Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies remain confident: 'When it turns over, its going to be scary'

Losing nine out of 12, problems with officiating and a boatload of injuries to high-impact players is not enough to waver the confidence of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Maybe it’s too early to say a game in November had season-altering ramifications, but that’s how Saturday’s road matchup against the San Antonio Spurs felt. The Grizzlies were down as many as 19 points to a team that they had beaten in the past 10 meetings.

A 17-0 run in the fourth quarter combined with an increased defensive urgency led the Grizzlies to a 120-108 win against the Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

If Memphis (3-9) had lost, the sky would have felt much darker. Ten of the Grizzlies' next 11 games are against opponents with .500 or better records. The only team that the Grizzlies will play that is currently below .500 in that stretch is the Utah Jazz — the same team that has already beaten Memphis twice this season.

But smiles rained down on the faces of Grizzlies players after encouraging performances from several key players.

Jaren Jackson Jr. battled foul trouble in the first half and finished the game with 27 points. Desmond Bane added 26 after being the Grizzlies’ main source of offense in the first half.

Ziaire Williams had his best game of the season with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. He was a team-high plus-27 in 25 minutes.

Winning any game for the Grizzlies is important right now, but doing so without three players who were expected to start in the preseason and multiple other key rotation guys made Saturday more meaningful.

"When it turns over it's gonna be scary, so keep on going,” Jackson said to Bally Sports after the game.

Marcus Smart and Ja Morant are out for at least the next three weeks each. Both of those players were expected to handle most of the ball handling duties.

Jacob Gilyard started in the first half before being replaced in the second half lineup with Santi Aldama. The Grizzlies opted to go for more size against a jumbo Spurs frontcourt.

As a result, six Grizzlies finished with multiple assists. No player had more than five.

That may be an indication of how the Grizzlies will need to win games going forward until they have Morant and Smart. Jackson was dominant in isolation situations against the Spurs and as a result, ended up with 12 free-throw attempts.

No matter how Memphis gets wins, the goal should be to hold on until more of the firepower is back. Luke Kennard should be back next week, plus Morant and Smart are expected to return in December.

After Jackson’s comments were posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Morant responded with a peeking eyes emoji. Earlier in that day, Morant posted a screenshot of a song titled 31 days, which is exactly how much longer until he’s able to play in his first game on Dec. 19 against the Pelicans.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies confident after win vs Spurs