The Memphis Grizzlies were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs, 108-88, on
Saturday night at AT&T Center. The Grizzlies, who have lost five games in a row,
drop to 18-21 on the season and are now 8-12 on the road. The Spurs improved to
23-17 on the year and are now 17-5 at home, giving them the best home record in
the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies turned the ball over a season-high 21 times in the game, which the
Spurs converted into 26 points. San Antonio had 17 giveaways, leading to 14
points for Memphis. Both teams entered the game ranked in the top 5 in the NBA
in fewest turnovers per game, as the Spurs ranked second with 12.0 per game and
the Grizzlies in fifth, averaging 12.8.
Mike Conley led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-12 (.583) shooting. Conley
has now reached 20 points in 21 games this year. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with
15 points and seven rebounds. Jackson also recorded four steals, tying a
career-high. Dillon Brooks reached double figures for the fifth time this
season, scoring 15 points. Brooks scored 13 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Marc Gasol pulled down a game-high 11 boards to go with six points and six
assists.
Memphis shot just 31-for-82 (.378) in the game while San Antonio went 36-for-73
(.493) from the floor. The Grizzlies were 11-of-28 (.393) from three-point range
and held the Spurs to 7-of-22 (.318) treys. The Spurs worked their way inside,
outscoring the Grizzlies 42-30 in the paint.
Derrick White led the Spurs with 19 points on 8-of-9 (.889) shooting. It’s the
first time this year that White has led San Antonio in scoring. LaMarcus
Aldridge finished with 18 points and seven assists. Patty Mills chipped in with
15 points off the bench. DeMar DeRozan nearly had a double-double with 12 points
and nine rebounds. Jakob Poeltl had 11 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5.
The Grizzlies showed some fight in the fourth quarter, opened the period with a
14-2 run to trim the Spurs lead to 90-80 with 7:38 remaining. San Antonio only
shot 5-for-16 (.313) in the quarter, while Memphis went 9-for-21 (.429). A Jevon
Carter three with 5:07 left in the game cut the score to single-digits at 95-86,
but the Spurs made 9-of-10 (.900) free throws throughout the quarter to maintain
their lead.
Memphis came out of halftime improved on offense, going 8-for-16 (.500) from the
field in the third quarter and assisting on six of their baskets. San Antonio
continued to excel though, shooting 9-for-17 (.529) during the period. The
Grizzlies continued to mishandle the ball, turning it over six times as the
Spurs ended the quarter leading 88-66.
Despite shooting an efficient 5-of-10 (.500) from three-point range, the
Grizzlies made only 14-of-45 (.311) field goals overall throughout the first
half, the lowest percentage in a first half this year. The Spurs also went
5-for-10 from three, but shot 22-for-40 (.550) from the floor in the half. San
Antonio had success cutting through the lane in the half, outscoring Memphis
24-14 in the paint. Conley scored 17 points, but no other player had more than
six before intermission.
The Grizzlies didn’t shoot well to open the game, going 9-for-25 (.360) in the
first quarter, but they were able to connect on 4-of-6 (.667) threes. The Spurs
shot 9-for-18 (.500) from the floor and 2-for-6 (.333) from long range in the
period. Conley was rolling early, dropped 10 points (2-3 3P) in the quarter.
Memphis committed five turnovers during the opening quarter while San Antonio
had seven.
The second quarter was a struggle offensively for Memphis, shooting just
5-for-20 (.250) from the field. San Antonio continued to roll, making 13-of-22
(.591) shot. The Grizzlies continued to mishandle the ball, turning the ball
over six times which led to 11 Spurs points. Mills had 12 points on a perfect
4-for-4 (2-2 3P) shooting in the period. The Spurs went on a 15-3 run over 4:35
(10:33 to 5:58) and outscored the Grizzlies 37-19 during the quarter, to help
take a 64-44 lead into halftime. That run would give the Spurs the lead for the
rest of the game.
The Grizzlies will travel to face another divisional foe on Monday, January 7
when they challenge the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. CT in Smoothie King
Center. Tune in to FOX Sports Southeast presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners
or listen on 92.9 FM ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2018-19 Season
Tickets or 10-Game Flex Packs can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going
online to grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for
purchase at the FedExForum Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations,
ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX.
For more information on the Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis
Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).
Download or Update the Official Grizzlies App
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