NBA: Spurs pound Grizzlies to open West Finals

Their Western Conference Finals series had been billed as a defensive slugfest, except the San Antonio Spurs seemingly did not get the memo.

The veteran Spurs shot better than 50 percent from the field, and put on a masterclass in offense, as they humbled the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-83, Sunday (Monday, PHL time) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, to take a 1-0 lead in the West Finals.

The two sides had split their regular season meetings, but the Grizzlies, who were making their first trip as a franchise to the Conference Finals, got a rude welcome from their opponents, right from the opening tip.

Although Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol drew first blood with a lay-up, the Grizzlies found themselves stuck at two points, while the Spurs reeled off a 9-0 run, a little over two minutes into the game.

The home team built as much as a 17-point lead, 29-12, and could have made it an 18-point affair to close out the period, but Manu Ginobili missed the second of three free throws, after getting hit on a long-range attempt by Darrell Arthur, 31-14 after the first quarter.

San Antonio kicked off the game by shooting 57.9 percent from the field, and assisting on eight of their 11 field goals. The backcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green scored eight apiece, while Matt Bonner was a huge help off the bench, nailing a pair of treys.

In the second quarter, the Spurs' lead hit 20 points halfway in, on a pull-up by Parker, 43-23. Memphis however managed to make some headway into chopping down their deficit, finishing the first half on a 14-8 run, as Mike Conley found Marc Gasol thrice within the remaining amount of time for scores, 51-37 at the break.

Come the third, the Grizzlies' defense finally kicked in, holding their foes to just four missed field goals over a nearly four-minute span. On the other end, Quincy Pondexter exploded for a personal 8-0 run, capped off by back-to-back three-pointers, while Jerryd Bayless soared in for a dunk to make it just a six-point affair, 62-56.

It didn't last though, as the Spurs' bench took charge, led by Manu Ginobili, who broke his side's dry spell with a trey and a split at the line, to restore their double-digit lead. Matt Bonner canned a triple as well, and then following a charity by Gasol, Ginobili got a lay-up off an offensive carom by Boris Diaw, who also closed out the quarter on the line, making it 73-57 with just one quarter left.

Twin triples by Gary Neal and Kawhi Leonard had it at 90-68 with 7:29 still to play in the game. The writing was on the wall though, as Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich began cycling in his reserves shortly after that. Still the home team continued to plug away, as a three-pointer by Patty Mills, a tip-in by DeJuan Blair, and a jumper from Gary Neal got their lead to its zenith at 28, 101-73, 3:12 left in the game. Both sides' benches then finished this one out.

Tony Parker led all scorers with 20 points and nine assists. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green added 18 and 16 points, respectively, combining for a 7-of-11 clip from downtown. Matt Bonner and Gary Neal added 23 off the bench, 15 coming from beyond the arc.

The team's sensational play as a whole allowed them to survive just a six-point outing from Tim Duncan, which was only two less than Manu Ginobili's eight.

Quincy Pondexter paced the Grizzlies with 17 points in a reserve role, all but two coming on three-point shots. Marc Gasol added 15 points, seven boards and two blocks, while Mike Conley notched 14 markers and eight assists, but turned it over a team-high four times.

Power forward Zach Randolph had a miserable outing, making only 1-of-8 attempts for two points.

The Spurs shot 52.6 percent in the game, a mark that included a 14-of-29 clip from downtown, to establish a new franchise record for most three-pointers made in a playoffs game. The Grizzlies in comparison made 43.2 percent of their attempts, and were out-assisted 28-20. - AMD, GMA News