Monday night yielded a trio of must-win matches for all parties involved. The Spurs found themselves in unfamiliar territory against the fiery, eighth-seeded Grizzlies. Denver looked to salvage some respect after a tepid Game 3 showing against OKC. Finally, Portland, propelled by the feel-good story of Brandon Roy, had a shot to get the upper hand on Dallas … You want to know what it feels like to have your backs against the wall? Ask San Antonio. They are there after getting smashed by 18 in Memphis to suddenly fall behind 3-1. Is it all over? Not quite yet. But the Spurs just looked over the edge and can see the fall. San Antonio looked more composed to start the game than their previous efforts, but were still barely holding on in the first half. Antonio McDyess had an uncharacteristic technical and the Grizz took the Spurs best shots early and kept inching closer. The Alamo gang regrouped and picked up a two-point lead highlighted by Manu Ginobili’s (14 points) impressive coast-to-coast exhibition, leading to a dime to Tony Parker. The Frenchman had 19 at the half (23 for the game) with his team up 50-48 … Memphis entered the third with renewed resolve. The Grizzlies initiated the quarter with a 12-0 run, attacking right from the start. San Antonio didn’t resemble the well-rounded, fundamental team they maintained all year. They played one-and-a-half on five as Parker attacked the paint and Ginobili struggled from the perimeter. The Grizzlies’ lead ballooned to 78-65 after three … Memphis kept S.A. on the ropes throughout the fourth. Credit Memphis’ perimeter D during the stretch, and throughout the series thus far, for making it difficult on the opposition to get good looks. Lets make no bones about it: the Grizzlies simply wanted to win more while the Spurs heaved threes out of desperation. Gregg Popovich conceded defeat midway through the fourth by subbing in his bench. Seeing San Antonio get straight whipped, 104-86, left us flabbergasted as Memphis had five players in double figures. You have to wonder if San Antonio has any gas left to stave off elimination … It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Dallas should’ve never lost Game 4 and now with their “mental edge,” Portland was going to come in and steal Game 5. Or so everyone thought. Dallas put together a big second half and won rather easily, 93-82, in a game that wasn’t even that close. You could tell Dallas had the energy but still lacked the precision early to close on Portland’s two-possession lead during the first quarter. Dallas eventually got hot and went on a 12-4 run to tie the game at 27. From there, the teams started trading rain. Jason Terry (20 points) and Peja Stojakovic and even Andre Miller (18 points, seven assists) hit from behind the arch. The two squads went back and forth to close the half … Nate McMillan’s bunch started the third sleepily. Dirk Nowitzki (25 points) saw red, hit the line often and his team capitalized on multiple second-chance and fast-break points. Portland fell victim to a debilitating run and ended the quarter down, 75-63 … The Blazers inability to get to the line has played key roles in all their losses. Granted, their slashers don’t get enough touches to draw fouls in the paint. Still, their offense has stuck with jump shots and low-post play with mixed success. They lose intensity on both ends when they’re not scoring. Tyson Chandler‘s 14-point, 20-board night, including 13 offensive boards, was huge. The extra possessions helped maintained the composure many thought the Mavs lost after Game 4 … Keep reading to hear about Ty Lawson and the Nuggets standing up to the Thunder … Big nights from Russell Westbrook (30 points) and Kevin Durant (31 points) weren’t enough to sweep Denver as the Thunder lost Game 4 on the road by three. Behind their energy, the Nuggets jumped to a small lead early. Nonetheless, we saw this in Game 3 and questioned if they had it in them to last for 48 minutes. Predictably, Oklahoma City’s second team chipped away at Denver’s lead halfway through the quarter. But late in the half, the momentum swung back to the Nuggets. Raymond Felton got an and-one opportunity on a fast break; after Lawson (27 points) hit a free throw with 9.9 to go in the half, Kendrick Perkins hit Chris Andersen with an NBA Jam push for more free throws. A Birdman block and a forced turnover kept the fans live. The teams entered halftime knotted up at 45 with momentum swinging Denver’s way … Durant and Westbrook got going early in the third. After that, we had another shootout on our hands as each squad went off from the perimeter. Danilo Gallinari had been absent for the whole series until he dropped 11 points in the quarter (18 for the game) … Lawson’s three at the start of the fourth brought new life into the Pepsi Center. Denver’s 11-0 run seemed too good to be true with over 10 minutes remaining. Their newfound resilience drove their commitment to the offensive glass and they drew fouls in the lane. J.R. Smith‘s (15 points) corner three, his third of the night, with 7:11 left blew the lid off the place as Denver briefly enjoyed an 87-78 advantage. The Thunder closed the lead to two at one point via Durant getting freebies on the stripe and a three and miraculously had their chances to tie or take the lead thwarted over and over again down the stretch by Westbrook. How many terrible jumpers is he going to take before someone sits him down and gets in his face (on the game, he took 30 shots)? He needs to kill the habit. Denver won the nail biter, 104-101, and kept OKC’s brooms in the closet, their six players in double figures withstanding KD and Westbrook’s combined 61 points … The Nuggets’ depth, long considered a huge advantage, is lacking right now. A barrage of injuries and poor play has killed Arron Afflalo (six points), Wilson Chandler (zero points), Smith and Gallinari for most of this series. But at least now, they all have some sense of how hard they’ll have to play come Game 5 in Oklahoma City … Eric Maynor swished the hell out of a last-second, half-court shot at the end of the first. Too bad the refs waived it off … We’re out like Westbrook passing up a jumper.
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