The Spurs have done an impressive job proving why they are a legitimate threat this season. San Antonio’s 25-10 record places them comfortably atop the Southwest Division and second in the Western Conference. Even without a fully healthy roster at times, they have continued to find ways to win, highlighting just how well their team is built.
Crunch time struggles against the Spurs
Memphis has won 16 of the last 20 meetings with San Antonio, but the tide has recently shifted, with the Spurs claiming the last three victories. The Grizzlies and Spurs meet for the third time this season on January 6th, and Memphis will need to find a way to respond. Despite dealing with injuries to key role players throughout the year, these teams have matched up well on the court.
In their last two meetings, the game swung back and forth, but Memphis was unable to close it out in the fourth quarter on both occasions. Now, the Grizzlies look to put an end to San Antonio’s three-game winning streak against them. While Memphis had the Spurs' number before that, there was a time in the early 2000s when they'd lost a nightmarish 21 straight games to Tim Duncan's squad.
The fourth quarter appears to be Memphis’ biggest weakness recently versus San Antonio. The Grizzlies do a good job keeping the games close, but they seem to run out of energy at the very end, which is why the Spurs have a 2-0 advantage over Memphis. Part of this likely has to do with fatigue, considering the Grizzlies have been playing with a heavily injured roster for the majority of the season and aren’t able to make as many substitutions. However, missed shots, turnovers, and defensive mishaps late in the game have also factored into the equation.
In order to shift the momentum in their direction in the next two meetings with San Antonio, Memphis must prioritize fourth-quarter execution and take better care of the basketball. Turnovers have been a lingering issue for the Grizzlies, and limiting them late in the game becomes even more critical against a team like the Spurs, who rank among the NBA’s top five clutch teams as of early January 2026.
San Antonio’s inconsistent ways
After three victories against the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, a lot of NBA fans were quick to proclaim San Antonio the best team in the league. This group has a lot of energy, physicality, and the overall team chemistry appears to be strong. However, just as the hype was at an all-time season high, the Spurs lost three out of their last five games, two of which being consecutive home losses against the Jazz and Cavaliers prior to Victor Wembanyama’s most recent injury.
Although San Antonio has proven its strength and depth on multiple occasions this season already, these inconsistencies make it difficult to gauge what every matchup will look like. Will the Grizzlies be playing against a high-powered, efficient offense that pushes the pace? Or will they be facing a team that struggles to connect and can’t find enough rhythm down the stretch?
Regardless of the scenario, the Grizzlies need to be prepared to play their own style of basketball that will help them set the tone and prevent the Spurs from extending their win streak.