Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies – Game #40
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will be out for revenge (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will look to get revenge tonight versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Two nights ago, the Grizzlies ran away from the Spurs in the fourth quarter to post a 129-115 victory. The Silver and Black led by 12 points in halftime and were in it at the end before Memphis took over. The loss dropped the Spurs to 19-20, while the win improved the Grizzlies to 26-15.
The Spurs haven’t been two games under .500 since they were 3-5 on November 6th. They’ll need to win this evening to avoid returning to that mark.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are third in the Western Conference. This will be their fourth game of a four-game road trip. So far, Memphis is 2-1 on the trip. Their only loss was to the Houston Rockets, who currently stand in the second seed in the West.
San Antonio Spurs Injury News
Unfortunately, Jeremy Sochan remains out with back soreness. The Spurs haven’t given a timetable regarding when their starting power forward will return to action. So far this season, Sochan has only been able to play 22 of the team’s 39 games. The majority of his missed games were due to a broken bone in his thumb.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
With Jeremy Sochan once again on the sidelines, expect interim head coach Mitch Johnson to go with Chris Paul at point guard, Stephon Castle at shooting guard, Devin Vassell at small forward, Harrison Barnes at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center.
In his rookie season, Castle has started 21 games so far. He has been really, really good as a starter. In those 21 games, he’s averaging 14.8 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game. He also shoots better from the field (40.7%) and from three-point range (28.4%) as a starter than as a reserve.
Looming Trip to Paris
The Spurs will play two games in Paris this season. Those games are now just around the corner. After tonight’s game, San Antonio goes to Miami to play the Heat on Sunday. After that, the Spurs fly to Paris to play a pair of games versus the Indiana Pacers. The first game is on Thursday and the second game is on Saturday.
Following their return to San Antonio, the Spurs will have a couple days off before taking on the Los Angeles Clippers at the Frost Bank Center.
Betting Guide: Spurs vs. Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are two-point favorites over the Spurs tonight according to oddsmakers. The over/under is at 239 points. The smart money is on the Spurs. The Spurs will be looking for revenge and should have a bounce back performance.