Spurs Cruise to Blowout Game 1 Win over Grizzlies; Kawhi Leonard Scores 32

The San Antonio Spurs stormed back from an early deficit to earn an easy 111-82victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series Saturday.Kawhi Leonard was the star for San Antonio, finishing with 32 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals.The visiting Grizzlies asserted their will when the game started, jumping out to a 24-11 lead eight minutes into the first quarter. That would be as good as things got for Memphis because the Spurs defense gave up just58points over the next 40 minutes.Leonard, Aldridge Ignite SpursFollowing the Spurs' slow start, Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge ignited the offense. San Antonio's All-Star duo combined for52of the team's 111points.Aldridge's scoring output was huge for the Spurs. The 31-year-old only averaged 17.3 points per game during the regular seasonhis lowest mark since he was a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07and hadn't hit the 20-point mark since a March 23 contest against the Grizzlies.Following the offensive outburst for Leonard and Aldridge, the internet shared its thoughts on what they accomplished:Gasol on an IslandOne reason the Spurs found themselves in such a big hole early was they had no answer for Marc Gasol. That trend continued throughout the game. Memphis' star center was the only one who could figure out San Antonio's defense, as he had 32points.The Grizzlies kept the game close heading into halftime because Gasol scored more (25) than half of their 49 points. The NBA relayed some of Gasol's stellar play from the half:Not surprisingly, the rest of the Grizzlies roster received their share of criticism on Twitter for being unable to support Gasol's stellar effort:San Antonio's depth advantage over the Grizzlies was apparent after those first four minutes. The Spurs had no problems scoring on Memphis' defense and shutting down anyone who was not named Gasol.There's still time for the Grizzlies to right the ship, but this was not an ideal way to start a series against the Spurs heading into Game 2 on Monday.
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