Spurs vs. Grizzlies: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
The Memphis Grizzlies deployed every tool in their grit-and-grind repertoire Friday night, but it wasn't enough as the San Antonio Spurs captured a 96-87 Game 3 win at FedEx Forum to take a 3-0 series lead.
Although the Grizzlies mucked things up the best they could by out-rebounding the Spurs 48-39, including 15-7 on the offensive glass, and bludgeoning the Western Conference's No. 2 seed by posting a 44-28 scoring advantage in the paint, the Spurs leaned on Kawhi Leonard and some superb three-point shooting to pull away.
On a night when the Spurs shot 12-of-26 from distance against the league's 22nd-ranked three-point defense, Leonard finished with a game-high 32 points (11-of-22 shooting, 6-of-9 from three), seven rebounds, five blocks and four steals. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Leonard joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett as the only players to meet those statistical totals in a playoff game.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Green poured in 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting (3-of-7 from three), and Manu Ginobili tacked on 11 points and five big assists off the pine.
As CBSSports.com's Matt Moore noted, Grizzlies fans are likely sick of Ginobili coming up large against them:
In a valiant effort, Zach Randolph, who scored a team-high 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, paced the Grizzlies. Matt Barnes also chipped in 17 points and 11 boards as he surpassed his combined scoring total from Games 1 and 2 in the loss.
As those numbers indicate, the Grizzlies acquitted themselves nicely despite being pushed to the brink of elimination.
Following a pair of embarrassing losses, the Grizzlies needed to impose their will and set the tone to build their confidence back up. And, as it turns out, they did just that by rediscovering the formula that had made them one of the Western Conference's most feared clubs a year ago.
Over the game's first 24 minutes, Memphis won the overall rebounding battle (24-19), tallied a 6-2 edge in offensive boards and posted an 11-8 edge in points off turnovers as Randolph and Lance Stephenson found their shots.
Stephenson, in particular, was huge as he doubled his Game 2 scoring output (four points) in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting. Combine that production with Randolph's 10-point, six-rebound effort in the first half and the Grizzlies looked back on track.
But despite all of those positive developments, the Grizzlies still trailed by one point at halftime after the Spurs outscored them, 18-3, from beyond the arc over the game's first two quarters.
In other words, an aesthetic juxtaposition was abundantly clear. While the Grizzlies sought to muddy things up and grind down the Spurs on the glass while working primarily below the free-throw line, the Spurs leaned on open three-point attempts and precise ball movement to keep pace.
And even though the stylistic preferences differed, the Grizzlies and Spurs, at their cores, were embracing contributions from battle-tested ballers, as the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Chris Herrington noted:
As the third quarter progressed, it was clear the Grizzlies had more spunk than they demonstrated in either Game 1 or Game 2. After topping 20 points in a single quarter just twice over those two contests, Memphis posted its highest-scoring frame of the series (28 points) to take a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
However, Memphis' lead was gone in a flash.
After failing to match the Grizzlies' intensity for the majority of the first three quarters, the Spurs tightened up their defensive rotations and continued to pick their spots from beyond the arc, and a couple of clutch conversions ultimately slammed the door on Memphis' hopes of an upset.
Now that they have another win in hand, the Spurs can breathe easy—even if Game 3 was anything but.
According to WhoWins.com, no team in NBA history has ever blown a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven format, and frankly, this Spurs team is far too disciplined and well-coached to become the first.
When Game 4 tips off Sunday afternoon, look for the Spurs to come out determined to complete a sweep and officially make last year's first-round upset at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers a distant memory.
Postgame Reaction
Following the win, Leonard spoke to ESPN about the crucial victory in enemy territory:
And like Leonard, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich opted to discuss things in fairly straightforward terms, as NBA TV documented on Twitter:
Back in the Spurs locker room, Ginobili praised Leonard's tremendous play, per the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young:
Some key Grizzlies contributors also spoke of Leonard in glowing terms, according to the Commercial Appeal's Peter Edmiston:
"He just keeps getting better and better," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger added, per Edmiston. "That last shot he made against Tony [Allen] was just silly."
