Spurs 93, Grizzlies 89, OT
SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker notched 15 points and a playoff-career-high 18 assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 93-89 overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.
The Spurs, who held on after leading by 18 points in the second half, took a 2-0 lead in the series.
Parker added five rebounds and three steals.
With San Antonio leading 85-81, a Grizzlies steal forced Manu Ginobili into a flagrant foul 1 on Tony Allen with 26.1 left in regulation.
Allen made both free throws, then Mike Conley tied the game at 85 with a right-handed floater from seven feet with 18.2 seconds left, ending a 15-2 Memphis run.
Tim Duncan's turnaround jumper bounced off the rim at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Duncan scored the Spurs' first six points in overtime, giving San Antonio a 91-87 lead with 1:07 remaining. The Spurs appeared ready to put the Grizzlies away until Jerryd Bayless' jumper pulled Memphis within 91-89 with 16.9 seconds.
Parker and Cory Joseph each hit one of two free throws down the stretch to give the Spurs the win.
San Antonio had all five starters score in double figures, with Duncan contributing 17 points, Tiago Splitter scoring 14, Kawhi Leonard 12 and Danny Green 11. The Spurs shot 43.4 percent from the field.
Conley and Bayless each had 18 to lead the Grizzlies. Zach Randolph had 15 points and 18 rebounds, rebounding from a two-point performance in Game 1. He shot 3-for-8 from the free throw line. Marc Gasol added 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Memphis made just 34 percent of its shots from the floor.
Early on, San Antonio again forced its game plan on the Grizzlies with precision ball movement and the 3-point game in a first-half assault on the NBA's best defense.
The Spurs efficiently handed out 16 first-half assists on 18 field goals, with Parker getting eight of them.
The Spurs started off hot, hitting four 3-pointers in the second quarter to jump start a 15-3 run that ended with Duncan hitting two free throws with 16.5 seconds left in the half.
Their defense stepped up and held the Grizzlies to one point, a free throw in the final second by Bayless, in the last 4:44 of the half.
Memphis shot 26 percent in the first half as the Spurs went into the locker room up 46-31, leaving the Grizzlies grasping for answers.
NOTES: Memphis coach Lionel Hollins, who has a 18-14 career playoff record, had the task of brining his team back into the series after losing Game 1. Asked before the game what Memphis needed to do differently in Game 2 than Game 1, Hollins replied, "We have to have better discipline and better effort." ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is third all time in career playoffs wins with 128. He only trails Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171). ... A moment of silence was observed before the game to honor the victims of the disastrous tornado that hit Oklahoma on Monday. ... Duncan, the all-time leader in postseason blocks, notched his 500th block of his career. He finished with four blocks on the night. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 476.
