Vassell invites rematch after revealing Memphis battle was filled with trash-talk

San Antonio dropped another winnable game, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies. The loss makes the Silver and Black 4-6 in their last 10 games and 2-4 in January of the new year. We knew the start of 2025 would be difficult for the Spurs, so we can't say that we're surprised. However, due to how these games are being lost, it's okay to be a little disappointed.

The Grizzlies have been whipping Alamo tail for years now, and the hope was that this would be the latest team to see their dominance over San Antonio shaken. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and there's no doubt that Memphis was letting the guys know about it. It was easy to spot the chippiness and trash talk, but Vassell addressed it after the game, explaining that he can't wait for round two.

The Spurs almost had the Grizzlies before their late collapse

Devin Vassell had another strong shooting night (7-13 for 21 points), further suggesting he's turned a corner. He just needs to shoot more in the fourth quarter. He only took one shot, and that played into their opponent's hands.

Stephon Castle played very well in this game, but in the end, he was taking shots because the Grizzlies wanted him to. He was no longer playing on his terms, and San Antonio must have a counter to that. The strategy can't just be for a 25% 3-point shooter to keep jacking them up. That's what they want him to do. He finished with 26 points and four assists.

Victor Wembanyama had a strong defensive first half, smacking eight shots, but the Grizzlies kept him on the move and played keep away in the second half, so that's what he finished with. On the other end, they got extremely physical with him, playing off of Castle to deter Wembanyama.

Wemby ended the night with 13 points on 5-19 FG and 3-10 3PT. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, but it felt like he needed 20 to stop the Grizzlies from getting second-chance opportunities.

Spurs can get a huge confidence boost with a Friday win

Memphis may be the better team, but the Spurs weren't far from beating them in their first matchup of the season. Bluff City's hoop squad sits at the third spot in the Western Conference, so that gives them added confidence they don't need. Ja Morant is already as boisterous as they come, and the rest of his team follows his lead.

You could hear him yelling from your couch after every big play he or a teammate made. He even flexed after a dunk (that didn't count) over Victor Wembanyma despite an obvious lack of energy from the Alien once he heard the whistle that blew the play dead. We've all seen Wemby go after dunk attempts with more ferocity than he showed in that clip.

Though, I can admit some of that is Vic's fault. If he didn't want the possibility of a viral reaction, he shouldn't have given a lackluster effort on the block attempt.

It wasn't just Morant, though. Desmond Bane and other Grizzlies could be seen sharing their thoughts with San Antonio as they roared back to take the lead and eventually win the game.

At the end of the day, the Grizzlies are ahead of the young Wemby-led Spurs. They're expected to beat the 11th seed, and they entered the night favored that way. We know that San Antonio is capable of beating good teams, but they haven't reached the point where that can be the expectation every night.

But that doesn't mean that they won't rise to the occasion when challenged. We've seen them do it, and Memphis threw down the gauntlet tonight with their unrelenting chirping, so fans should expect to see a response. That game will be on ESPN, giving San Antonio a chance to make a resounding statement the entire league will hear.