In brief: Grizzlies tie series vs. Golden State with road win
NBA: Mike Conley returned just eight days after having facial surgery to score 22 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies used a smothering defensive effort to beat the Golden State Warriors 97-90 in Oakland, California, evening the Western Conference semifinals 1-1.
Wearing a clear mask to protect his swollen face and red left eye, Conley stole the spotlight from newly minted MVP Stephen Curry on Tuesday. He made his first four shots to get the Grizzlies going, and his teammates did the rest on defense.
Zach Randolph had 20 points and seven rebounds, and Marc Gasol and Courtney Lee scored 15 points each to help Memphis end Golden State’s 21-game home-winning streak.
Game 3 is Saturday in Memphis.
• Hawks beat Wizards to even series 1-1: DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points, Kyle Korver bounced back from a miserable first half and the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks held off the visiting Washington Wizards 106-90, taking advantage of John Wall’s absence to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at one game apiece.
Wall, who finished out the series opener with an injured left hand, was a surprising scratch just before Game 2, shortly after the Wizards insisted he would play.
Korver made three 3s after the break, including one from the corner with just under 3 minutes remaining that gave the Hawks a 98-88 lead.
Game 3 is Saturday at Washington.
Blackhawks shut out Wild for 3-0 lead
NHL: Patrick Kane scored in the first period for Chicago, and Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks made the superstar’s goal stand up for a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is in Minnesota again on Thursday.
Kane has six goals and five assists in nine playoff games.
Crawford made 30 saves, giving him 90 on 94 shots in the three games.
• Backlund’s OT goal lifts Flames over Ducks: Mikael Backlund scored on a delayed penalty call in overtime, lifting the late-charging Flames over the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in Calgary, Alberta.
Johnny Gaudreau scored with 19.5 seconds left in the third period to tie the game for the Flames, who had an apparent goal disallowed minutes earlier.
Anaheim leads the second-round Western Conference series 2-1, with Game 4 on Friday in Calgary.
• Canadiens’ Brandon Prust apologizes to ref, is fined: Montreal Canadiens forward Brandon Prust was fined $5,000 by the NHL for comments he made to referee Brad Watson following Game 2.
Prust said after Montreal’s 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday night that Watson insulted and cursed him. Prust said after practice Tuesday he wants to “apologize to Brad Watson and the rest of the officials in the NHL. It was uncalled for.”
Juventus tops Real Madrid in Champions
Soccer: Alvaro Morata scored in the ninth minute, helping Juventus beat defending champion Real Madrid 2-1 in Turin, Italy in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.
Morata was acquired by Juventus last July after helping Madrid win a record 10th European title.
Cristiano Ronaldo tied the score in the 27th minute with his record 76th Champions League goal.
Barcelona hosts Bayern Munich today in the other semifinal.
• Martins named week’s best: Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins has been voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters.
Martins tallied two goals and assisted on a third in the Sounders’ 3-1 win over New York City FC on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Collins not meeting with teams as of yet
NFL: La’el Collins’ agent says his client is not meeting with NFL teams about his pro football future at this time.
Collins, widely projected as a first-round pick, is an undrafted free agent because NFL teams decided against selecting the former All-Southeastern Conference offensive tackle from LSU in last week’s draft.
Teams became apprehensive about drafting him when Baton Rouge Police said they wanted to interview Collins about the shooting death of a pregnant woman he knew.
• Around the league: Marv Hubbard, a bruising fullback who made three Pro Bowls in the early 1970s for the Raiders, has died. He was 68. … Cardinals TE John Carlson announced his retirement from football, a week shy of his 31st birthday. He had a history of concussions before signing with the Cardinals last offseason. … Decatur, Alabama prosecutors are dismissing charges against LB Rolando McClain stemming from his arrest in a park in his hometown in 2013. McClain was arrested in April 2013 when Decatur police were trying to clear a crowd that had gathered for a softball game.