SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Memphis Grizzlies (13-5), 104-103, at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night.
DeMar DeRozan hit a fadeaway jumper over Mike Conley with 1.7 seconds remaining but Rudy Gay fouled Marc Gasol with 0.7 seconds remaining. After Gasol hit two free throws, LaMarcus Aldridge appeared to get fouled on the final shot attempt by Gasol but no call was made.
“It was a great game both ways,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “It was a great game. Unfortunately, we got a foul at the end.”
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: DeRozan, Aldridge, and Patty Mills.
The Good:
- Rudy Gay, Aldridge, and DeRozan combined for 64 of San Antonio’s 103 points on the night.
- The Spurs attacked early and often in the game, trying to beat the Griz at their own grit and grind style of play.
- Tim Duncan made an appearance at the AT&T Center, it is always good to see a legend in the house.
The Bad:
- Despite the foul call or lack of one, it was not the deciding factor in Wednesday’s game. The third quarter was. Memphis had the slight edge 20-18 but the Grizzlies built their biggest lead of 10 in the period. Missed shots, turnovers, and miscues all played a part in San Antonio trying to play catch up.
- What we’re calling “foul-gate” put a blemish on what was otherwise a solid game between two division rivals.
- San Antonio could not contain Memphis guard Mike Conley, who finished with 30 points and shot 48 percent shooting.
- Marc Gasol also gave the Spurs bigs fits as he posted 20 points and 10 rebounds on the night. Aldridge along with Jakob Poeltl had trouble guarding the big fella.
Three Standout Players:
DeMar DeRozan:
The guard had what should have been the game-winning basket before that foul at the end of the game.
DeRozan finished with 24 points on 50 percent shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists. But there was no doubt it was the last play that stung the most since he could have won the game for the Silver and Black.
“I thought it was a foul,” he said. “Not even thought. It was a foul. I’m pretty sure everyone here agrees with me as well.”
LaMarcus Aldridge:
Aldridge deserves praise for this game, he banged down low, drove to the rim, and even shot from the outside. The problem? He could get his shot to fall for a good part of the game.
He still finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds but shot 6-for-20 from the floor. He hit big shots when it mattered most. He went 0-for-1 from three and it would be that shot that hurt the most.
“What I can say is there was a lot more contact than what they called on Rudy,” he said.
Patty Mills:
The Aussie guard and fan favorite was a huge spark for the Spurs off the bench on both ends of the floor.
For the offensive side, he finished with 15 points and went 3-for-4 from three-point range. He was aggressive in going to the basket in the first half when San Antonio struggled to get their shot going.
On defense, he was active as well. He got his hands in the passing lanes and nearly had a few steals. He did his job by making life miserable for the Memphis guards on the floor.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 8-9 on the season and will have a day off to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday before taking on the Indiana Pacers (11-7) on Friday night at 7 p.m. Central Time from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
