Spurs Vs. Grizzlies, Game 5: San Antonio Stays Alive With Overtime Win, 110-103

The San Antonio Spurs needed a miracle Gary Neal three-pointer to survive regulation against the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night, and even in overtime, Memphis took Tony Parker and the Spurs to the absolute brink. But the Spurs survived. Now? The pressure’s back on the Grizzlies.

It wasn’t so much poor execution that doomed Memphis down the stretch Wednesday; the Spurs just hit a series of incredible shots, and refused to disappear. Criticizing the Grizzlies on Wednesday sort of misses the point. The didn’t lose it, the Spurs won it.

Neal hit the tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, and the Spurs surged in overtime for a 110-103 win over the Grizzlies to send this Western Conference quarterfinal series to a sixth game.

San Antonio, still in danger of becoming the first top-seeded team to lose a best-of-seven series in the first round, is behind 3-2 to the No. 8 seeded Grizzlies. Game 6 is Friday night in Memphis.

via BubbaProg

And just like that, the Spurs have momentum. Whether or not it carries into overtime and carries them back into this series, remains to be seen.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for 30 first half points as the San Antonio Spurs headed into the break leading the Memphis Grizzlies, 50-42. It’s been a two-man game for San Antonio, with Duncan suddenly springing life after a lackluster Game 4. On the brink of elimination, down 3-1 to the Grizzlies, the Spurs have responded and are 24 minutes away from extending the series to Game 6.

Mike Conley scored a team-high 16 points in the half, but the Grizzlies’ offense was stagnant in many ways. Zach Randolph added six points and Marc Gasol had just two points but grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Tony Parker was the puppet-master for San Antonio in the first half, scoring just six points but dishing-out eight assists. Matt Bonner came off the bench to add five points, with Gary Neal adding four.