Ty Jerome put up a game-high 28 points, Cam Spencer hit two key late 3-pointers, and the Memphis Grizzlies held off the host Sacramento Kings for a 129-125 victory Wednesday night.
The defeat spoiled the Kings debut of De’Andre Hunter, who was making his Sacramento debut after being acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers last week. Thrust immediately into the starting lineup, Hunter had nine points in 26 minutes, making just three of his 11 shots.
In a tightly contested affair in which neither team led by more than eight points, the Grizzlies broke the game’s final tie when Jaylen Wells buried a 3-pointer for a 117-114 advantage with 4:21 remaining.
Memphis never trailed again, getting three hoops — including a pair of 3-pointers — from Spencer and one interior basket apiece from Javon Small and GG Jackson, all when a miss would have given the Kings a chance to tie or take the lead.
The third of Spencer’s baskets, a 28-footer with 18.1 seconds left, countered a DeMar DeRozan 3-pointer 17 seconds earlier and turned a one-point game into a 129-125 Grizzlies lead.
Filling in for Ja Morant, Jerome shot 10-for-14 from the floor. He also found time for a game-high seven assists.
Jerome hit three of his four 3-point attempts and Wells went 6-for-9 from deep, helping the Grizzlies outshoot the hosts 43.9% to 30.6% from beyond the arc. Memphis outscored Sacramento 54-33 from deep.
Spencer finished with 20 points, while Wells had 18, Jackson 16, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 15 and Santi Aldama 12 for Memphis, which won its second straight after dropping six in a row.
Jackson grabbed seven rebounds, sharing team-high honors with Cedric Coward, who also collected a team-high six assists.
Domantas Sabonis paced Sacramento with 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
DeRozan checked in with 20 points, Nique Clifford 14, Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk 13 apiece, Zach LaVine 11 and Devin Carter 10 for the Kings, who dropped their 10th straight.
DeRozan, Clifford, Westbrook and Carter had five assists apiece.
–Field Level Media
