Despite Victor Wembanyama's 8-Block 1st Half, Spurs Fall Short to Grizzlies At Home
SAN ANTONIO β It was a block party at Frost Bank Center Wednesday night.
The planner? Victor Wembanyama, who, despite the San Antonio Spurs' second straight home loss dating back to his 21st birthday on Jan. 4, made a little bit of personal history.
Wednesday night's 129-115 defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies marked just the eighth game the center logged at least eight blocks, and he had it by halftime β a new career high for blocks in a half. Beyond that, Wembanyama finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Spurs rookie Stephon Castle notched a career-high 26 points and dished out four assists to pair with Devin Vassell's 21. Off the bench, Keldon Johnson had another strong outing with 17 points.
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For the Memphis Grizzlies, a triad of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama led the way, combining for 62 points on the evening. Memphis shot 50 percent fromt the field and 42 percent from 3, but did most of its work on the boards by out-rebounding San Antonio 52-44.
Integral to that effort was Zach Edey, whose first matchup with Victor Wembanyama was as exciting as it promised to be. Within the first few possessions, the rookie had scored six points on Wembanyama, one of which came on a dunk that made its rounds on social media.
"He's had a very good year," Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said of Edey prior to the game. "Give those guys credit. The staff, and the vets they're playing with. (He's) hit the ground running and since then, has been able to impact winning and help (his) team. He's done a really good job."
After Edey's explosion, the Spurs pushed themselves back into the game and took a two-point lead to the second quarter that turned into 12 by halftime.
From there, it was the Grizzlies who kept the Spurs at arm's reach.
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With four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, San Antonio found itself down by seven. Wembanyama's attempt to bring the deficit down to just three points was rejected by Jaren Jackson Jr., but a deep 3-pointer kept hopes alive for the home team.
Those were short-lived, however. Morant scored a running layup to increase Memphis' lead to 11 points with two minutes to play, and the Spurs couldn't make it up. Wembanyama finished two block short of his fourth career triple-double and Memphis left victorious.
"It was disappointing," Mitch Johnson said. "I thought he we had a good first half ... it's tough when a team that fast starts hitting shots."
With the loss, the Spurs fall to 19-20 on the season and fall out of the top 10 in the Western Conference. Next up is another test against the Grizzlies in the second of two straight games between the two squads.
Tipoff from Frost Bank Center is set for 8:30 p.m. CST Friday.