Game one of the first round matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies went exactly as we expected as the Spurs blew out their short-handed competition by a final score of 106-74.
Memphis was able to stay close in the first half taking a 48-37 deficit into the break. They were able to keep the game at a slow pace, using isolation and post-ups on offense, albeit with little success as the Spurs sent extra defenders especially against Zach Randolph post-ups. Vince Carter had a particularly strong first half, repeatedly hitting shots and beating Spurs guard Danny Green off the dribble. Lance Stephenson checked in during the second quarter and became the offensive hub of the team through pull-up jumpers.
The Spurs took a 33-14 third quarter to pull away, however, and never looked back. With Kawhi Leonard scoring eight of his twenty points and Tony Parker showing flashes of hsi old dominance, Memphis was no match for the Spurs.
In the end, San Antonio took big performances from Leonard, Parker, and LaMarcus Aldridge to win the game. Kawhi finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting with his defense (four steals) leading to several easy baskets on the other end. Aldridge started cold but found a groove en route to 17 points on 8-15 shooting. Parker showed a burst that had been absent for a long time and finished with 15 points on 6-10 shooting with six assists.
The strong performances from Carter (16 points on 6-7 shooting with three rebounds and two assists) and Stephenson (14 points on 6-11 shooting with two rebounds and two assists) were not nearly enough for the Grizzlies as they were unable to garner any consistent offense.
That and this piece of wisdom from head coach Dave Joeger:
"They are very good." – Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger on the Spurs
— AP (@Ananth_Pandian) April 18, 2016
Game two will be on Tuesday at 9:30 PM EST on TNT.
