The Spurs became the first team to move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday as they beat the Grizzlies 116-95 to complete a four-game sweep.
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Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs, scoring 21 points on 6 for 10 shooting and adding seven rebounds and four assists. “We just took it one quarter at a time,” Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge told ABC about his team’s dominant performance. “This team is so talented, our bench is really good … I’m just enjoying it right now. "
San Antonio dominated every game except Game 3, which ended with a 96-87 win. The Spurs won the first two games by a combined score of 200-142.
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The sweep was the ninth in a seven-game series by the Spurs under head coach Gregg Popovich, which is the most in NBA history, breaking a tie with Phil Jackson. More importantly, they were able to rest their starters for significant portions of the three blowouts and will get some much-needed rest before the second round. As a veteran team that routinely rests its key players during points of the regular season, this was an ideal way to start the playoffs. They’ll have nearly a week off before they face the winner of the Mavericks-Thunder series.
