Inside The Spurs

Spurs Play Tight in 1st Half, But Struggle in 2nd Half in Loss vs. Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies pulled away in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs.

Jeremy Brener

Spurs Play Tight in 1st Half, But Struggle in 2nd Half in Loss vs. Grizzlies
Spurs Play Tight in 1st Half, But Struggle in 2nd Half in Loss vs. Grizzlies /
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The San Antonio Spurs are starting out the new year in the loss column after a 106-98 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night inside FedEx Forum.

In a first half defined by cold shooting and poor offense, both teams struggled to put points up on the scoreboard. But when the two teams came back in the second half, the Grizzlies heated up while the Spurs stayed frozen.

As a team, the Spurs shot 42.4 percent from the field and made just 10 of 31 from downtown. Keldon Johnson and Victor Wembanyama were the ones who had the most offense cooking, scoring 19 and 20 points respectively.

Jeremy Sochan Marcus Smart Grizzlies
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, pulled away in the second half thanks to Desmond Bane, who scored 12 of his 24 points in the third quarter. Ja Morant also played a key role, notching a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 10 assists.

On Sunday night, defense was the issue. Tonight, it was the offense. The Spurs are learning not just how to play in the NBA, but to do it consistently enough to win basketball games. With just five wins coming into the 2024 calendar year, it's clear that the young squad is struggling in this department.

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Perhaps the Spurs can turn things around on Thursday, but they will be heavy underdogs at home against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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