The Spurs got another valuable win without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. In their last home game in a while, they traded blows with the Grizzlies before closing strong and securing a 126-119 victory. Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 31 points.
It wasn’t the prettiest start to the game, as both teams struggled to get going on offense. Memphis hit some shots to get an early lead, but couldn’t pull away while the Spurs were ice cold and bothered by aggressive defense. Unfortunately for them, an absolute onslaught of San Antonio threes eventually hit to give the home team the firepower it needed to make up for a lack of great execution. The Grizzlies remained close through shot-making, but the physicality that helped them in the initial minutes worked against them, as both Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. accumulated fouls. The second unit, led by Dylan Harper, eventually began driving to the paint to balance out the attack. After a hard-fought 12 initial minutes, the Silver and Black led by four.
The Spurs’ shooting came back to earth after a scorching hot start, and the issues with execution and shot selection that plagued them early in the game returned. The main reason why it didn’t put them in a hole was that the Grizzlies were dealing with issues of their own. Once they established Zach Edey in the posts, they got some steady scoring, but the threat of foul trouble for the big man saved the Spurs, as he was pulled after almost getting his fourth on a Harper drive. Mitch Johnson took advantage of the visitors’ lack of size to go with a smaller unit with Jeremy Sochan at center that was dynamic and caused some turnovers, but issues with transition defense prevented the Silver and Black from carving out a sizable lead. At the half, they still led by only four.
The issues with the offense continued early in the second half. If not for a fantastic performance by Harrison Barnes, who made timely buckets again and again, the Spurs could have been in serious trouble in a third quarter that featured good moments but was ugly in several ways in the aggregate. Harper, who had done a lot of damage earlier, was relegated to an off-ball role at times and wasn’t as impactful. The entire team, even those who normally thrive in the paint like Keldon Johnson, missed close shots. The small unit that created chaos in the first half started to get lost after the second rotation and leaving opponents open on cuts or from beyond the arc. It wasn’t as bad as some of the other poor third quarters San Antonio has had this season, but it felt surprising to see them only trail by one heading into the final period.
Luckily, a strange game distorted by foul trouble for the Grizzlies’ bigs and featuring standout performances from unlikely players ended up going the Spurs’ way. The win could have easily slipped away had Edey and Jackson Jr. been able to play more, especially with how much help Memphis got from its second unit, but the bigs had to sit with five fouls each. A six-point lead quickly disappeared thanks to Johnson and Harper. Once Tuomas Lisalo sent his starting frontcourt back to the court, they helped them regain the lead, but the Silver and Black were ready to close strong. Good defense, especially by Luke Kornet inside, and some clutch buckets by De’Aaron Fox helped San Antonio escape with a valuable victory before heading out on a long road trip that will hopefully see at least one of Stephon Castle or Victor Wembanyama return to action.
* In their loss to the Timberwolves, the Spurs dominated inside for most of the game but had a significant deficit in three-point buckets. The opposite happened against the Grizzlies. San Antonio made 18 threes to Memphis’ nine, which made the visitors’ 16-point edge in points in the paint irrelevant. Threes: they are important!
* Harrison Barnes finished the game with 31 points, five rebounds, and five assists in almost 36 minutes of play. The Spurs don’t win this one without him. He hit his shots but also attacked the rim, occasionally initiated, and guarded bigger players on defense well. A complete game for the veteran forward.
* The box score will say Zach Edey comfortably won the center duel against Luke Kornet, but Kornet’s play was a key to victory. Sure, there was little he could do to stop Edey in the post, but he boxed him out consistently and had an impact with his shot blocking and offensive rebounding. There are many reasons why the Spurs are surviving without Victor Wembanyama, but Kornet’s contributions when facing big centers are near the top of the list.
* The Spurs’ gang rebounding was phenomenal. Five players finished with five rebounds or more. The work in the glass made up for a bad shooting night for Julian Champagnie and a quiet scoring performance by Devin Vassell.
* De’Aaron Fox struggled early but was big late. The veteran point guard relied on his outside shot to get buckets arguably too much, but he made four of his eight attempts, so it’s hard to be too upset about it. His confidence in the clutch is palpable, and his defense was disruptive. He is who the Spurs thought he was when they got him.
* The Grizzlies’ bench outscored the Spurs’, but San Antonio had good performers. Johnson was huge with his drives and a big three late. Dylan Harper once again looked like a star in the making with some fantastic drives and passes. Carter Bryant hit his threes and battled on defense. Jeremy Sochan was the backup center and, as always, played with contagious energy and an edge. Everyone contributed.
The Spurs hit the road, and their first stop is Orlando on a SEGABABA. They will likely need their deep bench players to step up, as some of the starters played heavy minutes on Tuesday.
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