For the eighth time in league history on Saturday, two brothers played against each other in the NBA Playoffs. In a grit-and-grind battle that featured the Gasol brothers facing off in the postseason for the first time, it was the San Antonio Spurs that prevailed, winning 111-82 to take Game 1. Memphis was without stellar wing defender Tony Allen, who is currently rehabbing from a leg injury.
San Antonio started the game with Danny Green defending Mike Conley in an effort to hide Tony Parker on the rookie Wayne Selden, but to no avail, Conley torched the Spurs from the get-go. He had 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field at intermission.
Mike Conley just pulled up for 3 on the break and I swear that ball barely touched the net
— David Morrow (@_DavidMorrow) April 16, 2017
San Antonio received first half contributions from Kawhi Leonard (17 points) and Tony Parker (12 points), which led them to a 52-49 advantage at halftime.
Vince Carter managed to turn back the clock on a fast break jam for the Grizzlies:
Vince Carter comes up with the loose ball and dunks one down on the fastbreak!#GrindCity pic.twitter.com/6dqdXPZx3X
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 16, 2017
Marc Gasol was the main catalyst for the Grizzlies, causing all kinds of issues for the Spurs defensively.
Gasol, who averaged just 13.8 points per game against the Spurs this season, pitched in with 25 points in the first half and finished with a playoff career-high 32.
Marc Gasol was cookin’ in the first half. He dropped 25 points on his brother and the Spurs!#GrindCity pic.twitter.com/StxLERmNKo
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 16, 2017
In the second half, Gasol continued his hot shooting. Only this time, he was matched by the Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge, and again, Kawhi Leonard.
#Spurs 3Q shot chart… SA kept it simple… went to their go-to-guys… Kawhi had 15, Aldridge had 10… pic.twitter.com/eJiUKYFvWY
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) April 16, 2017
Kawhi Leonard extends the #Spurs lead and possibly put the #Grizzlies away with his 15 points in the third quarterpic.twitter.com/dxBFoBwvFo
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 16, 2017
The athletic Jonathon Simmons capped off the night with an impressive block on Wayne Selden:
And Jonathon Simmons has ended this game.#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/vj7MGjH2pW
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 16, 2017
Leonard winded up finishing with 32 points to lead all Spurs scorers. Aldridge finished with 20, Parker had 18, Gasol hit two threes, and Danny Green added four blocks and one steal. Patty Mills also nailed several big shots, finishing with nine points off the bench.
“Those guys are veterans. They know what time it is,” Kawhi Leonard said after the game. “They want to win.”
One key reason why San Antonio pulled out the victory was how well they performed on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 43 to 35 on the night. They also managed to hold the Grizzlies to just 39 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point territory.
For Memphis, their fifth consecutive playoff loss against the Spurs, Mike Conley (13 points) was the only offensive threat other than Gasol. All other scorers had just 37 combined points.
San Antonio will host Game 2 from AT&T Center on Tuesday night.
