The Spurs are on a two-game losing skid.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs (13-28) will face the Memphis Grizzlies (26-13) tonight in Memphis. It will be the second game of a home-home series in Memphis between the two teams. Memphis is 2-0 versus the Spurs this season.
San Antonio got out to a hot start. Jakob Poeltl came out of the gate with four blocks in four minutes, swatting anything that came in his direction. Jeremy Sochan hit a few mid-range jumpers, and he also got his teammates out of their seats with a pump, drive and poster dunk over a noted rim protector in Jaren Jackson Jr.
Keldon Johnson got to the line several times, and Tre Jones initiated a lot of the offense. It was a total team effort with Romeo Langford, Zach Collins, Josh Richardson and Stanley Johnson all getting on the scoresheet as well. Ja Morant was his usual self, slippery and explosive, but San Antonio hung 37 on the league’s best defense in the first quarter to take a 5-point lead.
Memphis didn’t seem stoked about the score, and opened the second quarter with an angry 11-0 run. Five minutes in the Grizzlies had turned the tables into a 10-point lead, and at one point they led by as many as 15. Keldon sparked a little run, but San Antonio trailed 76-62 at the half.
Keldon and Jak started the third quarter strong and Jeremy Sochan added another thunderous dunk, but the Grizzlies answered those interior buckets with deep ones and pushed their lead to 19.
Tre Jones hit a three, then a steal and an and-1, then a floater to make things a little closer.
Malaki Branham kept up his solid recent play with a couple of buckets, and Collins did the same. Memphis pushed it back to 18 before a triple from McDermott.
At the start of the fourth J-Rich hit Collins for a three, then Collins got it back to J-Rich for another, then Richardson crossed over into a heat check and drilled it. Richardson lobbed up an oop to Collins, then ripped a steal. McBuckets came off a screen and floated one in to cut it to eight.
GAME REWIND
The Spurs are coming off a 121-113 home loss versus the Grizzlies.
Tre Jones had 18 points and seven assists to lead the team while Josh Richardson added 16 points. Malakai Branham finished with 12 points and two rebounds while Jakob Poeltl recorded 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
San Antonio trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but was able to pull within single digits and took the lead late in the second half.
Spurs’ Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell did not play due to injuries.
“It’s like nobody wanted to be there then both teams picked it up in the second half,” Gregg Popovich said. “They [Memphis] made more shots than we did for sure and we made too many mistakes. At least we found the grunt in the second half and we gave ourselves a chance.”
INJURY REPORT
THE UNIFORMS
The Spurs will be in their Association Edition jerseys today.
LOCKED ON SPURS PREVIEWS SPURS-GRIZZLIES
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. The Grizzlies have won six-straight games.
2. The Grizzlies are now 25-2 when scoring 110-plus points.
3. The Grizzlies are 17-3 at home, the best home winning percentage (.850) in the NBA.
4. The Spurs are 0-13 on the road when trailing after the third period.
5. The Spurs have given up 121 points in two-straight games.
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