Game 58: De'Aaron Fox's game winner over Grizzlies ends Spurs' losing streak
(1) Fox's clutch free throws and game winning jumper. (2) Strong outside shooting game for San Antonio and Stephon Castle leads the way off the bench. (3) Better job on boards by Spurs.
Saturday in Memphis the San Antonio Spurs got off to another good start, building a 22-point lead in the first half, and entering halftime ahead by 19 points over the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies would start to make their comeback in the second half, eventually tying the Spurs. In crunch time, let’s fast forward to the final 4 possessions, where De’Aaron Fox helped the Spurs hold on for the win.
Possession 1: Tied game and Spurs ball with 49.8 seconds left - After getting a switch on big man Zach Edey late in the shot clock, Fox attempted a pull up three and though he missed the shot, Edey got in his landing space, and fouled him. Fox went to the free throw line and drilled all three clutch free throws. Spurs lead 128-125
Possession 2: Grizzlies ball with 29.7 seconds left - Jaren Jackson Jr. tried to take Jeremy Sochan off the dribble, but after Sochan stayed with him, Jackson Jr. took a pull-up three that was contested well by Sochan. The shot barely went in with the help of the backboard. Tied game at 128 all.
Possession 3: Spurs ball with 23.4 seconds left - The Grizzlies sent an early double team toward Fox to get the ball out of his hands. Fox passed the ball, but then got it once more. Once he got the ball in his hands again, with rookie Jaylen Wells guarding him, Fox went to his left, was able to create enough space with his step-back dribble, and he made the game winning 20-foot jumper. Spurs lead 130-128
Possession 4: Grizzlies ball with 00.3 seconds left - With no timeouts left, the Grizzlies were forced to check the ball in from the opposite basket and after Santi Aldama heaved a 62-foot full court shot, the shot was well short, and the Spurs held on for the win.
“In a spot like that, we knew they had no timeouts, so you’re really just trying to get up the last shot,” said Fox after the game. “I knew they would hit - which means send me a double team. I knew they would do it. I told them (Spurs teammates), one - be ready, but two - if I can go get the ball, I’m going to go back and get the ball. I got off it early, Dev kicked it back to me, and they tried to do it again. I rejected it, tried to get to a spot and tried to get the last shot.”
“For some reason, no matter how I’m playing, the last shot just always goes in for some reason,” said Fox, who was shooting 6-of-16 (38% FG) from the floor before his game winner.
“He embraces those moments,” said Spurs Acting Head Coach Mitch Johnson of Fox’s game winner. “I thought the other guys did a good job also when they doubled him early and we kept our composure. Devin got the ball back to him at the appropriate time and we stayed spaced and allowed him to do his thing, and he did it. So he gets credit for that and the guys around him do too, to keep the poise.”
With the win, the Spurs snapped their 4-game losing streak, and improved to 25-33 this season. The Spurs have almost remained perfect when building a 20-point lead in a game this season. They’re now 12-1 when leading by 20 points, with their lone loss being a 26-point comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers in early November.
Play-in race update: The Spurs (13th out West) are now 5.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks (32-29) for the final play-in spot out West. Should the Mavs win 43 games, the Spurs would need to go 19-5 in their final 24 games of the season.
Lottery update: The win keeps the Spurs 9th in the lottery order and 2 games ahead of the Chicago Bulls (8th), 4.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (7th), and 5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets (6th).
On Offense
The Spurs had been struggling shooting the long ball since losing Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season, but Saturday, they got 39% of their triples to fall. This was their best shooting night from outside since having to play without Wemby after his injury news. The Spurs are now 14-14 when winning or tying the 3-point line in a game this season. That’s linked to over half their wins (56%).
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