Spurs cruise past Grizzlies, 111-82.

By Stephen ThompsonNBA

The San Antonio Spurs won their first playoff game without Tim Duncan since 1996 with Saturday’s win against Memphis.

Memphis started the game aggressively. Without star player Tony Allen, the Griz depend on their tenacious defense to lead the way. Their plans worked. San Antonio was held to less than 10 points for over 15 minutes. They once lead, 20-9 during one stretch.

Despite a slow start, the Spurs rose cut their deficit to five as the 1st quarter ended with a 30-25 score.

After the 1st quarter, things went San Antonio’s way for the rest of the game. They outscored Memphis for the last 3 quarters of the game. Marc Gasol scored the most points in a half by any Memphis player in their history despite the drubbing.

This highlights the struggles of Memphis in this game. Their bench only scored 2 points in the 1st half and 23 points in the 2nd Half. The Spurs bench scored 39, especially in garage time.

Kwahi Leonard scored 32 points, going perfect from the free throw line. Aldridge pitched in ith 20 points and Parker also added 18 points. Overall, the Spurs shot over 53 percent from the field and 52 percent from the 3 point line. Marc Gasol scored 32 points, his hot hand was the highlight for his team. The highest paid player in the NBA, Mike Conley only scored a meager 13 points. Overall, they shot 39 percent from the field.

Both Teams will return to play on Monday Night.

 

Stephen Thompson