Spurs at Grizzlies
THE STORY:
One thing the San Antonio Spurs will not have to worry about Monday is
whether its starters got enough rest. Trailing by 18 points in the third
quarter at Dallas on Sunday, coach Gregg Popovich pulled all his
starters and watched as the bench scored the final 51 points and forced
overtime. The reserves ended up falling just short in the 101-100
setback, dropping the Spurs to 2-8 on the road. Where San Antonio really
seems to struggle away from home is on defense, where it has
surrendered an average of 102.3 points versus 89.5 at home. The Spurs
will try to correct that discrepancy when they visit the Memphis
Grizzlies on Monday. The Grizzlies looked like they were on their way to
realizing their preseason potential with a seven-game winning streak
earlier this month, but a three-game slide has raised more questions.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE SPURS (12-9): San Antonio learned that its bench,
especially Gary Neal and Danny Green, is capable of carrying the team
for long stretches. Now the Spurs just need Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and
company to step up. San Antonio opened its season with a 95-82 home
victory over Memphis on Dec. 26, forcing 24 turnovers while getting 24
points from Manu Ginobili. The Spurs’ starters won’t have to look far
for motivation against the Grizzlies, who knocked them out in the first
round of the playoffs last spring.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (10-9):
Memphis will play 10 of 15 games at home heading into the All-Star
break, beginning Monday. That has to be good news for a team that just
got through averaging 87.5 points during a four-game road trip. The
Grizzlies are hurting on the inside without Zach Randolph, who is still
at least a month from returning from a knee injury. Marreese Speights
started off strong in Randolph’s place but has been held to single
digits in scoring and rebounding in each of the last four games.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Duncan is averaging 9.0 points on 34 percent shooting in his last three games.
2. Memphis forward Rudy Gay has struggled to 13.1 points on 41.4 percent shooting in 17 career games against the Spurs.
3. San Antonio hit 12 3-pointers at Dallas on Sunday.