No, all-star forward Tim Duncan didn't have his way with the Grizzlies' frontline relative to what's happened when these teams have met before. But the Spurs' perimeter players combined to pick up the slack with enough firepower Monday night to send the Griz to a 94-81 loss in FedExForum.

Manu Ginoboli made his season debut, returning from offseason ankle surgery, and combined with Roger Mason and George Hill to score 50 points - half of which came in a decisive third quarter.

Memphis trailed by 17 after three quarters, fell behind 22 points and never seriously threatened despite a later scoring barrage from rookie O.J. Mayo.

Too much damage had been done to the Grizzlies' perimeter defense. And their 39-percent shooting was due to the Griz appearing disjointed on offense.

Memphis tied a season-low with 10 assists in losing its third straight game.

The Griz lost for the seventh time in their last eight outings, a stretch that includes four losses in the last five home games.

"There is a lot of stuff we have got to work on," Griz big man Darko Milicic said, "so we don't play like that in the third quarter."

Milicic moved into the starting lineup at power forward alongside center Marc Gasol so that the Griz could deal with the Spurs' frontline strength provided by Duncan and Fabricio Oberto.

Milicic spent most of his time playing solid defense on Duncan, who finished with 14 points and 11 boards but labored to make 6-of-18 shots.

"I have to give him credit," Duncan said. "He played hard and did a good job."

Milicic countered with 11 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

"Darko was the defensive player of the game," Mayo said. "He played Mr. Duncan extremely hard. In watching Mr. Duncan over the years, I've never seen him get frustrated. But tonight, it seemed like he did."

Duncan missed nine of his last 11 shots until he got a finger roll to go with 2:07 left in the fourth. The basket put the Spurs ahead 90-77 a lead that kept the late-charging Griz at arm's length.

"He (Milicic) did some good things around the basket and he rebounded well," Griz coach Marc Iavaroni said. "Overall, he had an excellent game. Unfortunately, what hurt us was the small lineup with Duncan out of the game."

Duncan had been on the bench for nearly 10 minutes after he took a seat late in the third. Ginobili (12 points), Mason (18) and Hill (20) ignited San Antonio's 20-6 run late in the third, which ended with Memphis trailing 72-55.

The Spurs made shots, including three 3-pointers, during the barrage.

Memphis, while appearing to get good looks at the basket, missed 16-of-21 shots in the period.

"We had some defensive breakdowns," Iavaroni said. "They made threes, and all of a sudden, there is a big lead. They make threes, we miss shots. Now, four possessions becomes a 12-points differential."

San Antonio connected on 10 of 24 3-pointers.

"In the second half, we were smoother offensively and moved the ball better," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "The scoring picked up and we were able to pull away."

The Griz pulled within 11 points in the final frame after Mayo got hot literally and figuratively. Mayo, who finished with 26 points, scored 23 in the second half. His 15-point fourth quarter took off after Mayo picked up his first NBA technical foul with 7:54 left.

Mayo showed his frustration after missing a foul-line shot and then being charged with a foul while guarding Michael Finley.

"He felt I was being sarcastic," Mayo said. "Sorry about that. It's not the way to act toward an official."

Mayo rebounded from a slow start to make 10-of-21 shots. He had just three points at halftime after missing 5-of-6 shots.

"A lot of good teams just know where the ball needs to go to get in the basket and how to get it," Griz forward Rudy Gay said after scoring 13 points to go with 10 rebounds. "We have to start learning."

Call Ronald Tillery at 529-2353 or read his Grizzlies blog at commercialappeal.com/tillery .