The Memphis Grizzlies have won their first basketball game of the new year after beating Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, 106-98, snapping their three-game losing streak.
It marks the Grizzlies’ 12th consecutive win over the Spurs, their longest active streak against any individual team, and puts them 2-0 in the season series against San Antonio.
Let’s get into it.
After a low-scoring first quarter, the Grizzlies entered the second down by three points and then outscored the Spurs 27-17 in the second to head into halftime with a 7-point lead.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well from three-point range, but Memphis still managed to pull off an eight-point win even having five fewer field goal attempts than San Antonio.
Three-point shooting has been a struggle for Memphis this season, with the Grizzlies ranked last in the league in three-point shooting at 33.2 percent, despite Desmond Bane being third in the league in made three-pointers with 103. Only Steph Curry (146) and Luka Doncic (124) have made more threes.
Their big three were more of a big two and a half as Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled offensively, and finished the night with only 10 points on 3 of 14 shooting but did add a game-high 3 steals and 4 blocks.
This was the second meeting of these teams this season, but the first one for Ja Morant.
You would be correct if you thought that Morant would dunk on Wembanyama, the 7’4” rookie out of France. That magic moment happened during the fourth quarter, and predictably hyped up fans and the internet.
And again in slow motion:
Morant was a bit modest postgame, regarding the moment, saying: “I was just rim grazing. You know your first high school dunk. … My pops calls that a hard layup. … That’s what everyone wanted. That was my gift. A late Christmas gift or a ‘Happy New Year’ gift.”
Desmond Bane was not:
By The Numbers:
In addition to having five players finish the night with double-digit scoring, as a team, the Grizzlies were able to grab more rebounds than the Spurs (46 to 40) and more second-chance points (13 to 8).
Ja Morant closed out the night with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 3rd double-double of the season.
Desmond Bane put up 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks.
From the bench –
Santi Aldama contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds on 5 of 6 shooting.
Luke Kennard added 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will finish up their three-game homestand tonight against the Toronto Raptors. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
