Spires on the Rise: Why Memphis Shouldn’t Underestimate the Southwest Showdown Competition
In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the teams that make up the Southwest Division are the New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Because these two teams will meet four times in the regular season, it is imperative that the Grizzlies perform well.
For postseason tiebreakers, division records do matter, even though conference standings have more weight these days.
Additionally, the division’s best teams have a mental advantage, which is particularly useful in the weeks running up to the playoffs.
This is the second installment of our series on the San Antonio Spurs, and in it, we’ll take a look at the squad, their matches from the previous year, and why each game against them in the 2025–26 season is crucial.
When facing the Spurs, how do you think the Grizzlies will fare? This is why the level of competition in these games might surprise you.
The Spurs could be a huge threat
The Spurs were on a bit of a roller coaster ride last year. It’s hard to tell exactly where they will fall in terms of the rankings this year, but there is a lot of potential for them to surge.
While Chris Paul is no longer in San Antonio, the new core of Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle has yet to show the world its full potential due to injuries to Wembanyama and Fox last year.
Now those three — plus Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant, Luke Kornet, Kelly Olynyk, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell — get to compete for the first time altogether.
This team could be a major threat in the Southwest Division, and it won’t be a surprise if they are a top team in the West as well.
Overall, the Grizzlies performed very well against the Spurs last season. They were one buzzer-beater away from going 4-for-4.
In the first three meetings, Memphis won by a large margin. It was only in the final game that the Grizzlies didn’t secure the win. Jaren Jackson Jr. tied the game in the final minute, but then De’Aaron Fox hit a step-back jump shot to break the tie with under three seconds remaining in regulation.
Revamped and ready to go
Despite Memphis’s dominance in last season’s matchup with San Antonio, the two teams are very different now.
In the 2025–26 season, the Grizzlies and Spurs will meet for the first time on November 18th.
This is likely to be before Zach Edey is a regular starter again. With this game, the Grizzlies wrap up a rough patch that included road trips to face the Knicks, Celtics, and Cavaliers.
Given that, there’s a chance Memphis will be running low on energy and, possibly without Edey, the Wembanyama matchup could be a challenge. The Grizzlies will need to approach this game with a lot of strategy if they want to leave Frost Bank Center with a victory.
Memphis will see the Spurs again on December 2nd, but the rest of the series will take place in the upcoming calendar year.
Hopefully, by December, Zach Edey will be back, or the Grizzlies will be able to cap off their first trip to San Antonio with a win.
The good news for Memphis is that the last two matchups against the Spurs are both home games, so the Grizzlies get the advantage in 2026 when conference standings are far more important.
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