Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs

Grizzlies dominate Spurs 133-102 for 7th straight victory

“We’ve got a lot of depth,” Memphis guard Tyus Jones said. “I think that was one of the things going into the year that we looked at. You’ve got to use that to your advantage night in and night out. It’s a long season.”

Jones had 11 points a career-high 14 assists. All 10 Grizzlies who played had at least one assist.

Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton added 17 points each and Ja Morant had 13 points and eight assists as Memphis won its second straight game after a 12-day layoff due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

Keldon Johnson had 25 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which has dropped two straight after winning its previous three. The Spurs pulled their starters and key reserves midway through the fourth quarter with the Grizzlies up 111-90.

“They were just tougher in so many ways than we were,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “In a 48-minute game, I’d say that probably in the third quarter we looked like we looked lately for about six minutes. But, other than that, they sliced us and diced us and deserved the wins, for sure.”

Memphis had nine players score in double figures as it completed a two-game sweep at San Antonio. After shooting 56% from the field in Saturday’s 129-112 victory, Memphis matched that percentage Monday and also shot 50% on 3-pointers.

“They are continuing to understand that being unselfish as a team is going to set you up for success as an individual and the team up for success,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.

It was the fifth straight game the Grizzlies have had at least five players in double figures.

“We just play together, that’s all,” Dieng said. “We share the ball. We don’t care who scores.”

Dieng and Melton were part of a 62-41 advantage in bench points for Memphis.

Just as they did in Saturday’s game, the Grizzlies bullied the Spurs defensively and outworked them offensively. Memphis held a 62-32 advantage in the paint despite being without key frontcourt players Jaren Jackson Jr., Jonas Valanciunas and Justise Winslow. Jackson and Winslow are injured and Valanciunas just recently completed health and safety protocols.

“I feel like it just shows how deep we are with our roster,” Morant said. “We have a lot of guys that can produce on the floor. Missing the guys who are hurt is kind of tough, but we have to have the next-man-up mentality.”

DeMar DeRozan had 14 points and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 12 for San Antonio.

TIP-INS

Grizzlies: Morant tweaked his left ankle in the final seconds of the third quarter after missing a runner in the paint. Morant tumbled over and grabbed at his ankle after getting tangled up with someone while backpedaling on defense. He limped off the court as time expired but waved away any assistance and returned to the lineup to start the fourth. ... Valanciunas was seated on Memphis’ bench was not in uniform. ... The Grizzlies shot 58% from the field in the first half and had 18 assists on their 28 field goals.

Spurs: After scoring a season-low five points on 2-for-6 shooting Saturday, DeRozan was 6 for 12 in the rematch. ... Derrick White collected his 500th career rebound in his 155th game. He joins Alvin Robertson and Willie Anderson as the only players in franchise history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in their first 155 games with the team.

UP NEXT

Grizzlies: Close a three-game trip Tuesday at Indiana.

Spurs: Complete a five-game homestand against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Regular Season Series

MEM wins series 2-1