SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 19: SPURS VS. WIZARDS, 29-11-2021, 7:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

gump, you got your win!

[imagump1313]

gump, you got your win!

Took 42 years but we never forgot

[G R E Y]

gump, you got your win!

Took 42 years but we never forgot

AND, we've been making them pay for decades. Check out this crazy stat!

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[G R E Y]

4TH Q: SPURS 116

WIZARDS 99

Huge second half! That 3RD Q was a really big momentum turner for us on the back of Derrick's 18 (!) points. We outscored them 71-48 in the final two Qs and it was solid D that held it down for us and was the foundation from which we made our O push.

Whereas previously our D would stay strong but tend to wilt if opponents got a double digit lead and our O was still struggling, there was s decisive difference in the second half. It's like something clicked from all those early mistakes and through repetition we got some confidence once the shots started falling. I love that we're figuring things out better and that we got two quality consecutive (for the first time this season) wins versus good teams with great scoring talent all while being down some talent of our own.

Derrick (24 on 10-21, 3-7 from 3,1-1FTs, 5 boards with 2 on O, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block) and DJ (22 on 8-19, 0-2 from 3, 6-7 FTs - this is great!, 10 boards with 2 on ), and 8 assists, joining Jakob in the double double club) were steady and reliable throughout the game on D and grew on O as the game progressed. At least equally as important is that they were disruptive on perimeter D and drives, keeping their back court counterparts to a combined 34 points on poor efficiency. It was great to see Derrick put the team on his back, and the coordinated version of himself emerging once again. I think it comes with confidence as well, and his quicker decisions, assertive drives, spins in the key, 3s off his own dribble and not picking up his dribble early but instead finding the open teammate were all great signs. DJ dancing-crossover for the crafty make mode to get the points he wants when he wants them - AND, this is crucial, knowing when to do it and when not to, trusting that others can help, too - is a big step forward.

We made some key shifts in the second half, building off of solid team D effort and the great O play of Keldon (13 on 6-8 including two thunderous dunks, 1-1 from 3, 5 boards with 2 on O, and 2 assists) and Jakob (14 points on 7-11 - he really had those pop-a-shots in the key going, great touch, and it was wonderful to see him in double digits in attempts, 11 boards of which a whopping 7 were on O, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) who were our steadying O presence when just about everyone else was still finding his shot.

One second half shift was the awakening of our back court tandem's O, but another was inserting Thad far more as the game progressed. He's like a secret weapon whose lefty hook and strange release you can't really prepare for and his vet presence was very important for us down the stretch. Love that decision.

Whereas we lost the points in the paint battle at the half, we won it by the end of the game. P&Rs with Thad, his solid screens and great angles on slips to the basket, his physicality, his great passes from the elbow, his reliable post up plays were all really a cog around which more of our O could confidently operate. In just 13 minutes, he contributed 10 points on 5-7, 3 boards (1 on O), 2 assists, and 1 steal. I know we're going to have to move him, but I wish we didn't. He seems to really like being around our young guys and we're thriving off of his vet presence.

We used more high-low passes, high-low-out to weak side cutter passes in addition to the P&Rs we usually run. It was fun to see more of what we can do on O even as what we're repeating to make sure is automatic is coming along nicely.

I though Diop was quietly disruptive defensively and his length, physical presence and good footwork was a problem for drivers. He kept forcing passes back out for secondary options. I like his cuts and soft touch at the rim, too. He doesn't score a lot (6 points on 2-4, 2-4FTs, 1 board, 2 assists) but he's a smart player and we're solidly in the positive with him on the floor with the starters.

I thought we controlled the game much better in the second half. We picked up the pace to even the FGAs at 92 a piece but we made a terrific despite only taking 18 3s (making 8 to their 9), we drove with more forward momentum than previously and got to the FT line 16 times, connecting on a work-in-progress 10. Five misses were Jakob's 0-3 and Diop's 2-4, but DJ finally getting there well above his career average was a positive.

We're not always going to need a plethora of 3s and we read the game well in terms of exploiting opponent weaknesses. We did better on the boards in the second half to win that battle as well 51-40 including 15-12 on O, we ended up sliding in for floaters off fakes and screens to dominate inside for 72 points to their 56, and despite their taking 31 3s, we did a solid job in contesting a lot of them.

It was good that we found way to get our bigs more scoring chances and Jakob, Diop,Thad, and Drew combined fo32 points of those 72 we made inside with a nice balance of 20 for the starter and 12 for the bench bigs.

We still need to work on communicating on D so that too many defenders don't sag down low and nobody rotates over to the open 3 shooter in the corner. They got some drive and kick outs and we had like three defenders collapsing on the driver for their far too wide open 3s. And we also need to be mindful when the opposition’s best scorer passes the ball and moves because he’s going to get is back in more space. The last couple of games we let them get the ball back too easily and it hurt us. But we also sent out waves of players on their talented perimeter duo with Derrick and DJ and finally Lonnie. Lonnie’s been struggling mightily on O so it’s his turn to go through the nine circles of inefficiency hell and he’s missing in a variety of ways – 3s, drives to the basket, open 2s off of screens, etc. More on these in a bit, but the reason he was out there late in the game was because he was tasked with shadowing Beal and I thought he made a concerted effort doing it. He fought over screens, he stayed with Beal to cover him when he moved off-ball, and he was physical and closed space well to prevent easy shots. And so on a night when Lonnie was only 1-6, 0-2 from 3, 1-1FT, he contributed 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block and in bench high 24 minutes he was second only to Thad’s +14 with a +9of his own.

Like our 3s, Lonnie’s made shot was sparse but timely. He drove from right to left and made another flourish move and twist in the air to make an off-the-glass shot with his right hand and controlled it well through the foul, making his FT. You can tell his O struggles are getting to him, it’s written on his face, but I love that Pop gave him a task to focus on and that he excelled at it. It’s a very good lesson that when your one strength isn’t working, you find other ways to contribute and he did.

To that end, Bryn was terrific as well in faking shots and driving into they key for floaters. Bertans is a good foil for Bryn. Both came into the league known for their one dominant skill. Bertans got his money, but when he isn’t making his 3s, there’s not a lot else he contributes. Bryn to his credit has worked on his body so he’s not wilting half way through the year and so that he can absorb contact when he drives. His floaters were automatic tonight and time and again we took advantage of this one play that kept breaking down their D. He added a great additional weapon when he’s covered at the arc, and scored 10 points on 4-6, 2-3 from 3, along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It was a classic example of taking and making the most of what the D gives you. Covering the arc well enough and getting some breaks on the open misses as well as being very efficient from the arc ourselves meant that we weren’t punished for a 2s for 3s exchange and the fuller variety of our game came through.

I love that we ended up scoring 13 points to their 12 off our respective TO’s (so we made up the six-point deficit in this category that we trailed at the half and got the edge) and a commanding 17-0 in fast break points.

It was an opposite flow of the last game in that last time we got a big lead early, lost it with two middle Qs that were unfortunately true to our pattern, and got it back with a late scoring flurry; but in this game, we started slow on O in terms of efficiency and then built momentum and got over our poor middle two Q play with strong performances in both. The 3RD Q in particular which has been our worst was turned with Derrick’s leading us through it. We were actually down ten points at one point in that Q and we stormed back to score a game-high 39 points, trending upwards in each of the first three Qs. We won the final Q 32-21 and were up enough to put in lesser used players and a couple of call ups.

The final line-up of Tre, Primo, Wiesy, Cacok and Jock finished the game to an appreciative crowd. These guys almost always get court time when there’s a big lead either way, so it was nice that we worked towards giving them the minutes. Tre (2 points on 1-3) and Primo (6 points on 2-2 from 3, the young lad doesn’t break a sweat in shots we need) were part of the five-man bench unit. Pop ran a 10-player rotation who logged double digits in minutes and the consistency in plays we run in Austin, the familiarity of various players with one another, and having various combination of players out there together is playing off in terms of subbing a given player and there not being a big drop off.

I really liked Devontae Cacok’s smart play. Ok only two minutes, but he’s been cleaning it up in Austin with his physicality. He drove from the left and made a selfless dish to Jock cutting on the right side for the assists, he grabbed a couple of rebounds, one on O in the tip in. Just smart, physical presence within our system. I hope we get to see more of him and his sheer strength.

This is our first two-game winning streak of the season and with solid D and improving rhythm and confidence, we look like we’re putting some things together well.

Our back court was cooking after a slow start, our variety in scoring helped us, and more guys stepping up (six Spurs in double figures, two form the bench) means we’re getting more used to playing with one another while the young guys learn to step up in bigger roles.

It was always going to take some time for us to try to fill in the spaces left behind by five vets who were experienced in scoring. And little by little we’re getting guys used to stepping up more. Some are coming along faster than others, some have hot and cold streaks in efficiency, but we’re raising the floor with more contributions from more players. Through it all is our system that is consistent from Austin to the big club.

We still have lots of room for improvement what with communication on D to limit those open 3s from bad rotations, we can still generate more 3s (though I do like that more of our players are stepping up to take 3s off their own dribble), and we can still make sure we’re taking advantage of mismatches better like when bigs have a guard switched on the down low (Thad exploited this well tonight).

Overall a big change tonight, too, was the more forward motion on drives rather a vertical finish at the rim in the last game and this was part of a momentum and energy generating switch in our favour. All this on the foundation of keeping two teams in a row under 100 points with our D. Whatever the balance between forgetting this one but taking the best out of it is, let’s take it with us for the upcoming road trip.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

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