MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tyus Jones, filling in for Ja Morant, had 24 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 16 and the Memphis Grizzlies withstood a second-half San Antonio rally to beat the Spurs 121-113 on Monday night.
Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks finished with 15 apiece for Memphis, which played its second consecutive game without Morant, its leading scorer, who is nursing soreness in his right thigh.
Tre Jones led the Spurs with 18 points while Josh Richardson added 16 points. Romeo Langford and Jakob Poeltl finished with 13 points each as the Spurs lost their second straight and fifth in the last six.
San Antonio, which trailed by 16 in the first half, made a dent in the Memphis advantage in the third quarter, pulling withing six points on several occasions. The Spurs would erase the lead early in the fourth on consecutive baskets from Richardson. Turnovers were hurting Memphis as the Spurs extended the lead to five points. From there, the two teams exchanged leads.
After the game was tied at 109 near the midway point of the fourth, Memphis clicked off an 11-2 rally to create enough of a buffer for its seventh straight win.
San Antonio shot well in the first half, connecting at almost 50%, including making 5 of 12 from outside the arc. The problem was, Memphis was hitting at a 60% clip, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range, resulting to a 72-61 lead at the break.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Keldon Johnson missed his second game with left hamstring tightness. Have lost six straight on the road.
Grizzlies: Have won eight straight in the series. Jackson had five blocks in the game.
SPURS TIME FOR DANNY GREEN
Grizzlies forward Danny Green, who played eight seasons with the Spurs, has not seen action this season as he recovers from left knee surgery after an injury suffered in last season's playoffs. Asked what he remembered about Green's time with the Spurs, coach Gregg Popovich replied: “He played more then, that's for sure.” Then he added that Green was the "consummate pro."
“He was a big part of what we did,” Popovich added of the time Green was in San Antonio. “He was always one of the team favorites. ... He's easy to be around. Got a great sense of humor. Just a good guy."
UP NEXT
The two teams play the second game of the series on Wednesday.