Randolph had 13 of his 27 points in the first quarter and finished with 11 rebounds, and the Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-82 on Thursday night to pull within 2-1 in this first-round series.

“Zach was huge,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “He got started quickly. He had 18 at halftime, and that got us going and everyone else just flowed into that. I thought our defense, for the most part, was solid.”

Randolph hadn’t scored more than 13 in each of the first two games and had only 12 rebounds combined in Los Angeles. On Thursday, he looked much more like the All-Star who had 45 double-doubles this season, and he had six offensive rebounds after leading the NBA with 310 in the regular season.

The man known as “Z-Bo” was the last of the Grizzlies off the court in pregame warm-ups, and he had his shot working early.

“I definitely wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Randolph said. “They’ve been double-teaming, triple-teaming me. So just go fast, you know, hit a couple jump shots and open it up. Most definitely, I wanted to come out and be aggressive.”

The Grizzlies snapped the Clippers’ nine-game winning streak by outrebounding and dominating on second-chance points, the same things Los Angeles did so well on its home court to start the series in beating Memphis at its own style.

Game 4 is Saturday in Memphis.

Marc Gasol accepted his trophy as the NBA’s defensive player of the year before tipoff, then scored 16 points. Quincy Pondexter and Tony Allen had 13 each. Mike Conley was 1-of-9 but had 10 assists and no turnovers on a night when he was so sick he sipped on soda and didn’t talk much.

Pondexter said Gasol anchored the Grizzlies on the defensive end to help them return to “Grizzlies basketball,” and called Randolph and Gasol two of the best big men in the NBA.

“They are really great,” Pondexter said. “Marc is the best center in my eyes. Zach has the ability to play like the best power forward in the league. When those two guys are doing what they do, it’s hard to stop us.”

Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers. Matt Barnes had 12, Chauncey Billups 11, and Jamal Crawford and Caron Butler 10. Chris Paul had eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and added six assists.

“We didn’t make any adjustments,” Hollins said of defending Paul. “We just played better.”

Paul wasn’t happy with himself after he had five of the Clippers’ 18 turnovers. He also didn’t get to the free throw line.

“It’s uncharacteristic of us. You know I mean especially me,” Paul said. “I had five turnovers tonight, and our turnovers led to 17 of their points. They got offensive rebounds, things we hadn’t let them do in Game 1 and Game 2. We just got to be better.”

The game was a continuation of the roughness in Los Angeles with a flagrant foul, three technicals and a lot of whoofing along with a bear hug by Randolph after Barnes’ flagrant foul.

The Clippers had beaten the Grizzlies three straight in Memphis, including a Game 7 win in the first round last year. They also had won six of the previous seven in the series overall.

Memphis outrebounded the Clippers 45-33, including 17-5 on the offensive boards. That gave the Grizzlies a 22-4 edge in second-chance points, which was similar to what the Clippers did to Memphis in Game 1, when they held a 25-5 advantage. The Grizzlies also outscored Los Angeles 40-26 in the paint and led by as much as 16.

“That’s what they do,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We have been able to contain it pretty well for the first couple of games, but we just didn’t do a good enough job. We’ve got to find a way to get everybody in there.”

The Clippers last led 10-8 in the first quarter before the Grizzlies took control with Randolph hitting four of his first five shots and all five free throws for 13 points in the quarter.

They tried to make a run late in the third and into the fourth as they have so often to beat Memphis in this series. They got as close as 74-69 with 8:39 left on a pair of free throws by Barnes.

“He came out aggressive, and that’s what they needed,” Griffin said of Randolph.

Memphis answered with a 7-2 spurt to push the lead back to double digits on a reverse layup by Pondexter off an assist from Randolph. During the run, Paul stole the ball from Grizzlies guard Jerryd Bayless and passed to Eric Bledsoe for a 3 he missed. Gasol got the rebound.

The Grizzlies outscored the Clippers 23-20 in the first quarter and 24-19 in the second, taking a 47-39 lead into halftime. They hadn’t led by more than six in Los Angeles and were up by seven in the first quarter back on their own court. They pushed that to 12 in the second quarter.

Memphis’ lead grew to 14 a couple times in the third, the last at 68-54 on a pair of free throws by Pondexter with 1:22 left.

That’s when the Clippers went on a 10-2 run featuring back-to-back 3s by Crawford and then Lamar Odom. Ronny Turiaf dunked to pull the Clippers to 70-64 with 11:04 to go.

Pondexter then scored five points for Memphis as he got the rebound after he missed his second free throw attempt and put it back while being fouled by Barnes.

Pondexter added the free throw, pushing Memphis’ lead back up to double digits with 10:16 remaining.

Game notes

Randolph wound up part of a double-foul situation for a third straight game in this series with Griffin late in the game. … The Clippers hadn’t lost in Memphis since Game 5 last year in the playoffs and won 24 road games during the regular season. … The Grizzlies went 28-of-38 at the free throw line compared to 21-of-23 for the Clippers. …The Clippers’ 82 points were two shy of a franchise low in the postseason. … Pondexter had only five total points in the first two games of the series. … Paul had averaged 23.5 points in the first two games of the series.

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The shot was good.

For Anthony and the New York Knicks, the outcome was even better.

Relying entirely on jumpers, Anthony tied his career high with 50 points and the Knicks won their ninth straight game, topping the injury-depleted Miami Heat 102-90 on Wednesday night.

“I felt good tonight,” Anthony said.

There was no arguing that.

Anthony finished 18 of 26 from the field, taking two dribbles to free himself from Shane Battier and make his last shot with 16.9 seconds remaining to get to 50 and send the Knicks’ bench into hysterics. It was the third time he scored 50 in his career, and it came with Miami’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers all sidelined by injuries.

“I think just from the start of the game, it’s a feeling that you just have while you’re out there on the court,” Anthony said. “Sometimes you get off to a good start and then you get cold the rest of the game, but tonight wasn’t one of those cases.”

No, it was not.

He made his first seven shots, and the fact that he had 37 points before notching any other statistic of note — no rebounds, assists, steals or blocked shots until the third quarter — let everyone in the building know that he was all about a scoring spree.

And the Heat had no answers.

“It’s an inopportune time to announce my candidacy for defensive player of the year,” Battier said. “Carmelo had a hell of a game. … That’s a game that drives the analytics guys crazy because he didn’t attempt a shot within 15 feet of the basket. Most nights, we’ll take that every single time. And he made a ton of shots. Made a ton of shots. And that’s to his credit.”

J.R. Smith scored 14 and Raymond Felton added 10 for New York.

Chris Bosh scored 23 points for Miami, which beat San Antonio on Sunday without James, Wade and Chalmers, but managed only 32 second-half points against the Knicks. Mike Miller scored 18, Ray Allen finished with 16 and Norris Cole had 14 for the Heat, whose 17-game home winning streak was snapped.

The Knicks beat the Heat in three of their four regular-season matchups. They likely would not meet again before the Eastern Conference finals.

“I don’t think that team will lack confidence against anybody,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s just the nature of who they are.”

Miami’s magic number for clinching home-court throughout the NBA playoffs remained at five, and the Heat already have the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference wrapped up. The Knicks now lead Brooklyn by five games in the race for the Atlantic Division title.

It was only Miami’s second loss in its last 31 games.

Much of the star power was taken out of the equation more than eight hours before game time, when the Heat announced that James, Wade and Chalmers would not play. James has a sore hamstring, and Wade and Chalmers are dealing with ankle sprains.

All are listed as day-to-day.

“The No. 1 thing, obviously, is try to get as healthy as we can,” Spoelstra said. “Obviously, that’s a priority. From there, we have time to still try to improve — not just stay in rhythm, but to improve, and also get these guys an opportunity that haven’t been getting minutes to play in these meaningful minutes. We didn’t script San Antonio or this like this to happen, but that’s what this league is about. It’s unpredictable.”

Anthony surely did not mind their absences.

He made three shots, a combined 65 feet of swished jumpers, in the game’s first 2:17 as the Knicks ran out to an 8-0 lead. Plenty of blue-and-orange shirts in the Miami crowd roared, and the early indications were that Anthony was on his way to a monster night and the Knicks were on their way to a blowout victory.

That assessment was half-right.

“Unbelievable,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “He just refused to let us lose.”

Anthony came in averaging 27.5 points and was practically there by halftime with 27 on 9-for-12 shooting — a display the Knicks absolutely needed, since Miami more than held its own without James, Wade and Chalmers.

After trailing by as many as nine early, Miami actually roared back to lead 58-50 at the half. Miller and Cole combined for 30 at the break; Miller’s 18 were five more than he had scored in any game this season.

Anthony — who had one more field goal than every other Knick managed, combined, in the first 24 minutes — didn’t exactly cool off at halftime. By the time the third quarter was 4 minutes old, Anthony was up to 37 points.

“We actually played pretty good defense on him,” Miller said.

Anthony’s first rebound came with 7:02 left in the third, and his first assist came as the clock was expiring to end the period, setting up Steve Novak for a 3-pointer from the right corner that allowed New York to take a 78-76 lead into the final 12 minutes.

Anthony actually went 10 minutes without scoring, then made two jumpers — the second a 3-pointer — 40 seconds apart, giving the Knicks a 95-88 lead with 3:32 left.

The Heat had tied the game twice in the fourth, but never led after Novak’s 3 that closed the third.

“My thing is to try to be aggressive, make shots,” Anthony said. “When you make shots, it makes the game so much easier.”

Game notes

It was the fourth time in 25 career games, including playoffs, that Anthony eclipsed the 40-point mark against the Heat. … Wade and James looked on intently as the Heat showed a video to promote the looming playoffs after the third quarter. Wade shimmied his shoulders a bit afterward, and James started to nod at one of the final images — his sideline dance in the final seconds of Game 5’s title-clinching win over Oklahoma City last June. … Rapper Flo Rida was at the game, as was actor Andy Garcia and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. … Of the Knicks’ nine remaining games, six are against likely playoff-bound teams.

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Big hits — some legal, some not so much — also turned the outspoken five-time Pro Bowler into focal point for a league-wide crackdown on helmet-to-helmet contact.

Harrison’s outlaw image made him beloved in Pittsburgh but reviled elsewhere. His onerous contract, however, no longer worked for a team with serious salary cap issues. The Steelers released the former Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday when the two sides could not agree on a more cap-friendly deal.

“It’s been a great run but all good things must come to a end,” Harrison posted on his Twitter account on Saturday afternoon. “Thank you Steelers Nation I will miss you all!”

Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert and Harrison’s agent Bill Parise had spent the last few days trying to iron out a new deal but couldn’t reach any common ground. Harrison was entering the final two years of a $51-million extension he signed in 2009 and was scheduled to make $6.57 million in 2013.

Harrison was set to make $7.6 million in 2014. By releasing Harrison, the Steelers create $5.105 million in cap space.

They’ve already put that money to good use, too.

A source told ESPN’s John Clayton that the Steelers gave $1,323,000 tender offers to four restricted free agents — running back Jonathan Dwyer, running back Isaac Redman, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive tackle Steve McLendon.

Harrison — who turns 35 in May — will find himself looking for work for the first time since he became a fixture on the right side of Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense in 2006.

“James has been an integral part of our success during his years in Pittsburgh and has helped us win two Lombardi trophies during that time,” Colbert said in a statement. “We appreciate all of his efforts and wish him the best.”

Harrison is the first cap move by the Steelers this offseason as they try to get under the $123 million salary cap by Tuesday, when the new league year begins. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker Lawrence Timmons have restructured their contracts to help get Pittsburgh under the cap number but Colbert told reporters after the Steelers finished a disappointing 8-8 in 2012 “terminations” would also be necessary.

“Sooner or later you have to pay the debt and you never want to get to a point where you have to gut your team and start over because we have to compete for a championship every year,” Colbert said in January.

This isn’t the first time the Steelers have released a star to save money. They let go wide receiver Hines Ward and linebacker James Farrior last spring, but unlike Ward and Farrior — who both retired rather than sign elsewhere — Harrison remains intent on playing in 2013.

Harrison missed the first three games of the 2012 season with a minor knee injury but was one of Pittsburgh’s steadiest performers over the second half of the year. He finished with six sacks, tied for the team lead, and a pair of forced fumbles as the Steelers finished No. 1 in total defense for the fourth time since Harrison became a starter.

“James has played a major role in the success of this organization during his time in Pittsburgh,” coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “I appreciate everything he has done in my six years as head coach.”

In many ways Harrison’s success is emblematic of “The Steeler Way.” Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002, Harrison spent two years on the practice squad before getting signed by the Baltimore Ravens, who sent the undersized Harrison — listed at 6-feet — to NFL Europe for some seasoning. The Ravens eventually cut him loose and Pittsburgh brought him back hoping he had matured.

It ended up being one of the better bargains in team history.

Harrison eventually blossomed into one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. He helped the Steelers win their fifth Super Bowl in 2006 and was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, when he collected 16 sacks.

Chasing their second championship in four years, Harrison put together one of the most spectacular plays in Super Bowl history, returning a Kurt Warner interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half in a game the Steelers eventually won 27-23.

Yet Harrison’s violent play sometimes came at a hefty price. He was fined multiple times for hits to the head.

Feeling he was being unfairly persecuted by the league, Harrison called commissioner Roger Goodell a “crook” and a “devil” during an interview with Men’s Journal in early 2011. Harrison later apologized and promised to clean up his act.

It didn’t exactly work. Harrison was suspended for a game in December, 2011, after his helmet smacked into Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy’s facemask a moment after McCoy released the ball.

Harrison did not receive any letters from the commissioner’s office in 2012 but his physical style of play took a toll on his body. He missed all of training camp with a knee injury and admitted he had endured “a dozen” concussions over the course of his career.

The Steelers hope they have Harrison’s replacement in 24-year-old Jason Worilds, who finished with five sacks in limited action last season.

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Carl Poston, the agent for Woodson, first told NFL.com that the club would be releasing his client.

“They’re getting ready to release him. It’s part of the business,” Poston said. “I just talked to him. He sounds like he has a lot of football left. He’d like to play for a contender, win another Super Bowl.”

Woodson was set to make $9 million in 2013 and would count for $10 million against the Packers’ salary cap.

Woodson, who signed a five-year deal before the 2010 season that was worth as much as $55 million, missed nine games last season because of a broken right collarbone and played in two playoff games for the Packers. He moved from cornerback to safety last season because of diminishing cover skills.

“We had a good run,” Woodson wrote to ESPNWisconsin.com in a text message.

Woodson was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him out of Michigan with the No. 4 overall pick.

He’s the only player in NFL history with touchdowns off interceptions in six straight seasons, a feat he pulled off each year from 2006 to 2011, and leads the league with nine touchdowns off interceptions since 2006.

Woodson was productive for the Packers, but they have some tough decisions to make this offseason to manage the salary cap. Woodson had a year left on his lucrative deal and linebacker A.J. Hawk is under contract next year for a team that probably wants to give long-term deals to receiver James Jones, linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive tackle B.J. Raji because each of the relatively young standouts could potentially be free agents following next season.

Despite his age and recent injury, Woodson will likely be an in-demand free agent. He was injured last October, bounced back in time to defend two passes in the playoffs.

“Charles has been a stud in this league for 15 years, so whenever he’s on the field with us, he’s always a huge threat,” Hawk said in January. “Not only is he a threat to make huge plays throughout the game, but quarterbacks, I think they know where he’s at every single play. He seems to know what receivers are running before they do. And I think he has an intimidation factor as well.”

Woodson had a career-high nine interceptions in 2009 and picked off seven passes in 2011 and made one interception in seven games during last year’s injury-shortened season.

The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner led Michigan to the 1997 national championship and has donated more than $2 million to the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital, where he supports pediatric clinical research. With the Packers, he was a leader as one of the best players on the team and as a mentor to younger players.

“He’s like a big brother to all of us,” former Green Bay safety Nick Collins once said.

The post Charles Woodson to be released appeared first on IdealCapper.

“He’s ready to go,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to play in this game and he should be full speed.”

It’s uncertain how much Lewis — who has missed the last 10 games since suffering the injury on Oct. 14 — will play.

It’s possible that Sunday could be the final game of Lewis’ storied career. The two-time defensive player of the year and former Super Bowl MVP announced Wednesday that he is retiring after this season.

Sunday will also likely be Lewis’ final game in Baltimore even if the Ravens win because of their No. 4 seed entering the playoffs. He is also close to signing a multiyear contract with ESPN to join the network as an NFL analyst, according to an SI.com report.

Lewis, 37, returned to practice on Dec. 5. For him to be eligible for the playoffs, the Ravens added him to the active roster later in the month.

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Lewis said, “It is time for me to create a new legacy” after 17 NFL seasons.

He intends to play for the first time since tearing his triceps two months ago when the Ravens host the Colts in Sunday’s wild-card game, saying: “There is no reason for me to not play,” according to The Baltimore Sun.

Sunday likely will be Lewis’ final game in Baltimore even if the Ravens win because of their No. 4 seed entering the playoffs.

“I talked to my team today,” Lewis said Wednesday. “I talked to them about life in general. And everything that starts has an end. For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride.”

He returned to practice on Dec. 5, and for him to be eligible for the playoffs, the Ravens added him to the active roster later in the month.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano, Lewis’ defensive coordinator last year, said, “I thought, shoot, the guy could play forever and would play forever. Great person, great man, great player, just an unbelievable human being — what he’s done for that organization, that city and for that matter, so many people. He’s obviously a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will be sorely missed.”

Lewis has gone to 12 Pro Bowls, been named first-team All-Pro seven times and been voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice. He led the Ravens in tackles in 14 of his 17 seasons, the exceptions being those years in which he missed significant time with injuries (2002, 2005, 2012).

According to Stats & Information, only four players in NFL history have been to more Pro Bowls than Lewis (Bruce Matthews, 14; Jerry Rice, 13; Reggie White, 13; Tony Gonzalez, 13).

“I never played the game for individual stats. I only played the game to make my team a better team,” he said.

Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who is almost always upbeat, said of the announcement: “It was sad. It affected me, because for the past 10 years of my career, I’ve been sitting right next to the man and going to war on Sundays. It’s going to one hard last ride, and we need to make it one to remember.”

Lewis led the Ravens to the 2000 Super Bowl title when he was the key figure on a defense that set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.

Lewis had hinted at retirement previously. He said last summer that he couldn’t see himself playing past age 37. Lewis turned 37 in May.

Lewis wants to spend more time with his two sons. While working to return from his injury, Lewis watched them play on the same high school football team, and he intends to watch Ray Lewis III perform as a freshman next year for his alma mater, the University of Miami.

“God is calling,” Lewis said. “My children have made the ultimate sacrifice for their father for 17 years. I don’t want to see them do that no more. I’ve done what I wanted to do in this business, and now it’s my turn to give them something back.”

Which means he’ll pull off his No. 52 uniform for the last time after the Ravens are eliminated or win the Super Bowl.

“It’s either hold on to the game and keep playing and let my kids miss out on times we can be spending together,” Lewis said. “Because I always promised my son if he got a full ride on scholarship, Daddy is going to be there. I can’t miss that.”

Lewis could have made the announcement during the offseason, but thought it best to do it now.

“I think my fans, my city, I think they deserved for me to just not walk away,” he said. “We all get to enjoy what Sunday will feel like, knowing that this will be the last time 52 plays in a uniform in Ravens stadium.”

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