De’Aaron Fox delivered in the clutch, sinking a tiebreaking 20-foot jumper with 2.1 seconds left to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a 130-128 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at FedExForum.
Fox finished with 20 points, matching Devin Vassell, while rookie Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 off the bench. The win marked just San Antonio’s second in six games since losing Victor Wembanyama to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a game-high 42 points for the Grizzlies, who dropped their second straight close game and fell into a tie for third place in the Western Conference.
The Spurs built a commanding 77-58 halftime lead after erupting for 46 points in the second quarter. Jeremy Sochan contributed 11 of his 18 points in the period as San Antonio capitalized on Memphis’ decision to rest key players, including Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, and Vince Williams Jr.
Memphis responded with a 38-point third quarter, closing the gap to 99-96 entering the fourth. Jackson fueled the comeback with 18 points in the period.
The Grizzlies pulled even at 125-all on Jackson’s jumper with 49.8 seconds left. Fox briefly restored San Antonio’s lead with three free throws at the 29.1-second mark, but Jackson answered with a clutch 3-pointer to tie it again at 128 with 23.4 seconds remaining.
That set the stage for Fox, who stepped back and drilled the game-winner, sealing the victory for the Spurs.
All four Spurs reserves scored in double figures, with Keldon Johnson adding 15 points and Julian Champagnie contributing 14. Sochan also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Chris Paul finished with eight points and a team-high eight assists for San Antonio.
Santi Aldama recorded a double-double for Memphis with 15 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. Jaylen Wells chipped in 18 points, Zach Edey added 17 with a team-high nine rebounds, Luke Kennard had 14, and Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 12.
Edey made all seven of his shot attempts and blocked three shots.
Bucks Rally Past Mavericks
Giannis Antetokounmpo led six Milwaukee players in double figures with 29 points as the Bucks overcame an early deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 132-117 on Saturday night.
The Mavericks led 57-50 with 4:50 left in the second quarter before the Bucks erupted for a 21-6 run, sparked by a Gary Trent Jr. 3-pointer off an Antetokounmpo assist. Milwaukee took a 71-63 lead into halftime and never trailed again.
Trent scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half, coming off the bench.
The Bucks extended their lead with a 10-2 run early in the third quarter, widening the gap to as much as 23 points.
Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 31 points for Dallas, which trimmed the deficit in the fourth quarter but never got closer than 12 points.
The Mavericks struggled with frontcourt depth as Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford remained sidelined. Moses Brown, on the final game of his 10-day contract, nearly recorded back-to-back double-doubles, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting.
Jaden Hardy added 16 points off the bench for Dallas, which shot 43 of 91 from the field. Milwaukee shot a similar 44 of 87 but held key advantages at the free-throw line (31 of 35 vs. 20 of 25) and beyond the arc (13 of 39 vs. 11 of 40).
Damian Lillard and Trent each made four 3-pointers, with Lillard finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Brook Lopez added 13 points, Kevin Porter Jr. had 11 off the bench, and Kyle Kuzma contributed 10.
Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple-double, adding nine rebounds and nine assists to his team-high 29 points.
Milwaukee’s dominant second-half performance secured another strong road victory as the team continues its playoff push.
