The Memphis Grizzlies’ 2015-16 season ended at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs as the Spurs completed a first round sweep with a 116-95 victory at FedExForum on Sunday afternoon.
The Spurs (4-0 playoffs) move on to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they will await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks matchup. Memphis (0-4) brings to a close a campaign where the Grizzlies fought through an unprecedented number of roster changes and injuries, using NBA-record 28 different players while losing franchise centerpieces Marc Gasol and Mike Conley for the season, to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time.
The Grizzlies gave it their all once again and kept within striking distance through the opening 24 minutes, outscoring the Spurs 26-22 in the second quarter to bring the halftime deficit to 47-45. However, a 15-2 run from the Spurs in the third quarter opened up the game and brought the lead to 69-53 with 5:37 to play in the third frame.
From there, the Grizzlies were unable get it back to single digits, and San Antonio would eventually push the lead to a game-high 25 late in the fourth quarter.
Lance Stephenson came off the bench to lead all scorers with 26 points, a career-high for him in the playoffs. He was 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) from the field.
Vince Carter (14 points), Matt Barnes and Zach Randolph (15 points each) all finished in double-digits. Carter was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, and Randolph and Barnes each pulled down seven rebounds. Barnes added four assists in 45 minutes.
Chris Andersen scored seven points, and added a game-high 13 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end.
Kawhi Leonard once again led the Spurs with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including two three pointers. He added seven rebounds and led the team with four assists.
LaMarcus Aldridge recorded his second double-double of the series with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Key Stat of the Night
- San Antonio knocked down 14-of-22 (.636), while holding the Grizzlies to just 8-of-22 (.364) from the field in the third quarter, outscoring Memphis 37-21… Defensively, the Spurs blocked five shots and turned five Grizzlies turnovers into eight points.
Key Run of the Night
- Coming out of the half with a two-point lead (47-45), the Spurs used a 15-2 run early in the third quarter to take a 69-53 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third frame… The Spurs’ surge contributed to the team’s 20-point lead with 32.9 seconds left in the third period… San Antonio’s lead grew to as many as 25 in the fourth quarter.
More Game Shots
Team Quotes
Player Notes
- Zach Randolph tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, while Vince Carter contributed 14 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, to go with three rebounds and two assists.
- Lance Stephenson came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points on 11-of-19 (.579) shooting while dishing out three assists… Fellow reserve Chris Andersen scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
- Matt Barnes finished with 15 points and seven rebounds… Barnes also dished out a team-high four assists and grabbed a pair of steals.
- Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 21 points while shooting at a 6-of-10 clip (.600) and added seven rebounds.
- LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double of the series.