Ja Morant vs. Spurs: A History of Decimation

When Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant sees the San Antonio Spurs, he begins to salivate. At least that's the story the numbers tell.

The Spurs (5-6) host their Southwest Division rival Grizzlies (7-4) at the AT&T Center Wednesday night and it's an easy bet that Morant will come out guns-a-blazing based on his history of play against San Antonio.

Morant has faced the Spurs 10 times in his four-year career, more meetings he's had than with the other 28 teams. But despite the larger sample size, his numbers don't shrink against San Antonio.

At 27.4 points per game, Morant is averaging more points against the Spurs than any other team. Even more impressive? He's shooting a hot 57.9 percent from the field in those games despite the handful of matchups.

Feb. 28 of last season was the last time Morant faced the Spurs, as he went nuclear for a career-high 52 points while adding seven rebounds and two assists in a 118-105 win for Memphis He went 22 of 30 shooting for a scorching 73.7 percent, prompting Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to shower him with praise after the loss.

"He's a beautiful player," Popovich said last season. "What else can you say about him? But it's not just that he's athletic ... He makes decisions, he knows what's going on on the court. ... You combine that cerebral part of his game with the athleticism and you got a special kid."

This season, Morant is hardly on pace to slow down. He's eighth in the league in points per game (28.5) and 14th in assists (7.1) all despite playing less minutes per contest (32.1) than a whole slew of other NBA superstars.

Despite coming into Wednesday on a four-game losing streak, this year's Spurs team has proven capable of winning matchups that don't favor them. But defense has been a concern, as the San Antonio defense is tied with the Golden State Warriors for most points allowed per game (120.6) this season.

Regardless, the Spurs are fighting for a bit of pride in hopes of stopping Morant from embarrassing them again.

San Antonio and Memphis tip-off from the AT&T Center at 7 p.m.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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