Spurs-Grizzlies Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 05 2012 8:59PM

A victory over the league leaders was a nice way for the San Antonio Spurs to head into their longest trip of the season.

Another big game from Tony Parker could help the Southwest Division-leading Spurs open that nine-game stretch with another win.

San Antonio goes for back-to-back road wins - both against Memphis - for the first time since March on Monday night, when the Grizzlies look for a better result against the Spurs than the last time they returned from the road.

With their annual rodeo trip looming, the Spurs (16-9) won their season-high fourth in a row Saturday, 107-96 over Oklahoma City behind Parker's season-high 42 points and nine assists.

The French point guard moved past Avery Johnson as the franchise's all-time assist leader with 4,477 while making a strong case to earn his fourth All-Star nod when the reserves are named Thursday.

"I would like to go again eventually," said Parker, who was last an All-Star in 2009. "We'll see what happens."

The Spurs have to like what's happened through 25 games, holding a two-game divisional lead over defending champion Dallas while being without Manu Ginobili (broken hand) the last 20 games.

San Antonio could get Ginobili back during this trip, which would be a tremendous boost for a club that's won just three of 11 on the road.

However, rookie guard Kawhi Leonard has been a solid replacement. His play on both ends of the floor against All-Star forward Kevin Durant was key to the Spurs finishing off a 3-0 homestand on Saturday.

"The last game of the homestand, you always kind of call it the first game of the road trip - beating a great team like Oklahoma City is a good way to do it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Spurs last won five straight during an eight-game run from Jan. 7-21, 2011.

They'll hit the road for the first time since opening their current winning streak with an 83-73 victory over the Grizzlies (12-12) on Jan. 30.

Matt Bonner hit five 3-pointers and scored 15 points and Parker added 12 assists in that game to help San Antonio snap a five-game skid at Memphis, which included three defeats in last season's first-round playoff loss.

The Grizzlies, who suffered a 95-82 season-opening loss at San Antonio, could equal their best 11-game start at home (8-3) since 2003-04. However, the team is not returning to FedExForum with much confidence after shooting a combined 39.7 percent in losses to Oklahoma City and Boston to end their 1-2 trip.

"I can't even put a finger on (what's happening with the offense)," point guard Mike Conley told the Grizzlies' official website following Sunday's 98-80 loss to the Celtics. "We are missing shots we normally make and they are good looks, lot of them good looks."

Memphis made 37.0 percent from the field - a season-low at home - on Jan. 30.

Conley leads the league in steals with 2.5 per game, but the Grizzlies' ability to slow down Parker and the Spurs' backcourt could be severely impacted if Tony Allen misses a second straight game due to a sore hip and knee.

Grizzlies leading scorer Rudy Gay had a team-best 19 points Dec. 26, but he missed all seven shots and finished with one point Jan. 30 when Memphis dropped its season-high fourth straight following a 1-3 West Coast trip.

The Spurs last won two straight road games on March 2 and 12.

Parker, Duncan lead Spurs past Grizzlies 89-84

Posted Feb 07 2012 12:13AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Tony Parker appreciates San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich's conservation plan.

During this condensed NBA season, Parker said Popovich is rarely allowing anyone play more than 40 minutes, a strategy that contributed to the Spurs' 89-84 victory Monday night over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Parker, playing 36 minutes, scored 21 points, and Tim Duncan added 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in 32 minutes.

"I think Pop tries to keep us fresh," Parker said. "It's rare that me, or anyone, plays 40 minutes. Over the course of the season, if you have to play 38 or 40 minutes a game, it's tough. It takes its toll."

Memphis, minus Zach Randolph indefinitely and Tony Allen the past two games, was forced to use starters Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley for 40-plus minutes. Gasol had 22 points to lead the Grizzlies, while Conley scored 19 and Gay 18.

Gay said the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight, expended their energy fighting back from a 14-point first-half deficit to take a six-point lead entering the final quarter.

"It was tough," Gay said. "A couple of guys were fatigued from playing a lot of heavy minutes. It was one of those games that slipped away from us."

The Grizzlies were outscored 22-11 in the fourth quarter. The 11 points represented a season low for a single quarter.

"We made some shots and got some stops (to rally)," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "Then in the fourth quarter, we couldn't make a shot anymore."

Memphis didn't have an answer for Duncan in the second half. He scored 13 of his points after the half as the Spurs opened a nine-game road trip with a win, their fifth straight. The Grizzlies led 73-67 entering the final period, but missed their first nine shots to allow the Spurs to recover and take an 87-81 lead with 1:18 to go.

Duncan also had two key blocks in the closing minute as the Spurs clung to an 87-84 lead. He first blocked Gay's layup attempt with 32 seconds left and followed with a block of Gasol's close-range attempt 10 seconds later.

"He is somebody who is pretty special," Popovich said. "The blocks were pretty good down the stretch. Those kinds of things are what he does."

Parker said Duncan has been playing at a high level recently. It was Duncan's second straight double-double. He had 13 points and 15 rebounds Saturday in a win over Oklahoma City.

"He's feeling good," Parker said. "His knee is doing well. Hopefully, he can stay like that. That's a great game from Timmy - 19 (points) and 17 (rebounds)."

The Grizzlies trailed by 13 at 61-48 early in the third quarter, but rallied behind a 25-6 run to end the period. Memphis took its first lead of the second half, at 66-63, on O.J. Mayo's 3-pointer with 2:11 to go in the third quarter.

Hitting five of seven 3-pointers in the first half, San Antonio led by as many as 14 late in the second quarter. Matt Bonner and Gary Neal connected on two 3-pointers apiece and Kawhi Leonard had the other.

The Grizzlies outscored the Spurs 11-3 in the final 3:31 of the second quarter to trim San Antonio's lead to six points at 52-46 at the half.

Notes: Allen missed his second straight game with hip and knee problems. He was averaging 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his three previous games. ... Monday night's game marked the beginning of the Spurs' annual extended road trip. Because of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, the Spurs will play nine straight away games returning to the AT&T Center Feb. 29 vs. Chicago. ... Memphis began a season-high five-game homestand Monday night, the longest for the franchise since December 2008.

Notebook: Spurs 89, Grizzlies 84

Posted Tuesday February 7, 2012 12:10AM

By Marlon W. Morgan, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: If Monday night was any indication, the San Antonio Spurs' nine-game Rodeo Road Trip might not be so bad after all. The Spurs got 21 points and seven assists from Tony Parker and 19 points, a season-high 17 rebounds and five blocked shots, also a season-high, from Tim Duncan as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies for a third straight time this season, 89-84, at FedExForum. It was the first game of their annual Rodeo trip.

QUOTABLE: "Tim (Duncan) has been playing well lately. He's feeling good. His knee is doing well. Hopefully, he will stay like that. That's a great game from Timmy -- 19 and 17. Those are big numbers at 45 years old."
-- San Antonio guard Tony Parker

THE STAT: After clawing their way back in the second half to take a 73-67 lead heading into the final quarter, the Grizzlies picked the wrong time to go cold. In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies shot just 5-for-25 (20 percent), including a 1-for-6 effort from 3-point range. They scored just 11 points in the quarter, a season-low for points in a quarter.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 82-79, Memphis guard O.J. Mayo was fouled after scoring on a drive to the basket, but missed the free throw to complete what would have been a three-point play. After a Spurs' turnover, Mayo then missed a layup that would have regained the lead for the Grizzlies. He then was called for a blocking call while guarding Duncan that resulted in a three-point play and an 85-81 lead for the Spurs.

HOT: San Antonio's Tiago Splitter more than picked up the slack when filling in for Duncan. Splitter was 6-for-7 from the floor, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds.

NOT: Mayo, who has been solid off the bench for the Grizzlies this season, was off Monday. Mayo missed 12 of his 15 shot attempts as he finished with nine points. He had been averaging 15.4 points on 44 percent shooting in his last 10 games.

BAD MOVE: With the Grizzlies falling behind early, coach Lionel Hollins found himself relying on his top four scorers -- Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Mayo -- to help get the team back in the game. The problem was by the fourth quarter, they all had run out of gas. Gay, Gasol and Conley all played more than 40 minutes, while Mayo played 27, including the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. The four shot a combined 5-for-23 in the quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "Obviously, you work yourself to exhaustion. You're supposed to in the minutes you're out there playing, but I think in a season like this, nobody's used to playing these kind of minutes and playing this much. It's tough."
-- Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, who played a game-high 44 minutes

NOTABLE: The Grizzlies have now lost seven of their last nine games to drop to 12-13. It's the first time they have fallen under .500 since being 5-6. ... After losing their first five road games this season, the Spurs have now improved to 4-8 away from home. ... Gasol led the Grizzlies in scoring for the sixth time this season with his game-high 22 points. He also had nine rebounds. Conley added 19 points, a game-high eight assists and six rebounds. ... Grizzlies guard Tony Allen missed his second straight game with a sore left hip and knee.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Saturday @ New Jersey, Tuesday @ Detroit. For the Grizzlies, Wednesday vs. Minnesota, Friday vs. Indiana, Sunday vs. Utah.

• Spurs: Ford, Ginobili, Thomas
• Grizzlies: Arthur, Randolph

• Spurs: --
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #34 Kevin Cutler, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 13527
• Duration: 2:20