Spurs don't need Victor Wembanyama to shut down Grizzlies late

Even without some of their defensive stars, the Spurs made stops. Devin Vassell had two blocks and two steals, one each on Coward in the final quarter. Fox had two steals and one block himself. Jeremy Sochan and Kelly Olynyk were plus-10 and plus-15 off the bench, helping cover for Wemby's absence on defense in a game where the Grizzlies shot only 40.4%. They also managed not to foul, limiting Memphis to nine foul shots.

The Grizzlies offense is struggling greatly

Just like the Spurs, the Grizzlies lost one of their most important players to a calf strain. Playing without Ja Morant, they needed someone to step up on offense. The only player who did so was Coward, the No. 11 pick who sank five three-pointers, scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. But he didn't get much help, particularly from Jaren Jackson, Jr., who shot 0-for-6 and had a turnover in the final quarter.

Memphis has one of the NBA's worst offenses this season, and Jackson is a big culprit. After signing a massive renegotiate-and-extend deal this summer for $240M, Jackson is averaging 17.9 points, down from 22.2 PPG last season, with only 1.4 assists against 2.1 turnovers. Never much of a rebounder, he's down to 5.2 per game, his lowest mark in six years.

The Grizzlies swapped Desmond Bane for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer, and the veteran wing has been miserable on offense. He's scoring only 7.7 PPG and shooting 28% on threes. Santi Aldama, who also signed a big contract this summer, is shooting 30.3% on three-pointers.

During their five-game skid, the Grizzlies have scored 101 or fewer points five times. They've lost nine of their last 10 games and averaged 105.5 points in that stretch. It hurts that they're missing Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen, Jr. but they're a deserved 4-11 on the season.

The Spurs are getting contributions from their whole roster in the face of injuries. The Grizzlies are decidedly not.