Spurs Update

My Spurs began their rodeo road-trip last night in Memphis. This would be our 2nd game there in a week, and 3rd vs. the Grizzlies this season. Memphis came out looking a little more like they wanted to play basketball, unlike last week. After the Grizz held the early 10-9

Image Source (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

lead, we went on a 9-0 run to lead 18-10. Seven different Spurs scored in the 1st Q to give us the 26-18 lead. That lead would then grow to 14, before going on a 2-minute dry spell, and Memphis would surge to within 6 at the half, 52-46. A Jeremy Pargo 27-ft. three at the buzzer helped.

Duncan and Blair would score the first 6 of the 3rd Q, followed by an RJ three a minute later, but then we would go scoreless for a while, as the Grizz tightened-up their D, and dominated us on the offensive end - outscoring us 18-2 over that 7-minute stretch. This was also a 31-14 Memphis run, going back to our 49-35 lead with 3:31 left in the 1st half. But Pop let 'em continue to a 73-67 deficit after 3 Qs.

Then obviously Pop told the guys to step it up on D, because Memphis would be stuck on 73 for HALF of the 4th Q. By this point Tiago Splitter had made 8-straight Spurs points, as apparently Pop heard Sean Elliott continuously declaring that the ball needed to go into him. The ongoing battle between Duncan & Gasol was becoming the feature of the game by this point. Duncan then tied it at 73, and James Anderson hit a three to put us up by 3. After back-to-back Rudy Gay & OJ Mayo jumpers, Tony & Timmy went to work yet again - the two of them scoring the Spurs' next 11 points, and our lead was a commanding 87-81. But Conley would sink a long three off the glass with a minute left (87-84).

During the last minute of the game, it seemed like the Grizzlies got a half-dozen attempts on their end of the floor, due to a reviewed OB call, a Duncan foul, a reviewed jump-ball call, and 3 Spurs blocks on 4 Memphis shots. Danny Green would finally secure the rebound, and nail both FTs for the 89-84 WIN.

Duncan had 19 & 17, and 5 blocks, in 32 minutes. Tony led us with 21 & 7 assists. This time Rudy Gay would score 18, but on 9 of 26 shooting. Gasol had 22, and Conley 19. Here's the ESPN boxscore, and here's the video recap. (Source)

Wednesday we're in Philly for game-2 of the road trip! I've been looking forward to this one for a while.