Led by Ja Morant’s 41 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 118-110. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks for the Grizzlies in the victory, while Dejounte Murray tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Spurs in the losing effort, his 10th triple-double of the season and 14th of his career. The Grizzlies improve to 33-17 on the season, while the Spurs fall to 18-31.
Post Game Comments:
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich
(On falling short again in a close game…)
“It was a three-point game at half. It’s not like we didn’t do anything. We just make turnovers at inopportune times or make a bad decision, which makes it tough. But as usual, they don’t give in. They keep working. They dig down deep. I think we spotted them, what? We were down 10, 12, 13 points, something like that, and they fight themselves back into the game, but we make mistakes at critical times. Overall, the big problem in some of our games is rebounding. We gave up 28 second-chance points and that’s tough. You have to work awful hard to recover from that, which they did. Just didn’t work out. Of course, it’s a hell of a team. They’ve got 37 wins for a reason. I was proud of our effort, and we just got to keep plugging and creating better habits and keep learning.”
(On the Grizzlies…)
“You’ve got to give them credit. It’s a hell of a team. Taylor does a great job. They are a rugged bunch.”
Spurs Center Jakob Poeltl
(On falling behind early, coming back, but falling short…)
“Basketball is a game of runs. We are aware of that, but still, we got to find a way to come out a little bit more aggressive. That’s been kind of the story, especially lately. I feel like in the beginning of the season, we did a better job with that. So, we have to find a way to get back to that. Down the stretch, it was a close game. We were just a couple plays short on the offensive and defensive end. Like I said, we did a great job of fighting that game. Just one play here, one play there. That’s the difference-maker.”
(On foul calls…)
“Ja [Morant] does a really good job looking for that contact. He’s very shifty in the paint, so you want to stay close to him to contest those floaters. At the same time, if he jumps into you and you are slightly out of position, chances are he’s going to get that call. Just trying to do the best I can. He’s a good player.”
(On if they did a good job staying physical with Memphis…)
“Yeah, I think so. I think in the beginning they got too many offensive rebounds, too many second-chance points. When we made that run to get back into the game, we took that away from them. We actually got stops and moved the ball really well on offense. They are very paint-heavy, so we found a way to move the ball to get their defense moving and then find shots on the weak side, get penetration at the end of the clock after we move their defense around. That was really effective for us.”
Spurs Guard Dejounte Murray
(On going head-to-head with Ja Morant…)
“This is what you sign up for. He’s talented. I’ve been watching him since he was in his early stages. I’m fully aware of what kind of player he is, and I’ve been watching his development each and every year. He came into the league, and they said to run the show, and he hasn’t shied away from it. He’s getting better each and every year. He’ll definitely be an all-star.”
(On calls that went in the Grizzlies favor…)
“It gets frustrating. I watch a lot of film, so I know how much you can really touch players and how much you can’t. I feel like on a lot of plays, especially when I’m coming off the passing lanes or guarding somebody, I try to get my hand on the ball. Even when our coaches review it, they see I got my hand on the ball. We had a bunch of crucial moments, and it just didn’t go our way.”
(On DeMar DeRozan coming to town Friday…)
“Me and DeMar talk every day. We became really tight. That’s my brother. That’s my family. We’re always around each other, always talking. He calls me after games, I call him after games. Nothing’s really changed, just the teams. I’m rooting for him. He’s rooting for me. He’s a classy dude, real professional guy. It’ll be great to have him come in town.”
Photo: Getty Images