The San Antonio Spurs likely will have second-year star Victor Wembanyama back in the lineup when they visit the surging Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.
Whether newly acquired De’Aaron Fox is on the trip is less likely.
Multiple reports late Sunday had the eight-year veteran point guard going from Sacramento to San Antonio as part of a three-team trade that involved the Chicago Bulls sending Zach LaVine to the Kings.
Fox is averaging 25 points, 6.1 assists and 5 rebounds a game and should make the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama an even stronger offensive weapon.
Wembanyama missed Saturday’s last-second loss to the Miami Heat, a late scratch due to an illness that is not considered serious.
“Obviously, (Wembanyama) wasn’t feeling 100 percent (against Miami),” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “I expect it to be minor. It didn’t sound like it was anything drastic or extreme.”
Fox will be a welcome addition. The Spurs have lost six of their last eight games but did post an overpowering win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. In the 144-118 victory, Wenbanyama had 30 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Wenbanyama told the media after Saturday’s 105-103 loss to Miami that he was suffering from allergies. He was scratched from the lineup 40 minutes before tipoff.
As the All-Star break approaches, Wenbanyama leads the NBA with an average of 4 blocks per game and has at least one block in 77 consecutive games. He is averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists and will be a Western Conference reserve in the All-Star Game.
Memphis, meanwhile, is on a mid-season roll. The Grizzlies have won two straight games without star guard Ja Morant (right shoulder injury) and eight of their past nine overall. They also are 20-5 at home this season.
The Grizzlies rallied to beat the Bucks 132-119 on Sunday behind a strong fourth quarter, a decided rebounding edge (61-36) and 37 points from Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis outscored the Bucks 39-20 in the final period.
“Our pace, we just tried to wear them down in the fourth quarter,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We had great contributions from everyone.”
While Jackson led the Grizzlies in scoring and connected on seven 3-pointers, Memphis received 22 points and nine rebounds from Desmond Bane and 14 and 11, respectively, from Zach Edey.
The Grizzlies’ bench was a factor, too. Santi Aldama contributed 23 points and eight rebounds and Scotty Pippen Jr. was productive across the board, finishing with 10 assists, nine points, five rebounds and four steals in 23 minutes.
Pippen has had significant playing time with Morant missing 21 of the team’s 49 games and, more often than not, has been effective. He had a plus/minus rating of plus-22 Sunday.
“Scotty just tries to find ways to contribute to winning,” Jenkins said. “That’s what I’ve loved about him over the course of this season. He’s played a lot of different roles — coming off the bench, starting, playing with different personnel. He’s progressively gotten better as a decision-maker and as a play-maker.
“I told him the other day, ‘Your defensive intensity and the pace at which you play unlocks so much for our offense.’ We needed him (Sunday), and he came through for us big-time.”
–Field Level Media
