CARL JOHAN CALLEMAN » Ont., was the leader among Canadians at 1-under 70.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kevin Durant insisted the Thunder facing elimination was all the motivation he needed. Thanks to the NBAs best scorer, the Thunder remain alive and can finish off the Memphis Grizzlies back in Oklahoma City. Durant scored 36 points to break out of a slump, and the Thunder routed the Grizzlies 104-84 on Thursday night to force a deciding seventh game in the first-round Western Conference series. His performance came on a day where the hometown newspaper questioned his struggles with a headline calling him "Mr. Unreliable." "We needed to win this game," Durant said. "Thats more motivation than anything, so our team responded. Weve got to do an even better job in Game 7." Russell Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who havent been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs since 2010. They took control early with Durant scoring 14 points in the first quarter, led by 15 at halftime and never let Memphis get that close again in the second half in the first game in the series that didnt go to overtime since the opener. "You dont get to his level as an NBA player and a great player as he is to have other people motivate you," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Hes self-motivated. Hes a tremendous kid and does everything for his team, for our organization. Were proud of him because he gives everything he has. That was the only focus for tonights game." Durant also had 10 rebounds and made 14 of 15 free throws. Reggie Jackson had 16 points off the bench for the Thunder, who will host Game 7 on Saturday night. Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said the Thunder simply wanted the game more and called the loss embarrassing in front of a sellout crowd. "Now, weve shot ourselves in the foot, and we have to go to a hostile environment now and pretty much show where our heart is at," Allen said. Marc Gasol had 17 points and Zach Randolph 16 for Memphis. Guard Mike Conley strained his right hamstring, briefly returned and left for good with 8:48 left. Conley went down in the third quarter near midcourt dribbling when Kendrick Perkins reached in for a steal. The Memphis guard returned briefly, but Conley was limping noticeably. With the Thunder in control, Conley went to the locker room again and didnt return. Nick Calathes currently is suspended for violating the NBAs anti-drug policy, leaving Memphis with only Beno Udrih at point guard. Memphis coach Dave Joerger said Udrih will play a lot of minutes if Conley cant. Conley said he will be re-evaluated Friday and receive as much treatment as possible before tipoff Saturday. "I plan on playing," Conley said. Durant had to answer questions after the shootaround Thursday about that headline in The Oklahoman newspaper. Durant said he had no problem with the headline and that he just needed to hit shots and be more aggressive. Smiling just before tipoff, Durant did just that. The man who led the NBA scoring 32 points a game during the regular season opened by hitting five of his first seven and finished 11 of 23 from the floor. He continued to struggle outside the arc where he missed all six of his attempts. The Grizzlies had a chance to advance to their third semifinal in four years on their own floor. Yet they couldnt shoot well or match the Thunders intensity with a sloppy performance in front of a sellout crowd that tried to energize the Grizzlies. Oklahoma City outrebounded Memphis 47-36 and easily outshot them 49.3 per cent (37 of 75) to 37.3 per cent (31 of 83). "We knew sooner or later our shots would fall," Brooks said. Brooks also benched Thabo Sefolosha and started Caron Butler. "This is why you play the game to prove doubters wrong, and adversity builds character," Butler said. "This team has a strong character and a will." Memphis last led 6-4. A team that thrives off defence, the Grizzlies couldnt knock down shots even when they managed to get consecutive stops. The Grizzlies got to 42-37 with 3:08 left on a steal and fast-break layup by Conley. The Thunder finished the half with a 14-4 run for a 56-41 lead. The Grizzlies missed their first six shots to open the third quarter, finishing any hopes of a comeback. James Johnson scored 15 points off the bench for Memphis, and Allen added 13. Notes: This will be the second Game 7 between the teams in four years. Oklahoma City beat Memphis in seven in the 2011 conference semifinals. ... The Grizzlies are 4-1 with a chance to close out a series. ... Steven Adams blocked a career-high five shots off the bench for the Thunder. Kyrie Irving Shoes From China . Ferguson told Uniteds in-house TV channel on Saturday that he has no immediate plans to walk away from the game, and that he still hungers for more trophies even after 25 years in charge of the club. Cheap Air Max Plus China . As future stars prepare to make the big leap to the professional ranks, TSNs Draft Week delivers wall-to-wall coverage of both the NHL and NBA Entry Drafts, highlighted by exclusive live coverage of both events. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.com/cheap-kobe-bryant-shoes.html . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. Cheap Kd Shoes China . Hes coming back to fulfil them. One of Europes top coaches, Blatt was hired Friday by the Cavaliers, who ended a sweeping, 39-day search with an out-of-the-box selection they hope changes their fortunes. Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . They were expecting him there all along. The Pacers announced Friday night that George has been cleared "to return to normal basketball activity," a decision made three days after he was concussed in Game 2 of the Indiana-Miami series. WATERLOO, Ont. -- Michelle Wie had to think her 6-under-par 65 would hold up despite a strong wind whipping through Grey Silo Golf Course. It should have been enough, until defending champion Hee Young Park caught fire. The South Korean made her move over the last 10 holes, draining four birdies to match Wies score after Thursdays first round of the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. Wie, who matched her lowest round of the season, birdied three of the last four holes including an eight-foot downhill putt on No. 18. She said she had the same mindset as last season -- getting out of the gate with a good score in case other golfers continued to go low at Grey Silo. "Thats definitely what I thought today," said Wie, who was off the course before Park started her round. "I was early off and I wanted to just make a lot of birdies early on, especially with 26 under winning it last year, its definitely one of those golf courses where you may have to keep making birdies. I went 6 under today and its not enough. I have to keep making birdies for the rest of the weekend. I still have my work cut out for me." Park, who equalled her opening round score last year when she won with the second lowest score in LPGA history at 26 under, said she surprised herself by grabbing a share of the lead. "I didnt really expect to play well today, because last year and this year pretty different golf conditions -- this year more wet and not firm," Park said. "We played a month earlier than last year, so it was a more windier course condition. We didnt care about other players playing well or not, just one by one shot playing." Park laughed when asked if she could equal her score from last year. "I hope so. Today I was a bit lucky. I didnt really miss my second shots so that I hit the green and had a lot of chance to birdie putt. Also, I tried to put it so I had some uphill easier putts rather than hit it too aggressive downhill." The twosome were one shot better than Chinas Shanshan Feng and two shots ahead of Chinas Xi Yu Lin and Christie Kerr of the U.S. at 4 under. After the top five, 12 players were tied at 3 under. For the first time in three years at the tournament the wind factored into the scoring, as only five players shot better than 3-under par in the first round. Last year, 22 players opened with lower scores. Wie was a measure of cconsistency though on the day with seven birdies, despite some whipping wind, with her only blemish coming with a bogey on No.dddddddddddd 9. "I was consistent and I felt that I judged the wind pretty well today," Wie said. "Tuesday practice round was a lot windier, so I think that was very helpful." Feng had a strong round with five birdies, but she wasnt able to match the leaders down the stretch. "Well, this course is normally a birdie course, so everybodys going to make a lot of birdies," Feng said. "Today, I think the wind picked up a little, so the course was playing longer. I miss a lot of birdie putts, but I stayed patient and I think that was the key." Even though most of last years field had some ridiculously low scores, Feng missed the cut by one. Though she scrambled at times in the first round, biding her time was the key to shooting a low score. "This year here Im not giving myself any pressure. Make it and make it. If I dont make it, its still OK." It was a tough day for the worlds top three players. Top-ranked Stacy Lewis and No. 2 Inbee Park finished at 2-under par, and Lydia Ko, sitting in third in the rankings, came in at 1 over. Sixteen-year-old Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was the leader among Canadians at 1-under 70. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., were at even-par 70, while Charlottetowns Lorie Kane, Erica Rivard of Tecumseh, Ont., and Alena Sharp of Hamilton were at 2-over 73. Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., finished at 3-over 74, while Torontos Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., shot 4-over 75. Henderson also found the wind to be a factor during her round. she finished tied for 35th last year at 10 under. "Its tough with all the wind out there. Its strong and you have to be really careful in club selection and everything," said Henderson, who finished tied for 35th last year at 10 under. "First goal is to make the cut and 1 under, hopefully, will put me in a good position going into tomorrow." Henderson admitted she is a different golfer than she was two years ago in her first LPGA event. "When I was 14 playing the Canadian Open I was definitely a little scared mouse, thats for sure, but Im definitely a lot more comfortable and my game is a lot better, which really helps." ' ' '