On January 16th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Spurs hosting the Grizzlies at home. Prior to this game, the Grizzlies had lost to the Rockets and were struggling to regain their position in the top two in the West. However, the Nuggets were chasing closely with a four-game winning streak, so the Grizzlies needed to win to maintain their third place in the West. The Spurs also couldn't afford to lose as it would drop them out of the top ten in the West. A tough battle was inevitable. Let's discuss the game process and player performances.
Game Review:
The first quarter started with Morant and Zhou Zhihao leading the Grizzlies to a 10-2 lead. Wen Ban and Castle hit consecutive threes to help the Grizzlies close the gap with an 8-2 run. Jaren Jackson and Aldama combined for 5 points to give the Grizzlies a slight lead. Keldon Johnson scored 5 points in response, and after the bench came in, the Spurs gradually overtook the score. At the end of the quarter, Tre Jones hit a three-pointer and Keldon Johnson made two free throws, giving the Spurs a 2-point lead.
In the second quarter, Champa Ni hit consecutive threes to help the Spurs expand their lead. Lala Via and Little Pippen led an 8-0 run to tie the score. Barnes and Paul combined for 4 points, and Vassell made three free throws, allowing the Spurs to re-establish a slight lead. After that, Kennard became a key player, hitting consecutive threes to help the Grizzlies close the gap to just 3 points. However, the Grizzlies suddenly went cold, which gave the Spurs an opportunity. Led by Vassell, they established a 12-point lead at halftime.
After halftime, Wells and Bane led the Grizzlies on an offensive surge, with a 12-2 run to catch up. Vassell and Castle combined for 6 points to stop the bleeding, while Morant and Aldama scored successively, reducing the Grizzlies' deficit to 7 points. Thereafter, the Spurs' offense remained stagnant, with frequent misses, while the Grizzlies unleashed their firepower, scoring 43 points in the quarter to take a 6-point lead into the fourth.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Jaren Jackson and Huff scored successively to help the Grizzlies extend their lead. Castle and Wen Ban responded with threes, followed by another three from Jaren Jackson. Castle and Barnes combined for 4 points in response. After that, Morant and Bane scored successively, extending the Grizzlies' lead to double digits, effectively ending the suspense. Ultimately, the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies 115-129.
Morant Orchestrates the Team:
In this game, Morant shot 9 of 13, including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc, finishing with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, and 1 steal. When playing reasonably, Morant is still very strong and can effectively orchestrate the team. In this game, the Grizzlies' interior advantage disappeared. Facing Wen Ban, they struggled. Jaren Jackson's interior scoring ability was already weak, and it was even worse under Wen Ban's defense. He finished the game shooting 8 of 24, including 2 of 8 from three-point range, for 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Bane shot 8 of 13 for 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Bane has excellent individual skills but sacrificed many one-on-one opportunities for the sake of the team's collective basketball system. The Grizzlies are perhaps the team most similar to the Spurs, not the current Spurs, but the Spurs of the 2010s, with top-tier team basketball. They did not choose to conform to the trend of shooting more threes but instead utilized more penetration and passing to create opportunities.
In this game, Aldama scored 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Huff contributed 11 points, and Kennard added 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. This team has many capable players, and Aldama has a chance to compete for Sixth Man of the Year this season. Zhou Zhihao shot 3 of 6 for 6 points and 5 rebounds. Facing Wen Ban, he delivered a dunk but was also limited, encountering difficulties on the offensive end with 3 blocks, as did Jaren Jackson with 3 blocks.
Spurs' Triple-Double Effort:
In this game, although Wen Ban locked down the opponent's twin towers in the paint, the twin towers also effectively restricted him. Wen Ban shot 5 of 19, including 3 of 10 from three-point range, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 8 blocks. I found that Wen Ban fears quick interior players like Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson. Although they are not as tall as Wen Ban, their speed and physicality match up well. Wen Ban's shooting is not yet invincible, so his offense can be somewhat contained.
In this game, the other two young core players of the Spurs also performed well, helping the team withstand the Grizzlies' offensive pressure. Vassell shot 7 of 13, including 3 of 6 from three-point range, finishing with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Castle shot 9 of 21, including 2 of 9 from three-point range, for 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Since moving to the bench, Castle has shown great performance, proving that he is better suited for a starting role. He scored 23 points against the Lakers in the previous game, and this No. 4 pick is delivering on his potential.
Off the bench, Keldon scored 17 points and 4 rebounds. The current Spurs can compete with strong teams because of Wen Ban's terrifying defensive influence, which has raised the level of the Spurs. However, they still have a gap from top-tier teams, and their discipline is not good. It is hoped that Popovich will correct this issue upon his return. What do you think about the current Grizzlies and Spurs? Feel free to leave your comments for discussion.