Spurs-Grizzlies Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Jan 10 2013 5:17PM

Still searching for answers as they try to end their road slump, the San Antonio Spurs might have a tough time finding them in a showdown at Memphis.

While the Spurs hope to avoid their seventh loss in nine road games, the Grizzlies look for their fourth straight win as the top two teams in the Southwest Division meet on Friday night.

Memphis (23-10) has a chance to gain ground, entering this game trailing San Antonio (28-10) by 2 1/2 games.

The Spurs, however, have beaten the Grizzlies five straight times, including a 99-95 overtime win on Dec. 1, since Memphis stunned top-seeded San Antonio in the first round of the 2010-11 playoffs.

"You never forget those kinds of series," Spurs guard Tony Parker said. "Memphis is playing well so it's going to be a tough game."

San Antonio captured its 11th straight victory at home with a 108-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, but has struggled to find the same success on the road.

Eight of its 10 losses have come there, the latest a 95-88 defeat at New Orleans on Monday that snapped the Hornets' seven-game home losing streak.

San Antonio ranks among the top three in the NBA in scoring at 104.9 points per game, but has averaged just 85.5 in its last two road games compared to 112.0 in its last six at home.

Guard Manu Ginobili, though, has given the team a spark, averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his last three games.

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combined for 57 points to lead the Spurs past the visiting Grizzlies in December. Duncan is still posting big numbers against Memphis, averaging 24.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in the last three meetings.

While the Spurs made 12 of 25 (48.0 percent) from beyond the arc against the Lakers, they've hit on 15 of 55 (27.3 percent) in their last two road games.

It doesn't figure to get any easier against a Memphis team leading the NBA in scoring defense (89.1). The Grizzlies have held opponents to just 82.6 points per game over their last seven contests.

"We're just going to have to play a little bit better," Parker said. "That's the NBA season, you're going to have ups and downs."

The Grizzlies return home, where they're 13-4, after sweeping a three-game West Coast road trip. Memphis won for the fourth time in five games with a 94-87 victory at Golden State on Wednesday night.

"We've been going through some ups and downs and had some lapses, some kind of lapse games," guard Rudy Gay said. "We had to come out here for ourselves to get three out of three."

After outscoring the Warriors 60-34 in the paint, the Grizzlies rank near the top of the NBA in points in the paint at 43.8 per game. That could be a factor against the Spurs, who rank in the bottom third of the league this month with an average of 42.4 paint points allowed.

Forward Zach Randolph has made a major impact inside, leading the NBA with 23 double-doubles. He had 17 points and 15 rebounds in last month's loss at San Antonio despite shooting 5 for 21.

Center Marc Gasol has scored 18.7 points per game on 23-of-39 (59.0 percent) in his last three against the Spurs.

The Grizzlies would like to improve their efficiency from the outside after hitting a season-low 2 for 17 (11.8 percent) from 3-point range on Wednesday.

The Spurs have one of the toughest perimeter defenses in the league, ranking second in opponent 3-point percentage (32.7).

Grizzlies win 4th straight, in OT over Spurs

By TERESA M. WALKER
Posted Jan 12 2013 12:41AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Memphis coach Lionel Hollins warned his Grizzlies they could feel sorry for themselves after Tony Parker hit a 27-footer at the buzzer to force overtime or go back out and win the game.

The Grizzlies chose the second option.

Rudy Gay hit a pullup jumper from 14 feet with 27.8 seconds left, and the Grizzlies held off the San Antonio Spurs 101-98 in overtime Friday night for their fourth straight victory overall and their first over their Southwest Division rival since the 2011 playoffs.

"It was a good test of our mental toughness and our togetherness because we did stick together," Hollins said. "We kept operating efficiently offensively, and nobody really tried to go off on their own, and we got the win."

San Antonio had won five straight in the series since the Grizzlies upset the then-No. 1 seed in the opening round in 2011 in six games. The Spurs also had a 2 1/2-game divisional lead on Memphis coming into this game despite Memphis having played five fewer games, and the teams played at postseason intensity despite the calendar.

"It's always going to be a playoff-type feel when you play those guys, no matter whether it's the playoffs or a regular season game," Grizzlies guard Tony Allen said. "It's all a test for the postseason. We've got a lot of weapons. As long as we play together and play for each other, good things are going to happen. We've just got to grind it out for 48 minutes."

The Grizzlies needed five more minutes after Parker's 27-footer beat the buzzer and tied it at 95. He also opened overtime with a 3 that turned out to be the Spurs' only bucket as San Antonio went 1 of 10 from the floor. Manu Ginobili missed a long 3 just before the buzzer.

"That was an incredible shot by Tony to give us a chance to stay in the game and get five more minutes to figure it out," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "We started out pretty well and got ourselves a lead, but they just kept coming. They just made more plays than we did. They just outplayed us."

Darrell Arthur's dunk with 8.9 seconds left gave the Grizzlies the final margin and forced the Spurs to take the desperation shot at the end of the game. Ginobili's shot hit the backboard and then rim.

Gay led Memphis with 23 points, and Mike Conley had 21 points and five assists, hitting all 10 of his free throws. Zach Randolph had 18 points and 10 rebounds for his NBA-leading 24th double-double of the season. Arthur had 14, while Marc Gasol and Allen each added 10. Allen also had three steals on his 31st birthday.

Conley said he even though Ginobili's last shot would go in after watching Parker's 3 tie it up in regulation.

"I thought the team did a great job of not holding their head after a phenomenal shot and two missed free throws," Conley said. "We had the game in the bag, and for them to come back and make it a game and for us to still play hard and not get rattled, showed a lot of self and mental toughness."

Parker finished with 30 points and five assists for the Spurs. Ginobili had 14, and Duncan and Tiago Splitter each had 13. Duncan also grabbed 15 rebounds but was 5-of-14 shooting.

"It's just like a hitter who doesn't hit for a while," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "What are you going to do? You just keep shooting. He keeps playing hard whether a shot goes in or out."

The Spurs came in tied with the Clippers with a league-best 28 wins, but they've struggled lately away from San Antonio, losing seven of their last nine road games. They also had won five straight against Memphis since the Grizzlies upset the Spurs as the Western Conference's No. 1 seed.

Memphis had just gotten back in town from winning three straight on the road, and the Grizzlies saw a chance to chase down the Spurs for the top of the Southwest Division.

San Antonio also needed overtime to beat Memphis 99-95 on Dec. 1 in the teams' first meeting this season, and this was another doozy with 14 lead changes and 11 ties.

The Spurs thought they had a 100-97 lead when officials ruled goaltending on Gay on a bucket by Ginobili with 44.5 seconds left. But they overturned the ruling after reviewing the play and called jump ball between Duncan and Arthur. The Grizzlies forward won the tip, knocking it out to Conley. Gay hit the jumper on the possession to put Memphis ahead to stay.

Popovich said he thought it was a good block before the review. Hollins wasn't happy his Grizzlies had to win the tip after getting a good block.

The Grizzlies led 95-92 when Randolph hit two free throws with 3.5 seconds left. That was just enough time as Parker took the ball and dribbled up the left side before tossing up a 27-footer that beat the buzzer forcing overtime.

"Pop told me to push it and if nobody came to help then to take it," Parker said. "We tried to send Manu and Danny (Green) ahead and nobody came to me so I just took it."

Memphis outscored the Spurs 29-18 in the second quarter and led 60-48 before they started struggling offensively yet again in the third quarter. The Spurs had a 28-17 edge in the third to eat away at the Grizzlies' 12-point lead. But Memphis outscored San Antonio 27-24 in the fourth and 6-3 in overtime.

NOTES: The Spurs had been 19-2 when leading after the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Spurs 50-40 in the paint and now have 138 straight games where they have forced at least 10 turnovers. They forced 18 leading to 26 points.

Notebook: Grizzlies 101, Spurs 98

Marlon W. Morgan, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:06 AM - Updated Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:06 AM

THE FACTS: For the second time this season, it took an overtime period to decide a winner between San Antonio and Memphis. This time, it was the Grizzlies who managed to pull out the win in the extra period and Rudy Gay and Darrell Arthur made big plays down the stretch to give the Grizzlies a hard-fought, 101-98, overtime win in front of 17,685 at FedExForum. Gay had a team-high 23 points while Arthur came off the bench to add a season-high 14 points and five rebounds. The Spurs were led by Tony Parker, who scored 30, including a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

QUOTABLE: "It seems like he always has great games against us. He hit some big shots for them, and a couple in a row. He got the fast break in overtime to close it out. It seems like he always plays really well against us and is in a comfort zone against us."
-- Spurs' forward Tim Duncan on Darrell Arthur.

THE STAT: Turnovers have been a problem for the Spurs, who have now lost three of their last five games. They committed 18 against the Grizzlies, who capitalized by scoring 26 points on those turnovers.

TURNING POINT: The Spurs had the ball in overtime, looking to add to its 98-97 lead. Manu Ginobili found a lane to the basket. His shot was initially ruled a goal tend by Gay, but after reviewing the play, the call was reversed and called a block, forcing a jump ball at midcourt. Arthur won the tip over Duncan and the Grizzlies eventually regained the lead for good on a jumper by Gay.

HOT: The Spurs used the long ball to their advantage, connecting on 10 of 25 3-pointers (40 percent). Parker was a perfect 3-for3, while Ginobili was good on 4 of 9.

NOT: It was another off-night for Grizzlies' center Marc Gasol. He made just 4 of his 11 shots, scoring 10 points to go with his six rebounds.

GOOD MOVE: With Gasol having an off night, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins opted to go with Arthur for all of the three minutes in the fourth quarter. Arthur didn't disappoint as the 6-9 forward stepped out and made three big jumpers in the fourth, to go with three rebounds. Hollins started Gasol in the overtime, but put Arthur back in down the stretch. In addition to winning the jump ball, Arthur emphatically scored the games last basket with a dunk with 8.9 seconds left.

BAD MOVE: With 28 seconds left in the third quarter, the Grizzlies were out on a two-on-nothing fast break, looking to pull to with one point. Guard Jerryd Bayless had the ball with Gay slightly ahead. As Bayless got close to the paint, he looked to pass to Gay but couldn't decide what kind of pass. What looked to be a lob that was way too low went sailing out of bounds, out of Gay's reach. The Grizzlies could have used those two points to prevent the overtime period.

QUOTABLE II: "I had told them when Tony Parker hit the 3, I said, `You have two ways to go. You can hold your head and feel sorry for yourself, or you can suck it up and go back and win the game again.' We got down, we fought back, and we did win the game. It was a good test of our mental toughness and our togetherness because we did stick together."
-- Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

NOTABLE: The two teams will meet again Wednesday in San Antonio to break their 1-1 deadlock in the season series. Each team has won at home this season. Friday's win was the Grizzlies first against the Spurs since their Game 6 series clinching playoff win in 2011. ... Despite hearing his name in numerous trade rumors this week, Gay had turned it on in his last four games. After averaging 19.7 ppg during the team's recent three-game sweep on the road, Gay had 23 against the Spurs along with six rebounds, while holding Kawhi Leonard to just six on the defensive end. ... Memphis is now 2-1 in overtime games this season, while the Spurs are 3-1. ... The Spurs lead the league in bench scoring with 42 ppg, but were held to just 27 points against Memphis. ...

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Sunday vs. Minnesota, Wednesday vs. Memphis, Friday vs. Golden State. For the Grizzlies, Saturday @ Dallas, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday @ San Antonio.

• Spurs: Joseph
• Grizzlies: Wroten

• Spurs: --
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 14
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #16 David Guthrie, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 17685
• Duration: 2:37