Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs defeat Grizzlies, end Memphis' 13-game win streak vs San Antonio
A division rivalry once viewed as one of the league's most physical matchups was a battle of mostly backups and players who haven't been consistent rotation members all season on Tuesday night.
The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs battled at FedExForum before the visitors broke the game open in the second half. Memphis led by as many as 14 points before the game turned heavily in the Spurs' favor.
San Antonio built a lead as big as 20 points and knocked off the Grizzlies 102-87. The loss snapped the Grizzlies' 13-game winning streak against the Spurs.
Grizzlies point guard Jordan Goodwin continued his stat-sheet stuffing ways with another double-double. He finished with 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Memphis (27-52) struggled to shoot the ball and didn't reach 20 assists until late in the fourth quarter.
San Antonio (20-59) had six players score in double figures, led by rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five blocks.
Here are some takeaways from Tuesday's game.
Get used to these faces
Well, the good news is there should be some consistency with Grizzlies lineups and rotations for the remainder of the season. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins declared before Tuesday's game Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are unlikely to return this season. They join Marcus Smart, Ja Morant, Ziaire Williams and Derrick Rose as players who won't return this season. Considering that Vince Williams Jr. and Yuta Watanabe haven't played in more than a month, they appear to be trending in the same direction.
GG Jackson and Brandon Clarke are the only two players on the current 15-man roster expected to finish out the season playing games. Goodwin, Trey Jemison, Timmy Allen, Jack White and Scotty Pippen Jr. are some of the players in line to receive a heavy dose of minutes over the next three games.
Grizzlies streak vs Spurs comes to an end
In some ways, the outcome doesn't feel like it should count against the winning streak against the Spurs, but that's not how this works. Memphis had dominated the series against the division rival since January 2021. Considering the way this season has gone, it's only fitting that only one of the Grizzlies players from Tuesday's game had participated in more than two Memphis matchups against San Antonio.
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Facing Victor Wembanyama
Memphis got its final look against No. 1 overall pick and Wembanyama. The 7-foot-3 center towered over Grizzlies players and recorded five blocks, but Memphis seemed to adjust well to his size. Clarke in particular had success using his floater to score when matched up against Wembanyama. The Spurs center didn't make a 3-pointer, and the Grizzlies surrounded him with bodies to keep him from attacking one-on-one. Without prolific scoring wings Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson available for San Antonio, it made sense to swarm Wembanyama. Other Spurs players stepped up and made the Grizzlies pay. San Antonio finished with 30 assists.
What's next
The Grizzlies will be back in action Wednesday (6 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast) against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be the final road game of the season for the Grizzlies.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' 13-game win streak vs Spurs snapped in home loss
