Spurs pull out a thriller over Grizzlies
Jaren Jackson Jr. walked back to the Grizzlies bench with a clear look of dejection. He had completed the first part of his job to perfection, drawing a foul as the Grizzlies trailed by two points with one second remaining.
With Mike Conley out sick and Marc Gasol traded to the Raptors, this was the 19-year-old rookie's moment to shine.
So after a night of battling foul trouble, he stepped to free-throw line with a chance to tie the game and potentially send the new-look Grizzlies to overtime with the steady Spurs.
His first shot clanged off the rim, and the Spurs escaped with a 108-107 win in a deflating ending to a thrilling Tuesday night affair inside Fedexforum.
Of 10 Grizzlies who played, only rookies Jevon Carter and Jackson and second-year player Ivan Rabb were on the roster to begin the season.
Big names: Avery Bradley scored a career-high 33 points to pace the Grizzlies (23-35). Bradley hit all seven of his shot attempts in the first quarter in a loud suggestion that he could be more than just a defensive stopper for Memphis.
Patty Mills and Lamarcus Aldridge led San Antonio (33-26) with 22 points apiece.
Notable: In his first game with the Grizzlies since coming over in the trade that sent Gasol to Toronto, center Jonas Valanciunas turned in a monster effort for Memphis with 23 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes. It was also his first game in two months as he was only recently cleared to return from a hand injury. The Spurs shot 29 free throws compared to 16 for the Grizzlies. Memphis shot only two free throws in the fourth quarter — Jackson's misses at the end. San Antonio shot eight free throws in the fourth quarter.
"There's no way that two teams compete that hard and put pressure on the rim and only team fouls," Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Quotable: "He hasn't played since December 12, so we'll have to be patient with our expectations. He's going to through that, plus he's learning a completely different system. But the things that you can tell: intellect, the willingness to compete and an unselfish nature — things we continue to preach to this group." Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Jonas Valanciunas.
Up next: The Grizzlies play at Chicago on Wednesday night at 6:30 in their final game before the All-star break. The Grizzlies and Bulls have not played yet this season.
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