Grizz Get Spurred Again – Grizzlies vs Spurs Recap

Your Memphis Grizzlies came into tonight’s game at 41-32 and having just suffered a 6 point loss to the Spurs this past Friday night in San Antonio.  The San Antonio Spurs, like the basketball dynasty that they are, came in with a record of 61-12 and on a one game losing streak after losing to the OKC Thunder on Saturday 92-111.

Starting Lineups:  Memphis – Matt Barnes, JaMychal Green, Chris “Grizzilla” Anderson, Tony Allen, Jordan Farmar; San Antonio – Kyle Anderson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Boban Marjanovic, Danny Green, Andre Miller

Injuries/Inactive:  Memphis – Jordan Adams (right knee), Mike Conley (left foot), Marc Gasol (right foot), PJ Hairston (left groin strain), Brandan Wright (right MCL sprain), Zach Randolph (right ankle sprain); San Antonio – Kawhi Leonard (right quad contusion), Tim Duncan (rest), Manu Ginobili (rest), Tony Parker (rest), David West (DNP-CD)

1^st Quarter:  The Grizzlies had the first basket of the game at 11:46 on a Matt Barnes running finger roll. JaMychal Green hit a jump shot at 10:31. After that, they never led again.  At the end of the 1^st quarter, San Antonio was up 32-18 behind LaMarcus Aldridge and his 14 points (5-6 shooting).  Grizz shot 39% while the Spurs shot 68%. The Grizzlies leading scorers were Jordan Farmar and Vince Carter (both with 3 points).

2^nd Quarter:  The Grizzlies ended the half down 45-53.  Every time the home team would take a step forward, the Spurs would push them back 2 steps.  By the end of the half, both teams had 9 turnovers.  The Grizzlies did manage to hold LaMarcus Aldridge to 3points in the 2^nd.  However, they allowed Patty Mills to come in and get a quick 10 points in the quarter.

3^rd Quarter:  The Grizz were down 68-81 at the end of the 3^rd.  They did finally manage to end a quarter shooting 40%.  Of course the Spurs shot 62%…but I’m willing to celebrate small victories whenever I can find them!

4^th Quarter:  The 4^th was more of the same…no matter who both teams put into the game, the game didn’t really change.  The game ended with Grizzlies shooting 39.8% to the Spurs 51.4%.  It was quite honestly a relief to only lose by 14.

Is there really anything I can say about this game?  It was tough to watch as a Grizz fan.

By The Numbers:

*Rebounds – Grizz 39 Barnes 9; Spurs 43 Aldridge 13

*Beyond the Arc – Grizz 33.3% Carter 2-3; Spurs 31.6% Mills 3-4

*Blocks – Grizz 4 Andersen, Martin, Hollins, Munford all with 1; Spurs 7 Aldridge 2, Green 2

*Assists – Grizz 22 Green 5; Spurs 23 Anderson 7

*Steals – Grizz 8 Barnes, Andersen, Allen with 2 each; Spurs 9 Anderson 4

*Points in the Paint – Grizz 36; Spurs 46

*2^nd Chance Points – Grizz 15; Spurs 10

*Fast Break Points – Grizz 20; Spurs 15

*Biggest Lead – Grizz 21; Spurs 4

*Lead Changes – 1

*Times Tied – 1

*Free Throws – Grizz 62.5% (15-24); Spurs 73.3% (22/30)

Thoughts:

*When Lance Stephenson is on, he’s great. When he’s not…he’s pretty bad. He ended the night with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 turnovers.  With Lance, we just have to take the good with the bad and hope trick-or-treat Lance doesn’t make an appearance too often. I have to say the guy works hard out there and gives it his all when he’s on that floor.  Born Ready plays with heart.

This…was really something…

*Jarell Martin is consistently looking more and more like a legit NBA player.  I was worried because of his initial injuries, but the more I see of him, the more I like him.  He works the boards and hustles every minute he’s on the floor.  Martin tallied 7 points and 5 rebounds.

*The Grizzlies high scorer was Vince Carter with 14 points and 3 boards off the bench.  The Spurs high scorer was LaMarcus Aldridge with 31.  LMA as a Spur just doesn’t seem fair…

*Memphis had 4 of 11 players a positive +/- for the game (Carter, Martin, McCallum, Munford) while San Antonio had 8 out of 10 who were a positive +/-.

*Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said before the game “I’ve said it a lot in the last four days, since we’ve played them three or four days ago, I think they’ve been magnificent.  I think the coaching staff deserves huge credit for keeping them all together.  The players kept their heads up.  No crying – whoever was there came and played.  I think they’ve been fantastic, honestly.”

There was no crying for the Grizz after the loss.  Lance Stephenson said after the game “It is very challenging. We got a lot of guys out but we just got to keep playing hard. No excuses. We got the talent. We just got to come in focused and play hard.”

*I was happy to see this on the Grizz Facebook page from a Spurs fan after the game last night… “Roberto Allen From a Spurs fan – I’ve always dreaded the thought of going up against the Grizzlies. I hate a lot of teams, but Memphis is not one of them. In fact, I’ve always admired their toughness and grit, their monstrous efforts on the boards and just wearing opponents out with their mental toughness. So I can only imagine how it must feel, especially with all your players injured, to see your team in this position. Keep your heads up high because considering all this, you guys are still 5th in the west. Anything’s possible, but the time is “now,” regardless of what the circumstances may be. Stay positive. Peace.”

*Things are tough right now Grizz fans.  There’s no denying that.  Keep standing behind the team.  They’re working hard for us.

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Elizabeth Smith

Wife, Mom, owned by Doxies, and Memphis Grizzlies basketball fanatic.#OneTeamOneGoal #Grizz

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