NBA: Parker, Duncan help Spurs triumph in OT for 2-0 lead over Griz

Tony Parker took on the playmaking role early, and then Tim Duncan finished things off, as the San Antonio Spurs forged a 93-89 victory in overtime versus the Memphis Grizzlies, to take a 2-0 Western Conference Finals lead, Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The Spurs had won game one in one-sided fashion, 105-83, last Sunday (Monday, PHL time), but they were held to just nine points in the fourth period, allowing the Grizzlies to storm back and force the extra five minutes.

In overtime, the Spurs went to Tim Duncan repeatedly, and the big man produced six markers to just two from the Grizzlies, for a 91-87 lead, 1:08 left in extra time.

Memphis got three looks on the next possession but missed them all. Luckily for them, Duncan was also fruitless on the other end, allowing Jerryd Bayless to come down and can a deuce, 91-89, 16.9 seconds remaining.

Forced to foul, the Grizzlies quickly sent Tony Parker to the line, where the point guard missed the first and hit the second, keeping the door open for Memphis, 92-89, 14.6 seconds still to play.

Bayless was unable to make it back-to-back connections, missing his three-pointer, and Cory Joseph closed things out with another split at the stripe.

Tim Duncan top-scored for his side with 17 points and nine rebounds. Tony Parker added a double-double of 15 markers, plus a new playoffs-high of 18 dimes. The rest of the Spurs' starting five combined for 37 markers, with Danny Green, Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard each finishing in double-figures.

The Spurs stormed out to a 7-0 lead after opening tip, but Memphis fought back to trail by just two at the end of the first, 15-13. They then took the lead on back-to-back jumpers by Keyon Dooling, 18-15, but the Spurs took control shortly after.

A trey by Matt Bonner and a dunk from Manu Ginobili put the home team on top temporarily, before a Jerryd Bayless triple gave the Grizzlies the lead anew, 23-22. It turned out to be the last time they'd have it however, as the Spurs punched back with seven unanswered, 29-23, halfway through the second quarter.

Tayshaun Prince canned a jumper with 4:44 remaining in the first half, for a 33-30 San Antonio lead. It was actually the last Memphis field goal of the quarter, as the Spurs went on a 13-1 blast, for a 46-31 tally entering halftime. The Griz' inability to break through their foes' defense was highlighted by one sequence in which they got five offensive rebounds but still failed to score.

San Antonio put up their biggest lead of the game, 18 points, multiple times in the third,  but a quartet of Memphis players, Bayless, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Darrell Arthur ate into their deficit slightly, closing out the penultimate canto on a 10-4 run, to trail by just 12, 76-64, with a quarter left to play.

Cory Joseph began the fourth with a lay-up, to give the Spurs a 14-point buffer, 78-64. Memphis however made another push, as Bayless and Zach Randolph made it a single-digit affair, 78-70, 9:40 remaining in the game. Tony Parker scattered five though, to restore the Spurs' double-digit lead, 83-70.

Undeterred, the Grizzlies this time rattled off eight unanswered, holding their foes without a score over a four-minute span. A dunk by Tiago Splitter finally snapped his team's silence, for an 85-78 tally, 4:18 left to play.

Neither side managed a score for a little over three minutes, something that benefitted the Spurs greatly. With time not on their side, Zach Randolph connected on an and-one play, to bring their deficit down to four. The big man then came up with a steal off a bad pass by Manu Ginobili, and the veteran shooting guard compounded the problem by committing a flagrant foul - type one on a streaking Tony Allen, 26.1 seconds left.

Allen dutifully nailed the two charities for a two-point deficit. On the bonus possession, Mike Conley then banged in an eight-footer to knot the game at 85-all, 18.2 seconds left.

The Grizzlies issued their foul to give with 3.3 seconds left, which led to Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich calling for time. The Grizzlies defense then forced an 18-foot turnaround jumper from Tim Duncan that was off the mark, resulting in the extra five minutes.

The backcourt of Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless scored 18 apiece for Memphis band combined for seven assists. Zach Randolph bounced back from a quiet game one performance to finish with a double-double of 15 points and 18 rebounds, while Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol chimed in with 12 points, 14 boards and two swats.

San Antonio's defense held their foes to just 34.0 percent shooting, 29.4 percent from downtown. The Grizzlies though compensated with a 26-17 margin in free throw attempts, and an 18-4 edge in offensive rebounds.

The Spurs also dished out 29 assist on 36 field goals made. - AMD, GMA News