GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 19: SPURS VS. WOLVES, 27-11-2019, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

We've done several things better with the new yet familiar starting line-up and some key rotation changes, and as we progress we have to finish games far stronger. To that end, let's step up with better ball protection, transition defense, close-outs, rebounding, and movement-oriented offensive execution late in games as we've shown to start it. A commitment to a strong second half that matches the overall good play of the firsts we've had puts us in a good position to earn a positive result.

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 7:30pm (CT)

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GO SPURS GO!!!

[ducler]

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[G R E Y]

Drew gets the call up in for Metu tonight:

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[G R E Y]

Our 8-0 run just now came from decisive movement and drives to the basket. More of that.

[G R E Y]

Requisite get Beli out of the game comment...

[G R E Y]

Contesting and making 3s seems to be the most glaring difference so far, but really not running back on D consistently (12-3 fast break points for them) as well as not as good movement on the O end is hurting us right now. Need to generate some pace and get their defense moving to open up more chances for us.

[G R E Y]

LONNIE WALKER IV WITH MINUTES AND PRODUCTIVITY ON BOTH ENDS. YES, GODDAMN IT!

[G R E Y]

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[G R E Y]

Well, like so many of these games but for one, we were in this one until we weren't, we expended a lot of energy catching up and gave up runs, we had stretches of great play tripped up by stretches of poor choices that the opponent took advantage of. That said, all other components of the game being the same, had we just shot the 3 at our average this season, we would have won. I know that a game is not about what if's but what is, but in a stretch of not getting the outcome for our good play, breaking down the parts into manageable pieces that we can improve is important to focus on because it's within our power to improve.

It was a game of missed 3s by us and made 3s by them, the latter which you tip your hat to when contested, but go over film to see how we can better defend it. To that end, at time we collapsed too much on their drives so that we had five guys in or close to the key, making running out to multiple shooters at the arc that much harder; we went under screens at times and got caught too far behind to contest; we fumbled up rotations and switches at times.

Every game has mistakes and runs and we had plenty of open shots that we missed either back of rim, front of rim, swirl outs, or ones that rattled out. Our shots were either too soft or too hard, which may indicate thinking about guiding them in too much rather than just letting them fly. Still, we led after the first Q, and I'd hoped that our more locked in O would kick in in the second but we fell behind with misses one our end and not getting enough stops on the other - again, mostly 3s, their largest output in any Q.

We've had better starts, but in this game we were slowed by lack of ball movement and too much of one guy dribbling around and probing. This allowed the defense to settle in and mitigated an important advantage for us. It felt as if we were focused on D but a bit tentative about not making mistakes on O.

I thought despite giving Beli some minutes, the minutes distribution was ok, and Pop gave guys a chance to get into rhythms and show if they could contribute. When the made mistakes - like Jakob giving up 3s to their C - he was quickly pulled. Jakob responded with five recorded blocks, though I think there was at least one more that wasn't on the stat sheet. He brought the hustle and the smarts and the help D we need from him.

Beli getting 7 first half minutes was a bit of a let down but we had to see if he could get it going. The good part is that after once again proving he didn't, he did not play again. Trey's minutes were cut so he was not a factor, and neither was DeMarre who did not play. I guess the idea was giving Beli another shot, and if not, then Lonnie would get his chance.

We got a jolt of energy from Lonnie being given important minutes with around 6:30 left in the third Q. Pop's task for Lonnie was:

“(He told me), be a defensive stopper, play the best that I can and just run the floor,” Walker said. “Just be an energy guy.”

https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/article/Lonnie-Walker-excelled-as-the-Spurs-energy-guy-14868439.php

And that he did: a confident 3 on his first shot, then moved really well to stay in front of a driver to contest well enough for a miss, then ran down the floor beating all defenders to take a pass from Rudy and drive right to the rim. Defense: check. Run the floor: check. Be the energy guy: check. And that was just in the first few plays. Overall, a terrific 13 minutes of play in the second half, brought consistent hustle and steady D, used his athleticism on O, and earned future minutes.

But that jolt of scoring energy was offset by too many Spurs having poor shooting nights. When Derrick, Bryn, Rudy from 3, Patty and Beli all had trouble scoring, well, it put a lot of extra pressure on both other guys who were scoring and left a much smaller margin for error for our defense.

When we finally fought back on a 8-0 run to get a one-point lead in the fourth Q, a string of errors - DeMar ran past a shooter who waited him out and hit a 3, lost his dribble on a drive, then fouled, we missed, and he fouled again - that gave them the lead for good. And then down 100-94 he trotted the ball up the court with no sense of urgency, made one pass on which we missed a 3. On the one hand, we needed good quick shots, on the other Pop had been calling for us to pick up the pace in bring the ball up the court and setting up shots throughout the game. It's not on one guy, and every play counts all game long, but there's a pattern of later-game tendencies like these that keep happening so there's no point in keeping a fig leaf over them.

We fought and we didn't give up, but stretches like the one above to go along with not always running back in transition defense are going to have to get cleaned up. They're habits we resort to in tense times, and mental lapses that we can change.

Some positives was Dejounte off the bench and already making smarter decisions with the ball while bringing his solid D. A small sample was his getting a steal and instead of driving into multiple defenders, he held up and waited for teammates to so we could run a play. Some shot selection issues, but he still shot 50%, grabbed rebounds, defended well in his 23 minutes of play.

As far as runs for or against go, it has to do with our attention to effort and line-up combinations. It's clear that when we have our run and gun game going, we feed off that energy and play hard on both ends. This season, difference in the young run and gun style and the half court sets is more pronounced, and while putting Derrick and Jakob back in as starters has helped bridge that gap, all it takes is one player of the latter to throw up the rhythm of the former - there's just not quite the synergy with a mix of players who excel at either style.

Bryn is not a good enough defender to keep his minutes if he isn't scoring, and these minutes need to go to players who can at least get stops. I'd be thrilled if Lonnie got a shot as the first SG off the bench in for him, much like DeMarre was the first guy off the bench in for DeMar last game. I also think we should step back from DeMar handling the ball late in games as it slows the team down to his pace and we need more ball movement. It's fine if we have a lead and need to solidify it because DeMar does a good job getting to the line, but we should also go with the guys who got it for us and ride them until it stops working. DeMarre and Lonnie have proven to be positives when given minutes, and those who are having an off night scoring or aren't defending need to sit for those who contribute something on either end.

Small changes resulted in noticeably better play tonight. While some things like running back on D are not dependent on who is on the floor with whom, those small line-up changes gave us a much needed jolt. We do need some resilience later in games, and this has to come from whatever collective is on the court together. Like LMA said in this morning's shootaround, "If you don't believe, you shouldn't be here."

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENT:

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[Ballings7]

Bryn at SG I never thought was going to be sustainable with the rest of the line-up.. the defensive / offensive balance is thrown off if hes playing critical minutes and starting. When Murray gets his 3PT shot down, then it would work. If DeRozan was able to make an impact defensively later in games, then it would work. But I think its time soon to end his reward and put him on the bench.

PG and SG and SF have to compliment eachother from the way of shooting and defensive focus and effect.. and that has never really been there the last year and a half.

Very glad to see Walker get more of a chance, and make some noise with his play. He should be in the rotation with 10-15 MPG at least already. Want to see Keldon Johnson get some minutes.