GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 16: SPURS AT PELS, 19-11-2018, 7PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

The second of our back-to-back is on the road, a first for us this season. We've done a lot of good things the last couple of games and are reaping the rewards. Continuing them right after a heady victory is the next step. No matter the circumstance, simply put, we need road wins. Let's start tonight.

WHERE: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

WHEN: Monday, November 19, 2018, 7pm (CT)

Read on Twitter

GO SPURS GO!!!

[G R E Y]

I really hope Rudy is good to go tonight, even if in limited minutes. We need him though I understand the balance that we need him healthy long-term, too.

Read on Twitter

[ducler]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Yes! So glad to hear Rudy's playing tonight:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Duffman100]

Jakob starting to look better at all?

[G R E Y]

Jakob starting to look better at all?

Yes, better of late, especially with Pau out, though he's still 1. learning and 2. a bit of a lightning rod for opposing opinions. Some think he 'sucks' because of his not matching expectations early, and worse, that he'll remain that way. But he's coming around on the court, if slowly, understanding what he has to do in plays, grabbing boards, getting to the FT line, screening, positioning down low, etc. Very coachable, and wonderful guy off court in the community, which some may say isn't relevant, but I think it's part of the process of becoming a complete player. It all plays a part.

[G R E Y]

It’s hard for the immediate reaction to not be strong when giving up so many points, even if this opponent’s O is one of the most potent. It’s never an excuse, but for context, that we played five games in eight nights, four of which were on the road, with this game the last of two back-to-backs does lend some perspective.

After a hot early start, we lost steam as the game trended away from us from the second Q on - down 1 at the half, down 11 after 3, and lost by 14. They carved us up in a way that we didn’t allow in our first match-up, namely with solid D keeping AD out of the key, forcing him to outside shots, and imposing our game inside with movement. We won that first game by 14 points as well, but this time we scored 17 more while allowing an extra 45 points.

I really liked our movement that led to a strong shooting start. Dante (19 points on a perfect 7-7 and 5-5 from 3 plus 7 rebounds and 3 assists) and Bryn (20 on 7-8, 5-6 from 3, 1-3 FTs to go along with 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal) were the main beneficiaries of our pushing the ball, swinging it side to side, taking advantage of switches, and setting up a variety of shots for players outside our main three. We ran well, had good spacing and created good to great opportunities inside and out. We could have driven more and done so more physically, but overall the team effort to generate great looks was a noticeable positive.

This is the second game in which Dante has taken his O game to surprising heights against his former team. We should hypnotize him into thinking every opponent is this one.

On D, I liked the full court pressure to hinder easy set ups and our hustle for rebounds on both ends. We were focused at end of quarter execution, using our foul to give and preventing them from scoring to finish the first with a 39-30 lead.

The second Q was an inversion of the first as we were outscored 38-28 at 57.1FG% to our 48.2% (in the first, we shot 52FG% to their 48%). We started getting a bit sloppy on O, and while Dante and Bryn kept on scoring, LMA, Rudy, and Patty missed all their shots, though many were good looks. We were still moving and passing with pace and control to generate balanced scoring, but they continued getting into our key and to the FT line whereas our output slowed and we generated two foul shots; this was one of several categories in which they caught up (9-4 chances in the first, 11-10 by the half). Our early lead was offsetting LMA’s and DeMar’s slow starts, but we could only compensate for so long. Our focus and intensity waned and they ended the half on a 13-3 run and up 68-67.

In the third, our Js were now skirting the rim in and out as they kept up their torrid pace, starting with an 8-0 run. We looked tired, took long Js and the misses were starting to affect us on both ends. By the second half, Bryn’s (5 points on 2-2, no shots in the third) and Dante’s (no shots in the final two quarters) hot scoring inevitably cooled off, all the while LMA was shooting to find his jumper again (1-7 in the first half; 1-4 in the second, 3-4FTs for 7 points plus 10 rebounds and 2 assists). It’s just a strange home-away shooting streak dichotomy. He has a heavy load, but that is the same whether he is at home or on the road, so the inconsistency in shooting on road courts is bizarre. Even Chimezie (8 on 4-5 plus 3 rebounds and 3 assists) and Jakob (11 on 4-6, 3-6 FTs along with 4 rebounds and 1 steal) scored more in half the time.

DeMar (21 on 7-19, 7-7FTs, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal) and Rudy (17 on 6-18, 0-4 from 3, 5-5FTs, 6 rebounds, 1 assist) were the other two starters in double digits. Not as efficient, but they kept pushing and finding ways to contribute.

Missed shots affected our creation of scoring opportunities and we settled more for Js, but they also affected our defensive effort. Ideally, we’d always be generating energy that flows from D to O so that no matter what’s happening on the offensive end, we could get stops and easier buckets in transition. But the mounting misses and our opponent’s continued pace outmatched us and we started losing the 50/50 balls, hustle plays, and rebounding battles where they took advantage of second chances to score. They were now manufacturing the 4- and 5-point swings. We had a 44-42 rebounding edge (18-14 on O) but they dominated with 78-58 points in the paint as they kept driving and executing alley oop plays. Our 22-15 assist-turnover ratio while giving up 10 steals (many of which they got from doubling us) were indicators of increasingly loose, unfocused play. We gave up a costly 25 points on our turnovers and got 6 points on their 11.

The hot early was also masking certain issues like getting caught on switches for their drives and easy alley oop plays. LMA tends to sag back in the key and is sometimes late to contest or to help, so opponents get too open a look in our key or teammates are late to rotate. Also, when opponents use bounce passes, we tend to reach with our arms but with feet cemented as the ball goes by. It’s a sort of three quarter effort to get after it and it costs us potential steals.

Their bench outscored ours 48-42, mainly from one player who had a triple double. With all due respect to White, we are faster and more sure of ourselves with Bryn as the starting PG right now. We developed that synergy from the beginning of the season and it is better for us at the moment to have this group back together. White had an off O night, though his drive looked assertive, and he was very solid on man D. He does a really good job staying on front of his man, forcing Js which he is sneaky quick at contesting.

Jakob once again showed a bit more of what he can do, that he’s understanding the position better. He’s aggressive on O boards and getting to the FT line, though he’s been missing a few of late. Sometimes he picks up his dribble too soon in the play at the top of the arc and guys need to come back for a pass, but overall, the ball is running through him smoothly as he moves down low to either seal and get a pass or box out.

Everyone scored and we finished on 47.9FG% (with very good 12-24 from 3), while getting scored on at a far too-high 57.8%. Patty had only 4 shots (2 points on 1-4, 0-2 from 3) on an off night and Beli’s 11 were on 3-8, 2-5 from 3. We need more and more consistently from both of them, especially Beli who is a sharpshooter but inefficient more often than not. He did get to the line well (3-4) so on a night when his outside shot wasn’t falling, he found a way to pitch in.

Our reserves went it when we were down 128-108. We were energetic if erratic, and looked a bit more concerned or at least better organized on O than on the D end, as if they wanted to score as much as they could in the time they had, but in doing so, gave up layups far too easily, and turned it over too much; they just didn’t look like they were giving as much effort on the D end. Perhaps it’s the lack of minutes or who was opposite them at the time, but the D is what will keep guys on the court, not outscoring opponents in a blowout.

The final score was sobering to say the least, especially since we kept them under 100 the last time we played. They got what they wanted, and even when we had strong shooting and an early lead, they scored at least 30 points in every quarter, with their middle two quarters accounting for 78 points. So it’s one thing to push the pace, but when the other team scores 30+ in each quarter even when you’re playing well, it’s the defense that needs improving. On O, while we can play fast, the torrid pace ended up working to their advantage. Imposing stingy defense and movement-oriented O game more consistently has reaped better rewards for us. It’s still something we are internalizing, that the flow is ever from the D to O.

[G R E Y]

Post-game quotes.

Pop:

“We held them to 140,” the Spurs coach deadpanned. “What do you mean they’re hard to guard?”

“I think we lacked a little energy,” Popovich said. “We hung for a half and had a pretty good start. As the game went on, their athleticism got to us.”

“The effort was there,” Popovich said. “We just didn’t have enough juice. It happens.”

DeMar:

“We scored 120-something points,” Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan said. “That’s more than enough to win an NBA game. We just can’t give up 140-plus points. That’s just unacceptable.”

“It’s a matter of us figuring it out and being consistent with it,” DeRozan said. “It’s still early in the season, but at some point that’s going to run out. We’ve got to get on top of everything we need to take care of.”

LaMarcus:

“I had a better rhythm, got more touches,” Aldridge said of his 10-of-14 night for 24 points against Golden State. “I never really got the rhythm I needed tonight, so that’s tough. I never really got going.”

https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/With-little-juice-and-less-D-Spurs-get-throttled-13407350.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&utm_medium=social