New Yorks run that brought four titles in a five-year span. "Jo

HOUSTON -- James Harden and the Houston Rockets found their legs in time to get another big win. Harden scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping Houston rally for a 100-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. Coming off an impressive 111-98 win at San Antonio on Christmas, coach Kevin McHale said he could tell the Rockets were "draggy" during the pregame shootaround. But they still managed to outscore the Grizzlies 34-20 in the final period of their third victory in four games. Harden struggled from the field, going 2 for 9, but was a career-best 22 of 25 from the free throw line. He made 9 of 11 foul shots in the final quarter while matching a Rockets single-game record for made free throws set by Sleepy Floyd in 1991. Harden because the first player in NBA history to register 27 points on two or fewer made field goals. "Just being aggressive, being aggressive," Harden said of the free throws. "I couldnt make a shot. I just tried to get to the rim. We were kind of stagnant through the middle of the game, especially the third quarter, so I just wanted to get in attack mode." Houston star Dwight Howard battled foul trouble for most of the game and was held to two points and six rebounds. He was whistled for his fifth foul with 7:52 left in the third and never returned to the action. McHale said he wanted to get Howard back in the game, but the centres back stiffened while he was on the bench, and he liked the energy reserve Donatas Montiejunas brought to the game. "D-Mo played with energy," McHale said. "We were having a hard time getting our energy up. Last night was a big game. . Guys put a lot of emotional and physical effort in last nights game, and I really extended guys, and I extended them again tonight." Howard said he felt OK, but the guys on the court were playing well, and he didnt want to mess up their rhythm. Montiejunas only had four points but he played 23 minutes, including all of the fourth quarter, and was able to help slow Zach Randolph, who scored five points while playing all the fourth. Randolph, who had a team-high 23 points and 17 rebounds, said the officiating played a big role in the loss. "It was the refs tonight," said Randolph, who received a technical late in the fourth. "Eight against five. The game in the second half, a man was shooting free throws every time. We were out there playing hard, and they were dictating the game. It cant be like that. We are out there playing, too. "It was horrible refereeing, it was a horrible game they reffed tonight. Awful. They dictated the game. We are out there working as hard as them." The Rockets made up for Howards slow night with four players in double figures. Terrence Jones scored 20 points, and Chandler Parsons had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Jeremy Lin had 14 of his 18 points in the fourth. Trailing 76-66 with 10:55 to go, Houston used a 21-5 run over nearly six minutes to take an 87-81 lead on two Harden free throws with five minutes left. Lin powered the surge with 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and Harden added six points in the decisive stretch. "I just tried to stay aggressive," Lin said. "I know I had a lot of mistakes early on, and I am thankful to God that I got in a rhythm. We really didnt feel good out there. It was an ugly game all around." After trading 3-pointers, Harden extended Houstons lead to eight on a jumper with 1:49 remaining. Tayshaun Prince hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five, but Houston went 8 for 10 at the line to close it out. The Rockets were just 5 for 24 from beyond the arc against the Grizzlies. But they made three 3s in the fourth quarter and enjoyed a dominant night at the line, making 33 of 40 free throws, compared to 11 for 20 for the Grizzlies. Memphis reserve James Johnson had 12 points, and Kosta Koufos had five points and 11 boards to help the Grizzlies to a 49-41 rebounding advantage, including a 20-7 margin on the offensive glass that led to 21 second-chance points. "I dont think it got away anywhere," Memphis coach Dave Joerner said. "They made shots, we didnt score, we had 12 points going into the last minute (of the fourth quarter). I think going on the road, it can be difficult. Theyre a good team, and they made plays." NOTES: Houston C Greg Smith missed his third consecutive game with a sprained right knee. ... Prince started after missing the last three games with left knee soreness. He finished with nine points. ... The Rockets re-hired Gersson Rosas to co-lead their scouting and player personnel department with Gianluca Pascucci. Rosas was hired as Dallas general manager in the off-season, but he left the Mavericks a little more than three months after being hired. Corey Seager Jersey . Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September. Chris Taylor Jersey . Martin Reway and David Griger both recorded four points with a goal and three assists each. Mario Lunter, Daniel Gachulinec and Stanislav Horansky also scored for Slovakia (1-0). Dominik Kahun had both goals for Germany (0-2), who lost its opening match to Canada 7-2 on Thursday. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Customized/ . Villarreals victory in Valencia kept it in fourth place and in control of Spains last Champions League spot. Uche broke free in the area in the 10th minute and was brought down by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was shown a direct red card. Kirk Gibson Jersey . The first of the three games will be played in Week 4, when the Oakland Raiders will take on the Miami Dolphins on Sept. Justin Turner Jersey . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Don Zimmer wasnt a fixture in baseball forever. It just seemed that way. He played alongside Jackie Robinson on the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win the World Series. He coached Derek Jeter on the New York Yankees latest dynasty. And his manager once was the illustrious Casey Stengel. For 66 years, Zimmer was a most popular presence at ballparks all over, a huge chaw often filling his cheek. Everyone in the game seemed to know him, and love him. Zimmer was still working for the Tampa Bay Rays as a senior adviser when he died Wednesday at a hospital in nearby Dunedin. He had been in a rehabilitation centre since having seven hours of heart surgery in mid-April. "Today we all lost a national treasure and a wonderful man," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. Zimmer started out as a minor league infielder in 1949, hitting powerful shots that earned him the nickname "Popeye." He went on to enjoy one of the longest-lasting careers in baseball history. And oh, the stories he could tell. "I loved listening to him every day," Billy Connors, a coach under Zimmer with the Chicago Cubs, told The Associated Press. Zimmer played on the original New York Mets, saw his Boston Red Sox beaten by Bucky Dents playoff homer, got tossed to the ground by Pedro Martinez during a brawl and was Joe Torres right-hand man as the bench coach with the Yankees. "I hired him as a coach, and he became like a family member to me. He has certainly been a terrific credit to the game," Torre said in a statement. "The game was his life. And his passing is going to create a void in my life and my wife Alis. We loved him. The game of baseball lost a special person tonight. He was a good man," he said. A career .235 hitter in the big leagues, numbers could never define all that Zimmer meant to the game. He did have tremendous success, too -- his teams won six World Series rings and went to the post-season 19 times. Zimmers No. 66 Rays jersey had been worn recently by longtime Tampa Bay third base coach Tom Foley in tribute. The Rays hosted the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, and Foley was crying in the dugout. Earlier this season, the Rays hung a banner in the front of the press box at Tropicana Field that simply read "ZIM." There was a moment of silence at Dodger Staddium for Zimmer before Los Angeles played the Chicago White Sox.dddddddddddd "On behalf of Major League Baseball and the many clubs that Popeye served in a distinguished baseball life, I extend my deepest condolences to Dons family, friends and his many admirers throughout our game," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. Zimmers biggest admirer was his wife "Soot" -- they were married at home plate during a minor league game in 1951. Two years later in the minors, Zimmers path took a frightening turn -- he was beaned by a fastball and left in a coma, and doctors had to put metal screws in his head. He recovered well enough to wear a lot of uniforms during his 56 years in the majors. He played for the Dodgers, Mets, Cubs, Cincinnati and Washington. He managed San Diego, Boston, Texas and the Cubs. "Probably the best baseball man I knew," Connors said. Yankees executive Hank Steinbrenner echoed that sentiment. "I loved Zim. I loved his passion. He was a great, great guy. He was a great baseball guy," he told the AP. "Everybody loved him." Steinbrenner, son of late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, said Torre and Zimmer were the "perfect team" during New Yorks run that brought four titles in a five-year span. "Joe was low-keyed. Zim would get fired up. He was a bench coach for real," Steinbrenner said. "He was an extremely important part of the 1990s success." Zimmer hit 91 home runs and had 352 RBIs in 12 seasons. He started Game 7 when Brooklyn beat the Yankees for the 1955 crown and was an All-Star in 1961. The next year, he played under Stengel on the 1962 expansion Mets, who famously went 40-120. "Dont blame them all on me," Zimmer once said. "I got traded after the first 30 days." Zimmer was the 1989 NL Manager of the Year with the Cubs and was at Yankee Stadium for three perfect games, by Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series and by David Cone and David Wells in the late 1990s. "Its a sad day for the game of baseball," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said after a 3-2 loss at San Diego. "Don impacted lives from the time he put a uniform on in the minor leagues until today." Zimmer is survived by his wife; son Thomas, a scout with the San Francisco Giants; daughter Donna, and four grandchildren. ' ' '