Grizzlies beat Kings 123-112 as Ty Jerome scores 31 and Memphis starts 3-0 despite Zach LaVine's 37

The Memphis Grizzlies stayed perfect to open the season. Ty Jerome scored 31 points and made all 14 of his free throws as Memphis beat the Sacramento Kings 123-112 on Sunday night, Oct. 25, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The win moved the Grizzlies to 3-0, while the Kings fell to 0-3 despite a game-high 37 points from Zach LaVine, according to the Associated Press.

Grizzlies vs. Kings final score

How the game turned

Sacramento led 28-25 after the first quarter, but Memphis took over in the second. The Grizzlies made 7 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the quarter and outscored the Kings 42-31, the AP reported. Seven different Memphis players hit at least one 3-pointer in the first half.

Back-to-back triples from Cam Spencer pushed the lead to 54-44, and Memphis went into halftime up 67-59.

The Kings did not go away. They won the third quarter 31-29 and tied the game 106-106 when Domantas Sabonis completed a three-point play with 5:41 left in the fourth. Memphis answered right away: Isaiah Stewart converted a three-point play, Cedric Coward scored and Jerome hit a 3-pointer to put the Grizzlies up by eight. Sacramento never recovered.

Ty Jerome stays hot

Jerome’s night continued a big start to the season. He came in off a 45-point performance in the opener and is leading the NBA in scoring at 36.5 points per game, the AP said. That stands out after injuries limited him to just 15 games for Memphis last season.

Against Sacramento, he shot 8 of 17 from the field, went 14 of 14 at the line and added six assists in 32 minutes, according to the NBA.com box score. The Grizzlies were plus-27 with him on the floor.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Sacramento Kings player stats

Grizzlies leaders (per NBA.com):

• Ty Jerome: 31 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
• Jaylen Wells: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, 5 rebounds
• Cameron Boozer: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
• Cedric Coward: 15 points, 11 rebounds
• Isaiah Stewart: 13 points, 5 rebounds
• Cam Spencer: 13 points off the bench, 3 of 6 from 3

Kings leaders (per NBA.com):

• Zach LaVine: 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting, 8 of 8 free throws, 5 assists, 2 steals
• Darius Acuff Jr.: 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting, 7 assists
• Domantas Sabonis: 15 points, 15 rebounds
• Precious Achiuwa: 12 points, 10 rebounds

As a team, Memphis shot 44.2% from the field, made 15 of 40 3-pointers and hit 24 of 27 free throws.

Zach LaVine’s big night

LaVine was the bright spot for Sacramento. After totaling 50 points in the Kings’ first two games, he recorded his first 30-point game of the season, NBC Sports noted, and he shot 52% from the field in just over 40 minutes. Still, the Kings were outscored by 21 points with him on the floor, per the box score.

Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. added 22 points, though he needed 23 shots to get there.

Injuries

Both teams were missing key pieces. Memphis center Zach Edey sat out for left ankle injury management, and Sacramento’s Keegan Murray missed the game with an illness, the AP reported. Karim López was also listed as inactive for Memphis.

What’s next

• Grizzlies: at the Utah Jazz on Monday night
• Kings: at the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night

For Memphis, the early run makes it one of the league’s few unbeaten teams in the first week. For Sacramento, an 0-3 start puts pressure on the Kings to find answers quickly on a road trip that begins in San Antonio.

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