GAME DAY, BALA! GAME 29: SPURS AT GRIZZLIES, 23-12-2019, 7PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

In our final game before Christmas, we travel looking to right the ship, playing hard, playing together. It's within us and up to us to rise to our best level. We've shown we're capable of it, and must be mindful to stay consistent.

WHERE: FedExForum, Memphis, TN

WHEN: Monday, December 23, 2019, 7pm (CT)

Read on Twitter

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, SPURS FAMILY!

GO SPURS GO!!!

[ducler]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Well now. That was a hell of a start!

We MUST come out strong in the second half, not settle for outside shots, move the ball for great scoring chances.

We have to be careful about getting rebounds to decrease their second chances, get the bench unit going as well, make our FTs, keep up our poise and pressure. FULL GAME EFFORT, SPURS!!!

[G R E Y]

YEAH! Holy moly WOW! Terrific response to their runs, kept pushing, and rolled to the finish.

Wonderful movement, passing, shot selection, and defense.

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Howard Mass]

They shot 67.4% from the field.

What happened out there?

[G R E Y]

They shot 67.4% from the field.

What happened out there?

Movement on and off ball, D to O transition, hit our 3s, ran some terrific plays I hadn't seen a lot of before. Combined with solid D, it was as complete a game as we've played. Effort for the full 48.

[Phreak50]

Despite all the bad, it's so refreshing to see any team with a performance like this, especially a Spurs like one.

I watched the Lakers Nuggets yesterday and was disgusted how little basketball was actually being played and even less, coached. Literally just running up and down and shooting threes most of the game.

And both players may have been hot on their own, but man, those Aldridge to Derozan hand offs and the Derozan drive from the LMA screen were amazing and I'd imagine, scary from a defensive point of view.

Hopefully this (and I say this with a due respect) keeps Derozan's trade value modest and we find a taker in the coming weeks.

[Ballings7]

Great win -- any way to respond to the bad Clippers loss, its that way, they must of had one heck of a post-game review and discussion... the team numbers from this game are all-time, even if its against a mediocre, young-ish Memphis team. One just doesn't see games like this, they're rare.

Credit to belinelli for playing better after getting benched.. though Lonnie's minutes have been impacted.

[G R E Y]

In the midst of a Christmas carb coma here, and memories of this game still feel good. Unusual because of the historically efficient shooting, but it was sustainable because of the chances we generated. Good response showed some pride. Solid team win with higher level of play on both ends.

First, top marks to whichever assistant coach scouted this game.

We had one 72-point half once already this season, but were flat and it cost us that time, so it was important to stay competitive, and that we did with a 73-point second half. In getting there, it was on the backs of a LMA offensive juggernaut in the 1st Q and a DeMar one in the 3rd.

We are a team in transition, but no question we are far better when LMA is his assertive dynamic scoring self and engaged defensively. We started with a sense of controlled urgency, eager to show we can play better, led by LMA. He went to work on younger counterparts, getting the better positioning on blocks, being physical on his drives, and assertive on turnaround Js, 3s, putbacks. Not only was he super efficient and scored a career-high 1st Q 22 points on 10-13, including 2-3 from 3, but he also ended with a team-high 40 points, team-high 3 O boards, and team-high 3 blocks in 32 minutes! For all the talk about how we need to strengthen our bigs situation with more athletic defensive-minded youth, and we do, LMA flat out schooled younger guys with his experience and bag of tricks. Smart play, great shots, and we did really well in facilitating and adjusting. LMA started facing doubles and made a couple of errant passes, but he quickly better anticipated these, either driving, passing with shooters at the ready or driving on the weak side. Just smart team play.

DeMar had an even more efficient night and so it's hard to be too picky, but I'd say his shots were not as optimal as the ones LMA generated. When DeMar hit the elbow Js off screens or drove when he found open lanes or took advantage of a smaller weaker defender, these were terrific. When he shot it with at least two defenders on him or drove into multiple defenders in the key when we had players spread the floor on fast breaks, not so much. The thing is they go in so you think well, good shot, but it was really good scoring, not the best shots available.

Still, he did muscle his way through on drives, and these indicate a good mindset (team-high 6-6FTs). He also ran a solid fast break with LMA, so there were better moments. We gave him the ball to facilitate more, and DJ a bit less - still working on this aspect of his game - which seemed to get us moving into more familiar sets more quickly (full credit for team-high 10 assists), and also put Bryn less as ball handler or driver and in a more familiar catch and shoot role - all of his shots were outside.

DJ as I said has a lot to learn in the PG position, though he is balancing learning by experience with taking advantage of his strengths. He runs that little pick and pop with LMA readily now, but I think his instinct is still to blaze with the ball in transition, and he needs to recognize what the situation needs: he made an errant pass ahead to Patty that sailed out of bounds, and needed to pull back and let the clock run a bit when we had the lead. At times he gets a bit too mano-a-mano, and when he's scoring smartly, it's fine, but it can be a bit of tunnel vision and miss the more team-oriented play that is a higher percentage shot. I do like his drive and dish (though the position of the pass to receiver needs a bit of work ie/ tall guys getting passes too low), and using screens for elbow Js as well as reading when to drive. His nose for O boards is great, too. These combined with his solid defensive instincts are serving him and us well, but court vision two-three moves ahead and game management are areas to work on.

DJ got caught on some back door drives of their speedy PG and that's when he tended to go more mano-a-mano. He moves like his butt is a bit heavier - maybe a touch slower on initial push offs from his feet going up and down, and just a touch less springs with the butt load. Obviously he is super slim and has lithe muscles so it's not literally a weight issue, but it's just how he looks when he moves and lifts this season and so I wonder whether that's an offshoot of the recovery. This plus the initial minutes restriction plus learning the tendencies of team mates plus learning the intricacies of the PG is a steep learning curve. He is adapting better after spending some time on the bench, but you can see why he needed the mental respite for a while.

Trey. WOW what a game he had! This was the best, most engaged all around game of the season from him. Very efficient 7-9 including 3-4 from 3 but it was his variety of shots, his looking for them and taking them, and defending well that was a great package. I loved he at times shot right from passes, at times faked the shot and dribbled in for more open Js, at times when LMA was doubled and the opponent loaded the strong side, he recognized the weak right side driving lane and took it straight to the basket. These seem like simple basketball plays, but he's looking so much better from the beginning of the year when he either tried to do too much with the ball, or then just rebounded, to slowly taking shots but looking reluctant, to hitting 3s with confidence, to now expanding his O game from reading the plays and asserting himself. He also had some big-big passes with LMA which is an improvement to being one of any player who could pass it around the arc. Loved how he stayed in front of drivers and had the presence of mind to strip drivers of the ball for steals. A really smart coming out party game for Trey, wonderful to see the confidence and broadening of his game.

We've had games where the bench stepped up to save the game, but it was the starters who cam through far more in this game. Beli led the way once again, and with his solid game solidifies Pop's faith in him. For context:

Read on Twitter

Beli was only 1-2 in the first half (9 minutes) and didn't see any court time in the 3rd Q, so kudos to Pop for going with players who were clicking. When Beli and Bryn were not doing their job (another errant Bryn mid-air pass for a TO) or moving to get open shots, they got quick yanks. Cue the 4th, and Beli got the message and shot 3-5. Many don't like Beli 'taking' minutes from Lonnie, but really it's always been up to Lonnie to play so well that he makes Pop play him. After that amazing game to help us defeat our state rival, Lonnie's been inconsistent on both ends. It's not that 28PPG is expected, but smart play and consistent effort are the requirements. In a pre-game interview Pop said the next stage of Lonnie's development is getting others involved better. You could tell he was looking to pass the ball in this game, perhaps too much so as it looked awkwardly deliberate at times after picking up his dribble. He's very good at finding his own shot, and his range is better, so it makes sense to keep expanding his game. Is it frustrating that Beli is back ahead of him in the rotation? Probably, but Beli has surged back to excel in his role, both off ball movement and making shots. We won't just give Lonnie a spot, and though the bar is high, all our draftees have gone through the G-League-earning minutes process.

Derrick had 20 solid minutes hitting 3-4 shots (plus 1-1 from 3), added 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Such a great attitude when moving from the bench to starter to bench again, and is looking more assertive taking open shots. Love his physical drives. He's been battling a sore foot a short while back, so it's delayed the DJ-Derrick pairing we keep hoping will get minutes, but fingers crossed we see how it works.

Rudy had another off O game, just needs to get out or his rut, maybe get easier shots closer to the basket via drives rather than more outside shooting. Jakob as well has seen reduced minutes, and part of it is a function of a more limited offensive arsenal. Trey hasn't shown his full game until this one opened some eyes, but we knew he had 3 range and has also shown good driving and passing, now more so with LMA. True Trey and Jakob have different positions, but it's good to see the Trey-LMA tandem work as we've developed the Jakob-LMA one as well. I think Jakob needs to hold on to the ball better, and make sure he finishes using the glass if he's not going to dunk the ball. Just too many bobbled balls and missed bunnies at this stage. I love when he fakes a pass and drives instead as his finishes are textbook off glass layups, but in other situations, he doesn't use the glass nearly enough. I wonder if we can bulk Jakob up a bit to strengthen him while keeping his agility. He gets bodied versus certain Cs and looks like he can't hold his own to contest on post-ups so. He's a really smart player and is terrific for us defensively so it's a minor point, but it stands out now and again, and if we can get a more physical nastiness out of his frame, all the better. Also, can we run a play or two to make sure he's engaged on O and reward him for his solid D?

As far as team D, we looked noticeably better guarding the P&R, whether by deflecting passes or contesting the drives. We communicated far better and our help D, active hands and feet for deflections, steals (9) and blocks (4) allowed us to get points in transition. We do need to be mindful to run back on defense as we got caught at times and gave up easy points, and we benefited from missed open 3s, but we did well to rotate and contest others. Although we had a solid physical presence down low and won the board battle overall 46-35, we were clobbered on O boards 11-4 (and they had 7 more shots), so positioning, boxing out, and hustle need work. Our zone D was effective. Though it's related to rebounding issues, it nevertheless confounded our opponents and we used it well to get stops.

We did run some sets that opened up more options - rather than swinging the ball around the arc, we'd pass to the elbow then out to the arc again and swing to the other corner and made it more difficult to defend. Smart. LMA scored from just about everywhere, but our team shot chart shows more scoring from the right side of the court. We take what is open and exploit what we could and these happened to be on that side of the court. Whether it was deliberate or just taking advantage of chances we had, it worked for us. Loved our cuts and high-low passes. Loved that we finished quarters strong.

So now we have DJ also executing the pick and pop with LMA that DD usually does, and Trey with the high-low pass to LMA that Rudy usually does. Interesting. The more of our younger guys that get more proficient at these the better. I like to think this is part of the transition occurring right before our eyes, and that includes younger guys having to earn their minutes. All the while the entire unit becomes more adept at running different sets and playing with different players.

It's not about expecting such an offensive output every game, but we showed far better, more cohesive and competitive play for far more of the game. Solid response that hopefully made the brief holiday break that much more enjoyable.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter