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Spurs survive Grizzlies in double overtime

Dec 28, 2008 - 5:59 AM By Brian Guerra PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Tony Parker helped the San Antonio Spurs avoid a grisly fate on Saturday.

The All-Star guard scored 32 points as San Antonio held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-103, in double overtime.

Parker took control in the second overtime, hitting back-to-back 20-foot jumpers to give the Spurs a 105-100 advantage. O.J. Mayo countered for the Grizzlies, canning a shot from behind the arc to cut the lead to two.

"He has ice water running through his veins," Grizzlies coach Marc Iavoroni said.

Parker said he knew he had to be more aggressive after Tim Duncan fouled out in the first overtime.

"We wanted to do some more pick-and-roll type of things to attack Marc Gasol," Parker said. Gasol had four blocks, but picked up his fifth foul in the first overtime.

The teams took turns missing shots before Gasol snagged an offensive board - Memphis outrebounded the Spurs 50-36 -- off Mike Conley's errant shot. The Spurs knocked the ball out of bounds, and Memphis had it with less than 14 seconds left.

Mayo had his driving shot blocked by Kurt Thomas, who had three blocks in 12 minutes, and Rudy Gay had his attempt rejected, allowing San Antonio to escape with their fifth straight win.

"I hope this game bring us closer as a team," Iavoroni said. "I hope the pain draws us together and makes us appreciate how much hard work it takes to win in this league."

The Grizzlies believed they made some progress in the loss.

"We gave a great effort, made plays down the stretch, and we learned another lesson," Conley said. "You have to make one more play than the other team."

Many on the Spurs looked to that last Thomas block as the pivotal point in the game, and Popovich and Parker both praised Thomas' key minutes late.

"Kurt was really special, not just when he went in for Tim, but all his minutes," Popovich said.

"That was a big stop," Parker said. "When Tim got his sixth foul, Kurt Thomas came in and played great."

Gasol blocked Tim Duncan's shot in overtime and found Gay with a behind-the-head pass for the dunk that gave Memphis a 94-90 advantage.

Parker then hit a short runner to halve the deficit. Manu Ginobili then connected from behind the arc after Gasol blocked another shot by Duncan to give the Spurs the lead.

Mayo, who scored 29 points, then put Memphis back on top with a tear drop. Parker countered with a jumper as San Antonio went up 97-96 with less than 90 seconds left.

Popovich said his team focused better in the second half and did a good job of containing Mayo in the second overtime.

"We were doing a lot of different things to keep the ball out of his hands because he was a problem for us the entire game," Popovich said.

Duncan, who also scored 29, fouled out as he tried to block a shot by Conley with 1:13 remaining.

Conley connected on both to put Memphis back on top by one.

Each team missed shots before Parker sank a driving layup with less than 30 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a 99-98 lead.

Bruce Bowen then fouled a driving Gasol with 7.4 seconds left. The 7-footer sank the first but missed the second to tie the game at 99-99, setting up a second overtime.

Each team had a chance to win in regulation.

Ginobili missed a short jumper with less than 25 seconds left, allowing Memphis to set up a final play. Gasol wound up with the ball and missed an 11-footer at the final buzzer.

Parker, who played 48 minutes, scored the Spurs' final seven points of regulation, including two foul shots that tied the game at 90-90.

"I'm tired, but it was a good win," Parker said. "Memphis is tough, give them credit. They made big shot after big shot."

After four games in six days for the Spurs, Duncan was also just happy with the end result.

"This was huge for us to get this win," Duncan said. "It took two OTs, but we got it done."