Spurs 03-29-15

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Grizzlies at Spurs: Photos

The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies, 103-89, in San Antonio on Sunday and delivered Memphis their third straight loss. Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds for his 35th double-double of the season. Jeff Green added 19 points.

San Antonio made first nine shots in the first quarter. The Spurs led by as many as 16 points and never looked back in the wire-to-wire win.

Memphis trailed by nine points at the break. Zach Randolph and Jeff Green shot 11-of-19 at the half while the rest of the team only 6-of-23.

The Grizzlies rallied in the third quarter, outscoring the Spurs 24-19. Memphis continued to battle early in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough to stop the Spurs who outscored the Grizzlies by 10 in the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard scored first 15 points in fourth quarter for Spurs. Leonard led all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Parker added 17 points.

Tony Allen did not play due to a strained hamstring.

With tonight's loss, Memphis fell to third in the Western Conference and second in the Southwest Division standings. The Spurs remain sixth in the Western Conference

The Grizzlies will look to get back to their winning ways on Monday against the Sacramento Kings at FedExForum. Tipoff is 7pm.

Box Score | Discuss the game on the Fan Boards.

Memphis will return home to face Rudy Gay and the Sacramento Kings on Monday, March 30.

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Spurs push past Grizzlies, 103-89

By: Daniel Carp, Grizzlies.com Contributor

Record: 46-26Standings: Sixth in Western Conference, third in Southwest DivisionStarting Five: PG Tony Parker, SG Danny Green, SF Kwahi Leonard, PF Tim Duncan, C Thiago SplitterHead Coach: Greg Popovich (19th season with team)

The Spurs used a dominant first-half performance to open up a commanding 21-point lead, but nearly saw that advantage evaporate before pulling away to beat the Mavericks 94-76 Friday at the AT&amp;T Center. A furious comeback attempt by Dallas had them within four in the third quarter, but power forward Boris Diaw helped lead San Antonio on a 17-2 run in the fourth quarter that sealed the game.

Diaw led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field in just 26 minutes off the bench. Four of San Antonio's five starters also recorded double-figures. Center Tyson Chandler scored 10 points and added 14 rebounds for Dallas, which is jockeying with the Spurs for playoff positioning in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies and Spurs haven't squared off since Dec. 30, when a hot start from Mike Conley propelled Memphis past San Antonio 95-87 at FedExForum. After one quarter of play, the score was Spurs 20, Conley 16—the Grizzlies point guard hit his first seven shots of the game.

Memphis was able to open up a 14-point halftime lead, but San Antonio refused to go away. Back-to-back baskets by power forward Tim Duncan cut the Grizzlies' lead to 80-77 with 5:52 remaining. Center Marc Gasol countered with a 16-foot jumper on Memphis' next trip down the floor, and the team never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way.

Conley finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, with Gasol adding 17 points, nine rebounds and five dimes for Memphis. Small forward Marco Belinelli finished with a team-high 18 points for the Spurs.

Keep an eye on the battle at shooting guard in Sunday's game, with Courtney Lee squaring off against Danny Green. Lee's role on the defensive end will be an important one for Memphis after the Grizzlies allowed Golden State to torch them from the perimeter to the tune of 16 3-pointers. Green knocks down 41.1 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and Lee's defensive assignment gets no easier when Manu Ginobili comes off the bench.

As for Lee, the Grizzlies shooting guard has struggled to get things going in the month of March, averaging just 7.3 points per game and shooting 23.7 percent from 3-point range. Heading into the stretch run, Memphis could really use more offensive production from its two-guard.

Despite posting an 18-18 record on the road this season, the Spurs are 28-8 when playing in front of the home crowd at the AT&amp;T Center.

Center Aron Baynes has missed San Antonio's last three games with a sprained ankle. It has yet to be determined if he will play Sunday against the Grizzlies.

Sunday's matchup features two teams holding narrow leads on the current playoff positioning. The Grizzlies will enter Sunday's game leading Houston by just a half game for the second seed in the West. San Antonio leads Dallas by 1.5 games for the conference's sixth position. An added wrinkle—if either team moves from their current position, Memphis-San Antonio could become a potential first round playoff matchup.

When Tim Duncan began his NBA career in 1998, Spurs small forward Kyle Anderson was just four years old.

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Grizzlies @ Spurs: Scouting Report

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Spurs 03‑29‑15

Grizzlies at Spurs: Photos

Spurs push past Grizzlies, 103-89

Grizzlies @ Spurs: Scouting Report