MEMPHIS -- It seemed like a glaring mismatch in the Minnesota Timberwolves favor. The leagues oldest player was defending one of the NBAs premier young talents in crunch time.But 39-year-old Vince Carter got the best of Andrew Wiggins, 21.Wiggins finished with a game-high 25 points, but he didnt score in the fourth quarter until a pair of meaningless free throws with 1.9 seconds left. Give Carter credit, as the old man made things difficult for the young gun down the stretch of the Memphis Grizzlies 102-98 win over the Timberwolves.Wiggins managed to get up only two shots from the floor in the fourth quarter. Both were contested misses.I was just trying to be in position, contest and be physical, said Carter, who admitted he was mad when Wiggins hit the meaningless free throws because he wanted the individual fourth-quarter shutout.I know he jumps a little higher than me now and is a little quicker. Its just, for me, understanding the game plan and making it tough.Hes going to hit tough shots. We saw that early in the game. I just sat there and watched and figured out how I can play him and make it tough. It worked out for us.Carter, the Rookie of the Year way back in 1998-99, is probably headed for the Hall of Fame primarily because of his spectacular scoring ability. He ranks 24th on the NBAs all-time scoring list with 23,972 points.Carter added only three points to that total in the season opener, but he still managed to have the games best plus-minus, as the Grizzlies outscored the Timberwolves by 10 points in his 28 minutes. Thats a testament to how Carter, who playfully pleads for Andre Miller to sign with somebody and reclaim the title of NBAs oldest dude, has redefined himself as a role player in the twilight of his career.Im at a point that I have nothing to prove offensively, but at the same time, I know what I can do offensively, Carter said. When they need me and the situation calls for it, Ill knock down shots.On Wednesday night, the situation called for Carter to keep Wiggins, who was 7-of-12 from the floor in the first three quarters, from knocking down shots down the stretch. The graybeard answered the bell. Wilson Ramos Jersey .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Jed Lowrie Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. http://www.metssale.com/mets-tim-tebow-jersey/ . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Gary Carter Jersey . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Gregor Blanco Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Somethings wrong in Rio.The team that usually wins big is barely winning.An unheard of two straight close games for the U.S. Olympic mens basketball team has created a question that few dared consider just a few days ago: Is the best team in the world not good enough for gold?Im not concerned, were not concerned with things we could do a little bit better, four-time Olympian Carmelo Anthony said. But were OK. Were fine.OK and fine arent the U.S. standard.Great. Dominant. Those are the standards the Americans have set.The problems seem to center on a lack of international experience and time to prepare for the Rio Games.The Americans are still unbeaten, but theyre far from unbeatable going into their final game of the preliminary round Sunday against France.Were going to play a team who struggled the last two games and Im sure theyre not too sure, like, who they are as well, France forward Nicolas Batum said. So its going to be big matchup Sunday.The U.S. team that many considered a gold medal lock wouldnt even win its group outright with a loss Sunday, either tying France or sharing first with the French and Australia at 4-1. In fact, the Americans could even end up finishing third in Group A.The Americans supposedly left third-place finishes behind long ago.But after needing to pull away late to beat Australia 98-88 and holding on to edge Serbia 94-91 on Friday when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer, anything seems possible.Again, well figure this out, Paul George said. Its good that were finding ways to win these games right now. Hopefully these will be the ones that help prepare us later on for the style of this tournament.The Americans dont seem stressed, canceling practice Saturday. But some extra time in the gym would seem to benefit what is the most unprepared U.S. Olympic team since the 2004 squad that managed only bronze in Athens.Like then, the Americans were hit hard by player withdrawals and were still putting together a roster right up until their deadline. Instead of bringing experienced Olympians to Rio de Janeiro, they have 10 rookies, players who look more like lost tourists when it comes to the ways of international basketball.The 2008 and 2012 powerhouses were filled with players who had competed previously in the Olympics or FIBA competitions, and understood the nuances even better than some of their opponents.ddddddddddddThis group is learning on the fly, and theyre not giving themselves high marks.Again, as good as we are, if we continue playing like this, this games going to get even tougher, George said.No teams can match the Americans talent, and they dont pretend that can. But a team like France has a familiarity this U.S. team can never attain.These French have been playing big games for years, winning bronze in the 2014 Basketball World Cup, and after falling short of qualifying for the Olympics when they lost in the semifinals of last summers EuroBasket they were hosting, winning a tournament in July to secure their spot.Maybe, maybe got more chemistry than they are, because I played with this team for eight years now, the same group of guys, every summer, Batum said. So we know each other well, same coach, too, so we know the plays and everything. So that may be sometimes.Batum and his teammates -- along with everyone else in Brazil -- quickly point out that the U.S. is talented enough to overcome that.The U.S. is the U.S., France star Tony Parker said. Theyve been the standard for a long time and they are the best team in the tournament, and until somebody beats them they still are the best team.Nobody has done that in a decade, with the Americans seeking their 50th consecutive tournament victory Sunday. Few teams have even come close to beating them and before this week the U.S. had never played consecutive games decided by 10 points or fewer under coach Mike Krzyzewski.Krzyzewski knew things would get tougher once the opponents did. The Americans arrived in Rio untested after a tame exhibition schedule that included China and Venezuela, the two teams they crushed to open the Olympics.But Australia and Serbia were much higher quality and so are the French, who are ranked fifth in the world. They all have offensive systems and players who can make them work.We never saw that in any exhibition game or whatever, Krzyzewski said. Were seeing it right now for the first time, so we just have to learn from it and getter better.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney ' ' '