Leonard, Ginobili get Spurs back on track
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs turned to their “grandpa” for the lift their young stars have struggled to provide in the past two games.
Manu Ginobili hit the court, literally, providing an early spark that helped carry San Antonio to a 116-103 victory over Memphis.
Kawhi Leonard had 28 points and the Spurs rebounded from two discouraging road losses to beat the Grizzlies on Tuesday night and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.
Ginobili had 10 points, three assists and three steals in 18 minutes. It was not an overly impressive stat line, but it was how the 39-year-old played that energized San Antonio.
In what could be the final season of his storied
15-year NBA career, Ginobili threw his body to the court and drove to the basket with the fearlessness he showed as a rookie.
“You know that he’s got a huge heart, and he has a huge effect on our team when he’s healthy,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “And having a good night, starting out the way he did, was really a big boost.”
After failing to score in the first four games, Ginobili had six points in 33 seconds in the first quarter. He hit the court face-first after stealing the ball and getting tangled up with Vince Carter to preserve a lead at halftime.
“He brought that grandpa juice is what I call it and we all followed,” Patty Mills said. “We shouldn’t wait for him to do that before we get into gear, but it really is inspiring when you see him dive on the ball putting his body on the line. Hard drives, hard cuts, it gets us all going.”
With each team winning on its homecourt, Game
6 is tonight in Memphis.
Jazz 96, Clippers 92
LOS ANGELES — Gordon Hayward scored
27 points, Utah controlled the paint, and the Jazz beat the Clippers 96-92 to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Hayward returned after missing most of Utah’s win in Game 4 because of food poisoning that caused him to lose weight and energy.
Chris Paul’s three-pointer drew the Clippers within two with 5 seconds left. After George Hill hit two free throws, Paul struggled getting the ball under control near the sideline and couldn’t do anything as time expired.
The Jazz made five three-pointers in the fourth quarter, including three by Rodney Hood, who finished with 16 points.
Paul led the Clippers with 28 points and J.J. Redick added 26 with injured star Blake Griffin watching from the bench, his right foot encased in a black walking boot.
The Jazz can clinch the series with a victory in Game 6 on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
* Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for confronting a referee during live game action.
Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, announced Alexander’s fine Wednesday.
The incident occurred Tuesday in the final minute of the first quarter during the Rockets’
105-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Alexander got up out of his courtside seat and walked toward Bill Kennedy. Alexander than says something to Kennedy before turning around and heading back to his seat.