The Memphis Grizzlies will be looking to complete a season-series sweep of the San Antonio Spurs when the clubs meet for a fourth and final time Saturday night in Tennessee.
Continuing a trend they began in January 2021, the Grizzlies have dominated their Southwest Division rival this season, winning at home by 28 points and on the road by 14 and 19.
The Grizzlies have won 16 of the teams’ last 17 matchups.
As opposed to the first three meetings, San Antonio will play this time without Victor Wembanyama, who put up some strong numbers against the Grizzlies in defeat before he was diagnosed with a season-ending blood clot in his right shoulder on Feb. 20. The Spurs have gone 1-4 since then, losing their past four in a row.
Against Memphis this season, Wembanyama recorded three double-doubles while averaging 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks.
The Grizzlies have gained the upper hand in the series due to superior depth. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane topped 20 points in both of their games against the Spurs. GG Jackson did it in his only meeting. Santi Aldama reached that level in two of his three. Jaren Jackson Jr. did so once, while putting up 19 on both other occasions, and Jaylen Wells also did it once.
Memphis likely will have to lean on multiple players once again as it will be enduring the second night of a back-to-back. The Grizzlies endured a double whammy Friday at home against the New York Knicks, exhausting themselves in a tight battle that they lost 114-113.
The Grizzlies were able to use 10 players for at least 12 minutes each, but they face the possibility that Bane won’t complete the back-to-back because of a sore left groin. He went 35 minutes against the Knicks and compiled 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Key reserve GG Jackson sat out the Friday game with an eye irritation, so he would be well rested should his vision be 20-20 on Saturday.
“He’s just dealing with some eye inflammation,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “He had some imaging. We’ll see how things come up from the tests and how he feels.”
The Spurs, meanwhile, are wrapping up a four-game trip that so far hasn’t produced any wins. They were swept by a total of 24 points in back-to-back games by the New Orleans Pelicans before taking a 118-106 loss at Houston on Wednesday.
With two days off between games, the Spurs received a surprise visit from coach Gregg Popovich, who left the club in November after suffering what was labeled a mild stroke. Popovich, 76, told Spurs players he would not return to coaching this season, leaving that task to Mitch Johnson.
“Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job, and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding,” Popovich said in a statement. “I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.”
The Grizzlies will see Bismack Biyombo as a Spur for the first time. The 14-year veteran, who played 30 games with the Grizzlies last season, was signed to a rest-of-season contract this week after playing six games on 10-day deals.
Serving as San Antonio’s starting center, Biyombo had double-doubles in both games against the Pelicans at the start of the trip, but the Rockets limited him to four points and three rebounds.
–Field Level Media
