Memphis Grizzlies Lose To Nearly Flawless San Antonio Spurs Despite Impressive Effort

Some games are lost due to a lack of effort. Some games are lost due to fatigue. Some games you just lose due to a lack of talent. In the case of the Memphis Grizzlies 145-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the loss can easily be credited to the remarkable shooting display that was put on by the Spurs.

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Some games are lost due to a lack of effort. Some games are lost due to fatigue.  Some games you just lose due to a lack of talent.  In the case of the Memphis Grizzlies 145-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the loss can easily be credited to the remarkable shooting display that was put on by the Spurs.

The Memphis Grizzlies three-game home winning streak ended on Monday evening as the San Antonio Spurs won going away. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 40 points and 9 rebounds. The Spurs shot an absurd 67.4 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from the three-point line.  The Grizzlies showed great effort in mounting two comebacks and actually performed well but it was not enough to overcome the Spurs shooting. 

Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins emphasized how important it would be to stay poised against an extremely disciplined Spurs team and the Spurs would remain on brand the entire contest.

“Credit to the Spurs. I mean, they played unbelievable tonight," Jenkins said. "Didn't start the game like we needed to, but our guys threw up some good fight cutting the lead to single digits at the end of the third. They had a response for everything we were throwing out there coverage wise, schematic wise."

"There's obviously things we’re going to go back and look at and say, ‘Could we have made this a little bit harder, that a little bit harder?" Jenkins would add.  "I thought there were some things that we could definitely have done a little bit better execution wise, but they had a heck of a shooting night, especially from the mid-range, the rim, the threes. All that. Give them a lot of credit.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with the 22 points on 6 of 9 shooting from three-point range.  Jackson would speak to the media about what was another impressive performance from beyond the arch and the shooting of the Spurs after the game.

“I feel good," Jackson said about his shooting lately.  "I just feel good shooting. The rhythm is there. It’s all about getting your feet right, it’s always been about that, just getting your feet right so you don’t have to waste time on that so you can spend more time on your balance and other areas when you shoot it.”

“They shot 60% in both areas—three and the field," Jackson said about the Spurs. "It’s kind of hard if you’re not hitting from all cylinders. One-on-one matchups, we should contain them a little bit better, especially on my end. Definitely things we can work on, but they just came in here and shot really well.”

Ja Morant would finish with 19 points and 4 assists on the night and he also give credit to the Spurs incredible shooting night.

“They shot the ball great," said Morant. "I think they were about 60%. Some shots were contested, some weren’t. Any game we can get better, though. They have a lot of shooters. All shot it great. It’s hard when they’re hitting a lot of shots. That kind of hurt us on the offensive end when we’re not able to get out and run and get in transition. It’s tough. We just have to learn from it.”

“It was just calm," Morant would add about the Spurs pace. "Sometimes they push. They were just really smart with the ball tonight. They were just capitalizing on our mistakes defensively. It was a great night for them.”

The Grizzlies now have a small break in between games but will be back at it on Thursday as they travel to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.