Game rewind: Second-half turnaround helps spark Spurs comeback

For a time Thursday night, the Spurs appeared to be reverting to the form that led to their embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the night before.

A drought of nearly six minutes enabled Memphis to take control of the game and push their lead to nine points late in the second quarter. The Grizzlies were having their way inside as the Spurs appeared to be falling into the same lapses that led to the humiliating loss a night earlier.

“We got pushed around and beat up against the Lakers,” Spurs forward Stephen Jackson said. “They were the most physical team and it showed. Today, we hit back and were more aggressive, especially in the second half.”

The Spurs shot 57.6 percent in the second half and outrebounded the Grizzlies 23-15 after being outrebounded by eight in the first half. Vintage performances by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili down the stretch enabled the Spurs to claim a 107-97 victory.

“Pop came in and got on our butts and we went out in the second half and were a more physical team,” Jackson said. “This is becoming playoff ball and how we need to get ready. This is how it’s going to be in the playoffs.”

After the two-game losing streak there were some questions coming into the Memphis game. Duncan and Ginobili answered them in the second half.

Here’s how the Spurs finished off a season sweep against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

The game, simply stated: After a slow start, Ginobili and Duncan had huge games as the Spurs’ offense kicked into gear and led the to victory against one of the NBA’s toughest defenses in the NBA.  

Early surge: The Spurs took a 23-17 lead after 3-pointers by Ginobili and Jackson in a 25-second span late in the first half. They maintained their six-point lead on a dunk by Tiago Splitter after a nice feed from Ginobili with 31.9 seconds left in the quarter.

Memphis charges ahead: Another Splitter dunk pushed the Spurs’ lead to eight on their first possession of the second quarter and Danny Green’s 3-pointer gave them a 36-31 advantage with 8:14 left. Memphis utilized frigid San Antonio shooting to stun them with a 16-2 spurt capped by a 10-foot jumper by Marc Gasol  for a 45-38 lead with 2:08 left in the half. During the drought, the Spurs missed seven straight shots and made three turnovers before Duncan’s jumper stopped it. 

Late flurry before the half: Boris Diaw provided five points at the end of the first half on a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup that pulled the Spurs within 49-45 at intermission. It also earned him a start for the second half.  

The turning point: The Spurs took control during a 19-4 run late in the third quarter that extended into the fourth quarter. Matt Bonner gave the Spurs the lead for good at 72-70 on a 3-pointer with 2:55 left in the third quarter. Gary Neal added five more points later in the quarter. The Spurs finished it off with six points to start the fourth quarter on two Ginobili baskets sandwiching a hoop by Bonner. Ginobili’s final basket in the run gave them an 88-74 lead with 9:37 left.

Memphis answers: Green’s 3-pointer gave the Spurs a 94-81 edge with 7:41 left. Memphis countered with 11 straight points capped by a fast-break 3-pointer by O.J. Mayo that pulled them within 94-92 with 2:54 left. The sputtering Spurs missed six shots and committed  four turnovers during the Grizzlies’ charge, including three turnovers on consecutive possessions.

The clincher: Green sank two free throws with 2:27 left to end the scoring drought. Duncan then provided a critical three-point play and a tip-in before Ginobili sank six straight free throws in the final  minute to ice the victory.

Player of the game I: After guaranteeing his team would respond after the loss to the Lakers, Duncan erupted for a season-high 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.  Duncan scored 20 of his points in the second half.

Player of the game II: Ginobili is coming to peak form as he went for 20 points, six rebounds and four assists and hit 11 straight foul shots. Seventeen of his points came int the second half.

Player of the game III: Marc Gasol was productive inside for the Grizzlies with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists. But he only took eight shots and the Grizzlies’ reliance on their outside game hurt them down the stretch.

Unsung hero: His status was questionable after missing the Lakers’ game with stomach flu, but Gary Neal hit a couple of big shots late in the third quarter during the Spurs’ run and finished with seven points.

Attendance: A playoff rematch with Memphis for the Spurs prompted another sellout crowd of 18,581 for the Spurs — even on the back side of a back-to-back. It was the Spurs’ 23rd capacity crowd in 29 home games this season, including 20 of their last 22 home games and their 16th in a row. The last non-capacity home game came Feb. 2 against New Orleans.

Did you notice I: Bonner had an eventful night. He started by missing his first four 3-pointers before hitting the shot that gave the Spurs the lead for good late in the third quarter. He also was involved in a physical defensive battle with Zach Randolph, fronting him as he tried to keep the ball away from Memphis’ most productive inside weapon. And Bonner finished up with a punishing head-to-head collision late in the game where he crashed into Marc Gasol.

Did you notice II: For the second straight game, the height of Memphis made DeJuan Blair a non-factor. After playing 13:23 and less than two minutes in the second half against the Lakers on Wednesday, he logged 11:48 against Memphis and did not play after halftime.

Did you notice III: Considering his dominance in last season’s playoff, it would have been expected that Randolph would have been a key component down the stretch for the Grizzlies. Instead, Randolph got one shot — a weak 3-pointer at the end of a 24-second shot clock — in the fourth quarter. Rudy Gay had nine attempts and hit two of them, including 0 for 3 from 3-point range.  

Stat of the game I: Duncan matched his season high with 28 points, equalling his 28-point effort Jan. 23 at New Orleans.  

Stat of the game II: After being outrebounded 60-33 Wednesday night against the Lakers, the Spurs and Memphis were even with 41 rebounds. The Spurs outrebounded Memphis in the second half, 23-15.  

Stat of the game III: The Spurs snapped the Grizzlies’ 11-game streak of limiting opponents to less than 100 points, becoming the first team to score more than 100 since the Los Angeles Clippers on March 24.

Stat of the game IV: The victory pulled the Spurs within half a game of idle Oklahoma City. The two teams are even in the loss column. San Antonio has 41 victories, compared to Oklahoma City’s 42. The Spurs have nine games remaining and the Thunder have eight games left.

Stat of the game V:  San Antonio shot 57.6 percent (19 of 33 from the field) in the second half compared to Memphis’ 35.6 percent (16 of 45).

Stat of the game VI: The Spurs avoided losing three games in a row for the first time since the final two regular season games of last season and their opening game loss in the playoffs to Memphis.

Weird stat of the night I: Tony Parker matched his season high with seven turnovers, set Jan. 10 against Milwaukee. Six of them came in the second half — three in the third quarter and three in the fourth quarter.  It tied for the second-most turnovers in his career as his high is eight.

Weird stat of the night II: The Spurs limited Memphis to 29.2 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies still scored 23 points and came within two points of outscoring them in the quarter.

Weird stat of the night III: Manu Ginobili hit all 11 foul shots, marking the second time in three games he has had at least 11 free throws. In Ginobili’s career, he’s had 82 games (regular season and playoff) with at least 10 foul shots. The Spurs are 67-15 in those games.

Weird stat of the night IV: The Spurs had 18 turnovers — one of their nine highest totals and their most in a game since they had 18 against Philadelphia on March 25.

Weird stat of the night V: Despite matching his season low with two rebounds against the Lakers Wednesday night, Duncan’s big game enabled him to continue a strong recent stretch. Over his last four games, he’s shooting 62.5 percent from the field (30 of 48) and averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds.  

Weird stat of the night VI: The only Spurs who were positive in plus minus against the Lakers were James Anderson and Patty Mills. They were the only players who did not see action Thursday night against Memphis.

Not a good sign: The Spurs endured two scoring droughts of more than five minutes apiece and still won. That’s not a trend that Gregg Popovich wants to carry into the playoffs.

Best plus/minus scores: Bonner was plus-22, Bonner, Jackson and Tiago Splitter all were plus-11 and Parker was plus-10.

Worst plus/minus scores: Diaw was minus-7, Blair was minus-5 and Kawhi Leonard was minus-4. The Spurs’ bench was a collective plus-48 and the starters were plus-2.

Quote of the game: “He stepped it up to a whole other level. He was phenomenal. He was a monster,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Duncan’s big night.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs will host Phoenix on Saturday before beginning a punishing road back-to-back-to-back with games Monday at Golden State, Tuesday at the Lakers and Wednesday at Sacramento. The Grizzlies return home to face Utah on Saturday before road games Sunday at New Orleans and Tuesday at Minnesota.

Injuries: The Spurs were healthy. Memphis played without defensive stopper Tony Allen, who has missed five games with a severe facial laceration.

Spurs face sizable dilemma in Splitter

Spurs center Tiago Splitter wasn’t fazed earlier this week when coach Gregg Popovich informed him he’d be making his first start of the season against the Lakers at the Staples Center.

He was equally unfazed a night later in Sacramento, when he learned he was heading back to the bench, even though Tim Duncan was out.

If Popovich one day told him he’d be starting at point guard, Splitter would make believe he saw that coming, too.

“On this team,” the second-year big man said, “you have to be ready for anything.”

Popovich’s scavenger hunt for a secondary big man to complement Duncan began nearly a year ago, after Memphis’ Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol punished the undersized Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.

With another postseason at hand, a relative lack of size remains the biggest — and perhaps only — question mark for a Spurs team with the best record in the Western Conference.

For several games, Popovich has been tinkering with various big man rotations, toggling between the 6-foot-11 Splitter, an undersized DeJuan Blair, the sharpshooting Matt Bonner and 6-8 hybrid Boris Diaw as Duncan’s running mate.

“He’s still learning it himself, along with everybody else,” Duncan said. “We can change from team to team. We can change it mid-game. We can attack people in different ways.”

Tonight, as the Spurs face the Lakers and their frontline of gargantuans for the third time in nine days, Popovich will have another laboratory in which to conduct his size experiment.

The idea of a Twin Towers pairing of Splitter and Duncan has been a cause célèbre among Spurs fans, but one Popovich has been hesitant to embrace.

After watching 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol all but mug the Spurs’ frontline in a 98-84 Lakers victory April 11, Popovich at last relented in the rematch in Los Angeles, replacing his smallest big man with his tallest.

It marked Splitter’s first career start alongside Duncan. The 6-7 Blair, who has started a team-high 59 of 61 games, did not play at all.

“We wanted to match up with their big guys,” Splitter said.

The specific results of the change were mixed, though the outcome — a 112-91 win — was much better for the Spurs.

Plagued by early foul trouble, Splitter was no match for Bynum’s strength on the block.

What Splitter did well was help keep Bynum off the glass. After grabbing a career-best 30 rebounds in the first meeting — part of a 60-33 edge for L.A. — Bynum had just seven in the rematch.

“Tiago does what he does,” Popovich said. “He’s a hard worker. He does all that dirty work out there.”

Yet coupling Splitter with Duncan also comes with a downside.

The Spurs have been heavily reliant on their offense this season to win games, and that offense is based predominantly on the pick and roll. Duncan and Splitter are essentially both pick-and-roll big men, rendering one of them redundant when paired.

According to an NBA.com database, the little-used Duncan-Splitter combo rates as one of the Spurs’ worst offensive lineups. It is the reason the two had logged just 108 minutes together before Tuesday.

Therein lies Popovich’s dilemma. In order to address his team’s biggest perceived weakness — a lack of size in the frontcourt — the Spurs must subtract from their greatest strength.

Whether Popovich will give the Splitter-Duncan combination another crack against Bynum and Gasol tonight remains to be seen.

“I don’t know,” Splitter said. “You have to ask Pop.”

All Splitter can do is be prepared.

“You just have to take the opportunity you have,” Splitter said. “If you play four minutes or 40 minutes, it doesn’t matter. Winning is the only job.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Duncan & Co. bear down in 2nd half, beat Grizzlies

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Spurs 107, Grizzlies 97: April 12, 2012


The Spurs’ Tony Parker drives to the basket under Memphis Grizzlies’ Gilbert Arenas as Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol looks on during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tim Duncan and Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol grab for a rebound during first half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tony Parker shoots over Memphis Grizzlies’ Marreese Speights during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili shoots around Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ DeJuan Blair looks for room around Memphis Grizzlies’ Marreese Speights during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili is fouled by Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol as Memphis Grizzlies’ Quincy Pondexter looks on during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tim Duncan shoots around Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tony Parker shoots between Memphis Grizzlies’ O.J. Mayo and Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tim Duncan and Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol grab for a loose ball during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili defends Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay grabs for a rebound over the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair, and Kawhi Leonard during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tony Parker looks for room under Memphis Grizzlies’ O.J. Mayo during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


Spurs coach Gregg Popovich yells instructions to the team against the Memphis Grizzlies during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tony Parker lies on the floor after getting fouled by Memphis Grizzlies’ Gilbert Arenas during first half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tony Parker (from left), Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan stand during the national anthem before the game with the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Manu Ginobili grabs a rebound over Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


The Spurs’ Tiago Splitter defends Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph during first half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


FOR SPORTS – San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan shoots around Memphis Grizzlies’ Marreese Speights during second half action Thursday April 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Spurs won 107-97. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)


FOR SPORTS – San Antonio Spurs’ Stephen Jackson drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay during first half action Thursday April, 12, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

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By Jeff McDonald

Time after time, the Spurs came down the floor in the second half Thursday and pulled out a playbook page from their past.

On five consecutive occasions during a rugged 107-97 victory over Memphis at the ATT Center, the Spurs cleared out for Tim Duncan on the low block and let him go to work.

The play is called “four down.” And Duncan could scarcely recall the last time he’d seen such a steady diet of it.

“It’s been forever,” he said. “Since the old days.”

Fueled in part by four down, Duncan matched a season high with 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added a pair of blocks for good measure, at times simply willing the Spurs to win over the Grizzlies and steering them clear of a three-game losing streak.

It was a stirring bounce-back win for the Spurs, who a night earlier on their home floor were beaten up by the Lakers’ twin tower tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

After the loss to Los Angeles, Duncan guaranteed his team would put forth a better effort against a Grizzlies club that had won nine of its last 11 and had clobbered the Spurs into submission in last season’s playoffs.

A night after being outrebounded by 27 against L.A., the Spurs (41-16) battled the Grizzlies to a draw on the glass, holding Memphis to just 15 rebounds in the second half, including three in the third quarter.

“We got pushed around and beat up against the Lakers,” forward Stephen Jackson said. “They were the most physical team, and it showed. Today, we hit back.”

Before the game, and again at halftime with the Spurs trailing 49-45, coach Gregg Popovich challenged his team with a test of its toughness.

After the Spurs finished off a 4-0 regular-season sweep of Memphis (34-24), Popovich said he was proud of the way his team rebounded — in more ways than one. He praised the Spurs — who remained tied in the loss column with Oklahoma City for first in the Western Conference — for playing with “physicality” and “a bit of an edge.”

“I was proud of them to come back after an embarrassing loss like that and play the way they did,” he said.

One moment in particular provided the snapshot. When Zach Randolph rose for a shot in the  fourth quarter, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili jumped him from behind, coming away with both the ball and  Memphis forward’s signature headband as spoils.

Ginobili finished with 20 points, including 10 in the fourth. He was 11 of 11 from the foul line, hitting six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

For the Grizzlies, it snapped a string of 11 straight games without surrendering 100 points.

Duncan, the Spurs’ venerable captain, expected such a bounce-back after the way the Lakers had handled them so easily.

“I didn’t have to say anything,” Duncan said. “We were disappointed in ourselves. We refocus. We come back. We play better. We always do.”

On a night that could have gone the other way, with the Spurs trailing well into the third quarter, it was Duncan —13 days shy of his 36th birthday —who carried them.

Duncan scored the Spurs’ first eight points of the second half, beginning with a vintage turnaround jumper on Marc Gasol, and totaled 14 points in the third.

Duncan finished 10 of 15 from the field and went to the foul line 11 times, converting eight. Eventually, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was left with little choice but to double him.

Behind Duncan’s eruption, much of it coming out of “four down” calls, the Spurs took an 82-74 lead into the fourth quarter and never trailed again.

This is the Duncan the Grizzlies did not see in last season’s playoffs. Playing on a chronically sore knee and recently sprained ankle, he averaged a meager 12.7 points and was often exposed defensively in the six-game series.

He’s turned back the clock this season, and Thursday he flipped back the pages of the Spurs’ playbook.

“He was a monster,” Popovich said.

Just like the old days indeed.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN