San Antonio Jan. 27 (BUS): Ja Morant hit a season-high with 41 points and the Memphis Grizzlies spoiled Degonte Murray’s 14th career hat-trick – equaling a Tottenham franchise record – with a 118-110 win over San Antonio on Wednesday night.
Murray tied the game at 106 with a 12-foot backwards jump that swept into the basket with 4:52 left to go. The Grizzlies responded as they did all night, getting an offensive rebound that led to a 3-pointer by Garen Jackson Jr.
Murray scored 16 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to match David Robinson’s team tag. It was the tenth time that Tottenham had achieved a triple-double this season.
Jackson finished the match with 22 points and nine rebounds in the Grizzlies’ fourth win in a row over Tottenham. Desmond added between 20 points in his return from a three-game absence while he was in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Devin Fassel scored 20 points from the bench, Keldon Johnson and Jacob Boeltel added 18 points each for Tottenham, who lost nine out of 12.
Both teams established a fast pace early, putting in 18 shots in the first five minutes.
Memphis used its size advantage to build a 13-point lead in the first quarter, outperforming San Antonio 12-6 in the paint. Tottenham responded with a 5 to 14 three-pointers but the Grizzlies closed the quarter on 19-11.
Memphis had a 62-50 scoring advantage in the paint.
San Antonio went 22-10 starting in the middle of the second quarter to pull off a three-point lead at 55-52. Scored six spurs during the run.
San Antonio kept its deficit to number one throughout the third and fourth quarters, but it couldn’t complete the rally.
Morant scored 13 points and four assists in the third quarter, including a pair of dives that put the Grizzlies up by 10 points and got those on the bench on their feet.
Hint
Grizzlies: Brandon Clark scored eight points in 20 minutes after missing Sunday’s loss in Dallas with a back injury. … Kyle Anderson and Teos Jones remain outside the league’s health and safety protocols due to COVID-19. Anderson has missed six games in a row and Jones has missed four. …Dillon Brooks hasn’t played since Jan. 8, and has missed nine straight games with an ankle injury. … The Grizzlies are 25-11 against the opponents of the Western Conference.
Tottenham: Murray has 10 hat-tricks this season, second in the league after Nikola Djokic 11. A 10-time hat-trick this season doubles the previous record set by Johnny Moore in 1985 and matched by Robinson in 1994. … San is back as assistants Antonio Pique Hamon and Darius Songela to the bench after completing league health and safety protocols, but Chip England went into those mandates. … Murray has no fewer than 10 assists in five consecutive games, becoming the first since Avery Johnson in 1993 to do so with Spurs. … Johnson has 150 three-pointers in 131 games. … F Keita Bates-Diop missed his second game in a row while following league health and safety protocols. .. Tottenham 2-6 in the South West Division.
next one
Grizzlies: Host Utah on Friday.
Tottenham: Chicago hosts on Friday.