Spurs sweep Jazz; Clippers lead 3-1
Salt Lake City — The San Antonio Spurs completed a 4-0 sweep of Utah in their NBA first-round series, beating the Jazz 87-81 yesterday.
Manu Ginobili broke out of his shooting slump with 17 points. He went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc in the first three games but after Utah pulled within 61-58 with 3:18 left in the third, he hit consecutive 3-pointers then added another as the Spurs regained control, taking a 76-58 lead early in the fourth.
The Jazz went scoreless for more than 8 minutes during a 15-0 Spurs run. Utah made a furious charge late and was within 83-79 with 49 seconds left. But Ginobili’s fastbreak layup after a steal by Tony Parker sealed it.
Utah’s Big 3 lineup with Derrick Favors at power forward kept the Jazz close, but San Antonio’s bench made the difference, outscoring the Jazz’s reserves 47-10.
Top-seeded San Antonio advanced to the second round and awaits the winner of the Memphis-Los Angeles Clippers series, which may not be settled until Sunday.
The Spurs are on a 14-game winning streak and looking to make amends for a first-round upset by Memphis last year.
The Jazz have lost eight straight playoff games as they were swept by the Lakers in the second round two years ago. It was only the second first-round sweep in Utah history, the other coming in 1989.
The young, inexperienced Jazz put up a fight at the end, but it was too little too late.
The Spurs won Game 1 by 15 points, Game 2 by 31 and Game 3 by 12, relying on MVP candidate Parker and the deepest bench in the league.
With Parker scoring 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting Monday, and starters Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green struggling offensively, San Antonio’s bench picked up the slack.
Clippers 101, Grizzlies 97, OT
In Los Angeles, Chris Paul scored eight of his 27 points in a dynamic overtime performance, leading Los Angeles to a victory over Memphis that put the Clippers up 3-1 in their series and on the brink of only their second playoff series victory in 36 years.
Blake Griffin had 30 points and seven assists before fouling out with 2:26 left in overtime for the Clippers, who blew a 10-point lead in the final 4½ minutes of regulation before their All-Star point guard took charge in overtime. /ap
