Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cam Spencer showed some confidence at the third-quarter buzzer on Monday night when he drained a corner 3-pointer over Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant Attempted To Leg Sweep Cam Spencer After The Rookie Nailed A Tightly-Contested 3-Pointer
After drilling the shot from deep, Spencer was spotted jawing at Durant in a heated moment. Durant then tried to leg sweep Spencer going down the court, and both players were assessed technical fouls.
Memphis guard Desmond Bane came to his teammate’s defense, getting in Durant’s face before Durant shoved him away. It’s unclear what Spencer said to Durant, but it was enough to irk the two-time Finals MVP.
Before Bane showed up, Durant pointed at Spencer and had some words of his own. The Grizzlies held on to win 120-118 after Durant missed a difficult 3-pointer at the buzzer, which would’ve won Phoenix the game.
Spencer scored a career-high 16 points, including a pair of free throws in the final seconds to help Memphis secure the victory. He finished 5-of-7 (55.6%) shooting from the floor and made four 3-pointers.
Grizzlies Sit Third In The Western Conference Standings
During his postgame interview, Spencer was asked about his trash-talking moment with Durant. However, the UConn product refused to go into any details.
“No, that stays on the court,” Spencer said when asked about his exchange with Durant. “Not good for TV.”
Durant had 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 41 minutes of action. Devin Booker added 26 points for the Suns, who jumped out to a 25-9 lead that diminished before halftime.
Both teams continue to work around injuries. The Suns’ Bradley Beal was sidelined for left calf injury management, while the Grizzlies continued to play without leading scorer Jaren Jackson Jr., who missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle sprain.
Phoenix dropped to 30-35 in a disappointing year. The Suns are fighting to climb into the 10th spot in the Western Conference to make the play-in tournament. They entered the game trailing the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks by 1 1/2 games for the final postseason spot.
The Grizzlies improved 41-24, tied for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings.
