Grizzlies 101, Spurs 98
Shane Battier's three-pointer with 23.9 seconds left propelled the Memphis Grizzlies to a stunning 101-98 win over the host San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series Sunday afternoon.
Battier silenced the Spurs' home crowd by hitting the long 3 following a Tony Parker miss at the other end. San Antonio's George Hill had a chance to put the home side back in front, but he missed a 3 with 10.9 seconds left.
Memphis' Tony Allen extended the lead with a pair of free throws, and Richard Jefferson's game-tying attempt with one second left missed the mark.
Zach Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds while Marc Gasol added 24 points as Memphis took advantage of the absence of Spurs swingman Manu Ginobili, who missed the contest with an elbow injury.
Parker's 20 points paced the top-seeded Spurs, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday. Tim Duncan added 16 points and 13 rebounds.
With San Antonio leading by four entering the final quarter, Randolph's 10 points in a 5 1/2-minute span of the fourth kept Memphis in the game. O.J. Mayo gave the Grizzlies the lead on a 3-pointer with 5:28 left but the Spurs answered, with Matt Bonner hitting consecutive 3s in a 90-second stretch to give San Antonio a 96-94 edge with 1:28 remaining.
Trailing by two following a sluggish first half, the Spurs opened the third quarter on a 14-4 run highlighted by a Jefferson 3-pointer from the right corner. Gary Neal added a 3 later in the quarter as the lead grew to as many as 10 points before the Grizzlies charged back, cutting it to 74-70 entering the fourth.