MEMPHIS, Tennessee, 27 April 2004 — The San Antonio Spurs took another step in their defense of National Basketball Association title on Sunday, completing a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies to reach the second round of the playoffs.

The Spurs were joined in the second round by last year’s Eastern Conference champions New Jersey, who finished off the New York Knicks in four games, and the Indiana Pacers, who completed a dominant sweep of Boston.

With Tony Parker and Robert Horry connecting from the outside and Tim Duncan dominating, the Spurs made quick work of playoff neophytes Memphis.

Parker and Horry each went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and Duncan made 10-of-17 shots as the Spurs beat the Grizzlies 110-97.

Parker collected 29 points and 13 assists, Duncan scored 26 points and Horry added 14 off the bench for the Spurs. Pau Gasol scored 22 points and James Posey added 20 and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had never so much as had a winning month in their 10-year history until January but finished with 50 wins under Coach of the Year Hubie Brown.

But the Grizzlies dropped their final four regular-season games, then were outclassed in their first playoff series by the Spurs, who have won 15 consecutive games overall. In this one, France’s Parker scored 14 points in the first quarter, which ended with the Spurs ahead, 32-21. The cushion was 57-45 at the break and 87-72 after three quarters, and Memphis got no closer than nine points in the final period. The Spurs now await the Los Angeles Lakers or Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Lakers took a commanding lead in that series with a 92-88 overtime victory in Houston. Kobe Bryant’s three-point play with 40.3 seconds left in overtime snapped a tie and Karl Malone added a steal, key rebound and free throw with 6.4 seconds remaining to lift the Lakers.

Malone, 40, had 20 points by halftime, finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds and drew the sixth foul from Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming while converting a three-point play in overtime. The Rockets rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit and tied the game at 81-81 on a jumper by Steve Francis from the top of the key with 39 seconds left in regulation. Two driving layups by Cuttino Mobley helped Houston build an 87-83 lead with 2:24 left in overtime.

The Knicks made it close in New York, but in the end couldn’t avoid being swept for the first time since losing to Chicago in the first round in 1991.

Kenyon Martin scored 13 of his playoff career-high 36 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Nets.

Jason Kidd added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Nets, who have won 14 straight playoff games against East opponents. The game was tied, 88-88, before Aaron Williams made a runner in the lane with 3:31 remaining to give the Nets the lead for good. The Celtics never made it that close in Boston.

Ron Artest scored 22 points, Jermaine O’Neal had 18 and Reggie Miller added four timely 3-pointers Sunday to lead Indiana to a 90-75 victory and a sweep of their Eastern Conference series. The top-seeded Pacers, who had the most wins in the NBA (61), won all four games in the series by double figures at an average margin of 16.8 points. It was sweet redemption for the Pacers, who were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Boston last season.