Chapter 160: Took an Arrow to the Knee.
During this stretch with the bench squad, Gay played like a man possessed, single-handedly blowing up the Spurs.
Once the starters returned, the Grizzlies kept up the momentum, outscoring the Spurs 29–16 in the second quarter and leading by 17 points at halftime.
AT&T Center, which had been buzzing at the start, fell silent by the end of the half.
By the time play resumed, there were noticeably fewer fans in the stands. Those who came for an entertaining game decided the suffering wasn't worth it.
Still, the Spurs didn't give up.
They came back after halftime, executing with precision, and outscored the Grizzlies 29–22 in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 10.
Then Gay returned, immediately scoring on Anderson.
Popovich, seeing this, finally substituted in Leonard for Anderson. This was Leonard's debut for the Spurs in the regular season.
True to expectations, Leonard immediately stole the ball from Gay.
Even as a rookie, his physical gifts were off the charts, especially with those massive hands that could practically palm a size-F cup—making him a defensive nightmare.
Gay, with his slower first step, found himself getting locked up.