Gasol, Mills lead balanced Spurs attack over Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) drives against his brother and San Antonio Spurs center, Pau Gasol, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Pau Gasol ended an assist short of a triple-double, Patty Mills scored 15 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-85 on Wednesday night.
Gasol had 14 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Bryn Forbes and Danny Green also finished with 14 points each. Davis Bertans and Dejounte Murray each had 11 points.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Deyonta Davis added 12 points. Dillon Brooks finished with 10 points as the Grizzlies were hampered by 43 percent shooting, including 2 of 18 from outside the arc, and 17 turnovers.
Between illness and rest, each team was down at least four players, creating some makeshift lineups. Spurs leading-scorer LaMarcus Aldridge took the night off for rest.
Both teams started 2 of 11 from the field in a sloppy first half. Memphis committed 10 turnovers while shooting just under 40 percent, while the Spurs shot slightly better at 44 percent along with eight miscues.
Pau Gasol was the only player to reach double figures with 10 points in helping San Antonio to a 51-40 lead at the break.
The Spurs maintained the double-digit lead through the third and early stages of the fourth as the Spurs defense pressured the Grizzlies, still mired at 41 percent shooting, including 2 of 12 from outside the arc.
Memphis got the lead to single-digits with just under eight minutes remaining, but the Spurs scored the next six points, including four from Parker to match their biggest lead at 91-76 with about six minutes to go.
That was in the midst of a 14-2 Spurs run to take the lead to 20 points.
Spurs: Joffrey Lauvergne made his first four shots. … Rudy Gay, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard also sat out for San Antonio. They’re each dealing with long-term injuries. … Bertans started his second game of the season. … Pau Gasol is 17-10 in games against his younger brother Marc. … Spurs have a 27-3 record when leading after three quarters.
Grizzlies: F Dillon Brooks was named to the Rising Stars World Team earlier Wednesday. Brooks is a native of Canada. … Ivan Rabb, a rookie out of California, made his first career start. … Saw their streak of five straight games with at least 10 3-pointers snapped.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Grizzlies: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
