In a matchup largely defined by the absence of their stars, the San Antonio Spurs edged past the Memphis Grizzlies 111–101 Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center, earning their first home win over the Grizzlies since
January 2019. Without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, the Spurs leaned on veteran poise and tough defense in the final quarter to eke out the win. De’Aaron Fox poured in 26 points to lead the charge, while Harrison Barnes added 23 on 9-of-14 shooting. Barnes locked in down the stretch, fueling an 11-0 run for San Antonio in the final minutes to secure the win.
“We challenged him to be aggressive on both sides of the ball,” head coach Mitch Johnson said of Fox’s performance. “It’s tough, it’s a lot we’re asking of him right now… He did that in the second half for sure. You can feel when he does that, it elevates everybody else.”
The game was not always pretty. Despite missing Ja Morant, Memphis charged out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter, prompting Johnson to call an early timeout just 90 seconds into the contest. The Spurs missed 10 of their first 12 attempts, but despite the early deficit, they gradually found their rhythm. After that timeout, the Spurs pushed hard as they outscored Memphis 23-16 the rest of the frame.
San Antonio chipped away at the Grizzlies’ lead by using better ball movement and defense inside the paint. With their backs against the wall without Wembanyama and Castle, they turned to their depth. Keldon Johnson had 18 points off the bench to lead the second unit, while Kelly Olynyk added 10 points. Devin Vassell also helped out with 10 points.
The fourth quarter was where San Antonio flipped the switch: outscoring Memphis 25–14 in the final frame to seal the win. In a final period that saw six ties and 12 lead changes, Barnes locked in down the stretch — scoring on a running hook, a nine-foot floater, and a 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 107-101 lead with 53.2 seconds left. The Spurs clamped down defensively in the final frame, holding the Grizzlies to just 14 points in the final 12 minutes.
“In the fourth quarter we had a really solid, disciplined, defensive team effort that felt more connected than it did in the third quarter,” Johnson said.
Game notes:
- Without Wembanyama in the paint, Memphis took advantage of that and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, scoring 22 second-chance points.
- Both Castle (hip) and Wembanyama (calf) are expected to miss 2-4 weeks.
- San Antonio’s half court defense gave the Grizzlies problems in the second half, forcing them into three turnovers in crunch time.
- The Spurs have led by double digits in 86% of their games this season.
- Down key contributors, the Spurs leaned on their experience, depth, and disciplined defense. With Barnes steering the ship late, they gave themselves a hard-fought boost.
- With the victory, San Antonio improved to 7-2 inside the friendly confines of the Frost Bank Center.
Next Game: vs. Atlanta Hawks on Thursday
The Spurs are now 10-4 on the season and will welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the Frost Bank Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. to close out their five-game homestand. The Hawks (9-6) have been playing well but are without star point guard Trae Young, so it could even the playing field a bit for a depleted Spurs squad looking to close out the homestand with a victory.
