Aussies in NBA: Mills finds shooting touch in playoff opener

Patty Mills broke out of his shooting slump to help the San Antonio Spurs pile on the points in their 106 -74 victory over the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies.

Mills finished the game with 15 points (4-8 FGs, 3-7 3PTs), 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in his 19 minutes on the court.

Leading into the playoffs Mills has suffered his worst shooting month of the season with frosty shooting percentages of 25% on field goals and 29% on 3-pointers in April.

While he is never one to to be deterred from putting up shots, it looked to be much of the same for Mills early shooting 1-of-4 in the first half, with all his attempts coming from beyond the arc.

In the third quarter he took a different tactic, becoming much more aggressive looking for shots closer to the rim. He was able to hit a midrange 2-pointer and get to the line twice, making all 4 of his free throws.

This seemingly allowed Mills to find his shooting rhythm and he was then able to knock down two 3-pointers to open the 4th quarter before being pulled to rest with the Spurs enjoying a huge lead.

https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/721883814025256962

https://twitter.com/DavidtheAdmiral/status/721888057985744899

With Memphis fielding only a makeshift roster thanks to numerous injuries, this series could provide Mills with an important confidence boost before a stiffer test awaits in the second round and beyond.

Game 2 of the series will be on Wednesday at 11:30am AEST.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNw6OGJkkuM