The Spurs narrowly lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 106-105, despite Victor Wembanyama’s impressive performance off the bench.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs lost on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-105. Victor Wembanyama led the team with 30 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
Dylan Harper scored four points, while Keldon Johnson recorded 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. Harrison Barnes added two points. Stephon Castle had 15 points and four assists before fouling out of the game. De’Aaron Fox added nine, and Julian Champagnie finished with 23.
Devin Vassell did not play due to injury.
The Spurs are 25-11 and will next host the Lakers on Wednesday night.
Here’s a sample of what the Spurs and Grizzlies said after the game.
Mitch Johnson:
“I thought that we were probably in control for most of the game, and that that was misleading, because our process of what we were trying to execute was not sharp, and I thought that our body language, reactions, and focus on the game plan execution, what needed to be done, was not sharp. And you know, that’s frustrating, and that’s on myself, and something that we’re going to have to continue to be better at, or we’re going to continue to find ourselves in situations like this.”
Champagnie:
“We have to be a little more mindful of the effort that we’re putting out on the court. I think that’s the biggest thing for us right now, putting our energy into the right things.”
“They (Memphis) played with a little more energy than we did. We have to put our energy in the right places, obviously. Sort of who wanted it more, and I think that’s kind of what shows tonight, which is unacceptable for us.”
Wembanyama:
“There are some things we need to figure out. The good thing is nobody’s pointing fingers, nobody gets after each other. We still try to hold each other accountable, but the thing is, we stay together.”
“Sometimes we should just put people away. I think most of the time we execute. I think most of the time, we execute well, but we don’t finish.”
Coach Tuomas Iisalo: