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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) jumps to shoot between San Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV (1) and center Jakob Poeltl (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 28: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Desmond Bane #22 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at FedExForum on February 28, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 28: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Desmond Bane #22 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at FedExForum on February 28, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 28: Dejounte Murray #5 of the San Antonio Spurs brings the ball up court against De'Anthony Melton #0 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at FedExForum on February 28, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Dejounte Murray forcing a steal against fellow All-Star Ja Morant on the opening possession Monday gave the Spurs a great start against Memphis’ high-flying point guard.
But it went downhill in a hurry after that.
Morant finished with a franchise-record 52 points, and the Grizzlies won 118-105 for their franchise-best fifth win in a row over the Spurs.
It was the second game in a row Morant has set a franchise scoring mark. He had 46 in a win at Chicago on Saturday.
Morant seemingly compiled a season’s worth of highlight-reel plays against the Spurs, but coach Gregg Popovich said it would be wrong to focus solely on his freakish athleticism.
“It’s not just that he’s athletic,” Popovich said. “Everybody says, ‘He’s athletic’ (or) ‘he’s a freak of nature.’ ... OK, he’s got some athletic ability, even a lot. So do a lot of those guys. But he makes decisions. He knows what is going on on the court, he passes the basketball, he inherently understands space, he knows where he is on the court, he knows where everybody else is and what he’s got a lane to do what he does.
“So, you combine that cerebral part of his game with his athleticism and you’ve got a special kid.”
Morant went into halftime with 29 points. The highights of the outburst included a posterizing dunk over 7-foot Jakob Poeltl and an improbable buzzer beater at the end of the half in which he hung in the air to sink a 19-foot fadeaway over Josh Primo after hauling in a soaring, length-of-the-court inbound pass from Steven Adams with .4 seconds left.
Morant finished 22 of 30 from the field, including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc.
“That’s a great player right there,” Spurs guard Lonnie Walker said. “He knows his strengths. He does a great job going downhill, going to his left.”
The Grizzlies (43-20) led by 13 early in the fourth, but the Spurs (24-38) clawed back to within 104-99 midway through the final frame. But Morant quickly took over to bury the Spurs by scoring 13 in a row.
“They hung in and gave everything they had,” Popovich said of his young team.
Fueled by Morant’s 14 points on 6 of 8, the Grizzlies raced to a 42-34 lead in the first quarter after leading by as many as 11 points in the opening frame. The Spurs are 3-34 this season in games where they have fallen behind by 10 or more points.
The Spurs return to San Antonio to play Sacramento on Thursday after being away from the AT&T Center since Feb. 4. They finished the rodeo road trip 4-4.
“Overall, they have done a good job,” Popovich said. “They improved as a team. Tonight, I was disappointed because we gave up 42 in the first quarter. Mentally, we weren’t there. Was it three games in four nights and the last two that pretty much drained them? Probably a little bit, but I don’t care. They can’t have that excuse. The start of the game was really poor.”
Walker led the Spurs with 22 points. Dejounte Murray added 21 points and eight assists before being ejected late in the fourth quarter for throwing the ball at referee Aaron Smith.
The Grizzlies are 3-0 against the Spurs this season with one game left. Morant had 41 points when Memphis beat the Spurs last month.
Here are three takeways from the first game in which an opponent scored 50 or more points against the Spurs since Boston’s Jayson Tatum tallied a career-best 60 in a 143-140 overtime win in April 2021 in San Antonio.
Morant could be the face of the NBA soon
With the end likely near for LeBron James, the NBA will be looking for a new face of the league soon.
Morant would be a great place to start.
“He’s unbelievable,” Spurs forward Doug McDermott said. “He is going to be really good for a long time. He has such a great feel for the game. And when he is hitting 3s like he was tonight, he is almost unguardable.”
While Morant lacks James’ charisma, it was clear by his teammates reaction after the game that he’s well liked within the Grizzlies locker room.
“Teammates were hooting and hollering for him. Smiles everywhere,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
It helps that Morant is a humble sort who is quick to share the spotlight with his teammates.
“I’m thankful for my teammates, my coaches,” he said. “They believe in me, have all the confidence in the world that I can go make the right play, and tonight they were looking for me. As I got close, they told me to go ahead and go get (the 50 points).”
Kyle Anderson remains one of Popovich’s favorites
Popovich reiterated before Monday’s game his fondness for the former Spur.
“He's not super talented in the sense of great shooter, really quick and blows by people, one-on-one player, best rebounder,” Popovich said. He is none of those things, yet he's a hell of a player, a guy that anybody would love to have on their team.”
The Spurs selected Anderson 30th overall in the 2014 NBA draft. After four seasons with the club, he signed a four-year, $37.156 million contract with the Grizzlies in July 2018.
Would a return to San Antonio be possible for the former UCLA Bruin at some point? Popovich certainly wouldn’t mind it.
“He's a special teammate,” Popovich said. “He plays smarter than most everybody else on the court, and those are great attributes. He is a special kid."
Anderson came off the bench Monday for nine points, nine rebounds and six assists.
McDermott’s hot third period a reminder of what he can do
After sitting out Saturday’s 133-129 loss at Miami with a sore right knee, Doug McDermott returned to score 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from downtown.
McDermott did most of his damage in the third quarter, when he scored 11 points on 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
It was a reminder of what the veteran sharpshooter can do even as he faces defenses determined to limit his long-distance scoring.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of different defenses,” McDermott said. “They try to take the ball out of my hands, and I just try to fight around them and not give into their defense and impose my will on the game. It’s tough to get open in this league because people game plan for you, and you just have to let ’em fly when you get the opportunity.”
After three years as a part-time employee covering mainly high school sports, Tom Orsborn became a full-time employee at the Express-News in October 1985. He's covered the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL since 1999 and has also covered the Spurs, the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and a variety of other events, including 14 Super Bowls.