MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The crowd greeted Mike Conley with thunderous applause when the Grizzlies legend was introduced as a visitor at FedExForum for the first time Friday night. The fans gave Conley an even longer, louder standing ovation during the first timeout after the arena played a tribute video that caused him to tear up.

However, Grizzlies fans spent much of the rest of the night roaring for Ja Morant, the rookie point guard who replaced Conley and ruined his Memphis return.

On a night when Conley struggled for the Utah Jazz, making only 5 of his 19 shots from the floor, Morant starred. Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, had 25 points and eight assists in Memphis' 107-106 victory, hitting a floater that put the Grizzlies up for good with 1 minute, 32 seconds remaining.

Several of Conley's former teammates lined up after the game to express their appreciation for him. Morant also shared a moment with Conley, whose 12-year run as the Grizzlies' point guard essentially ended when Memphis got lucky enough to move up six spots in the lottery to land Morant and officially was over when the Jazz traded for him before free agency.

"I just told him, 'I love your game. Just keep working. You're a special player. You're going to be here a long time,'" Conley told ESPN.

"He's a talent, man. He's really talented, with the finishes and the things he was doing at the end of the game. And he's poised. He's not turning the ball over. He's making plays in traffic and doing the right things in big moments. That's special from a 20-year-old that's played only 10 games. He's got some fire in him, too."

Morant also has a lot of flair, which was on full display in the first of only two Grizzlies games that are scheduled to be broadcast on national television. He had a few spectacular highlights -- a full-speed, behind-the-back Eurostep leading to a scoop off the glass; an alley-oop that he threw down in transition after soaring over 6-foot-11 teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. to catch the pass; and a ferocious two-handed dunk to finish a one-man fast break.

"I'm just having fun," Morant said after the Grizzlies' third consecutive win. "My teammates and the coaches just allow me to go out there and play freely and do what I do."

Morant insisted that Conley's return didn't provide him any additional motivation.

"I just play with the same chip every game," said Morant, who is averaging 18.9 points and 6.0 assists per game.

It was certainly a unique experience for Conley. Despite the Jazz not having a shootaround, he came to the arena in the morning to meet with the media because of the interest in his return. He did a podcast with Memphis media fixture Chris Vernon and longtime teammate Tony Allen in the afternoon. He had countless conversations with people he used to see on a regular basis. And he never really got in a rhythm on the floor.

"It's hard, man," said Conley, who finished with 15 points and was frustrated that he missed so many good looks. "I came in thinking that I could stick to just work and make it a businesslike trip, and then immediately when I got here, everybody I saw was somebody I knew.

"Obviously, it was hard to play like that, but as the game went on, I tried to get in the flow of it. But it was one of those moments where you know you're not going to get this again. Just soak it up, because next time I come back, it truly is all business. I'm not going to be talking to everybody. Gotta be ready to go. I tried my best to do it this time, but it was too hard."

Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has promised that Conley's jersey will one day hang in the FedExForum rafters, alongside those of fellow Grit n' Grind era mainstays Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis fans made sure Friday night that Conley felt their appreciation now.

"There was a lot of love in the building tonight," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. "I'm super happy for Mike Conley and his family. This was special. He has meant so much to the organization, to the city, and to have all the fans come and show that love and support, that's dear and that will last forever.

"Then to show that same thing for the new generation of Grizzlies, too -- it was just a fun night all around."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A pair of competitive B.R.M. Chronographes Enduro Challenge races Friday at Daytona Int’l Speedway were the perfect primer for this weekend’s HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA.

Friday morning featured the B.R.M. Chronographes Historic/Prototype/GT Modern (GTM) Enduro Challenge while the B.R.M. Chronographes Vintage/GT Classic (GTC) Enduro Challenge was held later this afternoon.

Combined, the twin one-hour races produced seven different winning drivers.

Mark Kvamme scored the overall and Prototype-class win in the B.R.M. Historic/Prototype/GTM Enduro in his 2009 No. 8 Oreca FLM09 “PC” car while Todd Treffert went two-for-two in HSR Daytona Historics feature races with the overall and GTC win in the afternoon B.R.M. race.

Treffert co-drove Friday with Leh Keen for the convincing B.R.M. victory in his Speedconcepts1974 No. 441 Porsche 911 IROC. The victory followed Treffert’s overall and Porsche-class win in the No. 441 Thursday in the Sasco Sports International/American Challenge sprint.

Other B.R.M winners Friday included Mirco Schultis in GTM at the wheel of his Starworks 2014 No. 333 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 and Rob Albino in Vintage at the wheel of his Hudson Historics1999 No. 991 BMW Z3 Coupe.

Kvamme shared the Prototype podium with the 2011 No. 40 Oreca-03 Judd of runner-up Marc Devis and third-place finishers Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss in the 2014 No. 31 Ligier JSP2.

Treffert and Keen led a GTC-class overall sweep in their B.R.M. Enduro with Angus Rogers second in his KMW Motorsports 1973 No. 151 Porsche 911 RSR and the duo of Ernie Wilding and John Wilding, who were third in class and overall in their FAS Autosports 1995 No. 82 BMW M3.

Albino stood on the Vintage podium with second-place finishers Alan Benjamin and Barry Waddellin the 1972 No. 18 Porsche 911 S/T and Jamie Busby, the 2018 HSR Driver of the Year, who soloed to a third place showing in the KMW Motorsports 1970 No. 188 Porsche 914/6.

The top three finishers in the GT Modern (GTM) class crossed the finish line just behind Prototype winner Kvamme. Class winner Schultis finished second overall in the No. 333 Mercedes SLS, Marc Montour was third overall and second in GTM in his GT Racing 2014 No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, and the duo of Jason Rabe and Patrick Gallagher were fourth overall at the line and third in GTM in the 2013 No. 33 Ferrari 458 Challenge Evo.

The B.R.M. Historic class victory went to Dwight Merriman and Kyle Tilley in the 2014 No. 221 Radical SR3 1500.

The United States men's national team put in something of a redemptive performance in Orlando, Florida, on Friday night, besting Canada 4-1 at Exploria Stadium. The victory not only earned the Americans some relief from the negativity that has marked the past month and a measure of revenge against Canada, it set them up to advance atop their Nations League group with a win over hapless Cuba on Tuesday.

Positives

The Americans responded to the call for more fight with a spirited performance in a must-win game. Last month's 2-0 loss in Toronto prompted serious questions about the lack of effort under Gregg Berhalter that were refuted, at least on some level, on Friday. The USMNT used tried-and-true methods, set pieces and counterattacks, to punish a sloppy Canadian side and ease some of the pressure.

Negatives

The U.S. didn't play the cleanest match, and Berhalter's preferred possession-based approach was sacrificed on the altar of winning. After calls for change and a more pragmatic plan, that can't be used to criticize the coach now. Still, the Americans won't point to this victory as an example of an ideal performance.

Manager rating out of 10

7 -- Berhalter gets credit for streamlining the tactical approach and playing to the strengths of his team. Pregame worries about the lineup proved unfounded, though it's still worth asking why several players (Gyasi Zardes and Jackson Yueill among them) earned a place in the first XI despite long layoffs. That said, Zardes delivered for his manager, scoring a brace amid widespread criticism from USMNT supporters.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Brad Guzan, 7 -- Faced limited action and made no obvious mistakes with possession. Controlled his box well and was hung out to dry on Canada's goal.

DF Sergino Dest, 7 -- Solid on defense facing the explosive Alphonso Davies, he was as adventurous as ever going forward in an excellent overall competitive debut.

DF Aaron Long, 6 -- Contributed on the attacking end with the set piece goal and was part of a strong defensive performance for the Americans during open play.

DF John Brooks, 8 -- Dominant physically and smart with his positioning. Notably was good in possession, particularly when under pressure in the first half.

DF Tim Ream, 5 -- Complicit at the back post on Canada's goal and wasteful with possession on occasion. Provided little going forward, by design.

MF Jackson Yueill, 6 -- Played proactively, helping to set the tone with energy and industry in the first half. On the other hand, he was a step slow tracking runners in midfield.

MF Weston McKennie, 5 -- Poor in possession but gave the midfield a much-needed toughness. Not influential, but not poor.

MF Sebastian Lletget, 8 -- Consistently dangerous, he often took advantage of reactive defending from Canada. Integral in setting up numerous chances.

FW Jordan Morris, 7 -- Got the U.S. off to a great start with an opportunistic early goal and laid on the second for Zardes. Industrious and put in a good shift, particularly after playing in an MLS Cup final just five days earlier.

FW Gyasi Zardes, 7 -- Scored two goals in his return to the lineup, rewarding Berhalter for his faith. Added to the defensive effort with effective back-pressing.

FW Paul Arriola 5 -- Solid on both sides of the ball and set up the second goal with a smart pass on the counter.

Substitutes:

MF Alfredo Morales, N/R -- Chaotic and overexuberant in a short cameo.

DF DeAndre Yedlin, N/R -- Showed his danger up the wing as a sub, setting up Zardes' culminating goal.

FW Tyler Boyd, N/R -- The Besiktas man came on for injury time after the U.S. had already sealed things with a fourth.

LOS ANGELES -- Between all the devastating injuries and tumultuous trade rumors that sank the Los Angeles Lakers last season, LeBron James says Luke Walton "did as great of a job as you could do under the circumstances."

Walton returned to Los Angeles for the first time since parting ways with the Lakers at the end of last season and the new Sacramento Kings coach and James spent a little time before the Lakers-Kings game reflecting on what happened last season when the Lakers finished 37-45.

After a rocky start that included then team president Magic Johnson chastising him in a meeting, Walton and James had the Lakers heading in the right direction as they were 20-14 after blowing out the Warriors in Oakland on Christmas Day.

However, in that game, the Lakers lost James and Rajon Rondo to injuries and the season slipped away after that. Persistent trade rumors also impacted several of the young Lakers and team chemistry as well.

"I mean, throughout everything that was going on, we were two of the guys that just tried to remain positive and patient, even with the circumstances that we had," James said at the Lakers' shootaround. "I mean, we were right where we wanted to be on December 25th, went up in to Golden State and played against a very good team and had a very good game. And then the injury happened and I'm out six-and-a-half weeks.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted that, including myself and including Luke. And we were just behind the eight ball. But throughout it all we just tried to remain positive, even throughout with the young guys, with the older guys and whatever the case may be. So, I think he did as great of a job as you could do under the circumstances."

Upon returning to Staples Center for the first time since last season, Walton greeted several Lakers staff members and friends. He tried to steer clear of questions about his Lakers past but did entertain a question about what James said.

"Um, I agree with LeBron," Walton said. "[There's] a longer answer and I've spent time reflecting on last season but for now, couple of hours before a game, it is more focused on tonight's task and our game-planning and rotations and things like that."

Hired to groom young talent like Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, Walton went 98-148 in three seasons with the Lakers before both sides moved on. Last year, Walton entered the season with tremendous expectations and pressure after the Lakers signed James in free agency. The Lakers replaced Walton with Frank Vogel.

Now Walton is tasked with grooming another roster full of young talent in Sacramento. Walton said he still follows young former Lakers like Ingram, Ball and Josh Hart in New Orleans and he sees a healthy James dominating again.

"It's always a special place for me to come into this building," Walton said. "I have a lot of great memories in L.A., it's a great opportunity playing here and coaching here."

"LeBron, he's one of the greatest players of all time if not the greatest," Walton said of James. "So I'm sure last year getting hurt, not making the playoffs, I mean, he's going right now. And this team kind of follows that lead. They're playing incredibly well, their defense and offense starts with him. He looks really good."

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Mother Nature washed out all on-track activity for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, forcing a major change to Saturday’s schedule.

As a result of the lack of track time for Cup Series teams, NASCAR officials have elected to replace qualifying – scheduled for Saturday at 2:05 p.m. ET – with a 50-minute practice session.

That means the starting lineup for Sunday’s title-deciding Ford EcoBoost 400 will be set by the rule book, with Denny Hamlin leading the field to green at the 1.5-mile South Florida oval in the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry.

Hamlin earned the top starting spot by virtue of his victory at ISM Raceway and fourth-place finish in the Round of 8 opener at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Oct. 27.

With three of the four title contenders winning during the Round of 8, the tiebreaker went to the best finish besides their respective victories over the races at Martinsville, Texas Motor Speedway and ISM.

Kevin Harvick joins Hamlin on the front row in the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang, with a second-best finish of fifth at ISM last weekend slotting him second among the quartet of championship contenders.

Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will share the second row of the grid Sunday, with the four title combatants starting in the first four positions as they battle for the Cup Series championship trophy.

Joey Logano will roll off fifth, followed by Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, William Byron and Clint Bowyer.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race will take the green flag shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, with live coverage on NBC, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

LINEUP: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; Homestead-Miami Speedway; Nov. 15, 2019

1. Denny Hamlin (P)
2. Kevin Harvick (P)
3. Martin Truex Jr. (P)
4. Kyle Busch (P)
5. Joey Logano
6. Kyle Larson
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Brad Keselowski
9. William Byron
10. Clint Bowyer
11. Chase Elliott
12. Alex Bowman
13. Kurt Busch
14. Aric Almirola
15. Ryan Newman
16. Erik Jones
17. Daniel Suarez
18. Jimmie Johnson
19. Paul Menard
20. Chris Buescher
21. Matt DiBenedetto
22. Austin Dillon
23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
24. Ty Dillon
25. Daniel Hemric
26. Ryan Preece
27. Bubba Wallace
28. Michael McDowell
29. Corey LaJoie
30. John Hunter Nemechek
31. David Ragan
32. Joe Nemechek
33. Landon Cassill
34. JJ Yeley
35. Reed Sorenson
36. Ross Chastain
37. Drew Herring
38. Josh Bilicki
39. BJ McLeod
40. Timmy Hill

POMONA, Calif. – Fresh off two straight wins and still in championship contention, Matt Hagan kept his hot streak going by racing to the provisional No. 1 spot in Funny Car during qualifying on Friday at the 55th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories for the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Hagan made the quickest run in both qualifying sessions, including a top pass of 3.872 seconds at 333.58 mph in his MOPAR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody to close out the final session on Friday. It gave the two-time world champ eight qualifying bonus points, pulling him closer to points leader Robert Hight.

Hagan, a two-time world champ who is racing for his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 35th of his career, entered the weekend 56 points back of Hight, but appears set on make things interesting.

“That run felt really good and obviously our car is running strong,” Hagan said. “We’ve had a great racecar the last couple races and we’ve been able to capitalize on it. We were able to capitalize on it again today during qualifying and I don’t really feel any pressure. For me, I’m just having fun. The car is running great and we’re just digging. These cars are humbling, so you just have to keep working hard. I believe in my guys and it’s just cool to see that hunger.”

Tim Wilkerson is second after a 3.876-second pass at 327.43 mph and Shawn Langdon is third after his 3.893-second pass at 330.80 mph. Jack Beckman, who was 46 points behind Hight entering the weekend, made the fifth-quickest run with a 3.949 seconds at 326.16 mph. John Force was 72 points back of Hight heading into the race and ran 10th with a 4.185-second pass at 292.65 mph. Hight is currently 12th.

Looking to end her season on a good note, Pritchett powered to the front in Top Fuel with a 3.694-second run at 322.88 mph in her MOPAR Dodge dragster. If it holds, Pritchett would earn her second straight No. 1 qualifier to end the season. Mike Salinas is second with a 3.699-second pass at 327.11 mph, while Billy Torrence, who was 86 points back of his son, points leader Steve Torrence, entering the weekend, is third after his 3.708-second pass at 330.63 mph.

S. Torrence went 3.985 seconds at 223.95 mph on Friday to qualify 13th. Brittany Force, who pulled to within 16 points of first after her Vegas win, is currently fifth with a 3.726-second run at 331.69 mph. Doug Kalitta is in the 10th spot with a 3.903-second pass at 325.61 mph. He entered the race 55 points back of Torrence.

Pro Stock’s Coughlin went to the top spot after posting a 6.533-second pass at 210.70 mph in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro. He’s after his third No. 1 qualifier this season and 32nd in his career, and is also trying to track down Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders on the final weekend of the year.

A five-time world champion, Coughlin trailed Enders by 92 points heading into the weekend at the points-and-a-half race. Enders was nearly as impressive in qualifying, going 6.538 seconds at 210.93 mph. She hasn’t qualified worse than second during the Countdown to the Championship. Jason Line is third.

Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Smith kept up his impressive pace in qualifying, taking the provisional top spot on his Denso Auto Parts/Stockseth/MSR EBR with a 6.815-second run at 197.33 mph. If it holds, it would give Smith his third-straight No. 1 qualifier and fourth in the last five playoff races. Smith would also earn his seventh No. 1 this year and 38th in his career.

Karen Stoffer is currently second with a 6.834-second run at 195.00 mph and Jerry Savoie is third after going 6.837 seconds at 193.35 mph. Points leader Andrew Hines, who is looking to clinch a sixth world championship and entered the weekend 115 points ahead of Savoie, is fourth with a run of 6.845 seconds at 196.22 mph.

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Jacksonville Speedway officials confirmed the dates for the quarter-mile dirt oval’s three biggest race events of the 2020 season on Friday evening.

After finally getting a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event in at the track in late September following a spring rainout, The Greatest Show on Dirt will return to Jacksonville on Wednesday, May 6.

It will mark the fourth Outlaw race in track history, coming on the heels of a highly-successful event this year which saw Carson Macedo outduel Sheldon Haudenschild in a thrilling 40-lap main event.

“We’re extremely excited to bring the Outlaws back to Jacksonville in 2020,” track manager Ken Dobson told Sprint Car & Midget by phone Friday night. “All of our Outlaw races here have just been exceptionally fun to watch, and it’s really cool to be able to watch them on a smaller track where they really have to fight for every position in a lot of traffic. It’s sort of a ‘how bad do you want it?’ kind of race track with the way it seems to work out here a lot of the time.”

“All of us here are grateful to continue working with World Racing Group and we hope that our upcoming race in May provides the same excitement that fans have seen at Jacksonville in the past.

Former Outlaw winners at Jacksonville include Christopher Bell (2014), Joey Saldana (2016) and Macedo, with Dobson alluding to the fact that next year’s race may just start a yearly tradition of Outlaw action at Jacksonville.

“It’s been a nice journey for us with the Outlaws,” Dobson noted. “We started out now, probably seven years ago, just begging for the opportunity to have a race. We probably asked the question even before then, honestly … and then we finally got one (in 2014) and we kind of set it up to be an every other year thing at that point, just with where we were in our business plans at the time. Now, there’s some pride in the fact that we’re now sort of able to do this in back-to-back years, and hopefully annually going forward.

“That, to me, says a lot about our fans and the support they give the track that we’re now able to schedule the Outlaws here in back-to-back years.”

In addition to Jacksonville’s May Outlaw date, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions will also visit the quarter-mile bullring next year.

The stars of the Lucas tour will invade Jacksonville on Friday, May 29, while the All Stars will come to town on Friday, July 24.

Friday night’s reveal allows Jacksonville’s fan base to make their plans early, Dobson noted, so they can make sure they’re in town for the track’s pair of marquee races.

“We try to get the big dates out of the way so that we can then schedule what I’ll call our medium dates around them,” Dobson explained. “Then we build our weekly racing around all of that. So we kind of go in order, because obviously those big national series are ones where you’re limited on your options as far as scheduling them is concerned. We always try to get them in the books first and then work around that.

“We’re excited about 2020. With these dates out there, we’ll have more news coming before too long.”

The United States scored three first-half goals to beat Canada 4-1 in a CONCACAF Nations League match in Orlando on Friday night.

Goals by Jordan Morris, Gyasi Zardes, and Aaron Long before halftime ensured the U.S. got payback after last month's shock 2-0 loss to the Canadians in Toronto.

Morris -- who won the MLS Cup with the Seattle Sounders earlier this week -- got things going inside the second minute with a quick strike off Sergino's deflected shot.

Zardes doubled the lead with a close-range header in the 23rd minute, with Long's goal coming in the 34th minute on an easy, unmarked header from a set piece.

Canada pulled one back in the 72nd minute when Steven Vitoria headed the ball into the bottom the net following a corner. Zardes made it two on the night in the 89th minute with shot that took a deflection of a Canadian defender.

The U.S. play Cuba next Tuesday in the Cayman Islands.

Colin Kaepernick's workout will go on as scheduled Saturday and more than 24 NFL teams are now expected to attend, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Kaepernick is already in Atlanta preparing for the workout, which is being held at the Falcons' training complex just outside Atlanta.

‪The NFL has not provided the names of wide receivers it plans to have at the workout, so Kaepernick is bringing former NFL wideouts who volunteered to fly in on their own to help him at the workout.‬

Kaepernick, his receivers and NFL officials conducting Saturday's workout will not be allowed into the facility until about 2 p.m. ET, when the Falcons are scheduled to depart for Carolina for their Sunday matchup with the Panthers, a source told Schefter. The Falcons are supplying an equipment person, a trainer and a videographer to help the NFL conduct Kaepernick's workout.

Former NFL head coach Hue Jackson will lead the drills, and former NFL head coach Joe Philbin will be in attendance to assist, the league announced Thursday.

The NFL previously said 11 teams were committed to attend: the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. The league expected additional teams to commit.

Sources told ESPN that the Seattle Seahawks and Kaepernick's former team, the San Francisco 49ers, will attend. Sources had also told ESPN that the Dallas Cowboys will go, but owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that his team will not have a representative at the workout.

The league reiterated that it will send video of the workout and an interview with Kaepernick to all 32 teams.

Kaepernick, 32, has been out of football since 2016, the year he began protesting police brutality and racial injustice by kneeling during the pregame national anthem.