San Antonio at Memphis, Final Score: Spurs dismantled by Grizzlies, 128-109

San Antonio at Memphis, Final Score: Spurs dismantled by Grizzlies, 128-109
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Spurs were unable to take care of the ball against Memphis’ suffocating defense.

The game began with a Victor Wembanyama rampage in which he scored 12 of his team’s first 15 points while blowing up opponents’ actions in the paint. Unfortunately, the rest of the team shot 39 percent, and they were down 34-28 at the end of the period. On the other side, Ja Morant got whatever he wanted, making his first five attempts from short and long range.

The Spurs started to fall apart in the second quarter as Wembanyama took his break. Coach Mitch Johnson then stopped the bleeding with a timeout in the last six minutes of the half as his team was down 15, allowing the Spurs to counter with a 12-3 run to end the half.

During the intermission, the Spurs were down 61-49, with Wembanyama 14 points and Castle’s dozen leading the way. They were behind in paint points 26-24 but ahead in fastbreak points 16-8.

Subsequently, the Spurs had difficulty closing the gap in the third quarter despite shooting well because of more turnovers, and the Grizzlies scored easily using screens and rolls. On top of that, the team had no answer for GG Jackson. He was scoring on the catch and dribble, and his onslaught carried into the fourth quarter. At one point he made a 3-pointer, and Johnson nearly had a conniption on the sidelines.

The Spurs started the fourth down 10, but turnovers and conceding second-chance points caused them to let go of the rope, forcing Johnson to empty his bench with under four minutes left. The Grizzlies outscored the Spurs in three key areas: paint points by 66-50, fastbreak points by 17-16, and second-chance points by 14-12.

Observations

  • The Spurs kept shooting themselves in the foot by turning the ball over 23 times and not giving the defense a chance to set up. The Grizzlies capitalized for 34 points off those mistakes. The Grizzlies also attempted eight more shots as a result. The team is now 2-5 in games with at least 20 turnovers.
  • The Spurs were slow to tag 3-point shooters because of Memphis’ drive-and-kick plays and sharp ball movement. The team also had trouble guarding Jaren Jackson Jr. on paint attacks, and they even flashed an unsuccessful zone when Wemby was on the bench. Yet they were much sharper protecting the rim, allowing only 61.8 percent of attempts, which is 4.3 points below the league average.
  • The half-court attack was neutered by Memphis’ length and athleticism and looked in desperate need of De’Aaron Fox’s rescue. The team scored only 90.4 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 32nd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
  • Stephon Castle and Jaylen Wells have been two of the year’s best rookies. In this matchup, Castle was the more impactful player by doing more as a shot creator, which included an eight-point burst and a sick lob to Wemby off the backboard to take the team off life support in the second quarter. Castle also spent more time covering the ball handler, but Ja Morant was the only one who gave him trouble because of his speed and creativity.
  • Devin Vassell had a strong first quarter but disappeared after. Keldon Johnson, who was on fire in the previous two games, also came back to earth in this showing as he missed open jump shots.
  • The game was delayed because a fan suffered a medical emergency moments before the start near the sidelines. Players were taken to the locker rooms and returned for a second warm-up after EMTs finished administering CPR. The team broadcast reported in the fourth quarter that the fan “left breathing.”

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