While the Grizzlies shot well early, they missed 11 of their final 13 shots in the second half, allowing the Spurs to cut into the advantage. Ginobili, who entered shooting 34 percent over the previous five games, missed his first six shots, finally hitting his only field goal of the first half in the closing seconds before the break. The Spurs ended up shooting 41 percent for the game compared to 44 percent for Memphis. Meanwhile, San Antonio was hitting only a third of its shots at that point, including missing 13 of its first 16 attempts in the second quarter, helping the Grizzlies build a 21-point lead. That contributed to a 20-6 Memphis run spanning the first and second periods. Memphis held a 49-35 lead at halftime behind 16 points from Miller, who made six of his nine first-half shots.įor the second consecutive game, Memphis started out shooting well, connecting on 63 percent of its shots midway through the second quarter. But the Grizzlies' lead was big enough for Memphis to win for only the second time in nine games. San Antonio's comeback was keyed by strong, pressure defense, which forced seven turnovers in the fourth quarter. Memphis' only victory during that stretch came in April when Duncan, Parker and Ginobili sat out a game to rest for the playoffs. The Spurs won nine of the previous 10 meetings. Memphis was without its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, Pau Gasol, who missed his fourth game with a jammed right big toe. San Antonio played its fourth consecutive game without starting point guard and leading scorer Tony Parker, who has a sprained left ankle. Gay's game-winner was reviewed by officials before they ruled it good. Duncan scored inside twice during the stretch, and San Antonio had a chance to complete the comeback after Ginobili scored in the closing seconds. Memphis, ahead by 23 in the third, had the margin cut to 84-83 after 12 unanswered points by the Spurs. The Grizzlies held on despite squandering a 23-point lead and scoring only 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Michael Finley scored 11 points and Jacque Vaughn had 10. Duncan finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Ginobili led the defending NBA champions with 20 points, including 16 in the second half.