MARC GASOL CLINCHED a Game Four overtime epic for the Memphis Grizzlies with a clutch jump shot at the buzzer to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
Gasol’s floater over Spurs defender LaMarcus Aldridge with 0.7 seconds left gave Memphis a 110-108 overtime win and levelled their playoff series at 2-2.
Kawhi Leonard caught fire to score a playoff career high 43 points for the Spurs, including an incredible run of San Antonio’s final 16 points in the fourth quarter.
But it wasn’t enough.
“Both teams played their hearts out,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
“Just a fantastic basketball game. The fans got their money’s worth. Marc made a great shot. L.A. (Aldridge) contested it very well, it (went) down.”
It was Leonard’s fade-away jumper with 12 seconds left in regulation that gave San Antonio a 96-94 lead.
But his brilliant performance was in vain as Mike Conley led Memphis with 35 points and had nine rebounds and eight assists. Conley, who had 11 points in the final quarter, answered with a floater in the lane with four seconds left to tie the game at 96-96.
Leonard then missed a 21-footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and the Golden State Warriors stormed back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113.
Klay Thompson added 24 points for the Warriors, who seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round Western Conference series.
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and Damian Lillard added 31 for the Blazers, who will try to stay alive with a win in Game Four on Monday.
Golden State were missing forward Kevin Durant (calf injury), guard Shaun Livingston (finger) and forward Matt Barnes (ankle).
Warriors coach Steve Kerr also did not attend the game because of illness. His was replaced by assistant coach Mike Brown.
After the final buzzer, Curry collected the game ball and said he planned to deliver it to Kerr.
“Our coach is going through a lot right now,” Curry said. “He told us to go out and ‘win one for the Gipper.’”
In Milwaukee, DeMar DeRozan, held scoreless from the floor a game earlier, struck for 33 points and nine rebounds to lead the Raptors over the Bucks 87-76.
The visiting Raptors pulled level with Milwaukee at 2-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, which continues Monday in Toronto.
In Atlanta, the Atlanta Hawks led wire-to-wire en route to a dominating 116-98 victory over Washington, cutting the Wizards’ lead in the playoff series to 2-1.
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