The Spurs fill up the box score in loss to the Grizzlies

Seven Spurs scored in double digits, and a pair of big men notched double-doubles, but it was not enough to overcome the Memphis Grizzlies and their 14 threes on the night. Keldon Johnson led the team with 24 points, and Tre Jones contributed 22 and 6 assists. Jakob Poeltl had 17 points and 12 rebounds along with 5 blocks. Zach Collins, with no FOMO for double-doubles, had himself 14 points and 12 rebounds.

It’s my block party, and I’ll swat if I want to. Blockab Poeltl, the first of his name, was swatting shots like my soon-to-be three-year-old daughter was swatting imaginary flies with a flyswatter.

Jeremy Sochan soared through the friendly skies for this one-handed slam. The rookie had 11 points on 5 for 9 shooting as. Slowly, but surely (and don’t call him Shirley), Sochan is registering more shot attempts per game as Coach Popovich entrusts more offense to the young player.

I watched this clip no less than 20 times to figure out if Keldon Johnson lost the handles on it, and Jakob Poeltl just scooped it up for the lay-in. My rose-tinted final verdict is that KJ meant to drop the ball off the Poeltl for the deuce.

Sochan: “Jakob, do you trust me?”

Poeltl: “Yes, but wait no why what are you doing?”

Sochan: “Jakob, I know you got two defenders on you but DO YOU TRUST ME?”

Poeltl: “I do but Oh OK you’re gonna just slip the ball through the tiniest of windows right at my legs and expect me to finish at the rim.”

Sochan: “You’re welcooome!”

Coach Pop (sarcastically, I think) once said a week ago that he hopes the NBA creates a four-point shot so it’d be a real circus out there. Zach Collins said otherwise with this old school back to the basket, pivot paint move for the bucket down low.

Collins’s minutes have not been the model of consistency, but when the big man is out there, he’s producing. In fact, Wednesday night’s double-double was his second in the last three games. He’s filling his role as a backup big, and the Spurs hope to garner more of that production going forward.

Tre Jones was all over the floor on this interception that turned into a double fumble recovery for himself and ended with an and-1 for good measure. The Spurs starting point guard had his fingerprints all over this game as he did a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor.

They call him Sochan the Destroyer; I call him Sochan the Civilized, gliding through the paint with the sophisticated soft touch for the bucket over the outstretched arms of his defender.

Ok this one is why they call him Sochan the Destroyer: Pillaging, conquering, slamming, with the and-1.

And last but never least, the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs are back home in the Dome as they take on the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome on Friday, January 13, 2023.