Spurs Edge Past Grizz, Again.

Colin Rafferty –

Your Memphis Grizzlies lost the last game of a 4-game road trip, last night 119-126 against the Spurs.

With about 7 minutes left, Iisalo subbed out the second squad for most of the starters and within 2 minutes, had the second group out there again. They had been up 4 and then down 2 by the time the switch was made, after that it was the De’Aaron Fox show.

I do not get the platoon lineup switches and Iisalo had spurts of looking like he knew what he was doing but has now gone back to full court switches.

It doesn’t work, stop it, just watch the other teams and how they sub in and out. It can’t be that hard. Call timeouts when you need to, not 2-3 possessions later. It is frustrating watching a new coach and this is part of it.

That is not to say I haven’t liked how the Grizzlies have looked, but being down to bad teams big, only to claw back, is tough to watch.

The Grizzlies looked tired and ready to get home. It was a back-and-forth game all night with plenty of weird calls and some chippy play. In the middle of it was Zach Edey.

He finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, this is exactly why they wanted him, he is a walking double-double.

The Grizzlies were led by Jaylen Wells’ 20-point night and an incredible shooting performance from Cam Spencer who posted 21 pts (6-8 FG and 3-4 3PT) and 6 assists.

Those were the three bright spots, other than that the Grizzlies were limited with help as Jaren Jackson Jr. continues his spotty performances. He has reverted to old Jaren, who gets bad fouls, and does some questionable shooting when down.

This is all stuff that should go away when the Grizzlies aren’t having to run these guys into the ground because there is no one left to play. It’s frustrating for sure, but Jaren isn’t a true second option, at least not at the moment.

The Grizz, yet again, have failed to protect the 3-point line allowing the Spurs to shoot close to 50% from the arc (46%) while also giving up 15 total turnovers, that must stop.

They led in points in the paint and rebounds, but were unable to get the shooting from three, as they shot 35% from deep (9-26).

The Spurs were led by Harrison Barnes, who has cemented himself as one of the premier Grizz killers, he had 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. De’Aaron Fox added 29 pts, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Even without Wemby this team is good, they are now 14-6 on the season and are in or near the top 10 in team offense, defense, and point differential.

It is okay to lose this game but sucks because the Grizzlies looked to be in it when it counted, only to fall short.

3-1 on a four-game road trip is great, what isn’t is that the Spurs were the only team with a winning record. The Grizz are shorthanded and last night it showed.

This was a test to see what the Grizz were made of, for three quarters it was good, then it wasn’t. Although the Spurs never led by more than 7 points, it seemed more as the Grizz were bad yet again at protecting the ball.

A few days separate us from the next game, so some good rest in your own bed, see family or friends, and eat some Thanksgiving leftovers could help them get back into the win column.

It has now been about 4 weeks since we saw Ja Morant on the court, and “people inside the league” are doing their talking because he isn’t on the court.

Let me remind you, in Memphis nobody is talking about trading Ja Morant, so if you see these things just know whoever posted it is engagement farming. No truth just people who aren’t in the 901 talking about the 901.

He will be reevaluated today or tomorrow to see how things are progressing, hopefully things have gone well and that he will be available for the game against the Clippers Friday night.

It will be nice to see him back leading the charge, and to let Vince Williams Jr. calm himself down. Vince has played out of his mind as the stand-in point guard but has flashes of dumb-dumb plays that make you put your hands on your head.

Regardless, I think he has been stretched a little thin, like most of the Grizzlies in the early part of the regular season.

The Grizzlies will have a three-game home stand starting Friday. With the Clippers, Trailblazers, and Jazz on the schedule, they should have a fighting chance to get to .500 by December 15th.

This would be a great turn of events, as they have played some lesser talent the last few weeks, and need to stack as many wins as possible before the calvary comes.

Tough loss, but one you can build on. Look for a preview of the Clippers game on Friday, it’s a giveaway night so get there early for you will not want to miss this one.