Spurs 96, Grizzlies 87
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 96-87 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night in a Western Conference first-round playoff game at FedExForum
The win gave the Spurs a 3-0 lead in the series. San Antonio can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win Sunday, also at FedExForum.
After being dominated by the Spurs in the first two games of the series -- losses of 32 and 26 points in San Antonio -- the Grizzlies competed from the outset. Memphis trailed by only one at the half and led 71-70 entering the fourth quarter.
A JaMychal Green layup, off an alley-oop pass from Xavier Munford, gave the Grizzlies a 73-70 lead to start the final quarter, but the Spurs recovered. San Antonio scored nine straight for a 79-73 advantage with 8:03 left and never trailed again.
Zach Randolph had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Matt
Barnes also had a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.
Memphis outrebounded the Spurs, 48-39, but shot only 41.5 percent.
Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger chose to start a small lineup, inserting 6-4 guard Tony Allen for 6-10 center Chris Anderson. Allen joined 6-6 Vince Carter, 6-7 Barnes, 6-9 Randolph and 6-2 Jordan Farmer in the starting five and the strategy worked.
After being held to 11 first-quarter points in Game 2, the Grizzlies scored 18 in the opening quarter and trailed by eight entering the second.
Despite falling behind by 13 early in the second, the Grizzlies rallied behind reserve guard Lance Stephenson, whose energy and accuracy allowed Memphis to go on a 10-0 run and trim the advantage to 34-31. Stephenson assisted on an Anderson dunk and followed with back-to-back jumpers during the run.
The Spurs were unable to pull away in the final seven minutes of quarter and the Grizzlies briefly took lead -- all of 16 seconds -- on two free throws by Barnes with 3:05 to go. A layup by Barnes at the buzzer trimmed the Spurs' lead to one (44-43) at halftime.
Memphis outscored the Spurs, 25-18, in the second quarter after being outscored in the first nine quarters of the series.
The Grizzlies shot 41.5 in the opening half and missed eight of nine 3-pointers. The Spurs shot slightly better (44.7 percent), but were 6 of 12 from long range. Leonard, who was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, had 14 points in the first half.
NOTES: The injury plagued Grizzlies received word Friday reserve F Jarell Martin will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a sore left foot. Martin, a rookie from LSU, had been experiencing complications from a Sept. 3 surgery to repair a fracture in the foot. He will undergo a procedure to alleviate the soreness and Memphis coach Dave Joerger said Martin will "be out for quite a while." Martin was averaging 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds. "He is devastated," Joerger said. "And we feel terrible, too." ... With a 32-point win in Game 1 of the series and a 26-point win in Game 2, San Antonio became the third NBA team to win the first two games of a series by 25 or more points. They joined the 1986 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2001 Charlotte Hornets. ... Since the 2010-11 season, Grizzlies F Zach Randolph has logged 25 double-doubles in the playoffs, or the fourth-most during that span. LeBron James (46), Tim Duncan (39) and Dwight Howard (29) are the leaders. ... Since Gregg Popovich became the team's coach in December 1996, the Spurs have had 17 postseason games in which they have limited the opposition to 75 or fewer points. No coach has registered more during the shot-block era, which began during the 1954-55 season. The Grizzlies' 68 points in Game 2 represented a record postseason low.