The San Antonio Spurs dropped their third game in a row on Tuesday night, falling to Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. It moved them to 5-28 on the season, keeping them in last place in the Western Conference standings. Ever since Morant came back, the Grizzlies have been able to string together some more wins.
But the game was about more than just Morant, Victor Wembanyama, and the other players on the court. It also saw a duel between two of the better coaches in the league – Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. And despite the Spurs loss, both coaches brought their A-game.
After the contest, Jenkins spoke highly of Popovich, calling him the best to ever do it.
“He’s the greatest of all time,” Jenkins said via Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “It’s an honor to be able to share the court with him. He’s meant so much to me and my development, the staff in San Antonio giving me my opportunity. But every time you’re going to play a Popovich-coached team, it’s going to be a challenge. The game within the game, the X’s and O’s, the strategies, his game plan and lineup adjustments.”
Memphis earned the 106-98 win over San Antonio on Tuesday night, and Morant led the way. He finished the game with 26 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-9 from distance.
For the Spurs, it was Wembanyama’s 20 points and Keldon Johnson’s 19 that kept them in it, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to overcome what the Grizzlies brought to the table.
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