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Mike Conley and the Memphis Grizzlies had a defining moment against the mighty San Antonio Spurs. Conley poured in five of his 23 points in the final minute, including the game-winning layup with six-tenths of a second left on Monday, lifting the Grizzlies to a gritty 92-90 victory over the depleted Spurs. |
Asked if the victory was a statement game, Conley said: “It most definitely was ... beating a team like San Antonio, who played so well this year and who always plays tough against us. For us to come back like we did, it shows we had fight in us regardless of the score and not giving up.”
Conley’s three-pointer with 30.7 remaining knotted the contest at 90-90 and the Grizzlies called a timeout after Spurs guard Tony Parker missed a layup. Memphis put the ball in Conley’s hands and the speedy guard drove the left side past Danny Green and kissed a soft left-handed layup high off the glass for the difference maker, extending the Grizzlies’ home-winning streak to 12.
“It seems like they were giving it to me,” Conley said. “That’s my favourite way to go, so I just tried to take advantage of it and make the play.”
Jerryd Bayless netted 17 off the bench, while Spaniard Marc Gasol had 16 for the Grizzlies (50-24), who matched a franchise record with their 50th win of the season but remained in the fifth playoff spot in the West. “Winning 50 is nice but we have loftier goals,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “My goal is to win playoff games and go as far as our talent and play will allow us.”
Parker scored 25 points, Brazilian Tiago Splitter had 13 with 11 boards for the Spurs, who without sore left-kneed starters Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard, had their Western Conference lead reduced to a game over Oklahoma City. “It’s always a great game against Memphis, they’re one of the best teams in the NBA,” Parker said. “We’ll have to regroup and stay together.”
Earlier in the day, the Spurs announced Argentine ace Manu Ginobili will miss four weeks with a right hamstring strain.
In Indiana, the Pacers beat LA Clippers 109-106. Roy Hibbert had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Paul George added 23 points, 10 assists, and two big free throws with one second left, and the Pacers completed a 4-0 road trip after holding off a late charge by the Clippers. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points for the Clippers, who stormed from 24 down in the third quarter before falling short, when Lamar Odom missed a potential game-tying triple at the buzzer.
Montenegrin Nikola Pekovic powered for 29 points, as the Minnesota Timberwolves ended an 11-game slide to the short-handed Boston Celtics with their first win since 2007. The Timberwolves won 110-100. Avery Bradley scored 19 points for the Celtics, who without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, fell for the seventh time in nine games.
Houston Rockets beat Orlando Magic 111-103, with Turkish-native Omer Asik scoring a career-high-tying 22 points and 18 rebounds. Jeremy Lin added 19 points and 11 assists as the short-handed Rockets without top-scorers James Harden (foot) and Chandler Parsons (illness) beat the visiting Magic despite rookie Maurice Harkless’ career-high 28 points.
Milwaukee Bucks sped past Charlotte Bobcats 131-102, with Larry Sanders scoring a career-high 24 points with 13 rebounds. Monta Ellis collected 19 points and a personal best 14 assists as the host Bucks beat up the league-worst Bobcats despite Kemba Walker’s game-high 27 points.
Atlanta Hawks downed Cleveland Cavaliers 102-94, with Devin Harris dropping in a season-high 25 points, and Josh Smith adding 18, with 14 rebounds and eight assists, as the playoff-bound Hawks handed the visiting Cavaliers their season-high ninth straight loss. Marreese Speights paced Cleveland with 22 points.