Fans were understandably happy that the Memphis Grizzlies got back in the win column with a 106-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
But the after-game buzz was all about the matchup between two freakishly talented young NBA talents: The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, a 7’4″ phenom who can protect the rim; and the Grizzlies’ own Ja Morant, who hasn’t met a seven-footer he doesn’t like to dunk on.
In the fourth quarter, Morant added Wembanyama to his casualty list, meeting the French import at the rim with an authoritative two-handed slam, followed by a smack on the backboard and a howl to the crowd.
After the game, Morant was nonchalant about the highlight play.
“The moment was just like any other moment for me, when someone is guarding me,” shrugged Morant, who scored a game-high 26 points. “My goal is to score.”
And while Morant downplayed the dunk after the game, his teammates did not.
“Whew, Ja is capable of dunking on anybody,” said Desmond Bane, who finished with 24 points. “I saw it coming. When he gets close to the rim, it is going to be ugly for anyone down there. Add it to the highlight reel.”
Bismack Biyombo joked that Morant wouldn’t have dunked on him like that.
“I told him in the game I would have blocked it,” Biyomobo laughed. “It is impressive. He has a quick change of direction. Plays like that can change the momentum of a game. You must take advantage of that.”
After a four-game winning streak upon Morant’s return from suspension, the Grizzlies dropped three in a row: to the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets, a blowout loss to the Clippers, and a home loss to Sacramento on New Years Eve.
Many Grizzlies players blamed bad communication for those losses — a problem Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins made progress on against the Spurs.
“Our activity defensively was better tonight compared to our most recent games,” Jenikins said. “Our communication was much better.”
A key moment in the first half was a Spurs on a Luke Kennard three. Kennard made the free throws, and Morant scored on the next possession to give them their largest first half lead (47-37). Memphis would lead at halftime (47-40).
The Grizzlies (11-22) hit a three-pointer to start the second half. The Spurs answered with an 11-0 run to take the lead (51-50) with 9:19 left in the third quarter. Memphis would pull a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Memphis would lead (80-68) to end the third quarter.
From there, Memphis never looked back. They led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter. With 1:13 left in the game. A dunk by Wembanyama made it an 8-point game, but the Spurs never seriously threatened after that.
Morant and Santi Aldama came up big for the Grizzlies in the fourth. Morant had 13 of his 26 points in the quarter and 10 assists. Aldama scored nine of his 13 points in the quarter and also finished with 11 rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 10 points and Kennard finished with 12 points. Memphis outrebounded the Spurs 46-40.
“Being out after the first game, it took me a little time to get a rhythm,” Kennard said. ” This time I was able to play with some of the guys before I came back. To get my wind back and my legs back. That helped a lot. We made sure I was ready to go when I came back.”
The Spurs were led by Wembanyama with 20 points, four blocks and seven rebounds. Keldon Johnson had 19 points and six rebounds. Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan had 12 points each.
Biyombo believes the team can build on the win.
“Our last home game things were all out of place. These things are going to happen in a long season,” he said. “You must respect every team in this league. Winning a game is hard in this league.”
Next up for the Grizzlies is a quick turnaround. They will face the Toronto Raptors tonight at FedExForum at 7 p.m. It will be a homecoming of sorts for first-year Raptors’ Coach Darko Rajaković, who was an assistant coach for the Grizzlies under Jenkins for several seasons.
Ja Morant posterizes Wembanyama in Memphis Grizzlies 106-98 win over San Antonio Spurs
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