Grizzlies maul Spurs to level series
Marc Gasol hit a 12-foot floater with 0.7 seconds left in overtime as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs 110-108 yesterday to even their first-round series at 2-2.
The Grizzlies won despite blowing a 10-point lead with 7 minutes 38 seconds left in regulation and 23 turnovers that San Antonio turned into 31 points.
Mike Conley set a franchise postseason record with 35 points and Gasol finished with 16 points after shooting 5 of 12 for the game. He also had 12 rebounds.
The Grizzlies overcame another post-season personal best from Kawhi Leonard who had 43 points. He rallied the Spurs by scoring the last 16 points of regulation but missed a 21-footer short of the rim with James Ennis defending him just before the buzzer. Leonard tied it at 108 with 17 seconds left with a 3 from the left corner.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson added 24 as the short-handed Golden State Warriors overcame a slow start to take a 3-0 lead in their playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, winning 119-113.
The Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the first half but couldn’t hold off the Warriors, who can clinch the series with a win in game four tomorrow.
The Warriors took a 108-100 lead after Andre Iguodala’s dunk with 4min 5sec to go. Noah Vonleh’s dunk got Portland within four at 110-106 with 1min 29sec left but Curry answered with a 3-pointer that all but sealed it, sending fans streaming for the exits.
CJ Mccollum led the Blazers with 32 points while Damian Lillard added 31.
Paul Millsap scored 29 points and Dennis Schroder had 27 as the Atlanta Hawks delivered an early knockout blow against Washington, cruising to a 116-98 victory that sliced the Wizards’ lead to 2-1 in the opening-round playoff series.
After two tight losses in Washington exposed some bad blood between the teams, Atlanta returned home and built a 25-point lead by late in the first quarter. The Hawks were never seriously challenged by the Wizards, who were essentially a oneman team. John Wall kept up his dazzling play in the series, scoring 29 points, but the point guard got no help from his team-mates.
The other Washington starters combined to score 30 points on 14-of45 shooting.
Millsap also had 14 rebounds while rookie Taurean Prince chipped in with 16 points.
Demar Derozan scored 33 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks in a defensive slugfest to tie their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at two games apiece after an 87-76 win.
Kyle Lowry had 14 of his 18 points in the second half for the Raptors, who turned up their intensity before a hostile road crowd after getting embarrassed in a 27-point loss to Milwaukee in Game 3.
Toronto’s tested backcourt reverted to its playmaking form, especially the resurgent Derozan. He was 12 of 22 from the field after missing all eight of his attempts in Game 3.
The Raptors seized home-court advantage back in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is tomorrow.
The game was tied at halftime before Toronto slowly edged away in the second half, building a 10-point lead with 4 minutes left on Norman Powell’s 3-pointer.
Tony Snell led Milwaukee with 19 points.