Memphis bolted out to an early 21-point lead on the broad shoulders of Jonas Valanciunas’ dominant inside play and pressure-free shooting from Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson, Jr. San Antonio pulled back into the game on numerous occasions. But for each time that San Antonio pulled within one or two possessions, the young Grizzlies squad was able to stave off the Spurs with clutch shooting and gritty defense. San Antonio was done in by poor transition defense early and worse rebounding late, while shooting better from behind-the-arc (36%) than overall (35%)
Valanciunas’ monstrous performance (23 points and 23 rebounds) against the San Antonio frontcourt was bolstered by Ja Morant (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Spurs irritant Dillon Brook (24 points and 7 rebounds).