San Antonio, TX – Tony Parker poured in eight of his game- high 30 points in overtime, as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 99-95, on Saturday at AT&T Center.
Parker added six assists and knocked down a pair of free throws with under 10 seconds remaining in the extra session to seal the game for San Antonio, which has won six of its last seven.
Tim Duncan registered a double-double with 27 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.
"I just came out and tried to play hard," Duncan remarked. "I got some shots going early. I just continued to attack."
Marc Gasol paced the Grizzlies with 20 points and eight boards, while Zach Randolph finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds for Memphis, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The Spurs were coming off a 5-1 road trip that culminated with a loss in Miami on Thursday night. However, San Antonio wasn't at full strength in the setback, as coach Gregg Popovich sent Duncan and Parker, along with fellow starters Manu Ginobili and Danny Green back to San Antonio before the start of the game.
Popovich's move created a stir around the league, and even caused NBA commissioner David Stern to fine the organization $250,000, saying the decision was "contrary to the best interests of the NBA."
The added rest seemed to serve the Spurs well, as Duncan, Parker and Ginobili combined for 41 of San Antonio's 45 first-half points, but the Grizzlies' balanced attack, which featured eight different scorers, helped the visitor's carry a slim 46-45 edge into the locker room.
Gary Neal opened the second half with a 3-pointer to put the Spurs in front, but Rudy Gay answered with a triple at the other end, igniting an 11-2 Memphis run to give the visitors a 57-50 lead just over five minutes into the frame.
Memphis led by as many as 15 late in the frame before a Patty Mills layup at the buzzer cut the lead to 73-60 heading in the fourth.
A Quincy Pondexter triple pressed the lead to 14 early in the fourth before the Spurs made their run.
Mills buried a 3-pointer at the other end to spark a 16-5 sprint, which Neal capped with back-to-back treys around a pair of Randolph free throws to bring San Antonio within 81-78 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.
A pair of Neal free throws found the lead at three with under two minutes left, and after Randolph missed a tip-in at the other end, Ginobili buried a 3-pointer to lock the game at 87 with 57.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Jerryd Bayless had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but his 3-point try was off the mark to send the game to overtime.
A 10-3 start to the extra session found the Spurs up seven before Randolph nailed a jumper and Mike Conley followed with a 3-pointer to trim the margin to 97-95 with 43.9 ticks on the clock.
Both teams came up empty on their next touch before Parker knocked down a pair at the charity stripe to make it a two-score game with 9.9 seconds remaining.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Conley admitted. "Down the stretch they just made the plays to win."
Game Notes
The Grizzlies have dropped 15 of their previous 16 games as the visitor in this series ... Gay finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis ... Ginobili added 10 points and six assists off the bench for the Spurs.
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