A light night in the Association playoffs saw some retribution, and some domination. And maybe Dr. Jack Ramsay wasn’t THAT crazy for picking Manu Ginobili for MVP. San Antonio evened things with Memphis, LA pulled even with New Orleans, and the Thunder toyed with Denver. Did your wife forced you to go to her Mother’s to try out her new casserole recipe? Not a problem. We’ll tell you what you need to know to sound smart in the office with our daily rundown of the Playoffs with Day Five’s Capsule Recap.
Game two: (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies, AT&T Center
Final Score: Spurs 93 – Grizzlies 87- The Spurs went into halftime down three, but a 9-0 run by San Antonio’s Big 3 turned that deficit into an eight point lead early in the third.
- Spurs’ Manu Ginobili: 17 points (5-13 fg, 0-3 3pt, 7-13 ft) 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals in his made his return after missing Game one with a sprained right elbow.
- Memphis’ Sam Young: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
- Key Stats: Spurs guard George Hill scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Memphis forward Zach Randolph was held to 11 points on 5-14 shooting. Memphis center Marc Gasol had 17 rebounds but only shot 2-9 for 12 points. Memphis’ bench was out scored 27-19. Spurs forward Tim Duncan had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Manu Ginobili was a game-high +16.
- Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich: “Everyone knows what kind of competitor Manu is. Just to have him on the floor is a plus for the psyche of the whole team without a doubt and, on top of that, he played pretty well. He hasn’t really played in a while, so I was real impressed he was able to do what he did.”
- Manu Ginobili: “The elbow didn’t bother me much. The brace bothered me more than anything. It’s kind of uncomfortable to have such a bulky thing [on my arm], and I’m not a player that likes playing with a lot of wristbands or pads and stuff like that. So it was a little uncomfortable, but I felt I did okay. I took some risks; I went for steals and rebounds. I didn’t play like I was worried of getting hit or anything happening. Overall I think I felt better than expected.”
- Spurs forward Shane Battier: “Manu elevated their team and the crowd was much more electric. But Manu is Manu. He could be in a body cast and he’s still gonna make plays.”
- The series is tied 1-1. Game three is Saturday in Memphis at 7:30 pm on ESPN
Game two: (4) Oklahoma City vs. (5) Denver, Oklahoma City Arena
Final Score: OKC 106 – Denver 89- OKC stormed out to a 26 point early lead and held off a late really that cut the lead to 10.
- Oklahoma City Forward Kevin Durant: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
- Denver guard Ty Lawson: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
- Key Stats: Russell Westbrook was a game high +21, and it was his insertion back into the lineup in the 4th quarter that helped end Denver’s rally. OKC’s front line of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins combined for 23 rebounds. Denver’s starters other than Ty Lawson (Kenyon Martin, Danilo Gallinari, Nene and Wilson Chandler) combined to make 7 field goals for the game. James Harden had 18 off the bench for Oklahoma City.
- “We gave them too many minutes, too many possessions of they were totally in control,” Denver coach George Karl said. “They were energized, they were more physical, they were quicker, probably smarter. … The hole was just too big. When it looked like we could get it under 10, a 3-ball would go in or an offensive rebound would break our heart.”
- “They’re looking for me to be much more aggressive with the basketball as a scorer,” Harden said of when he’s in with the reserves. “When Kevin and Russell come back in, I have to just pick my spots on the offensive end.”
- Oklahoma City leads the series 2-0. Game three is Saturday at 10:00 pm in ESPN
Game two: (2) Los Angeles vs. (7) New Orleans, Staples Center
Final Score: Los Angeles 87 – New Orleans 78- Andrew Bynum carried the load early and Lamar Odom took over late as the Lakers held off the Hornets
- LA’s Bynum: 17 points, 11 rebounds 2 blocks
- New Orleans Forward Trevor Ariza: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
- Key Stats: Chris Paul had 20 points and 9 assists for New Orleans, but shot 5-11 as he was dogged by Kobe Bryant for most of the night. Los Angeles out-assisted New Orleans 20-14. Kobe Bryant only scored 11 points on 3-10 shooting. Lakers forward Pau Gasol had 8 points and 5 rebounds.
- “We stayed in front of [Chris Paul] for the most part,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “He made some big plays for them … but I think we did a better job being attentive to him, and that’s as good as it gets right now.”
- “Who knows what refereeing will be like in the next game?” said Jackson, seemingly irritated that Gasol and Bynum were fouled often without being rewarded free-throw attempts. “They may tighten it up and we may play an all-together different type of game.”
- Said Gasol: “I don’t expect that I’ll continue to shoot at such a low percentage.”
- The series is tied 1-1. Game three is Friday in New Orleans at 9:30 pm
