Victor Wembanyama, Spurs beat short-handed Grizzlies

Victor Wembanyama scored 18 points and blocked seven shots to lead a balanced San Antonio attack as the visiting Spurs rolled to a 102-87 win over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

It was a late-season clash between teams that have already been eliminated from postseason contention.

The Spurs snapped a 13-game losing skid to Memphis that began in the 2020-21 season. San Antonio (20-59) to salvage one win in the four-game season series with the Grizzlies (27-52).

It was the third straight game in which the injury-shackled Grizzlies competed with just eight active players, the NBA minimum, and that took its toll.

Memphis led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter and by a point at halftime before the Spurs wore down the Grizzlies, moving to the front for good early in the third quarter and pushing their advantage to 77-61 heading into the final period.

From there, San Antonio cruised to the finish to win for the second time in three games.

Julian Champagnie added 17 points for the Spurs, with Blake Wesley tallying 13 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili racking up 11 points and 16 rebounds, and Sidy Cissoko and Malaki Branham scoring 10 points each.

Scotty Pippen Jr., Brandon Clarke and Trey Jemison led Memphis with 14 points each. Zavier Simpson had 12, GG Jackson scored 11 and Jordan Goodwin amassed 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Memphis roared to the front via a 15-0 run midway through the first period, with the surge capped by a layup from Pippen. San Antonio swung back, culling its deficit to 25-16 after 12 minutes of play.

The Spurs tied the game at 37 when Champagnie scored on a running dunk with 6:19 to play in the second period. Memphis scored eight of the next 11 points to go up by five after a dunk by Jamison with the 2:50 mark before settling for a 49-48 lead at the break.

Jackson and Clarke led the Grizzlies with 10 points apiece before halftime while Mamukelashvili paced the San Antonio attack with nine points.

The Spurs took charge in the third quarter. Leading just 59-55 with eight minutes to play in the quarter, San Antonio reeled off a 14-3 run capped by five straight points by Champagnie that made it a 73-58 advantage.