The San Antonio Spurs scraped by the Memphis Grizzlies and once again made a faster-paced team play at their level. Naysayers can say what they want about the opponent, which was on a four-game skid, but
the Spurs were down two starters (Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle), and their visitors played desperately. Backups commonly shine when given the extra opportunity on well-coached teams, and this time it was Keldon Johnson.
The defense started off a step behind as the Grizzlies took an 8-0 lead in the first 89 seconds. That was all it took for coach Mitch Johnson to call a stoppage so their coverages would tighten up, and his counsel was followed, but their next problem was an offensive drought, making 30 percent of attempts. The Spurs got by, collapsing onto the paint like a falling stack of bricks and allowing just one more shot in the lane in the quarter. They also got a 15-point boost off the bench, which included Kelly Olynyk igniting them with two steals, as they went into the second frame down a point.
The offense was still in the gutter until Zach Edey, Memphis’ massive 7’4 center, took his rest. Then K. Johnson and Harrison Barnes started cooking from short and long. Four lead changes followed until intermission, with the Spurs up 49-47, but Memphis was hanging on because of their strong work on the offensive glass, resulting in 14 second-chance points.
The third quarter was subsequently all gas and no brakes. Cedric Coward and Jaren Jackson Jr. did the most damage against San Antonio, yet De’Aaron Fox never let them get into dangerous territory.
The fourth quarter started with Memphis ahead by one following six ties and 12 lead changes. Another famine struck, this time affecting both sides. Johnson boldly gave Fox, the team’s main source of offense, a brief rest, and it paid off as they took the lead without him. He returned in crunch time, but Harrison Barnes was their savior, taking over with baskets at short, middle and long range.
Game Notes
- Both squads got hot in the third quarter, but the defense getting nasty, which included four Spurs were multiple steals, was the difference. They shut down Memphis’ half-court attack to 74.7 points per 100 plays, holding them to the fourth percentile, per Cleaning the Glass
- The Grizzlies don’t know how to guard the 3-point line and allow 22.3 long-range attempts with their opponent six feet away or farther. That was not a misprint. The Spurs failed to exploit that until the third quarter, shooting 58.3 percent.
- Giveaways have been a problem this season, as they are ranked 29th in turnover percentage (16.5), but the Spurs barely made any mistakes in the first half (4), and only five in the second. Turnovers are self-inflicted wounds against any squad, but they can hurt twice as much against a fast-paced team like Memphis.
- Fox had some nice moments in the first half when he broke to the lane for a kick-out and a shot through traffic, but he didn’t start performing like a max player until the third quarter, raising his rim pressure and downing multiple 3-pointers. Early substitution patterns could be a factor for his slower start.
- Julian Champagnie stepped into the starting role for Stephon Castle (hip flexor strain) and was invisible offensively after the first few minutes of each half.
- Jeremy Sochan is all hustle and guts when guarding the ball or being a helper. He did all the little things so well that he was one of the five on the floor at the end of the game. One of his best moments of the night was blocking Jaren Jackson Jr. from behind at the rim after falling out of the play.
- Kornet’s paint protection was solid, causing deflections and misses at close range. Yet there were moments that Memphis used him dropping back against him, attempting shots in the in-between area of the lane.
- It makes sense for rebounding to suffer when the 7’4 specimen isn’t around. The times he was really missed is when Zach Edey got loose in the lane and when Memphis snagged offensive rebounds, which totaled 21 for 22 second-chance points.
