Behind a team-high 24 points from Tyus Jones and a double-double by Steven Adams, Memphis extended its winning streak to seven games with a 121-113 win over visiting San Antonio on Monday night.
An 11-1 run to open the fourth quarter gave the Spurs a 103-98 lead with less than nine minutes to play.
The game went back and forth midway through the quarter, but a steal by Dillon Brooks and a huge 3-pointer by Desmond Bane highlighted a 7-0 run to put Memphis up 116-109 with 4:27 to go in the game.
A 3-pointer from Jaren Jackson Jr. with 2:03 to play gave Memphis a 120-11 cushion with 2:03 to play.
Jones started in place of Ja Morant (right thigh soreness) for the second straight game and was 11 of 19 shooting from the field, including 2 of 4 from the 3-point line.
Adams, who missed one game with an illness, returned to collect 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Starters Brooks (15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals), Bane (15 points) and Jackson (16 points, six rebounds, five blocks) also scored in double-figures.
Santi Aldama (13 points), Ziaire Williams (11 points, five rebounds) and Xavier Tillman (nine points, seven rebounds) were solid off the bench for the Grizzlies.
Tre Jones, the brother of Tyus, had a team-high 18 points and seven assists for San Antonio. Josh Richardson added 16 points and five assists off the bench.
Jakob Poeltl (left Achilles bursitis) returned after missing Saturday’s game against Boston and had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Keita Bates-Diop (10 points) and Romeo Langford (13 points, five rebounds and four assists) were the other Spurs starters in double figures.
Off the bench, Malaki Branham scored 12 points and Zach Collins added nine points and six rebounds.
Memphis jumped out to a 35-25 first quarter lead behind five points from Tyus Jones, four points each from Adams and Bane and six points off the bench from Aldama.
Memphis took a 72-61 lead into the half, but San Antonio went 5 of 10 from the 3-point line in the third quarter to cut Memphis’ lead to 97-92 entering the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media