Spurs drop first game of the rodeo road trip to the Grizzlies

Turnovers and poor shooting sink the Spurs, but help is on the way.

It’s been quite an eventful week for the San Antonio Spurs, and it’s only Monday. That seemed to be weighing on the Silver and Black as they hit the road for game one of their rodeo road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs did not start off the trip well, as they struggled mightily with turnovers and shooting in a 128-109 loss. They shouldn’t keep their heads down for long, as help is on the way in the form of recently acquired point guard, De’Aaron Fox.

The biggest difference in the game was turnovers, as the Spurs either couldn’t handle Memphis’ pressure or just coughed up the ball with unforced errors. San Antonio gave the ball away 23 times, and the Grizzlies capitalized for 34 points off those turnovers. Memphis had 17 steals in the game.

Both teams came out of the gates a bit sluggish after a near-hour delay due to a medical emergency with a fan close to the court that required immediate action from paramedics. The Grizzlies and Spurs traded turnovers until eventually finding some rhythm a few minutes into the action. Then it became a battle of the stars, as Victor Wembanyama and Ja Morant traded buckets from all over the floor. Wembanyama finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.

Morant was part of a three-headed offensive attack from the Grizzlies. He had 25 points and 11 assists and punished the Spurs for leaving him open from deep, hitting four of his six threes. Jaren Jackson Jr. was unstoppable all game long, regardless of who was guarding him, as he finished the game with a game-high 31 points, along with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Memphis’ second unit was propelled by its second-year wing, GG Jackson who dropped 27 points off the bench on 11-20 shooting.

San Antonio spent most of the second quarter struggling, allowing the Grizzlies to build a 21-point lead. Things turned around after one big play from Stephon Castle.

After his explosive finish over Santi Aldama, Castle propelled the Spurs to a 10-0 run that got them back into the game. He had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 turnovers in the loss. Despite his efforts, San Antonio couldn’t sustain a run, giving up too many points to the Grizzlies off their turnovers, or getting carved up inside as Memphis outscored the Spurs 66-50 in the paint.

San Antonio didn’t get much offensive production from anyone besides Area 51. Jeremy Sochan chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and hit both of his three-point attempts. The Spurs other scorers struggled to produce as Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie combined for 9 of 33 shooting from the field and 4 of 19 from three. The Spurs shot 45.1% from the field overall and just 33.3% from deep.

Combine the poor shooting, turnovers and paint defense and you have the recipe for a game that was decided by the midway point of the fourth quarter. The Spurs will look much different in potentially just a few days. The arrival of Fox should alleviate some offensive issues San Antonio has experienced lately. In a game like the loss to the Grizzlies, having another go-to scorer that can stop a run or extend one can be the difference between a blowout and a close game.

The loss drops San Antonio to 21-26 and 12th in the Western Conference. Next, the Spurs will travel to Atlanta for a matchup with the Hawks on Wednesday. Fox and Jordan McLaughlin are scheduled to meet with the Spurs in Atlanta on Wednesday, but it hasn’t been announced whether or not they will suit up. Getting Fox in uniform could be just what the Spurs need to bounce back from back-to-back losses.