Memphis Grizzlies defeat San Antonio Spurs 101-98: NBA Playoffs 2011 (Part 2)
Memphis centre Marc Gasol had an impressive night as he added 24 points, nine boards and two blocks in the victory. In addition to that, he shot 9-of-10 from the floor.
Spurs forward Tim Duncan, praised the fantastic performances of Randolph and Gasol on the night. Duncan said, “Zach played great. He made some great shots with Marc. They are both big bodies and that's what they are game is based on, having those big guys
inside. And those making shots, we have to pay attention to them more, obviously."
Point guard Mike Conley finished with 15 points and 10 assists for the Memphis Grizzlies, who went 46-36 in the regular season. O.J. Mayo came off the bench with 13 points while Shane Battier had 10 points for the Grizzlies, who made their first appearance
in the playoffs since 2006.
The leading scorer for the Spurs, Tony Parker, added 20 points and five assists in the defeat. Parker took full advantage of the available free throws, making 12-of-16. However, the 28-year-old could not get anything going from the floor.
Duncan finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while George Hill added 15 points and seven rebounds for San Antonio, who closed the regular season with second spot in the league. Forward-centre Matt Bonner scored 12 points while guard Gary Neal totalled
10 points in the defeat of the Southwest Division Champions.
Match Analysis
The Spurs played sloppy basketball in the first quarter and missed some easy shots. Gasol scored nine of his 24 points in the opening stanza as the Grizzlies carried a 27-22 lead into the second.
The Grizzlies are best team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in terms of scoring points in the paint. However, Memphis were outscored 22-16 in the first half this time. San Antonio recovered from their mistakes to trail by just two points, 45-43,
at half time.
The Western Conference Champions came out strongly in the third quarter, using a 12-8 run to take a 57-51 lead. San Antonio took a 74-70 advantage into the fourth.
The eighth-seeded Grizzlies got their hot shooting touch back in the fourth quarter and shot 62 percent from the floor. Memphis responded with an 8-4 run early in the fourth to tie the game at 78-78.
The Spurs fought hard midway through the quarter to take a 98-94 lead with one minute remaining. The Grizzlies then scored seven unanswered points in the closing minute to seal the victory. George Hill missed a three-pointer for San Antonio with just ten
seconds to go, which could have sent the game into overtime.
Duncan said that his team did not play well towards the end of the final stanza. He said, "We didn't do enough down the stretch, and the game was right there. All in all, our game plan went the way we wanted to. We just didn't finish."
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