The Memphis Grizzlies won over the San Antonio Spurs, as the Spurs now lead 2-1. After low scoring performances in the first two games (82 points in both of them), The Grizzlies found their offensive rhythm, as they scored 105 points in game three on Thursday night. They shot just above 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from the three point line and made 90 percent of their free throw attempts. It will be very interesting to see Gregg Poppovich's response to this offense in the next game, which is on the schedule for Saturday night.
Zach Randolph joined the starting lineup
The Grizllies head coach David Fizdale was fined $30,000 for his inappropriate comments about the officials after game two. Fizdale said that it was a very poorly officiated basketball game, as the Spurs got much more free throws than the Grizzlies. However, that wasn't the case in this game, as the Grizzlies shot 20 free throws and the Spurs shot 28 free throws. Also, the Grizzlies made 18 of their 20 free throw attempts, while the Spurs made only 16 of 28 attempts. Memphis had a four point lead at halftime, and they made a run in the third quarter, as they outscored the Spurs 31-17 in the third quarter. At one point, the Grizzlies had a 22 point lead.
Mike Conley was a leading scorer for the home team, as he finished the game with 24 points and eight assists, while shooting 7 of 13 from the field and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Marc Gasol added 21 points, six rebounds and three assists, as he shot 8 of 14 from the field. Coach Fizdale made some changes in his roster and put Zach Randolph in the starting lineup.
Randolph responded perfectly, as he scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while shooting 9 of 16 from the field in 29 minutes on the floor. James Ennis III added 12 points, while Wayne Selden had 10 points off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Silent night for Kawhi Leonard
The Grizzlies did a great job defending Kawhi Leonard.
He took only eleven shots in 30 minutes of play. Also, Tony Parker finished the game with zero points, as he missed all of his four shot attempts. Leonard had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, while shooting 6 of 11 from the field. LaMarcus Aldridge added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, as he took only eight shots. Kyle Anderson added 15 points off the bench for the Spurs, while Patty Mills and Jonathon Simmons also finished the game in double-digits.
The next game is on Saturday at 8:00 pm.
