National Basketball Association
Memphis 89, San Antonio 74
When: 9:30 PM ET, Monday, February 6, 2017
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #28 Kevin Scott, #30 John Goble, #36 Brent Barnaky
Attendance: 16708

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- If every win in the NBA is a good win, then the Memphis Grizzlies consider every win over the San Antonio Spurs a great win.

"We've seen no matter who they put out on the court, they can beat anybody," said Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, who finished with 12 points and nine assists as Memphis defeated San Antonio 89-74 Monday night at FedExForum

"We know how good they are, how consistent they are," added center Marc Gasol, who scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. "They are a team we look up to."

On this night, the Spurs (39-12) played without forward Kawhi Leonard, sidelined due to a right quad contusion. His absence especially showed in the Spurs' abysmal fourth quarter: 3 of 25 for 12 percent. The Spurs scored just nine points in the quarter.

"They were physical, they were active," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the Grizzlies' defense. "We were lucky to have a tie after nine turnovers in the first half. Too many defensive errors and the shooting was horrendous."

The Grizzlies (32-22) won for the fifth time in six games, taking advantage of 17 Spurs turnovers that translated into 19 points.

"When everybody's connected defensively, that takes us to a new level," Gasol said.

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker (eight points, two assists) said the Grizzlies were exactly who they expected them to be.

"They want to slow it down and try to play physical," he said. "That's their style and they're good at it."

Power forward Zach Randolph had 15 points and six rebounds off the Memphis bench, and Vince Carter finished with seven points, six rebounds and his first four-block game since April 2009.

David Lee led San Antonio with 14 points off the bench. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, guard Danny Green had 12 points and eight rebounds, and center Dewayne Dedmon grabbed 12 rebounds while scoring two points. Aldridge was just 4 of 19 from the field.

"He had a lot of wide-open shots," Popovich said. "But they didn't drop."

After the game was tied at halftime, Memphis led by as many as eight points in the third quarter. Grizzlies guard Tony Allen scored all nine of his points in the period and made two steals and blocked two shots to help the forge the lead.

The Spurs pulled to within 62-61 with 2:15 left in the quarter on the second of consecutive threes from guard Manu Ginobili (12 points). Memphis carried a 69-65 advantage into the fourth quarter and then pulled away.

"It's nice to catch the Spurs without Kawhi and Pau (Gasol)," Memphis coach David Fizdale said. "So I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. But you've got to play the game that's in front of you."

San Antonio shot 36.6 percent from the field and hit 4 of 19 from 3-point range, 21.1 percent. Memphis shot 39.5 percent and also went 4 of 19 from long distance.

Center Brandan Wright chipped in nine points, three rebounds and three blocks for Memphis, and forward JaMychal Green had eight points and seven rebounds.

The Grizzlies are now 9-3 against the five top teams in the Western Conference: Golden State, the Spurs, Houston, Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It says we're capable of beating the best," Conley said. "We believe we're a contending team."

NOTES: The New England Patriots' comeback from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI made an impression on Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "It was an amazing display of mental toughness and execution," he said. "The discipline was thrilling." ... Memphis C Marc Gasol averaged 22.7 points in his previous 10 games. ... Before Monday's game, the Spurs were 39-11, equaling their third-best record through 50 games. They were also 20-5 on the road to match the third-best record in league history through the first 25 road games. ... The Grizzlies just completed a 4-2 road trip, the first time in the Memphis era they finished a road trip of six or more games with a record of .500 or better.
Top Game Performances
 
San Antonio   Memphis
David Lee 14 Scoring Marc Gasol 15
Manu Ginobili 3 Assists Mike Conley 9
Dewayne Dedmon 12 Rebounds Marc Gasol 8
LaMarcus Aldridge 5 Free Throws Made Marc Gasol 7
Jonathon Simmons 2 Steals Tony Allen 2
LaMarcus Aldridge 2 Blocks Vince Carter 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
San Antonio 74 36.6 4-19 10-18 11 44 6 8 17
Memphis 89 39.5 4-19 21-25 18 50 11 8 13
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .516 after a win and .696 after a loss.
  • San Antonio will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Spurs have a W/L % of .750 after a win and .818 after a loss.