Grizzlies

Even though Vancouver had lost 16 straight road games, Blue Edwards and three of his teammates couldn't wait to come to Milwaukee's Bradley Center. Edwards scored 18 points and led an inspired effort by four former Milwaukee players as Vancouver stunned the Bucks, 100-92, last night and won its second in succession. "The fact that I used to play here made it a special game for me," said Edwards, who played for the Bucks from 1992 to '94. Former Buck Eric Mobley had nine points, Eric Murdock had six and Anthony Avent added four.

The Los Angeles Clippers refused to let a third chance to knock the Grizzlies out of the playoffs slip away. Kenyon Martin scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with an 82-72 win over the Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday in Memphis, Tenn. "That's why it's seven games," Martin said. "If you don't do it before, you get another chance. So they did what they had to do, they came and stole home court back on our floor.

The Memphis Grizzlies did almost everything right. The Los Angeles Lakers couldn't do much of anything when it counted most. Jason Williams scored 10 of his 26 points over an 80-second span of the fourth quarter to give the Grizzlies a lead they never lost as they stunned the visiting Lakers last night, 114-108. It was only the Grizzlies' second victory over the two-time defending NBA champions, their first since Feb. 23, 1999, in Vancouver. "They certainly wanted that game more than we did and played like it," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

The Memphis Grizzlies signed restricted free-agent forward Josh Smith, of the Atlanta Hawks, to an offer sheet yesterday. Atlanta has 7 days to match the offer. Neither Wallace Prather, Smith's agent, nor the Grizzlies would give details and the Hawks declined to comment. The Hawks drafted the 6-9, 235-pound Smith out of high school in the first round in 2004. Smith, who once was considered by the 76ers, averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in helping the Hawks make the playoffs last season.

Already without point guard Tony Parker, San Antonio lost Tim Duncan to a mild left ankle sprain and dropped an 88-80 decision to host Memphis last night. Duncan, who had 10 first-quarter points, appeared to roll the ankle after a shot with about 5 minutes to play in the period. He will have an MRI today, the team said. "When Tim went down, we all looked at each other and said: 'We've got to win this game,' " Memphis center Lorenzen Wright said. Stromile Swift had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies.

MIAMI - Dwyane Wade knew his regular-season numbers against the Boston Celtics were lacking. He also knew that wouldn't matter in the playoffs. He was right: Game 1 of their anticipated series went to Wade and the Miami Heat. Wade scored 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting, James Jones set a Miami postseason record with 25 points off the bench, and the Heat beat Boston, 99-90, in Sunday's opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. "It's a big game. It's Game 1, at home," Wade said.

Stu Jackson isn't denying Allen Iverson his record-setting scoring streak, but he did question the 76ers' motives. "To do what they did, running up and down, letting him go, just take 25-30 shots a night, I don't know if that's the right way to go about it," the Vancouver coach and general manager, said yesterday. Noting that the Grizzlies could have done the same with their own celebrated rookie, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jackson said, "He could probably score 40 as well, but we're trying to continue to develop our team and stay within the confines of the integrity of the game.

Playing at home, Marc Gasol hit two free throws with 1:03 left to put the Grizzlies ahead to stay in their 87-81 win Saturday over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference semifinal. Gasol scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as Memphis remained unbeaten at home in the postseason. Memphis pulled out the win in an ugly performance for both teams following a three-day layoff since Game 2. After struggling at the free throw line in Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies hit all six at the line in the final 1:03 to clinch it. Meanwhile, Thunder star Kevin Durant, a 91 percent free throw shooter in the regular season, missed two with 39.3 seconds left.

MAYBE IT'S a growing pain. Maybe it's their DNA. Either way, Andre Iguodala, the core of the team, was unforgiving in his assessment. So was coach Doug Collins . . . but Collins is the general. Iguodala is a soldier. The Sixers blew the 21-point lead they held with 3 minutes, 41 seconds to play in the third quarter. They lost, 99-94, to the visiting Grizzlies last night. It was the biggest blown lead of the season. It was a waste of their best three-point shooting of the season, a 13-for-20 explosion.

Sixers general manager Brad Greenberg has said it would take a knockout offer to make him give up the No. 1 pick in Wednesday night's NBA draft. The Vancouver Grizzlies could not deliver. Stu Jackson, the Grizzlies' president and general manager, confirmed that he had inquired about the Sixers' pick, but that a deal seemed unlikely. Greenberg has said he is focusing mostly on two point guards: Georgetown sophomore Allen Iverson and Georgia Tech freshman Stephon Marbury.