duncan228
11-24-2007, 09:26 AM
http://www.nba.com/games/20071123/MEMSAS/recap.html
Duncan’s 28 Help Spurs Handcuff Defenseless Grizzlies
By Elizabeth White
SAN ANTONIO,(AP) -- The Memphis Grizzlies went with a small lineup. Bad idea.
The San Antonio Spurs countered with Tim Duncan.
Duncan led the Spurs with 28 points in their 101-88 win that was never in doubt after the first quarter. Duncan scored 14 points in the opening period and was key to the Spurs' 64-38 advantage in the paint.
"I got my opportunities tonight,'' Duncan said. "They started out small and my teammates kind of start looking for me down there. We got some good steals and some easy stuff around the basket. So when they do stuff like that we've got to take advantage of it.''
Tony Parker helped out in the paint too, scoring 21 points and adding eight assists for San Antonio. Duncan also had nine of the Spurs' 48 rebounds against the Grizzlies, who have lost two in a row.
"He was great early on,'' said guard Brent Barry, who had 14 points for San Antonio in their fourth straight victory. "We wanted to just exploit a little bit offensively Tim being in the block.''
Manu Ginobili added 11 points for the Spurs.
The game was a contrast to the teams' last matchup in October, when the Spurs eked out a 104-101 victory at Memphis. One difference was the absence of the Grizzlies' 7-footer Darko Milicic, who was out for his fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb.
"Darko did a great job in the first game of keeping them out of the paint,'' said Pau Gasol, who had 12 points for Memphis.
Juan Carlos Navarro led the Grizzlies with 16 points, Rudy Gay added 15 and Mike Miller scored 14.
The Spurs were ahead for all but about four minutes of the game and led by double digits for nearly the last three quarters.
The Spurs took a 29-22 lead after the first quarter and had a 22-10 advantage in the paint.
Duncan slowed in the second quarter just as Parker hit his stride. When he wasn't driving to the basket for a layup, Parker was dishing the ball to his teammates.
Parker had seven straight points for San Antonio at the end of the second quarter as the Spurs went up 21 points, their biggest lead of the half, to 61-40 at halftime.
"Some nights he's going to score when we need it, some nights he's going to have assists, and some nights he's going to do both,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Parker.
Parker had 17 points, just one fewer than Duncan, and seven assists at the break.
Meanwhile, Gasol was struggling for Memphis, hitting just four of 10 attempts from the field for eight points at halftime.
The Spurs never trailed after Duncan's second layup of the game broke a 10-all tie with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
Gay opened up the third quarter with seven points, including a 3-pointer, as part of a 13-4 Memphis run that got them within 12 points, 65-53, with 7:35 remaining in the third. They got that close once more in the quarter.
The Spurs were outscored by Memphis 19-16 in the period, but with Duncan's 10 third-quarter points, San Antonio built its lead back up to 77-59 heading into the final 12 minutes.
"We were able to stop them in the third quarter, in the beginning,'' Gasol said.
Most of the Spurs' starters got the luxury of resting during much of the fourth quarter. Parker returned briefly after Miller's 3-pointer got Memphis as close as 84-67, but the Grizzlies never threatened.
"If we could get it into single digits, we could put a little more pressure on them,'' said Damon Stoudamire, who was just 1-of-8 from the field. "Not being able to get it into the single digits, you know, it was kind of easy for them.''
Notes: Memphis G Mike Conley continued to sit out with an injured right shoulder. ... The Spurs and Grizzlies came into Friday's game ranked third and fourth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage, respectively. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with San Antonio hitting 2-of-16 and Memphis going 5-of-17. ... The Spurs have the best record in the league's Southwest Division, while the Grizzlies hold the worst mark. ... Gay hurt his left ring finger at some point during the game. X-rays were negative, the team said. ... The Spurs take on the Seattle SuperSonics, led by former Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, on Sunday. Popovich said: "It'll be great to see him, because we all miss him, but when the game starts, we'll be trying to beat each other up, that's for sure.''
Duncan’s 28 Help Spurs Handcuff Defenseless Grizzlies
By Elizabeth White
SAN ANTONIO,(AP) -- The Memphis Grizzlies went with a small lineup. Bad idea.
The San Antonio Spurs countered with Tim Duncan.
Duncan led the Spurs with 28 points in their 101-88 win that was never in doubt after the first quarter. Duncan scored 14 points in the opening period and was key to the Spurs' 64-38 advantage in the paint.
"I got my opportunities tonight,'' Duncan said. "They started out small and my teammates kind of start looking for me down there. We got some good steals and some easy stuff around the basket. So when they do stuff like that we've got to take advantage of it.''
Tony Parker helped out in the paint too, scoring 21 points and adding eight assists for San Antonio. Duncan also had nine of the Spurs' 48 rebounds against the Grizzlies, who have lost two in a row.
"He was great early on,'' said guard Brent Barry, who had 14 points for San Antonio in their fourth straight victory. "We wanted to just exploit a little bit offensively Tim being in the block.''
Manu Ginobili added 11 points for the Spurs.
The game was a contrast to the teams' last matchup in October, when the Spurs eked out a 104-101 victory at Memphis. One difference was the absence of the Grizzlies' 7-footer Darko Milicic, who was out for his fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb.
"Darko did a great job in the first game of keeping them out of the paint,'' said Pau Gasol, who had 12 points for Memphis.
Juan Carlos Navarro led the Grizzlies with 16 points, Rudy Gay added 15 and Mike Miller scored 14.
The Spurs were ahead for all but about four minutes of the game and led by double digits for nearly the last three quarters.
The Spurs took a 29-22 lead after the first quarter and had a 22-10 advantage in the paint.
Duncan slowed in the second quarter just as Parker hit his stride. When he wasn't driving to the basket for a layup, Parker was dishing the ball to his teammates.
Parker had seven straight points for San Antonio at the end of the second quarter as the Spurs went up 21 points, their biggest lead of the half, to 61-40 at halftime.
"Some nights he's going to score when we need it, some nights he's going to have assists, and some nights he's going to do both,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Parker.
Parker had 17 points, just one fewer than Duncan, and seven assists at the break.
Meanwhile, Gasol was struggling for Memphis, hitting just four of 10 attempts from the field for eight points at halftime.
The Spurs never trailed after Duncan's second layup of the game broke a 10-all tie with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
Gay opened up the third quarter with seven points, including a 3-pointer, as part of a 13-4 Memphis run that got them within 12 points, 65-53, with 7:35 remaining in the third. They got that close once more in the quarter.
The Spurs were outscored by Memphis 19-16 in the period, but with Duncan's 10 third-quarter points, San Antonio built its lead back up to 77-59 heading into the final 12 minutes.
"We were able to stop them in the third quarter, in the beginning,'' Gasol said.
Most of the Spurs' starters got the luxury of resting during much of the fourth quarter. Parker returned briefly after Miller's 3-pointer got Memphis as close as 84-67, but the Grizzlies never threatened.
"If we could get it into single digits, we could put a little more pressure on them,'' said Damon Stoudamire, who was just 1-of-8 from the field. "Not being able to get it into the single digits, you know, it was kind of easy for them.''
Notes: Memphis G Mike Conley continued to sit out with an injured right shoulder. ... The Spurs and Grizzlies came into Friday's game ranked third and fourth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage, respectively. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with San Antonio hitting 2-of-16 and Memphis going 5-of-17. ... The Spurs have the best record in the league's Southwest Division, while the Grizzlies hold the worst mark. ... Gay hurt his left ring finger at some point during the game. X-rays were negative, the team said. ... The Spurs take on the Seattle SuperSonics, led by former Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, on Sunday. Popovich said: "It'll be great to see him, because we all miss him, but when the game starts, we'll be trying to beat each other up, that's for sure.''