The Grizzlies' season-long winning streak of three games ended after losing to the San Antonio Spurs for the second time this season. Also, for the second time this season, Spurs forward Harrison Barnes scored at least 23 points against the Grizzlies, with a season-high of 31 points to lead the Spurs.
The Grizzlies have a history of certain role players on opposite teams having consistently great games against them. They typically gameplan against the opposing star players to make an unsung player beat them, and it feels like it happens quite frequently. Now it appears that Harrison Barnes is the next in a long line of "Grizz Killers" that has the Spurs back on top in their regular-season series.
Barnes ensured the Grizzlies' struggles against good teams continued
The Grizzlies' loss to the Spurs prevented them from completing their first sweep of a four-game road trip or longer since 2013. Due to the Grizzlies' injury situation, going 3-1 in a four-game road trip is a win for the team, but losing to the only team with a good record stings. The loss brought their record to 9-13, which includes a 1-13 record against teams .500 and above.
This loss was also their second time losing to a Spurs team missing Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, while also blowing a late fourth-quarter lead in both contests. Their first battle on November 11th ended with Harrison Barnes sparking a game-ending 11-1 run after trailing 101-100 with three minutes remaining.
This time, a 113-110 lead with four minutes remaining was evaporated when De'Aaron Fox provided the spark to end the game on a 16-6 run. However, Harrison Barnes' 31 points set the stage for another late-game rally to keep the Spurs over the Grizzlies in their season series.
Coming into this season, the Grizzlies had won 16 out of their last 18 games against San Antonio. The Spurs had also not beaten the Grizzlies at home since 2018, which made their first rally for victory all the more impressive to break that streak. Barnes, specifically, has only four 20+ point games this season, with half of them coming against Memphis.
The Grizzlies and Spurs have two games remaining in their season series, with both games taking place in Memphis later in the regular season. Harrison Barnes has had their number in both of their matchups this season, so the team has to regroup to ensure he doesn't become a new member of the "Grizz Killer" crew in their final matchups.