Spurs 105, Grizzlies 83
SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker had 20 points and nine assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 105-83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday afternoon.
Parker was 9 of 14 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line in 33 minutes. He had only three turnovers.
The second-seeded Spurs came out strong in the first quarter, shooting 58 percent. They built an early 17-point lead on the Grizzlies when Matt Bonner connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, making it 29-12.
By the time Parker's 12-foot teardrop fell through the basket midway through the second quarter, the Spurs had built a 20-point lead over the Grizzlies 43-23.
San Antonio, set a playoff record for 3-pointers made, going 14 of 29 for 48 percent against the second-ranked defense in the league.
Kawhi Leonard had 18 points for San Anthonio. Danny Green added 16, Gary Neal 11 and Matt Bonner 12, with all of Bonner's points coming on four 3-pointers.
Tim Duncan had 10 rebounds.
Memphis, a sixth seed, went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter, behind consecutive 3-pointers from Quincy Pondexter that cut the double-digit lead to six, making it 62-56 with three minutes left.
San Antonio answered with an 11-1 spurt of its own to end the quarter, with Manu Ginobili hitting nine points in the run that gave the Spurs a 73-57 lead.
By the time DeJuan Blair hit a pair of free throws with 1:32 left in the game, the Spurs had stretched the lead to 28.
The Grizzlies were led by Pondexter, who had 17 points. It was the first time all season Pondexter has led the team in scoring.
Mike Conley added 15 points, with eight assists, and Marc Gasol had 15 points.
Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies' leading scorer at 19.7 a game, was 1 of 8 from the field for two points. He had seven rebounds.
Memphis came in having won eight of its last nine playoff games, and ousted the defending Western Conference champs, Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-1 to advance to their first ever conference finals.
Game 2 will be Tuesday night in San Antonio.
NOTES: This is the third playoff meeting between the Spurs and Grizzlies, with San Antonio sweeping Memphis in a 2004 first-round matchup, the Grizzlies first-ever postseason appearance. In 2011, No. 8 seed Memphis upended top-seeded San Antonio 4-2 in the first round. ... Memphis and San Antonio met four times during the regular season, splitting the series 2-2. The home team held court for the wins, with two games going to overtime and one decided by two points. San Antonio's 103-82 win on Jan. 16 was the largest by either team. ... This is the eighth Western Conference Finals appearance for San Antonio in the Duncan/Gregg Popovich era. The Spurs series record is 4-3 during that time.
