SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 11: SPURS VS. KINGS, 10-11-2021, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

After a couple of days of reflection and no doubt film and practice, we're back at it for a two home games, both versus west opponents. Staying consistent with our defensive intensity and our offensive good-to-great principles as well as being focused on finishing plays hard on both ends are central to the task ahead of us. Show up, show out together.

WHERE: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

WHEN: Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 7:30pm (CT)

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

GO SPURS GO!!!

[G R E Y]

Special honours in tonight's game:

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Well players out, players in. I hope Primo and Wiesy ball out tonight:

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Read on Twitter

[G R E Y]

Drew is drunk with three TOs in a row. FOCUS, Drew!

[G R E Y]

We had two chances on O from two good D plays but Drew passed badly twice and they scored twice. So instead of a 4-point increase to our lead it was cut by four.

[G R E Y]

But our D is very disciplined, alert, and active so far for several steals and quick pushes the other way. We're switching on the perimeter to prevent any open easy passes and covering down low to deflect passes. We even deflected a 3 attempt as well. With Thad in now we're getting into a nice groove.

But another lead is an opportunity to do things differently by which I mean the same - keep doing the things that got you the lead!

[G R E Y]

I JUST SAID to not go away form what got us a lead. And there goes Keldon driving into a contested key, yelling, and getting stripped. RUN SOMETHING. PASS.

[G R E Y]

Ok Keldon just redeemed himself with that great O rebound away from the hands of two defenders and PASS back out to Devin for the 3.

[G R E Y]

Derrick is still not trusting his instincts fully but he is playing more smoothly. He used the glass on an assertive left side drive finishing with his right hand, but on another drive he had an open floater but chose to dish down low to Thad. He scored, but it was the less simple choice. On a subsequent drive, Derrick drove into a congested key and missed a contested layup.

[G R E Y]

1ST Q: SPURS 34

KINGS 20

We left A LOT of points on the court. A lot. The good thing is that we are getting the chances, the bad is that we're leaving it up to Derrick at end of Qs to figure out his rhythm and range.

WHAT was that poor dribble attempt into a defender and sort of side shotput ugly miss?

Derricks' handles were a noticeable tier below DJ's and... they still are.

Despite some mental mistakes, we are defending well to keep giving ourselves a chance to build a lead.

We were up 18, however, to that 14-point lead is actually them chipping away at our lead because we settled for one-and-done shots. STOP doing that, PASS the ball around, good to great shots.

[G R E Y]

We move the ball, we move off ball, great motion and passing to cutters and we more often than not score. We settle for one-and-done shots too early in the clock - WHY??! - and more often than not we do not.

WHEN. WILL. IT. SINK. IN??!

We're giving up quicker points and points in the key now so we have to be careful not to get into a shot-for-shot exchange versus a team that loves to out-run opponents. We were successful on D when we slowed them up and forced extra uncomfortable passes. Back to more of that, please!

[G R E Y]

And there goes our 19-point lead with too many quick basket allowed especially down the middle, and with too many one-and-done shots as well as passes that didn't advance the good-to-great fundamentals.

THINK our way through to prevent drives down the middle and orchestrate more open shots from our movement.

[G R E Y]

*SIGH* DERRICK DRIBBLES DERRICK FUMBLES DERRICK FOULS ****...

Another weak end-of-Q play attempt and fail by Derrick. He's regressed a lot on O, man...

[G R E Y]

So Derrick's end of Q play attempt results in a clear path foul. Brilliant.

[G R E Y]

AND DERRICK FOULS THEM WITH 0.1 SECONDS LEFT AFTER BITING ON A PUMP FAKE. AT LEAST A SIX-POINT SWING ON LACK OF FOCUS AND BAD BBIQ. BRUTAL WAY TO END THE Q.

[G R E Y]

2ND Q: SPURS 71

KINGS 54

They really should not have had a 30+ point Q. It was all on dumb plays by us. I know we're up big, but we were up bigger, and this was another momentum-swinging finish to a half.

I honestly had no idea Bryn is 4-8 and Lonnie is 4-9 at the half. Wonky stream at times means I missed some sequences, clearly.

Really everyone except Derrick (1-4) is playing well on O even as we can still play better in terms of making better decision with the ball. Push in transition, run the plays, move, pass, score.

Maybe the kid gloves should be taken off and Pop can yell at him and the reverberations can align his offset rhythm. It's like his brain and his limbs do different things, or in a delayed way or something. His coordination with the ball and having to make a decision is poor. Confidence. It's so important.

...

As for the positives, the D is on the whole terrific although we have to be careful about giving up quick transition points and drives down the middle better.

Thad has been terrific, Drew has been banging all over the place, our bench unit has been cooking. Devin is developing into a special player.

I like that we put Keldon at the top of the key to put him in a position to make reads and facilitate. That allowed Thad to have a different look - a left block post up and post drove and got fouled. Well done.

I liked Pop's substitutions and rotations this half with a tight eight man rotation and Bryn the ninth at seven minutes -- and ten points in them. This is the perfect role for him, and it's been all the more helpful as Doug is running his heart out but is 2-5 so far.

We have to anticipate a big opponent push in the second half and come out with full energy as if the score is 0-0 or as if we're doing the chasing. We MUST have an assertive mindset, but poised. We must protect the arc and our key and the ball, and stay hungry and focused on O.

[G R E Y]

Yep, don't like the energy. It's like we're waiting for the opponent to wake up to pressure us. What's with the misses to start the second half form like everywhere? What's with settling for contested shots?

Move pass score repeat, Spurs.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 104

KINGS 87

Ok. We've scored 104 points in three Qs. We now have three 30+point Qs. We tied that Q after falling down in the middle of it so good comeback.

They got too many drives down the middle at times so that's something to clean up. They hit a couple of 3s in a row but Lonnie closing the gap with a quick pounce for a great contest on their final miss was terrific.

Tre end of Q losing the ball off his body is just a thing for some of our players. Let's protect the ball better.

No need to rush on O here. Orchestrate smart open shots, and keep defending as we've been doing. Stay hungry.

[G R E Y]

Derrick to Lonnie for a quick one and done pull up 3 miss - **** HELL. WHY? WHY????! Dumb decision reinforcing bad habits.

WE have a big lead. RUN a play and run the clock.