On Wrestling Night, the Grizzlies Layeth the Smacketh Down on the Spurs

On Wrestling night before a sellout crowd, the San Antonio Spurs became the Grizzlies’ latest victim.

 

After having a tumultuous stretch with a five game skid, the Grizzlies have won four straight games in convincing fashion.  The Grizzlies join the Clippers as the only two teams who have defeated the Spurs multiple times this season. 

After the game, David Fizdale talked about a playoffs atmosphere: “Our crowd was big time tonight. Honestly, right now where it was at, that’s the first round of the playoffs. I think both teams wanted to send a message that it’s on. I really thought our guys rose to the challenge. They are a tough out. I’ve honestly made it very clear how I feel about Coach Pop [Gregg Popovich] and what he does. To beat a team of that caliber right now is a really great win for us.”

The Grizzlies seemed to have fixed their defensive woes at the moment. In the past four games, they’ve held opponents to an average of 94.5 points. “Our mentality has changed defensively,” said Mike Conley. “We’re playing with a sense of urgency defensively that we haven’t played with all season long. It’s almost as if we’ve turned the switch on to play basketball. We’ve always been a tough team when we play that style of defense and being aggressive.”

Conley went on to say, “Offensively, we’re being unselfish sharing the ball. Anybody can have big nights for us and that’s what makes us difficult to defend.”

Stats of the Game

Grizzlies

The Grizzlies had six players in double figures.

Mike Conley made his mark for the Grizzlies with a team high 19 points. Conley also dished out six assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

Zach Randolph continues to shine off the bench. Zbo finished with 18 points (7-of-12), seven rebounds and two assists. Randolph finished with the highest +/- of the game with +15.

Marc Gasol chipped in 16 points, team-high seven assists and five rebounds.

JaMychal Green added 13 points and four rebounds.

Troy Daniels, the Grizzlies three point assassin, went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Daniels finished with 11 points.

Vince Carter continues to be amazing after being asserted in the starting lineup. Carter ended the game with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Carter finished with the second highest +/- of the game with +13.

Spurs

The Spurs had three players in double figures.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished the game with 21 points, nine rebounds and

Jonathon Simmons as reserve chipped in 14 points and three assists.

Thoughts

The Grizzlies always seems to find a way to bounce back after adversity. Sometimes the outlook is bleak but they rise to the occasion when necessary. They are now playing for one another, taking everything one game at a time and have found some consistency.

Up Next

The Grizzlies will head to New Orleans to take on The Brow, Boogie and the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. This will start a four game road trip.