SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 64: SPURS AT WARRIORS, 9-3-2024, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Tre fouled. Makes both. Well done.

[G R E Y]

Sochan blocked. SLOW TO GET UP.

Tre O board.

Passes to Branham. TOs the **** BALL FOR ANOTHER BUCKET AGAINST. **** STUPID.

Keldon heaves a 3 miss. **** STUPID.

Luckily the ball falls right back to Keldon.

Passes to Tre who gets fouled. Makes both. Well done.

[G R E Y]

We force Pop to use our final timeout because we keep flirting with fire as we are full court pressed and are making dumb plays after we luckily get it past half court.

PLAY SMART AND DETAIL ORIENTED SPURS

[G R E Y]

Branham gets doubled and trapped but he holds onto the ball and his nerves and passes out of it well.

Tre does a good job moving to an open spot that was easier to pass to.

[G R E Y]

Wow jackass opponent shoots end of game 3.

Misses.

Ball don't lie.

[imagump1313]

[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 126 WARRIORS 113

Full throttle fun, full throttle team win, this without two starters who are also our two best players.

We had five Spurs in double figures, two on the bench, which contributed 53 points. And a couple of unheralded Spurs emerged to have standout games.

Making threes well covers a lot of sometimes poor play, and make them well we did at 51.5%. But we played a more clean, cohesive game with only 12TOs that cost us 12 points for +6 in the category. We also edged them 12-9 in fast break points, and outrebounded them 49-39, including 12-9 on O boards.

Despite missing Wemby we got inside often and well, getting 48PITP. Still, we felt his absence on D as we were -10 in this category. Both teams made 21FTs (we missed 7 so the attempts total was good; the efficiency could be better). And despite our winning the rebound battle, the second chance points were an even 17-17, so we allowed the opponent a better second chance rate than we managed.

But we broke down the defense well with a lot of P&Rs, drive and kicks, extra passes around the horn, skip passes, pick and pops, and found cutters well based on good ball and off ball movement, shooting 51/52/75 with 34 assists. The excellent efficiency and good stops made a big difference, but what put us over the top comfortably and kept a strong cushion was our white hot 3s shooting, connecting on 7 more than our opponent.

We scored at least 30 in all four Qs, led by Keldon’s 22 on 9-18, 4-9 from 3, 11 boards (3 on O), 1 assist in 32 minutes, all team highs. It was a vintage scoring game, bruising through defenders in the key, and punishing them from the arc; only one shot was a mid range J. And this is where all those reps last season as the first option, and the humility to be the sixth man this season have shown great benefits. His game and energy were the battering ram that led our siege.

And in us needing a new big three, he was joined by Sochan’s 20 on 7-14, 2-4 from 3, starter high 4-6FTs, with 5 boards and 1 assist, well balanced with smart, physical, switching D in only 24 minutes (5 fouls limited his availability). He did miss all four of his attempts in the 5-10ft range (plus one layup), all makeable shots that will benefit from a more honed finishing craft. Summer reps. Still, we are getting a glimpse of the plugged in, focused, and relentless the two-way menace that ‘good Sochan’ is becoming.

The trifecta was completed with Branham’s 20 on 7-15, 3-6 from 3, 3-4FTs, 3 boards (1 on O), 2 assists in 29 minutes. He was praised by the road commentators for his quick, twitchy, compact style and scoring prowess. Both he and Sochan have unorthodox shooting forms, especially from 3 (Branham with the low release push shot and Sochan with the weird side spin release), and both also TO it a lot, each having three this game. Branham is averaging a season high 2.2 per game based on a monthly basis, and Sochan is as well at 1.8, not counting the first two months in which he was thrust into the point-forward experiment.

But with bigger roles come more attention and defensive pressure. Given these, they gave great contributions overall, stepping up when we needed more from everyone.

Zach filled in well and efficiently but 5 fouls limited him to 22 minutes. He scored 9 on 4-8, 1-1 from 3, 0-2FTs, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, +8. Terrific two-way effort. His footwork, forward movement, and physicality were reminiscent of the Zach we saw enough of to put faith in with the extension. Like stepping into familiar muscle memory, with Zach we ran more traditional sets with more expected positioning and we fed off it.

Two guys who pleasantly surprised with how they stepped up when we didn’t expect were Julian and Dom.

Julian scored 17 points on 5-8 from 3, 2-2FTs, 7 boards (1 on O), 5 assists and 1 block with 3TOs but +5. Finally, a more complete two-way game. Finally, we used him more and he rewarded us. It looks like he thrives in final stretches of seasons. Shades of Julian of the last 20 games of last season.

Dom. What a reward for guaranteeing his contract. Terrific hustle, and with more strength, was better able to withstand punishment he willingly keeps taking to bang for rebounds (8, game high 5 on O). He was poised and confident, coordinated and balanced, with a nice touch at the rim, scoring 19 on 7-10, 0-1 from 3, tied for team-high 5-6FTs, along with 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block in 30 minutes. He’s waited the longest of our young players for his chance, toiling between Austin and the big club all season, and is now making a case to force us to play him more. Love it for him and for us.

He and Blake have been wonderful success stories, turning around from potential to stretches of realizations of them this season. Blake only had 1-3, 2-2FTs for 4 points but was a defensive pest, grabbed 5 boards, and dished a bench-high 9 assists, along with 1 steal and team-high 2 blocks to only 1TO in 30 minutes. Speed, relentlessness, good decisions with the ball, and good job finding others. Staying with his man on D, full court pressure, and putting his defender on his heels were the result of his changed, aggressive mentality and applying his best raw skill, his speed, in focused, positive ways.

Tre also struggled to score (1-5, 0-2 from 3) but made a starter high 5-6FTs, grabbed 5 boards (1 on O), and dished a game-high 11 assists along with 2 steals. He faced a tough defensive challenge, a savvy vet who can break down defenses with his immense skill set to take command, run plays, find teammates, and get to his spots. It’s a good challenge for Tre, and a good comp/example to aspire to.

We got rolling and stayed with the momentum, registering 34 assists, 6 steals, 6 blocks along the way, with unexpected next-man-up contributions from a couple of guys who don’t often appear on a scouting report. The 36 points combined from Julian and Dom were a lot of extra points, with a sweet outside-inside threat rolling in through the door Keldon Wilder broke open. It’s a good result versus a seasoned team. Let’s keep it rolling.

[G R E Y]

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[G R E Y]

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