The Spurs mercifully ended their series against the injury-plagued, overmatched Memphis Grizzlies with a 116-95 win.
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Kawhi Leonard led the charge with a game-high 32 points to go with four steals and five blocks, LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds while Danny Green and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 11 points each as the Spurs survived their first test of the series.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with reporters Saturday, April 23, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn. “Whoever was available came out and played, and they executed to the best of their ability”.
On the heels of slow starts and lackluster offensive efforts in their first two playoff games, the Celtics knew they would need to play like a desperate bunch in their Game 3 matchup with the Hawks.
San Antonio went 8-0 against Memphis this season overall and Sunday’s victory marked the Spurs’ 10th sweep of a postseason series in franchise history.
When the series shifted to Memphis for Game 3 the Grizzlies showed signs of life. Zach Randolph also contributed 15 points and seven rebounds.
After the game, coach Dave Joerger, not exactly the most emotional or sensitive coach in the league, got really emotional. If the Thunder can close out their series at home against Dallas, another team ravaged by injuries, then the Conference Semifinals between the two teams could begin next weekend.
Irving scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half, and the Cavs finished a four-game sweep of the Pistons by holding on for a 100-98 victory on Sunday.
Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard led the way for the conference’s second-seeded Spurs with 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Then again, maybe it’s not.
“Terrible way, awful way, bad way to lose… just a bad quarter, and that’s what gave the game away”, Harden said. They held the lead by a point at three quarter time in fact and having dominated the boards, they were looking solid but a calamity of turnovers and a failing shooting percentage saw the Spurs come back.
After the Grizzlies’ season-ending Game 4 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, Carter quickly shut down speculation that this might be his last game in the National Basketball Association.
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“I was just trying to push the ball, get the pace up a little bit”, Parker said. Vince Carter was the only starter to play less than 33 minutes with Barnes on the court for more than 41. “He’s our go-to guy, and he continues to step up and grow”, Spurs forward Tim Duncan said of Leonard.
