The San Antonio Spurs (10-3) beat the Memphis Grizzlies (7-7) 92-82 on Saturday.
The Grizzlies struggled to get offense out of their starting five, save for Mike Conley, who finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, but the bench combo of Matt Barnes and Courtney Lee kept the game close. Barnes contributed 10 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Lee added 15 points and two steals. Zach Randolph (coach decision) did not play, and the Grizzlies team looked very different without their go-to power forward on the floor. Marc Gasol, fresh off a triple-double in his last performance, dealt with tough Spurs matchups all night long and only managed eight points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard continues to be the Spurs best player, as he finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 3-for-6 shooting from the 3-point line. Leonard buried the dagger 3-pointer with 0:16 left in the 4th quarter, extending the Spurs lead to nine points. LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) sat out, while Tim Duncan filled the void with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 36 minutes played. The Spurs shot 47 percent from the field as a unit and flashed their brilliant ball movement to continuously open up the floor, a staple of Gregg Popovich’s supreme coaching and unselfish basketball.
The Spurs host the Phoenix Suns (7-5) on Monday, while the Grizzlies host the Dallas Mavericks (9-4) on Tuesday.
