SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 20: SPURS AT BLAZERS, 2-12-2021, 9PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

After a successful finish to our home stand, we look to continue and build on our good two-way play on the first of a three-game west road trip. Central to our success is ensuring we talk on D and respond, protect the ball, and move it for the variety of shots we can create to make it hard to defend us. Guard the 3 and make the 3, get to the FT line, impose our game. Build on the good we've established.

WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, OR

WHEN: Thursday, December 2, 2021, 9pm (CT)

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

GO SPURS GO!!!

[ducler]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Weeee! Our two best 3s scorers are back!

Read on Twitter

Actually the starting group with Diop in it has crazy good O/D ratings and that's in part, I think, to not having to create shots for Diop, his getting points in transition and putbacks, and being a defensive stalwart. It'll be good to have Doug back again, but it's also good to know we can plug other guys in and there's high output on both ends.

[G R E Y]

Good start, Doug hasn't missed a step, Derrick in fine form. I like our D has been solid even with Jakob sagging a whole lot.

I like our shots creation, just need to be a bit more aggressive going to the rim.

[G R E Y]

We're letting a lot of chances slip by with a lot of outside shots. DRIVE HARD, FINISH STRONG AT THE RIM!

[G R E Y]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX OOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTT! ffs...

[G R E Y]

1ST Q: SPURS 32

BLAZERS 22

Solid two-way start. Really like the shots we're creating, and as the Q progressed we drove more as well which gave us some O board putback chances of our own.

We are tending to overload on one side on D and are late to cover the cross court passes for their open 3s on the weak side. I get it as we are trying to ensure there's not an open drive through the key, but spread out a bit more.

Great D to O transition!

3S!!! YESSS!!!

Tre with minutes earlier and earlier in games.

Thad first big off the bench, too.

Good shot by Devin. You can tell we're trying to get him comfortable with the end of Q 3s, though I'm not sure he's hit many to date.

Nice to see Lonnie with a transition dunk.

[G R E Y]

Ball movement clicking!

Breaking down their zone D well.

Keldon getting it going in this Q.

Excellent. KEEP IT UP. Plus Box out.

[G R E Y]

2ND Q: SPURS 68

BLAZERS 47

But for the final shots by us and them to end the Q, we did a great job improving upon the 1ST Q which was both a feeling out process and imposing our game. DJ had an excellent Q but that shot to end the 2ND on the left baseline versus at least two defenders only to get blocked was not the best decision. He could and should have pulled back and use more time of the clock. It resulted in their block and gave them more time in which they then made an end of Q 3.

Speaking of 3s, we're a wonderful 11-23. Both numbers are terrific, but I also really like that we're getting a variety of shots out of them. Doug is driving well, Lonnie is as well and is finishing SIMPLY and OFF THE GLASS at the rim when he's not absolutely punishing it with dunks. Keldon is driving very well to break down their zone D as well.

Tre has yet to score but his solid D is the reason he's a bench-leading +8.

I LOVE the movement off ball and of the ball and you could see the energy that we're generating from it both in terms of scoring but also in terms of team chemistry.

Very solid D, but we do need to get to their 3s better. We can't rely on averages or take them for granted. Just make sure we cover the rotations. A couple of miscommunications for their open shots, but when we've contested we've done it with fervour which is god to see. We've also doubled their ball handlers up high to pressure their D and provided solid help D on their drive attempts. Love how our guys are staying with their drivers to contest at the rim.

We have a 27-19 rebounding lead, but it's 6-6 on O boards so BOXING OUT is an important element in addition to protecting the arc.

Very clean game with only 4 TOs.

I really like our pace at 52FGAs to their 44 and we have a 21-point lead with only 1-1FT. We've given up 8-10FTs and I think they're going to try and muck things up in the second half, make things more physical by going at us relentlessly to try to get us into foul trouble.

Love the rotations changes of Diop and Drew out for Doug and Thad with Tre getting early minutes. Just a stingy D and fast O that has overwhelmed so far.

Great reads and responses by our guys, too.

We need to make sure we're ready for their physical push and maintain our focused, clean, assertive, imposing two-way play, starting with a good, winning 3RD Q to continue momentum and build on it.

[G R E Y]

Yep it's getting mucky, but it's more self inflicted as we're settling for outside shots. I get it to the extent that we're trying to establish space, btu we must create a variety of shots inside as well.

They're getting to the FT line and passing a lot inside as expected so something we have to be careful about especially with respect to mismatches.

[G R E Y]

I'm surprised it's 9-9 in this 3RD Q as Pop calls timeout as it feels like the momentum is shifting their way because they're getting points inside, they're getting the O board tap outs for second chances, and we're too content about outside shots.

When we've gotten in the paint be it Keldon's drive or DJ's turnaround fadeaway or Jakob's pop-a-shot or Derrick's working hard to get free and shoot a floater, we've been successful. Just keep going at them!

[G R E Y]

Lonnie only seems to make shots when contested or when the game's at hand. So weird.

Anyway, like I said, they're getting us to foul them. We have to keep making sure we're moving off the ball and moving the ball well. PUSH!

[imagump1313]

We were doing fine and now its all indecision. Getting sloppy...

[G R E Y]

We're getting rattled by missed open shots and their constant drives. new this was coming. It's the playbook of teams down big.

We're not moving nearly well enough even though we're making the extra pass for the open 3. I just don't like that we keep taking it rather than driving inside and making cuts and passes to bigs inside.

Impose our game, get clean stops, MOVE and FINISH WELL AT THE RIM!

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 84

BLAZERS 65

Well it got messy and dicey through the middle of the 3RD Q, but towards the end we closed the D with Tre and Diop out there to close a six-point gap down to 2 by the end of the Q.

We were 0-6 from 3 so I do like the attempts numbers, but we started trying to continue bombing from 3 rather than establishing an inside presence beyond that initial Keldon drive.

I loved Tre's drive with the extra gear.

It looks like we're just not even overthinking the shots we're taking and it's worked for us when we were making our 3s, but we need to be cognizant of running the clock and MOVING the ball better to ensure quality shots at the rim.

Make sure we get stops, make sure we get rebounds, make sure we get best shots.

[G R E Y]

We get a stop, so we go for... a **** EARLY IN THE CLOCK CATCH-AND-SHOOT 3 MISS AND THEN WE FOUL THEM. THEIRS SIDE OUT, THEY GET A J.

DIOP DRIVES INTO CONTESTED SPACE, GETS STRIPPED, THEY HIT A 3.

PLAY SMARTER AND HARDER, SPURS. KEEP OUR POISE AND COMPOSURE, AND MAKE A STRONG PUSH FOR THE REST OF THE GAME!

[G R E Y]

D TO O TRANSITION COME ON!!!

[imagump1313]

Bryn Forbes is the one calming the storm

Yeah, that guy...

[G R E Y]

Sparty has awoken!

[G R E Y]

Loving the chemistry that Doug already has with our young guys. Great movement, and just now a great pass inside to Jakob who had terrific inside positioning for that layup and foul.