Spurs and Raptors advance
MEMPHIS, TENN. >> Gregg Popovich feels like his San Antonio Spurs survived the Memphis Grizzlies and is grateful their first-round series finally is over after six games.
His Spurs desperately need a couple days off before hosting Houston on Monday night in their Western Conference semifinal.
The Spurs finished the game on a 22-8 run Thursday night after trailing by seven to Memphis 10396 and take the series 4-2. Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points, and Tony Parker added 27.
“I’m seriously thrilled that we were able to get through that first round,” Popovich said. “That’s the good news. The bad news is that we now have to go play Houston.”
The Spurs advanced by winning on the road, something neither San Antonio nor Memphis had managed against each other all season long. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio outrebounded Memphis 46-28. They got 16 of those on the offensive boards, leading to 17 second-chance points.
Parker said the Spurs treated this like a Game 7 to make sure they avoided heading home to play a deciding seventh game that had been scheduled for Saturday. That would’ve meant only one day to rest and prepare for the No. 3 seeded Houston Rockets with this semifinal starting Monday night in San Antonio.
“We wanted those days off before playing Houston because it’s going to be a fast-paced game against them,” Parker said. “They have a great offense, and the key is going to be defense. So we’re going to have to have our legs. I think this win is huge obviously, because we won the series, but even to prepare against Houston.”
For much of this series, Leonard carried the Spurs as he matched or topped his playoff career high in scoring in three of the five games. He also hit his first 42 free throws of this series, the most to start a postseason series in NBA history.
Resilient Raptors to face Cavs
MILWAUKEE >> The Toronto Raptors keep getting themselves into tough situations in the playoffs.
They hope their resilience helps make them stronger as they get ready to face the Cleveland Cavaliers again.
At the least, the Raptors will need to get better at holding onto big leads after blowing a 25-point advantage against the Milwaukee Bucks before winning 9289 on Thursday night. Toronto took a physical, tiring first-round series in six games.
“We’re just a team up north. We don’t get a lot of respect and I like that,” coach Dwane Casey said. “As a matter of fact I think we’re better with our backs against the wall.”
The Eastern Conference semifinals start in Cleveland on Monday.
“Ready for the next one. Ready for the next one,” guard DeMar DeRozan said. The Raptors’ leading scorer had 32 points on 12of-24 shooting, along with five steals.
But once again, the Raptors didn’t make it easy on themselves. They looked as if they were on cruise control after DeMarre Carroll’s 3 gave them the 71-46 advantage with 5:16 left in the third quarter.
Then they started resembling the team that got embarrassed in a 27-point blowout in Game 3.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played 47 minutes, mustering enough energy to help spearhead a second-half rally. He repeatedly tore through the Toronto defense to get to the lane, finishing with 34 points. Khris Middleton fought through an illness that bothered him all week to score 19 points.
On offense, the Raptors stopped moving the ball. They had so much success up to that point with throwing quick passes, finding cutters and scoring on pickand-rolls. The Bucks didn’t trap as much as earlier in the series, throwing a new wrinkle at Toronto.
“I handled it well. I was ready (for) whatever they were going to throw at me,” DeRozan said. “I knew later in the game it was going to be difficult and it was.”
Both teams were tired in the final few minutes, especially the Bucks. But Milwaukee still set an aggressive tone from late in the third quarter through most of the fourth. Casey said his team had lost some composure during the Bucks’ run.
“Our physicality is something we have to look at,” he said. “At the end of the day, I loved our resiliency. I loved how our guys didn’t cave in.”
Toronto answered the Game 3 blowout by winning a defensive slugfest in Game 4, the start of three straight victories to close out the series.
Now it’s on to Cleveland, a year after losing to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games.
Casey said again on Thursday night that his playoff-tested team knows how to respond from adversity. They’re used to being doubted.
“We’re better from that standpoint,” he said. “We’ve got some fighters and scrappers . ... We make it hard on ourselves sometimes, but at the end of the day we’re going to go down swinging.”