DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a free throw during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on December 23, 2020 in Memphis, Tennessee. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images/AFP
DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points to lead a balanced offensive attack as the visiting San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies 131-119 on Wednesday in the season opener for both teams.
All five of the San Antonio starters scored at least 16 points and seven Spurs finished in double figures.
The Spurs’ all-around offensive prowess overshowed a monster game from Memphis’ Ja Morant, who scored 44 points on 18-of-27 shooting.
San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray had 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge put up 20, and Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV each scored 16. Patty Mills had 13 points while Rudy Gay tallied 10. DeRozan added nine rebounds and nine assists.
The Spurs went 25 of 29 from the free-throw line, with DeRozan going 14 of 15, while the Grizzlies were only 11 of 18 on foul shots.
Dillon Brooks added 16 points for Memphis while Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Brandon Clarke managed 10 points and Kyle Anderson pulled down 10 boards.
The Spurs rallied from 10 points down early in the game to pull to within 33-30 after the first quarter.
San Antonio, keyed by six points each from Murray and Mills, reeled off a 14-0 run in the second quarter to take control of the game. Memphis never got closer than seven points over the final 30 minutes.
The first half featured three ties and seven lead changes, with San Antonio eventually leading by as many as 14 points before taking a 66-53 advantage into intermission. Murray and Johnson led the Spurs with 13 points apiece in the first half, which saw San Antonio outshoot the Grizzlies 50 percent to 42 percent.
Morant paced the Grizzlies with 10 points over the first 24 minutes and had six of Memphis’ 10 assists in the first half.
San Antonio carried a 99-88 lead into the fourth quarter.
Both teams shot well overall, with the Grizzlies hitting 51.6 percent from the floor and the Spurs making 50.5 percent.