Led by superstar forward Kawhi Leonard, the San Antonio Spurs took a 3-2 lead in its series against the Memphis Grizzlies with a 116-103 victory Tuesday night.
Both teams gave a solid effort throughout the 48 minutes on both ends, but in the end, San Antonio’s red-hot shooting would eventually prevail.
Grizzlies forward James Ennis started off hot in the first half, tallying 11 points before intermission.
James Ennis cuts inside and dunks one down right by Kawhi! ?#BelieveMemphis pic.twitter.com/21KSETt21w
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 26, 2017
Nevertheless, San Antonio still held a six-point advantage at halftime.
The second half consisted of the same grit-and-grind intensity the first four games had. Memphis started off playing well in the fourth period and went on a 10-0 run, but San Antonio promptly responded with an array of three-pointers.
#Spurs and #Grizzlies exchanging late buckets! pic.twitter.com/kbxu99yf71
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 26, 2017
Despite Memphis clawing back from an 18-point deficit, the Spurs would wind up holding on for a Game 5 victory.
Beautiful move from Tony Parker and he hits David Lee for the score!https://t.co/YFZWk04M9S
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 26, 2017
They were led by Kawhi Leonard (28 points on 9-of-16 shooting), Patty Mills (20 points, five three-pointers), and Tony Parker, who finished with 16 points and six assists. The 20 points for Mills was a Playoff career-high.
San Antonio managed to shoot a stellar 14-of-28 (50 percent) from 3-point range and 42-of-80 (53 percent) from the field on the night.
Memphis was once again led by its star trio of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Conley scored a team-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, Gasol recorded 17, and Randolph finished with nine points and six rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
The Grizzlies will be fighting for their playoff lives when they host Game 6 on Thursday night in FedExForum. Both teams are undefeated at home during this series.
