The Grizzlies closed out their four-game road trip Tuesday night with a brutal 126-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
This one hurts a lot, because it was a winnable game. Despite their shooting struggles, the Grizzlies looked on track to extend their winning streak to four games.
Neither team led by more than seven points, and there were 23 lead changes and 12 ties throughout the game.
The Grizzlies were down by four at halftime and closed the gap in the third quarter. But things changed in the fourth quarter when Coach Iisalo took out the starters while Memphis was up by six. The Spurs quickly responded with an 8-0 run, causing the Grizzlies to lose all the momentum they had gained over the first three quarters.
San Antonio was shooting lights out from beyond the arc while Memphis struggled from three-point range. For reference, the Spurs are averaging 36.4% from deep this season, but in last night’s game, they shot 46.2% from three, including going 7 of 9 from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
Harrison Barnes lighting up the Grizzlies has been a theme throughout his career, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Same with De’Aaron Fox. Barnes and Fox combined for 60 of the Spurs’ 126 points and were responsible for 11 of their 18 made three-pointers.
That was in stark contrast to the Grizzlies, who made nine three-pointers for the entire game.
And then there were the turnovers: 15 turnovers that led to 9 points by San Antonio. Not the most points the Grizzlies have given up off turnovers this season, by any means, but still a tough pill to swallow in a game they lost by seven points.
This was Jaren Jackson Jr.’s worst offensive performance of the season: He finished with 7 points. It was his second game in a row without making a three-pointer.
But Jackson is still the Grizzlies’ leading scorer this season, with 355 total points through 20 games. Unfortunately, he’s also the league’s top foul accumulator this season, with 83.
Jaylen Wells led the starters with 20 points on 6 of 9 overall shooting and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Zach Edey added 19 points and 15 rebounds.
Cam Spencer was the team-high scorer with 21 points on 6 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 4 from three-point range.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return to FedExForum for the next three games, starting with Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
