Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies faced off against the San Antonio Spurs and came away with a resounding 128-109 victory and moved up to second place in the Western Conference standings.
It was the second night of back-to-back games for Memphis, and Ja Morant returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s matchup with the Bucks due to shoulder soreness.
Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke were sidelined with a left ankle strain and back soreness, respectively. But the Grizzlies are no stranger to adapting on the fly when a player is injured, having fostered a next-man-up mentality amongst the players.
The first quarter was a bit of a slog, but Memphis converted six San Antonio turnovers into 12 points in the period and carried that momentum and a six-point lead into the second quarter.
The Spurs had no answer for the Grizzlies when they went on a 19-point run in the second quarter, their biggest of the season. Memphis led by 12 points at halftime, and San Antonio never got within single digits the rest of the game.
And let’s not forget to give the Grizzlies their flowers for winning the turnover battle: Memphis converted 23 San Antonio turnovers into 34 points while holding the Spurs to just 8 points off their own 15 turnovers. This feels significant, given the struggles with turnovers that have plagued the Grizzlies all season.
By The Numbers:
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.
Ja Morant notched 25 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals in his return to action. Morant scored 14 of his 25 points in the first quarter.
Zach Edey finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. This marks Edey’s seventh career double-double and his second in two games after Sunday night’s 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks.
GG Jackson led the second unit with a season-high 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals on 11 of 20 overall shooting and 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 11 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are heading to Toronto on Wednesday night to take on the Raptors. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM CST.
