Ok. Better. The best part is that on the first ever Indigenous Day, Patty had such a great showing in a much-needed win.
Another slower start in which we operated more outside-in, and they were lights out from 3 for an early 11-point lead. To our credit, we made a couple of 3s, and we finally started driving more to get to the FT line. This is what brought us close by the end of the 1st Q: they hit 5-9 3s (we hit 2), and we had 4 turnovers, so not the in sync, focused start, but we did make 8-9FTs (they made 2-3) which trimmed the deficit down to three points.
We continued that momentum in the 2nd Q, and inverted the result: we hit 7-11 3s (to their 3-13) and only two turnovers, for six-point half time lead. To get there, DeMar (9 points, 6 assists) and LMA (8 points, 2-3 from 3, 1 block, 1 steal) led the starters, with DJ pitching in 7 points, and good Trey reappearing for a very solid 4-6 (plus 1-2 from 3) for 9 points. I know his role isn't to score, but as a starter who has acclimated by now, his contributions are needed beyond rebounding, so it was good to see him break down their zone D by faking shots and driving for dunks, hitting a 3. And he was aggressive on the boards. Love it when he plays like that. We frankly need more of it game in, game out.
Bryn. Well, he needs a break. It's good he had the second fewest minutes with 16 tonight. But it's also been long enough that, like with DJ earlier in the year, he needs to sit, take the pressure off, and have other players start. I don't care who at this point. Even Beli. No joke.
Beli's been benched to single-digit minutes, but has come in with energy, hit a huge 3 in the Toronto game, and though he made mistakes on D (namely not boxing out and Jakob got rocked on their O rebound dunk), he hit some clutch shots, moved very well, and rebounded well (7). When used in specific situations, he's proven a valuable player. Right now he's a better off-ball mover than Bryn, a better rebounder, and a better passer with better court vision. Not least of all, he is making shots. Some were more heat-check chuck mode too early in the clock, but considering he had 12 points (2-5 from 3, 6-6FTs) you take the assertive mode risks with the benefits he provided. He played with some pride and something to prove and he did. Good showing.
It was our bench unit led by Patty that really made a big difference in getting us back into the game, and getting us through when they made a push in the 4th Q. Patty led us at the half with 14 points (4-6, 3-6 from 3, 3-3FTs), and by game's end as well with 18 (5-11, 4-10 from 3, 4-4FTs, with 5 rebounds, including two clutch on O late in the 4th Q, and 3 assists). Time and again Patty has stepped up for us when we needed direction or a clutch play or an energy lift that shifted our focus. Our bench outscored theirs 27-13 at the half, and 49-30 by the end of the game. I know +/- is a very general stat, but the eye test that all the starters were in the minus and all the bench players were in the plus.
Clutch play: After they took the lead in the 4th Q, Patty ran down a loose ball in our O end to bounce it off them to retain our possession. It was a huge play because we were able to score and get to within 1 point, 98-97, and the turning point from which we get the lead and kept it. These are the kinds of hustle and heart and smart plays we need more of from more guys.
After that play, we went on to make all our FTs (5-5), we grabbed 7 D boards, 2 O boards, while giving up no O boards for their second chances, all of which contributed to our outscoring them 12-4 in the final 4:46 of the game. Sure they missed some easy shots, but so did we, and in terms of ball protection, getting stops, making hustle plays in sometimes messy competitive late-game situations, we made the most of it to take back the lead and keep it.
Clutch play: Derrick's steal when we were up 99-98 which led to a LMA basket and 1 foul for a four point lead.
Clutch play: Coach Becky convincing Pop to use the Coach's Challenge when DeMar was called for a foul that was ruled a continuation for them. It was kind of confusing since we technically lost the challenge (at least from what the commentators said at the time) but because upon review the foul was deemed before the shot the basket didn't count, and because they were not in the bonus, they did not get a FT either, just a side inbound. So it was a huge 3-point swing in our favour; rather than it being potentially a tie game, we were still up 105-100 at the end of the review.
Kudos to Pop for not playing Bryn at all in the 4th Q. Also credit to him for switching Beli and Lonnie in and out for O and D purposes in late game situations. Lonnie wasn't a factor on O and as gump said the passing around the arc with DJ wasted the clock. Their athleticism complements one another which works better in transition, but neither is a great facilitator and couldn't really break down their D. LW also passed up some open 3s and Js, so there's a learning curve he's showing.
Some things to work on: They went on a 8-0 run in the 4th Q to take a three-point lead, and each basket was in-the-paint four times in a row. I thought we could have called a timeout sooner to stop the pattern, but I also don't know how many we had left so that may have been a factor. These runs just make me nervous as we tend to unravel, but Pop put Derrick in for the final 5:18 and he made an immediate impact on both ends. He's been really good finishing games for us. More on this in a bit.
We need to get better at breaking down zone D, too much passing around the arc, too much horizontal movement. We had that one high low pass from DeMar to LMA and hope that we can use it more. Our O tends to get stagnant with the starting unit at times, and I'm not sure what that's about, other than settling for outside shots too much. It's almost as if at times we want to save energy and expend it driving only if we have to. What are we saving it for? Our P&R D still needs some work, though we did break it down at times in this game. Open 3s on missed rotations continues to be an issue. When we did communicate and rotate we did a better job at running out to side contest.
Missed bunnies should be punished with I don't know what to get it through our heads to finish strong at the basket - laundry duty? suicide drills? Just. Dunk. The. Ball.
Passing in the air especially when we drive and turn around to kick out is getting to be dangerously predictable and we have to limit it unless completely necessary. Speaking of drive and kicks, we keep giving up open lane shots close to the basket (or the chance to get fouled) by kicking out unnecessarily for less efficient shots farther out. Maybe I'm too old school, but unless you're down too much and need quick points, you take the chances you are given. It just doesn't make sense to give up the easier shot you worked to get on the drive.
I have to agree with gump that DJ's game isn't where I thought it would be at this point. I mentioned in a previous game write-up that at this point, I think we'd fare better with Derrick as the starter. He's the more poised player, better vision, better passer, better P&R facilitator, hits the 3 at a decent rate (and takes more) and has a really good feel for what the moment needs.
I think DJ can grow into that, and it may not be fair as the younger more raw player coming off an injury to expect all that, but I think one of the things that has made our starting unit go through such ups and downs is DJ learning on the job. DJ is an aggressive player, but more drive and score-first and so his facilitating game is not yet developed as well. He is also not as mature as Derrick in the sense of self-sacrifice for the best of the team. When he was put on the second unit earlier in the year, he did not take it well. Maybe it's just the way of the social media generation, but going from "... Spurs are family, they saved my life" to reportedly unfollowing the Spurs when he was given the second unit assignment, then following them when he got back to the first unit is, well, weird public signalling. There's some messy social media business with DJ and his father as well as with some IG honey traps, so hopefully he's focusing on the right things. Derrick just does what is asked of him and he is flourishing, and provided a solid overall, poised game (5-11, 1-3 from 3, 4 rebounds, 1 on O, 6 assists, 2 steals). I wish DJ had that mentality because frankly we need Derrick to play more minutes now, and it may even help the first group as he was our starter last season. DJ's come a long way from what I understand of his background, and it's not easy navigating pressures of learning to strengthen weaknesses on and off the court. But I do wonder if he could put his ego aside better than what he showed before whether we would not have Derrick starting now.
DeMar's near triple double with 9 rebounds and team-high 9 assists, several of which were finds for Spurs who ran ahead or made great weak side cuts inside provided us with good interior scoring. I do hope he is more aggressive taking it to the basket. LMA's team-high 3 O boards, 2-4 from 3, 3-3FTs and 8-15 for a team-high 21, plus 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks was terrific balance not only of D and O contributions, but also of his not settling for outside shots; only 5 were outside the paint, so his inside presence was really important for us.
This game came down to making our 3s - we had a six point advantage there, pushing more for a vertical game to get to the FT line - we got in the bonus sooner than they did, and made 23-34FTs with a balanced attack of three starters and three bench players getting to the line, and making clutch plays while remaining poised, several of which I went over earlier. We need all the wins we can get and if it takes some bounces to go our way along the way, we'll take it. Ultimately, we make our own luck with solid play, and we made enough of them tonight to put the previous games a bit farther in the rear view mirror as we look ahead to stronger team play, more defensively responsible and offensively diverse and aggressive.
NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS
