Coming off a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Spurs traveled to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies. Even though Devin Vassell would remain out due to injury, Victor Wembanyama made his return off the bench on a minutes restriction. The Grizzlies would be without Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, and several other key players. In what would be one of the uglier shooting games of the season, the Spurs managed to have a 10-point lead after the first quarter and an eight-point lead at halftime. However, the Grizzlies started to catch fire early in the third and embarked on a 13-0 run. The Spurs would trail by one entering the fourth.
After falling behind by seven, the Spurs managed to make a run thanks to Keldon Johnson and Victor Wembanyama. After a mini KJ run, the Spurs ran their offense through Wemby during the middle of the fourth, and he gave the Spurs a one-point lead with just over three minutes remaining. However, due to the minutes restriction set by the medical staff, Wemby would not return. Albeit an unpopular decision, the Spurs managed to stay afloat thanks to a key De’Aaron Fox sequence that gave the Spurs a four-point lead with 1:39 remaining. That’s when Cam Spencer took over. He drained five straight points for the Grizzlies, and the Spurs elected not to call a timeout with two remaining. Jeremy Sochan missed a potential game-winning three-pointer, and the Spurs were forced to foul Jock Landale. However, Landale missed both free throws, and the Spurs had the ball with 15 seconds left. Once again, despite having two timeouts, Mitch Johnson elected not to call a timeout. Fox dribbled into the paint, drew four defenders, and got his shot blocked. The Grizzlies threw the ball ahead into the frontcourt, and the Spurs were not able to foul in time as the clock expired. The Spurs lost a heartbreaker 106-105.
Victor Wembanyama returned from injury and dropped 30 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in just 21 minutes off the bench. After starting slow, Wemby reminded the league that he is an offensive machine, especially in the second half. From the paint, to the midrange, and to the three-point line, Wemby was draining buckets all over the court. If he were not on a minutes restriction, fans might have been in store for one of the greatest performances of his career.
Wemby drained three threes in the contest, and this one came from the wing early in the second quarter!
AND-ONE! Wemby fights through two defenders for the tough and-one finish!
Fader! Wemby goes to work in the high post and fades away for the tough jumper!
Go to work again! Wemby puts the post moves on Santi Aldama and finishes off the glass!
W3MBY! Wemby’s third three comes late in the fourth on a fastbreak to take the lead!
Julian Champagnie dropped 23 points (7-11 FG, 5-8 3PT), eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Ever since Julian replaced Vassell in the starting lineup due to injury, Julian has only had one off-shooting night. His confidence is growing with each game, and it has improved not only his shooting but also his defense. If he keeps this pace up, fans might see him in the All-Star 3-Point Shootout. Julian knocked down four of his five threes in the first quarter, including this one in transition!
Stephon Castle dropped 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Even though he filled the box score, Steph struggled once again, shooting 5 of 14 and turning the ball over five times. He did hurt his knee while guarding Jaren Jackson Jr., but he continued to play through the pain. It is unclear if he will play against the Lakers.
STEPH SLAM! Steph cuts into the paint and finishes at the rim with a one-handed jam!
STEPH SLAM x2! Another cut, another slam! This time, Steph catches the ball at the top of the key and takes a patient dribble before he detonates!
STEPH SLAM x3! After great defense by Jeremy Sochan and the steal, Champagnie finds a wide-open Steph under the basket, who explodes with two hands! Jeremy had a great game defensively, and he brought energy and hustle on the boards.
Keldon Johnson dropped 13 points, five rebounds, and a steal. KJ struggled shooting 5 of 13, but made that spark plug impact once again. He provided some key buckets in the fourth quarter when it looked like the Grizzlies might pull away. He also made history by passing Marco Belinelli on the all-time bench scoring list for the Spurs and is now number five!
De’Aaron Fox dropped nine points, eight assists, five rebounds, and a crazy block. Fox struggled from the field, shooting 4 of 18. After starting 1 of 12, Fox made up for his lackadaisical performance by providing the squad with a potential game-changing sequence. After it looked like the Grizzlies were about to tie the game with just under two minutes remaining, Fox hustled down the court on the fastbreak to chasedown swat an open Jaylen Wells off the backboard! He then swished a wide-open floater in the lane to take a four-point lead! Unfortunately, his fourth-quarter magic ran out at the end, but it was still an inspiring effort down one.
All in all, this was a heartbreaking but embarrassing loss. The Grizzlies were out multiple starters, and the Spurs were mostly at full strength. Even though Wemby was on a minutes restriction, it remains a tough decision to watch this team lose the game in crunch time when he could’ve been inserted back into the game as a decoy. Regardless of Wemby not returning, the decision not to call a timeout multiple times when you have two remaining seems questionable. Another winnable game wasted, and the Lakers are in town for a SEGABABA.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs return home for a SEGABABA versus the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 P.M. (CST) on ESPN/FDSN-SW.
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