National Basketball Association
San Antonio 92, Memphis 82
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 21, 2015
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Officials: #73 Tre Maddox, #22 Bill Spooner, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 18418

SAN ANTONIO -- Games between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies are usually more grit than gold and the Spurs’ 92-82 victory over the Grizzlies Saturday was the latest in that vein of battles not recommended for the faint of heart.

Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points and guard Tony Parker had 18, all in the first half, as the San Antonio remained unbeaten at home. The Spurs (10-3) led just 86-80 in the final minute but got back-to-back running floaters from forward Tim Duncan and a 3-point dagger from Leonard with 16 seconds remaining and the shot clock ticking down to clinch their sixth win of the season at the AT&T Center.

The victory snapped Memphis' season-best four-game winning streak.

"Memphis played well in the fourth quarter to bring the lead back to single digits," Leonard said. "We just kept fighting on the defensive end and made some good plays down the stretch."

The two teams combined for 35 turnovers, 18 for the Spurs. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich refused to use the excuse that the Spurs are still trying to figure out their new lineup and rotation for its ragged, if winning, effort. "No, that was a sign of a team playing poorly," Popovich deadpanned.

Guard Manu Ginobili, back in the lineup after a two-game absence with a sore hip, added 15 points for San Antonio. Duncan scored 10 points, eight in the fourth quarter, and pulled down 10 rebounds.

The Grizzlies (7-7) got 16 points from guard Mike Conley. Memphis reserve guard Courtney Lee scored 15 points and reserve forward Matt Barnes had 10 points.

"You have to get what you’re trying to get offensively and right now we are a little scattered," Grizzlies coach David Joerger said. "We could be better, and not turn the basketball over. If we are going to struggle as much as we have offensively this season, we can’t take too many possessions off defensively. Tonight San Antonio had too many times where they just had a straight line (to the basket) -- walk in, shoot, layup."

Center Marc Gasol had just eight points and eight rebounds the night after his first triple-double of the season.

"We took tougher shots than we should have, but that’s what San Antonio does to you," Gasol said. "They are a team that you can’t beat with one action. When we have an advantage on a drive or on a pick-and-roll, we need to make the next pass or the right play for the next guy."

Memphis' bench outscored San Antonio's reserves 38-28, even with injured forward Zach Randolph out with a knee injury.

The Spurs led 24-19 after the first quarter despite outshooting the Grizzlies 45.5 percent to 35 percent from the field and outscoring Memphis 14-4 in the paint.

San Antonio turned things up a notch early in the second quarter as guard Patty Mills hit a 3-pointer and Ginobili followed with a 3-pointer, a layup off a steal and a free throw to push the Spurs' advantage to 33-21 with 10:11 left.

Parker punished the Grizzlies with 12 points in the second quarter and 18 points in less than 17 minutes of action in the first half as the Spurs built a 16-point lead on the way to a 53-39 advantage at halftime.

But Memphis responded, getting within 61-55 with 6:22 left in the third quarter on a layup by Barnes, a jumper by Gasol and then a Barnes dunk off a Gasol assist.

San Antonio ran off 13 of the quarter's final 17 points, with 10 of those points coming from Leonard (six) and Ginobili (four), staking the Spurs to a 74-61 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

NOTES: Spurs F LaMarcus Aldridge missed the game because of a mild left ankle sprain suffered in the first quarter of San Antonio's 104-90 loss to New Orleans on Friday, which snapped San Antonio's six-game winning streak. ... Spurs F Tim Duncan did not record a rebound for the first time in his 18-year NBA career Friday, snapping a streak of 1,342 games (third all-time). ... San Antonio and Memphis split their four games (2-2) last season. ... Grizzlies F JaMychal Green played four games with the Spurs last season, averaging two points and 1.5 rebounds. ... Memphis C Marc Gasol posted his first career triple-double Friday against Houston with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   San Antonio
Mike Conley 16 Scoring Kawhi Leonard 19
Marc Gasol 6 Assists Tim Duncan 4
Marc Gasol 8 Rebounds Tim Duncan 10
Mike Conley 6 Free Throws Made Kawhi Leonard 6
Marc Gasol 3 Steals Tim Duncan 4
Matt Barnes 1 Blocks Tim Duncan 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 82 43.2 1-9 17-17 19 35 2 13 17
San Antonio 92 47.2 7-21 17-22 20 40 6 7 18
Upcoming Games
  • San Antonio will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Spurs have a W/L % of .700 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .429 after a loss.