ALL BUSINESS
Griz rally past Spurs for 50th win with tough defense
Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley caught the basketball and hesitated a moment to size up his defender.
He then became an absolute blur to San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green.
And Conley just keeps getting bigger and bigger for the Griz.
With the game all knotted up Monday night, Conley darted to his left and scored a go-ahead layup with 0.6 seconds and propelled the Griz to a 9290 victory before 16,642 in FedExForum.
Memphis tied a franchise record with its 50th win this season, and extended its home winning streak to 12 straight games. Conley knew that but was unaware that his streak of 64 consecutive games with a steal came to an end.
“I’ll take this any day,” Conley said, smiling, after scoring a team-high 23 points on 11 of 17 shooting.
Conley made the gamewinner look easy in a game that was anything but comfortable. The Grizzlies trailed by 11 points in the second half and hadn’t led since the first quarter until Conley cruised to the rim for the clutch basket.
“He becomes a better player every year,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He is more confident. He’s expanded his game. He did a great job.”
What a difference six years can make. Conley once was one of the franchise’s most maligned players because he didn’t look like an instant hit on the court after being drafted in 2007.
Now, he’s the longest tenured Griz player and an integral part of their success. Conley has suddenly complemented his vastly improved defense with consistent and aggressive scoring.
He’s averaging 17 points, seven assists, 2.4 steals and 1.5 made 3-pointers per game since the all star break.
Conley set up his heroics earlier when he tied the game at 90 by making a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with 30 second remaining.
“We ran a similar play earlier and I was open,” Conley said. “I told J.B. (Jerryd Bayless) to I would be open and he got me the ball.”
The Griz improved to 10-3 this season when Conley scores 20-plus points.
“Mike’s a good player,” said Bayless, who chipped in 17 points off the bench. “He makes a lot of good plays. They were loading up on one side of the court so I baited them and got it to Mike so he’d have an open look (for the 3-pointer).”
Griz coach Lionel Hollins said the final possession was designed for Conley or Bayless. Griz veteran forward Tayshaun Prince found Conley near the top of the key.
“He’s much stronger and much more mature,” Hollins said of Conley. “He knows how to pace himself. Plus, as you saw when he was in there with J.B., J.B. was doing all of the work and Mike was just waiting for an open shot.”
Spurs floor general Tony Parker finished the night with 25 points, four assists and high praise for his counterpart.
“He’s definitely in the top 10 (among point guards),” Parker said. “I’m happy for him.”
TURNING POINT
The game was knotted at 21 after the first quarter. But the Griz missed an opportunity to put pressure on the Spurs with a fast start. San Antonio misfired on its first eight field goal attempts. However, Memphis’ largest lead was just nine points early.
Memphis then went cold midway through the opening quarter and that’s when the San Antonio started to make shots. The Spurs recovered and made 9 of 11 shots the rest the quarter, and then took a 44-37 lead at halftime.
It forced the Griz into an uphill battle the rest of the game.
SPOTLIGHT
Not lost on the night was Bayless’ shotmaking on a night the Grizzlies’ struggled. Bayless rebounded from a 0-for-5 game last Saturday at Minnesota to make 7 of 12 field goals against San Antonio.
“I’m just trying to play,” Bayless said. “We were flat today, and I’m just trying to make plays for myself and others. It worked out.”
HOT TOPIC
The Griz are expected to bolster their backcourt for the playoffs by signing veteran Keyon Dooling. The combo guard retired before the season began, but decided to play again. He announced on Twitter early Monday that he reached an agreement with the Grizzlies.
However, a source familiar with the situation said Dooling would officially sign Tuesday and travel with the Griz for a three-game West Coast trip. Dooling was in town Monday night visiting with team officials.
THE OTHER GUYS
Hollins reminded his team during a Monday morning shootaround to bring their hardhats to work that night. Just because the San Antonio Spurs were shorthanded due to injuries didn’t mean they would be easy prey.
Injury plagued but not weakened, the Spurs didn’t seem to miss a beat without Tim Duncan (sore knee) and two other key members of their rotation. Kawhi Leonard (sore left knee) sat out and the Spurs announced that swingman Manu Ginobili could miss the start of the playoffs because of a strained hamstring.
“They have a lot of depth,” Hollins said of the Spurs. “They’re all professional. They came out and competed and they battled. We looked like we played (Sunday night) instead of them.”
San Antonio played its sixth straight game that was decided on the final possession in regulation. The Spurs are 3-3 in those games.
THAT’S WHAT HE SAID
“When you’re a grinding team, you will always give yourself a chance.” — Prince, summing up the comeback.
RECORDS
Memphis (50-24) remained in fifth place despite owning the same record as third-place Denver, which has the tiebreaker. The Los Angeles Clippers are fourth due to their division title. San Antonio (55-19) still sits atop the Western Conference, just one game ahead of Oklahoma City.
BY THE NUMBERS
2: The number of lead changes in the game. 10: Number of Griz turnovers 23: San Antonio launched 23 3-pointers and made just seven
GOT NEXT
Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers, Wednesday, 9 p.m. Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph contributed a double- double in Monday’s win over Boris Diaw and the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.