NBA
Game of the day: Missing Duncan, Spurs get dunked

By The Associated Press

	MATTHEW CRAIG / AP Hedo Turkoglu, left, and Robert Horry of the San Antonio Spurs battle Stromile Swift of the Memphis Grizzlies for control of a rebound in the first quarter last night.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — To Memphis forward Pau Gasol, it really didn't matter if Tim Duncan played.

"I expect to do the same thing with Duncan in," Gasol said after scoring 27 points against the Duncan-less San Antonio Spurs in a 94-88 victory last night. "Obviously, his presence has a big influence on the game, but I expect to do the same thing with or without him on the court."

Gasol and the Grizzlies dominated the middle, the third-year player from Spain scoring 10 points during a fourth-quarter comeback as the Grizzlies gained their 40th win of the season.

Gasol's two free throws with 8.4 seconds left provided the winning margin in the Grizzlies' sixth consecutive win. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the San Antonio, which hadn't been beaten since March 1 — also against Memphis.

Duncan, the league's reigning MVP, remained on the injured list and missed his sixth game with a leg injury. While Memphis defeated the Spurs in three of four games this season, Duncan was injured for the last two and played only one quarter in another.

"It doesn't matter; that's hypothetical. It doesn't exist," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of not having his star. "What exists is what happened, and they did a heck of a job. It doesn't matter that Tim's here or not."

Despite shooting 17 of 28 from the free-throw line, Memphis won by its front-line dominance, outscoring San Antonio 56-26 in the paint. The Spurs also were hindered by 26 turnovers, matching a season high.

"(Duncan) is obviously the key for us," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "He's our best player, probably the best player in the league. So we probably could have done many things better."

Gasol connected on 11 of 21 shots, and his 11 rebounds included six on the offensive end. Shane Battier added 16 points, and Stromile Swift had 12.

Tony Parker, who keyed a third-quarter comeback, led the Spurs with 24 points and seven assists. Malik Rose had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu scored 17 points and Rasho Nesterovic finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
 
If the Spurs' 10 first-quarter turnovers weren't bad enough, San Antonio opened the second quarter by missing nine of 10 shots. The Grizzlies took advantage and built the lead to 12 in the second quarter.

The Spurs reversed the trend in the third quarter. Parker scored 11 straight points for San Antonio, including a trio of three-pointers, and by the time Nesterovic added a 15-footer to end Parker's string, the Spurs were on a 24-9 run and eventually led 62-55.

Robert Horry's three-pointer to close out the third quarter gave San Antonio a 67-63 lead.

But the Grizzlies have shown they can win close games, and Gasol led the fourth-quarter rally.

"They were more aggressive," Popovich said. "I think they competed, in that respect, harder than we did."

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