Memphis Grizzlies crush top-seeded San Antonio Spurs 104-86; take a 3-1 series lead
NBA: On Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs again failed to sustain the outburst by the Memphis Grizzlies, who romped to a 104-86 win and took a commanding 3-1
lead in the best of seven series. The extravaganza which took place at the FedEx Forum saw the Grizzlies restrict the top-seeded Spurs to only 46 second half points.
Led by Mike Conley who scored 15 points to go along with seven assists, five Memphis players scored in double figures. Darrell Arthur came off the bench to contribute
14 points in 17 minutes. The player also made a block and finished on a 7-for-10 shooting from the field. The Grizzlies shot on 41-of-81 attempts from the field.
Tony Parker scored game high 23 points in the loss. The Spurs point guard finished 9-of-12, but gave away as many as seven turnovers; ironically they were also game
high. Parker’s very first possession was stolen by Tony Allen that was followed by Grizzlies’ first jump shot. Tim Duncan, who turned 35 on the same day, could only score six points and seven rebounds
The Spurs were dominating the Grizzlies by the end of first half, 50-48; however, the Grizzlies overcame that short deficit by playing better defence in the later
half. They did not let the Spurs shoot over 37.8 percent down the stretch resulting in a commendable win over the San Antonio squad.
Memphis forward Zach Randolph clinched 11 points and nine rebounds. Randolph, who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line said after the game, "We smell blood.
We've just got to jump on them. This is just the beginning. We ain't done nothing yet. We've still got one more game to win. We've got to get ready. It's going to be a tough game. We're going to San Antonio. The fans are waiting for them to come back. It's
going to be a game we're going to have to be mentally prepared."
The Grizzlies turned the game around after the first half. The Spurs who entered the game with a 63 percent shooting in the opening quarter and produced an early
26-21 lead were shocked to see the change in Grizzlies after the intermission. The transformation had taken place after Memphis coach Lionel Hollins used harsh words to shake his team up during the break. His words had a magical effect on the team as they
succeeded in reeling off a 14-0 run over the opposition. The spurt sparked the Grizzlies to a12 point lead over the Spurs, 62-50. The Grizzlies maintained their up-tempo game and by the end of the third quarter, the Spurs faced a huge 13 point deficit. The
Grizzlies did not give the Spurs a sniff after that.
Spurs, the top-seeded team of the Western Conference are now caught in a difficult situation as they face elimination at the hands of the eighth-seeded Grizzlies.
If they fail to stop the strident Grizzlies, they will become the second Texas team in the last four years to face the infamy. Grizzlies on the contrary, need just one more win to eliminate the toppers from the playoffs series.
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