Grizzlies at Spurs
THE STORY: The drought is over. Memphis earned its first-ever playoff victory Sunday night and will look to make it two straight as the Grizzlies visit the top-seeded Spurs in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Memphis had been 0-12 in its brief playoff history before stunning San Antonio 101-98 in Game 1.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV, Fox Sports Southwest
ABOUT THE SPURS: Playing without injured swingman Manu Ginobili, the Spurs looked a step behind the invigorated Grizzlies for most of the night. San Antonio's second-leading scorer remains a question mark for Game 2 with an elbow injury. With the Spurs facing the possibility of falling down 0-2 heading back to Memphis, he may be pressed into action even if he isn't at full strength. San Antonio kept things interesting late in Sunday's game on back-to-back 3-pointers from Matt Bonner, but a defensive lapse left Shane Battier open for the go-ahead shot. Tony Parker had 20 points to lead the Spurs while Tim Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Battier has plenty to celebrate these days. The forward hit the big 3-pointer to lead Memphis to its first postseason triumph, then became a father for the second time later in the day. The Grizzlies were led, as usual, by Zach Randolph and his 25-point, 14-rebound performance. Memphis rewarded the All-Star power forward by agreeing to terms on a four-year contract extension on Monday. Marc Gasol also had a sensational showing in his playoff debut, scoring 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting while adding nine rebounds. Memphis shot over 55 percent for the game while putting up 31 points in the pivotal fourth quarter.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Memphis PG Mike Conley racked up 10 assists Sunday, his first double-digit assist peformance since March 21. Parker was able to overcome a 4-of-16 shooting effort by making 12 of 16 free-throw attempts Sunday.
KEY STATISTIC: 47 - The number of foul shots attempted by San Antonio in Game 1, a season high. If Memphis gives up that many free throws in Game 2, the result may be far different.
LAST WORD: “What do you want to know about it? It counted for three. He caught it. He shot it. And he made it.” - Popovich on Battier's go-ahead shot.