As favorites heading into a match against the understaffed Memphis Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs have heavily disappointed. The Silver and Black lost the neck-and-neck battle 106-105, leaving the city devastated. The disastrous loss has opened the door to numerous problems.
While the loss stunk, Victor Wembanyama was surely not to blame. The superstar piled on 30 points in just 21 minutes as he eagerly awaits the release of his minutes restriction. However, it gets pretty ugly elsewhere. To the surprise of many, the Memphis Grizzlies struck the Spurs’ biggest weaknesses and rubbed it in their faces.
The Memphis Grizzlies successfully employed a new tactic
It was clear that Grizzlies’ head coach, Tuomas Iisalo, had done his homework. In this game, the beaten-down squad made things extremely difficult for the Spurs by clogging the paint. All night long, two to three guys were contesting at the rim. For a San Antonio team that loves to attack the cup, this was a nightmare.
The result of this strategy was an atrocious shooting night for many of the Silver and Black. The Spurs guard trio, who are especially known for their inside-the-paint heroics, were held to a befuddling 11/39 from the field. Even Luke Kornet struggled inside, scoring only four points. It was an outright tragedy.
The Spurs were forced to take more threes and long twos, which resulted in disaster. Only Julian Champagnie found any success from deep. While it’s possible the squad simply struggled to knock down shots tonight, it’s a concerning trend to keep an eye on.
The Spurs struggled on the defensive glass without Wemby
Now, this one deserves a facepalm. Against a Memphis Grizzlies team that is deprived of big men, namely missing rebound-eater Zach Edey, the Spurs still could not control the glass. San Antonio gave up a whopping 17 offensive rebounds to a cast that isn’t known for getting dirty down low. The leader of the pack was Jock Landale, who got revenge against the team with which he started his career.
The issue is especially strange given the Spurs’ own success on the other end of the court. The Silver and Black popped off for 13 offensive rebounds of their own. Yet despite this success, they can’t figure out how to control their own glass.
The Grizzlies’ advantage in the rebounding department was one of the biggest factors in the Spurs’ loss. As San Antonio looks toward the Western Conference playoffs, they must find a solution to this growing problem. If not, they will be left behind.
