Spurs Advance with 103-96 Game 6 Win vs. Grizzlies Behind Kawhi Leonard
The ruthlessly consistent San Antonio Spurs are moving on to the second round again.
San Antonio finished its first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday with a 103-96 victory at FedEx Forum. The win was the first by a visiting team in the six-game series and clinched a second-round spot for the Spurs for the 18th time in 23 years.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 29 points, nine rebounds and three steals, but he received critical help from Tony Parker and LaMarcus Aldridge. Parker put his team ahead by four with two different shots in the final two minutes as the Spurs pulled away for the win.
| Kawhi Leonard | 29 | 9 | 4 | 8-of-19 |
| Tony Parker | 27 | 2 | 4 | 11-of-14 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | 17 | 12 | 1 | 7-of-17 |
Mike Conley was the best player again for the Grizzlies with 26 points and five assists, but all five Memphis starters scored in double figures in a balanced effort.
Spurs' Threesome Carries Team
It appeared as if Memphis was cruising to a victory with an 88-81 lead in the fourth, but the home team didn't have enough to counter Leonard, Parker and Aldridge.
Parker converted a number of clutch baskets as San Antonio turned the seven-point deficit into a win, and his layup with 23 seconds remaining all but clinched it. It wasn't just a late burst, as the 34-year-old veteran and Leonard each had 15 points in the first half as the only Spurs to score more than six.
SB Nation's Pounding the Rock reacted to the lack of early help:
Parker made his first six shots from the field and finished 11-of-14 for the game, prompting this from Quixem Ramirez of the Hays Free Press:
Parker and Leonard kept the Spurs within striking distance while some of their teammates struggled, and Aldridge came alive in the second half with his double-double. Patty Mills also contributed in the second half and finished with 10 points, three of which came on a go-ahead three in the closing stretch.
Still, the threesome spearheaded the win, as Aldridge and Leonard also led their team in rebounds in what proved to be a 46-28 advantage on the boards. The San Antonio Express News' Jeff McDonald pointed to the disparity:
Leonard is an MVP candidate, and the Spurs will prove dangerous in the second round and beyond if Parker and Aldridge replicate Thursday's support.
Group Effort Not Enough for Memphis
Conley has been Memphis' clear leader in this series and averaged 27 points a night in the final five games, but he wasn't a one-man band.
Marc Gasol demonstrated his usual soft touch as a shooter and was comfortable running the offense from the high post with 18 points and six assists. Zach Randolph unleashed his typically bruising style in the paint (13 points and 11 rebounds), and 40-year-old Vince Carter (12 points) turned back the clock a number of times.
Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal responded to the group effort:
Even role player James Ennis (11 points and three triples) got in on the action, and Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post summarized Memphis' showing:
Still, it was Parker, Leonard and the Spurs who made the plays in the final two minutes, countering a strong effort from Memphis.
San Antonio will look to make those winning plays in crunch time again in the second round when it faces James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
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