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WINNIPEG -- Some played together in college, others may have played on the same professional teams, but Thursday evening those friendships get pushed aside as Canada once again tries to beat the United States in womens soccer. Its something the Canadians havent managed since 2001 but this time theyll have a home crowd edging close to 30,000 to cheer them on at Investors Group Field, the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Its a game that Canada wont dominate," Canadian coach John Herdman said Wednesday after their final practice before the game. "Were not going to have 700 shots and 700 crosses, so the fans have got to be ready to really get behind us when we need (them). We know these games are always tough tight games, hopefully." In club and varsity soccer, Canadians and Americans play side-by-side. Canadian captain Christine Sinclair, for example, is an attack partner of American star Alex Morgan on Portland Thorns FC of the National Womens Soccer League. But internationally its a different story as the neighbouring countries have developed a strong rivalry. Canada is ranked seventh in the world in womens soccer and the U.S. sits at No. 1, but American midfielder Lauren Holiday suggests those numbers dont necessarily reflect the way things play out on the field. "Every game is such a battle, you never know whos going to win," says Holiday. "Every time we play them its such a fierce competition that . . . anything can happen." The rivalry intensified after Canadas semifinal loss to the United States at the last Olympics. The U.S. team went on to win gold but Canada won the bronze medal, an event which has meant a lot for womens soccer. Herdman says the country now needs to do more capitalize on the strong base of players now developing across Canada. "Weve got the third largest playing population in the world and we cant produce a consistent podium team." He says there are 350,000 girls playing soccer in Canada, compared with just 30,000 in perennial contender Japan. This game is just a friendly but it will give both national teams another chance to see how they stack up against a top tier opponent prior to next years Womens World Cup. And while Canada wont be playing there, the U.S. team might end up playing in Winnipeg, one of the venues for the 2015 event also being held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton. Herdman also said jokingly that this game is basically dedicated to midfielder Desiree Scott, a Winnipeg native who joined him at the final pre-game news conference. She will be playing live in front of her family for the first time in her national team career. "I think its going to be the Desi Scott show tomorrow," said Herdman. "I think the whole of Manitobas going to come and see her in action. . . "Its a proud moment for the team. Weve all got a massive smile on our face cause the local girl gets to come home. Can you imagine playing in front of your mom and your family for the first time, no pressure Des." Scott likes the buzz. "Im just trying to thrive off the excitement of playing at home," said Scott, nicknamed "The Destroyer." "And being in front of my family and friends, I think it will definitely give me that energy." For both Herdman and interim head U.S. coach Jill Ellis, this is very much about preparing for the World Cup. "I think for our players its just a great opportunity to play against a quality opponent," said Ellis, U.S. Soccers director of development who took over when Tom Sermanni was fired last month. "Im just hoping the crowd now will get a real sense of whats coming in 2015," said Herdman. "This country will stop at some point. This team will make the country stop and everyone will tune in. Its just going to be an amazing experience for womens sport." 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Kevin Durant had 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Serge Ibaka had 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their home dominance, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 86-77. Oklahoma City (39-11) had a 10-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Washington, but the Thunder moved to 21-3 at home while winning their seventh straight game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. In doing so, the Thunder posted its second-best defensive outing of the season. Oklahoma Citys inside quartet of Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Steven Adams and Nick Collison combined to limit Memphis potent frontcourt duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol Meanwhile, Thabo Sefolosha limited Memphis Courtney Lee -- who scored 24 points in the last meeting between the teams -- to 11 points. Memphis finished 2 of 16 from 3-point range. "I thought we did a good job of playing tough defensive basketball throughout the game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "One of the strengths of our team, obviously, is our versatility. I think tonight it showed that sometimes you have to play different styles of basketball to get a win." Randolph had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Gasol added 13 points for Memphis (26-21), which lost for the second time in 13 games. The Grizzlies had won six straight games, the NBAs longest winning streak entering Monday. "We didnt play the basketball that we normally play," Randolph said. "We made bad decisions at important times of the game. There were a lot of turnovers, including myself, but youve got to be smart. And weve got to hit shots." Coming off a remarkable January during which he averaged 35.9 points per game on 54.9-per cent shooting, Durant finished 11 of 21 from the field. Ibaka went 10 of 17 from the field and posted his 19th double-double of the season while helping lead the Thunders interior defence. Oklahoma City finished with nine blocked shots, four of those by Adams, a career high for the rookie from New Zealand. "Steven only had three points and five rebounds and Perk only had one point and eight rebounds, but both impacted the game," Brooks said. Memphis, which trailed by 177 points late in the first half, pulled within three points three times in the final 6:45, the last time at 78-75 after Lees driving 5-foot jumper with 4:54 left.dddddddddddd Durant answered with a 14-foot jumper, then after an exchange of empty possessions, Sefolosha swished a 3-pointer and Durant followed with a steal and layup to give Oklahoma City an 85-75 cushion with 2:54 left. "That gave us a boost when he hit that shot," Durant said. The Thunder managed only one point after that, but the Grizzlies couldnt take advantage, scoring only on a follow shot by Randolph with 1:12 left. The Thunder used an 18-2 run near the end of the first half to take a 51-36 halftime lead. By halftime, Ibaka already had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. "We started the game great defensively and we built off of that," Durant said. "Offensively we played a little slow but we picked it up in that second quarter and built some momentum going into the second half." With a lineup of reserves, Oklahoma City didnt score for almost three minutes to start the fourth quarter, causing Brooks to reinsert Durant with 9:41 left. Durant promptly drew a foul on James Johnson and hit 1-of-2 free throws, then swished a 14-foot jumper from the left wing to put the Thunder up 72-63. "We played from too far behind," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "We gave them 51 points, lots of layups, in the first half. . It was very difficult for us. When you come back, you have a very small margin for error." Reggie Jackson started the game with two airballs but eventually finished with 12 points for Oklahoma City. Mike Miller added 11 points for Memphis. Notes: With starting point guard Mike Conley out with an ankle injury, Memphis signed G Darius Morris to a 10-day contract on Monday. Morris averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 assists in 22 games this season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers. ... Memphis had a six-game road winning streak snapped. .. The Thunder recorded its 113th straight regular-season sellout, although there were some empty seats visible in the lower sections of Chesapeake Energy Arena. ... Joerger was named as the Western Conference coach of the month for January, beating out Brooks. Memphis went 12-3 in January, compared Oklahoma Citys 13-5 mark. ... At least twice, Joerger complained about the volume level in the arena. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '