SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 28: SPURS AT MAVERICKS, 23-12-2023, 7:30PM (CT)

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WTF WAS THAT A TECH ON ZACH FOR??!

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Great quick sneak double on Luka. Didn't work but it required a Hail Mary save to keep the possession. Like that pressure. More of it.

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Sidy bodies up Luka on D. He's a big truck of a guy and only 19.

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We are TOO slow off ball to break down their zone D.

Keldon is flat out TROTTING out there rather than making quick runs and jab steps and getting to the right positions. Can't have that.

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Pop subs Sochan in and points to him "5". Sochan is small ball C.

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We have Tre, Blake, Sidy, Devin, Sochan in for the last minute or so.

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Back to bad habits on the the last two shot attempts by Sochan.

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3RD Q: SPURS 86 MAVS 117

Well that escalated predictably. We can't stop a generational talent (who can?) and we got cold. Our deficit this Q (25) is bigger than the points we scored this Q (20).

Sochan made some back to pattern bad habit shots attempts.

Devin is not nearly assertive enough again. Needs to drive more and isn't.

And with our lack of drives we have not been getting to the FT line.

Nice to see some Sidy minutes.

I hope we see Sidy and Dom more now.

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10-3 against to start the 4TH. Can we run something closer to the rim?

Nope. Another long J miss.

And their misses end up with O board dunks.

BOX. OUT.

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It's nice of Sochan to clap us up after making that 3. Effort and energy. Tell that to your team mates, mate.

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Branham misses and TROTS back on D. Unacceptable.

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We have Mamu, Sandro, Blake, Branham, and Sidy out there now with just under 8 minutes left.

Wonder why Dom is not getting any minutes? Is he with the club or in Austin?

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Wait we have Graham, Sidy, Blake, Julian, Mamu in with around half way through the 4TH.

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Blake needs to start showing some actual PGing - smart passes, running sets well. Yes he is finishing better and still has that lightning speed but some actual O initiating to set up team mates?

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Sidy with some GREAT passes. Love him.

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Sidy was al ready for that take off and dunk but didn't protect the ball, exposed it, and got blocked/fouled. Learning bit there.

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SIDY'S FIRST NBA POINTS!

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4TH Q: SPURS 119 MAVS 144

When you score 119, have two Qs over 30, one at 29, and still lose by 25.

Per Paul Garcia, the 69 points against from 3 were the most we allowed this season.

We were a Luka triple double away from competing for a W tonight. Guy is an unstoppable wizard. Cedi did a decent job in trying to shadow him to prevent passes. We blitz doubled him at times. And yet...

Control what you can. And there were aspects of the game we could do better. One is rebounding: we were on the wrong end of 52-42 and 11-8 on O boards.

Boxing out is something we really need to do better. It's awareness and effort. We don't get quick positioning and right angles and get pushed out. We should never give up dunks on missed FTs, for example. They had a LOT of second chance points, even by smaller players versus our bigs down low, so clearly it's not only a size issue.

When Wemby is out, our Big 3, such as it is, shifts to Devin, Keldon, and Sochan, who stepped up most and best.

It's games like tonight when he does a Jekyll/Hyde switch that he tantalizes with his potential. He was a completely different player - crisp, quick passes, swings to the weak side, quick zip passes from the paint out to the other side, taking full advantage of his height and our better movement and spacing. He didn't over dribble nearly as much, passed in transition sooner, ran to open spaces well, made 3s, and guarded the perimeter and switched to help D well. Totally different, energized, confident player. I don't know why he can't/doesn't pass to Wemby with the same ease as he does to Zaach, but at least we clearly know that it is not a function of his not seeing these passes. CLEARLY. Interesting. Hopefully he can develop that synergy with Wemby now that we're reminded of his capability of making right quick reads.

Sochan led us with 23 on 9-16, 4-6 from 3(!), 1-2FTs with a team high 9 boards (2 on O), 4 assists, 3TOs.

Keldon looked cross eyed and dizzy to start off the bench but shook it off to keep on driving and forcing his way with physicality. Leading by example of what we needed more of. It was his first coming off the bench role this season (can't recall the last time that happened) but it's an interesting, necessary look, even if it's more likely because of his not feeling great. Good situation to take advantage of and get that look of him coming off the bench. Keldon led the bench with 16 on inefficient 6-16, only 2-8 from 3, 2-4FTs but 11 of those points came in the first half. He only played 8 minutes in the second half.

While I really liked the physical drives and good work on the boards, especially on O boards, I did not like the trotting through our O sets versus their zone D nor did I like the trotting back on D. Sochan did the latter a couple of times, too, and we simply can't have plays taken off. I know players do, and pick spots to conserve energy, but it also leaves team mates who are back on D outnumbered and frustrated from doing too much themselves.

Devin is an enigma and we need more clear consistent effort and leadership by good example from him. Too passive, too much tunnel vision on going through essentially practicing his shot reps of contested long Js or 3s, poor shot selection, not nearly enough work to drive. Maybe he's not feeling well and has what Keldon did. But Keldon tried to drive at least.

When the shot is not falling, we need him to work to get to the FT line more (he was 3-3 tonight), and though he led us with 5 assists, there were bagels across that stats board everywhere else and he was a glaring game low -38. It's a murky stat, but it is confirmed by the eye test. Just not nearly enough positive two-way impact.

Branham played within himself, 5-11, 1-4 from 3, 1-1FT, 3 boards, 4 assists. Drove well, nice burst on the first step. It's a solidifying a higher floor type of effort. Not exceptional; but not detrimental.

Zach stepped up across the board with 14 on 6-10, 2-4 from 3, 5 boards (1 on O), 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2TOs.

Julian filled in for Keldon with 12 on 4-6, 2-4 from 3 (some in non-pressure situations in the 4TH, so context), along with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Tre drove well for 4-8 overall but still only 1-4 from 3. His body isn't aligned straight on those shots. Still bizarre how such a good FT shooter (usually a good indicator for distance accuracy) is so inefficient from the arc. It's not why we lost solely but 3s efficiency relative to the amount we put up is a team-wide issue.

Very few minutes for Cedi and Doug tonight. We went with the young guys.

Mamu stood out but he also tried too hard to do so. Sometimes when guys don't get a lot of minutes they tend to hold onto the ball too much, over dribble, and it wasn't egregious but the ball tended to stick in his hands. Some decisions to drive into a contested key rather than pass out to open team mates on the wings with better angles and space could benefit from a film session. But you can't fault the effort and energy. Rather that than passiveness from more polished players who have more to give but didn't.

Blake got some more minutes and while he was energetic and did get 3 assists, his focus is more on O.Better finishes at the rim. Better glass angles. Better man D. More controlled use of his speed. I'd like to see more distribution from him.

Speaking of passing vision, SIDY is going to be wonderful. I've seen some of his work in G-League and this along with his D are the first two aspects of his game that are readily translating at the next level. I don't know how he sees the passes he makes but he's got that feel for it. Tree truck legs and moves quickly enough to stay with drivers who get a first step. He has to get more confident with his O though that's coming along in G-League, too. He used to pass up open shots and now dunks confidently in transition, initiating drives off the dribble, finding or creating lanes. He is a pet shot or two away from taking a roster spot with the big club. I'm a BIG BIG fan of his game.

Better shot selection, better boxing out, more drives and physicality from more guys, all things we can do regardless of opponent. Tough to be without a key contributor, but more guys need to give more for more of the game to change, for instance, the dreaded nightmare that is the 3RD Q output, and better conversion of chances to makes.

I liked our start and first half effort - more pace and more decisiveness, but we are still working towards putting together 48 minutes' worth of effort. Onward...

And congratulations again to Sidy for scoring his first ever NBA points!

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