San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1)
The NBA season is nearly halfway finished and teams are finally beginning to reveal who they truly are.
The San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies will share the court tonight in an intriguing battle between two teams who have gone against the grain this year, being incredibly difficult to gauge.
The Spurs somehow managed to beat the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder three times in a two-week span, but then dropped a winnable game against a lowly Utah Jazz team after star center Victor Wembanyama was reinserted into the starting lineup.
As for Memphis, they have played well against some of the better teams in the league, but they have also lost to some bottom feeders with point guard Ja Morant constantly missing time.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12)
These two teams will look to find some consistency tonight as they try to improve their standing in the Western Conference.
Spurs Injury Report: Victor Wembanyama Availability
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama has just had awful injury luck over the last two seasons. A blood clot ended his season early last year, and now he has already missed time with two separate injuries this season.
His latest injury is much less severe than the first, but the French star has still missed the last week with his hypertension. Luckily, he will be back in the lineup tonight against the Grizzlies.
Perhaps the Spurs are fortunate to play an unselfish brand of basketball because they have been fine without Wembanyama in the lineup.
They went just 1-1 in this most recent stretch, but reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle kept them afloat previously, with help from star point guard De’Aaron Fox.
Now, they get their franchise centerpiece back and have a chance to build chemistry as they gear up for a playoff run.
San Antonio’s results with Wembanyama active have been surprisingly uneven so far, but with a 25-10 record, they can afford to lose some ground in the standings to fortify their hierarchy.
They have a chance to get a head start tonight against a struggling Memphis squad.
Grizzlies Injury Report: Ja Morant Availability
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12)
It’s no secret that injuries have been the bane of Morant’s existence. He’s missed at least 20 games in each of the last four seasons, and he is on pace to extend that streak to five with all the games he’s missed this year.
He was held out of the team’s last game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a calf injury. Teams have been increasingly more cautious with these types of injuries, so Morant will be out again tonight.
The only silver lining for Memphis is how much their young players have gotten a chance to grow with the star point guard out of the lineup.
Center Jaren Jackson Jr. remains steady no matter who is in the lineup, but young guard Jaylen Wells and forward GG Jackson get increased opportunities to develop.
Unfortunately, this has rarely led to wins, and it will be hard to reverse that trend tonight against an upper-echelon Spurs team. Morant once again leaves his team in a precarious position, which could cost them a playoff spot if things don’t change soon.