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Grizzlies pull off Game 1 stunner in San Antonio

Apr 17, 2011 - 11:25 PM San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Zach Randolph led all scorers with 25 points and added 14 rebounds, as the Memphis Grizzlies earned their first-ever franchise playoff victory with a 101-98 decision over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at AT&T Center.

Marc Gasol netted 24 points and Mike Conley chipped in 15 points and 10 assists for Memphis, which went 46-36 in the regular season and notched the eighth seed in the West.

The Grizzlies were making their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 campaign. They were swept by San Antonio in four games in the 2004 playoffs.

"It was a fight," Randolph said. "We had to scratch and claw, just a battle. It was playoff basketball."

Tony Parker went for a team-high 20 points and Tim Duncan finished with 16 points and 13 boards for the Spurs, who finished as the top seed in the West after going 61-21 in the regular season.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili missed the contest due to a right elbow sprain and will be re-evaluated prior to Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Wednesday. He was hurt during the regular-season finale against Phoenix and was initially listed as doubtful for the playoff opener.

"Shots didn't go down for him like he wanted probably, but his effort on both ends of the court were great," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said about George Hill's play. "He's somebody that's real important to what we do and he'll be ready to go again on Wednesday."

With Memphis ahead by six with 2:47 left in the fourth, the Spurs caught lightning in a bottle to turn the tables on the young Grizzlies. Parker made two from the stripe and Gasol missed a pair of free throws at the other end for Memphis. Matt Bonner then hit a triple from the top of the arc to make it a one-point game.

After Tony Allen missed badly on a pair at the line, it was Bonner, again, draining a trifecta from the exact same spot to put the Spurs up 96-94 with 1:28 to play.

Hill's two at the line gave the Spurs a four-point lead with just over a minute remaining, but Gasol quickly answered with a layup and following a Parker miss, Shane Battier hit a huge three from the corner to put the Grizzlies in front by a point.

Hill missed from long distance and Allen made two three throws with 10.2 seconds left to make it a three-point game, 101-98. Out of a San Antonio time out, Richard Jefferson's attempted three was hard off the back iron and Memphis held on.

O.J. Mayo beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to put the Grizzlies up 27-22 after the opening 12 minutes and things stayed closed throughout the second.

Duncan's putback dunk had the Spurs ahead 34-31 approaching the midway point of the quarter, but Randolph's layup capped a string of nine straight to give Memphis a six-point lead.

San Antonio closed with a 7-2 run to get within two, 45-43, heading into the locker room.

Trailing by four early in the third, the Spurs tightened up the defense and started to dictate the play with an up-tempo pace that produced a run of 10 in a row. Parker's free throw finished the spurt to give his squad a 57-51 edge and Gary Neal hit from long range a short time later to put San Antonio up by double digits at 67-57 with 3:51 remaining in the period.

Memphis quickly cut the deficit in half and the Spurs took a 74-70 advantage into the fourth.

Game Notes

The teams split four games in the regular season...Mayo ended with 13 points off the bench before fouling out for Memphis, which shot 55.2 percent from the field and 6-of-10 from three-point range...Hill went for 15 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 40 percent from the floor and beyond the arc...The teams combined for 80 free throws, as San Antonio went 36-for-47 from the stripe and Memphis hit 21-of-33.