Isaiah Stewart Says 6-0 Grizzlies 'Can't Get Comfortable' After Season-High 24 Points

Isaiah Stewart scored a season-high 24 points off the bench Saturday night as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings 136-105 at FedExForum.

The win matched the 2014-15 Grizzlies' 6-0 start, the best in franchise history. A win Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans would give Memphis its first 7-0 start.

"We can't get comfortable," Stewart said in his walkoff interview with Grizzlies sideline reporter Rob Fischer. "We haven't done anything yet. We gotta continue to keep our heads down and keep chipping away at the goal. … It's great that we put ourselves in a great position, but there's a ton of work to be done."

Stewart made 8 of his 9 field-goal attempts, 2 of his 3 3-point attempts, and all 6 of his free throws in 20:33. He had 15 points at halftime. Every one of his points came in the first three quarters.

The 24 points tied the third-highest scoring game of his career. His career high is 31.

Stewart told Fischer that Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo had told him this season would bring the largest offensive role of his career.

"He's just putting that battery pack in my back," Stewart explained, "allowing me to have that freedom and confidence."

Two nights earlier, Stewart scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a 124-103 win at Portland. Across the two games, he went 15-of-19 from the field.

He had 4 points at Golden State on Oct. 23, then 13 in his only start of the season two nights later at Sacramento. He scored 4 at Utah on Oct. 26.

Through five games, Stewart is averaging 12.6 points in 18.2 minutes. He has made 23 of his 34 shots from the field and all 11 of his free throws.

Stewart said stops let Memphis get out in transition, and that the Grizzlies took pride in limiting Domantas Sabonis and making other Kings carry the scoring.

"Man, it all starts with defense," Stewart said.

Sabonis finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. scored a career-high 38 for Sacramento, which fell to 0-6. Memphis outscored the Kings 25-13 in fast-break points and 54-36 in the paint.

Memphis acquired Stewart from the Detroit Pistons on June 24, the second night of the 2026 NBA Draft, for three future second-round picks. Detroit had sent those same three picks to Memphis a night earlier to move up from No. 21 to No. 17 and select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie.

The No. 21 pick in that deal became Karim López, who scored his first NBA points late Saturday.

Stewart spent six seasons with Detroit after the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him 16th overall in 2020. He made the All-Rookie team in 2020-21 and played 365 regular-season games for the Pistons.

Last season, he averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 58 games. He finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

The Memphis bench outscored Sacramento's reserves 81-20. Stewart and GG Jackson II combined for 45 of those points, and Jackson made all 5 of his 3-point attempts.

Stewart told reporters after the game that whoever comes in knows how to run Iisalo's system, as detailed in the game recap.

Memphis hosts New Orleans at 7 p.m. CT on Monday. The Indiana Pacers visit FedExForum on Wednesday, and the Oklahoma City Thunder come in Friday.