Final Update: Memphis Grizzlies defeat San Antonio Spurs 110-108 in Game 4.
Third Quarter Update: Spurs rally but still trail Grizzlies 74-71 headed into the Fourth Quarter.
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Second Quarter Update: Spurs trail Memphis 55-51 at halftime of Game 4.
First Quarter Update: Spurs up by 3 points against the Grizzlies, 26-23
(Original Story)
The Memphis Grizzlies needed a spark heading home down 0-2 in a best-of-seven playoff series, and coach David Fizdale provided one with a postgame rant about the officiating.
The Grizzlies will try to ride that spark to a second straight win and even the series when they host the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 on Saturday.
The seventh-seeded Grizzlies weren't happy with the officiating at times in Game 3, either, but they stepped up the aggressiveness with the home crowd in their corner.
"The Spurs were punking us. Let’s be real about it," Fizdale told reporters. "Those first, probably out of the first eight quarters, they just bullied us for like five and a half of those and you’re not going to beat the Spurs letting them dictate everything. We had to match it. Otherwise we were going to get pummeled and I was just really proud of how the way we stepped up and took the challenge."
The Spurs ran away with the first game and controlled most of the second but could not enforce the pace in Game 3.
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich grew frustrated enough that he pulled his starters less than a minute into the third quarter as the game began to get out of hand.
TV: 7 p.m. CT, ESPN, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE SPURS: San Antonio was only down four points at the half before a pair of turnovers and a bad defensive possession prompted Popovich to pull his starters, leading to a third quarter in which the Spurs were outscored 31-17.
"Pop got upset with the guys starting the quarter, sat them, and the whole momentum changed," reserve guard Manu Ginobili told reporters. "In playoff games, especially on the road, a two-minute mental "something" can become a 10-point deficit. That's what happened. We were in good shape at the half. Not playing well, not shooting great, down four on the road, and it was a good situation. It was OK for us. We had that moment there in which the whole game changed."
None of San Antonio's starters ended up playing more than 30 minutes in the loss.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Fizdale made one lineup change for Game 3, inserting veteran forward Zach Randolph into the starting lineup to add a stronger interior presence. Randolph responded by scoring 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds as each of Memphis' big three - Randolph, point guard Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol - scored at least 21 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Spurs C Pau Gasol is averaging 7.3 points on 36.4 percent shooting in the series while younger brother Marc is averaging 21.7 points for the Grizzlies.
2. San Antonio PG Tony Parker went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in Game 3 after averaging 16.5 points in the first two games of the series.
3. Memphis snapped a 10-game postseason losing streak with Thursday's win.