Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said he liked what he saw from two-guard groups featuring Javon Small and Cam Spencer in Monday's 118-102 win at Toronto, Yahoo Sports reported.
Small and Spencer checked in together with 7:40 left in the first quarter, when the Raptors led 8-5. Over the next 80 seconds Memphis scored 7 straight points. Spencer assisted Jaylen Wells' tying 3-pointer, stole a pass from RJ Barrett and found Small for a floater that put the Grizzlies ahead 10-8. Cameron Boozer's layup made it 12-8.
Spencer finished with 7 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers in 16 minutes, 34 seconds. All of his points came in the second quarter, when he went 3 of 3, including a 3-pointer from Cedric Coward with 2:03 left in the half that made it 56-46, Memphis' biggest lead of the half. The Grizzlies led 59-53 at the break.
Small, who is on a two-way contract, scored 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting and had 5 assists in 23:41. Two of those assists were alley-oop dunks for Taylor Hendricks, and Small hit a 30-foot pull-up 3 that made it 78-68 in the third. Monday was his third appearance of the season; he had been inactive seven times while on assignment to the Memphis Hustle and scored 10 in his second game, Friday against Oklahoma City. Hendricks made 4 of 5 shots for 9 points. Memphis' bench scored 44 points, 17 more than Toronto's reserves.
Iisalo said he was satisfied from the start with the defensive points the team had wanted to tighten, even with mistakes, and that 'the vibes were good on the bench.' He said he loved the team's poise in the fourth quarter, with timely stops and execution 'sans couple turnovers.' After Quinten Post left in the first quarter, Iisalo said Memphis used lineups that had never played together.
The Grizzlies improved to 7-3. The report did not say the Small-Spencer pairing will start going forward; Iisalo said the rotation is not set this early.
Sources: Yahoo Sports