenna, Ohio, he said he paid $400 for his ticket.Luee said a combination of factors contributed to the decision.dddddddddddd The Cavs played four games in six nights before the Tuesday game against the Grizzlies. James has not had his usual pep, Lue said, Love has dealt with back issues, although he had 29 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesdays win, and Irving has dealt with tired legs.All three were listed as not with the team due to rest.It was pretty much the circumstance. It wasnt like; `were coming to Memphis; were going to sit our guys. Lue said.The reasoning still doesnt sit well with fans. Jaden Jenkins, 14, of Memphis was decked out in his Cavaliers shirt in the pregame. He noted it was pretty upsetting when he heard James wasnt playing, but even worse, when Love and Irving were added to the mix.If a player only plays one game at a particular location, they should play that night, Jenkins said.Mark Edge and his 12-year-old son, Coleman, of Bartlett, Tennessee, a Memphis suburb, marked the game on the calendar as soon as the schedule was released. The father said it might be the only NBA game they attend this season.Its like if you had a lollipop and someone stole it, Coleman Edge said.The disappointment was tempered somewhat when a member of the Cavaliers security staff approached and, said the team liked to have people in Cleveland gear on their bench during pregame.At that point, Coleman was escorted to the Cavs bench. He wouldnt see James or Irving, but he was perhaps sitting in the same seat they would have occupied if they made the trip to Memphis.And his father could find a bright spot to the whole episode.Were kind of disappointed, Mark Edge said, but its still a nice father-son night. Were still making memories. ' ' '
