The Story:
The Denver Nugget arrived in the AT&T Center as a bit of a different team than the one the Spurs played two weeks ago, being on a hot streak as winners of three straight, with their high-powered offense being the main reason for said winning streak. The Spurs, meanwhile, came into tonight's contest a bit halter-skelter exchanging wins and losses over the past week-and-a-half. The Spurs have seen a decline in their defense as of late and with key offensive cogs Tony Parker (left foot pain aka rest) and Pau Gasol (broken finger) out, along with Denver being hot, this contest became a bit sketchy for the Spurs.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with Denver holding a small lead for most of the way. The Spurs received a nice boost from David Lee, starting in place of Gasol, and Dejounte Murray, in place of Parker. Lee kept the Spurs afloat early when offense seemed hard to come by until Murray decided to get into the game (and into the paint) with his dynamic play. Behind 8 pts/6 rbs from Lee and 10 pts/2-2 3 pt from Murray, the Spurs found themselves up 5 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter Denver climbed back to take a brief lead before both teams exchanged it most of the rest of the way. This quarter is where the Spurs found Jokic starting to bend the Spurs over sans lube. Dude was scoring all over the court, regardless of who defended him. The Spurs also garnered unfavorable calls throughout much of the period (and the rest of the game). Thankfully the Spurs were able to keep pace behind Manu and Kawhi, and eventually took their biggest lead of the game at 4 and settled for going into the half with a 1-point lead.
The third quarter saw the Spurs quickly build a 16-point lead and seem poised to blow the game wide open. That is, until Jokic resumed annihilating the Spurs' defense. With LMA picking up his fourth foul and Dedmon proving ineffective at guarding him, Jokic manhandled the Spurs' defense; while the Spurs were able to remain in front the entire quarter (generally by 10+) they just couldn't find an answer to slow down Denver's star bigman. Thankfully the rest of the Nuggets missed several open shots and the Spurs maintained a healthy lead into the final stanza.
During the fourth quarter, things remained generally the same; Denver continued to find ways to score generally through Jokic while but couldn't stop the Spurs on the other end. That is, until Kawhi went to the bench. At that point Jokic was already too much for the Spurs to contain and to compound matters no one could seem to get a bucket on the other end. Then in checks Kawhi once again and, along with threes from Mills and Green, the game was put away.
Some things I noticed during the game:
-Dejounte Murray is the best draft pick the Spurs have made (outside the Kawhi trade) since Parker, easily. This kid can play ball. Can we get a nickname for him yet? I'm tired of spelling his first name already.
-Kawhi is back to playing elite on both ends of the court. Early on in the season he wasn't really passing the eye test on defense and the stats said as much as well. Now I feel comfortable saying he passes the eye-ball test with flying colors. On top of his monstrous offensive output the past week this might be the best he's ever played.
-I'm really beginning to worry about MVPatty. He just hasn't been right since New Years and it's killing Manu and the bench. If he doesn't find his game soon I can definitely see Murray taking his spot in the rotation.
-Along with Mills, LDN has been MIA of late on both ends. I'm not as worried about him since he literally is the definition of a role player (inconsistent). However, the Spurs can't win without one of those two shooting well unless Kawhi keeps this up.
-I'm not a big fan of the Gasol signing, but regardless of my feelings the team needs him. That sentiment was on full display tonight with LMA/Dedmon getting into foul trouble guarding a player Gasol shut down for the most part the last time the Spurs played Denver. Unless Bertans really steps up the Spurs are going to lose some otherwise winnable games.
-Pop's rotations continue to make no sense. I understand Gasol being out was unexpected, but there's no reason LMA should be playing 18 minutes straight in the first half with Bertans sitting on the bench being ignored.
Grades:
Kawhi Leonard - A
This is quickly becoming a ho-hum outing for our resident superstar. Leonard was all over the court tonight making plays for himself and others. He played a big role in keeping up with the Nuggets in the second when their offense (and the refs) was rolling and continued that well into the second half, including hitting several huge shots late when Denver pulled themselves back into the game for a moment. I hate about half the shots he takes throughout a game, but I don't recall anyone who seems to make long-contested jumpers as much as Kawhi seems to.
LaMarcus Aldridge - B-
Was hoping for a bigger game from LMA tonight considering Gasol was out and he dominated everyone Denver tried to guard him with last time these teams met up. Unfortunately it was a quiet night for the big guy, which can be attributed to the fact he was in foul trouble most of the second half after two terrible calls. Thankfully he contributed 6 assists to the Spurs' effort and kept the ball moving for the most part. I do have one issue with his play of late, and that is his rebounding. A 6'11" PF/C should not have 3 rebounds in a game like this, regardless of officiating.
Danny Green - C
Average to below-average game from LDN tonight. Only hit one of his three-pointers while committing two really bad turnovers when he tried to do much of anything else; he did contribute in the playmaking depertment to help compensate for the lack of Parker. His defense continues to be mediocre as it has the past two weeks. However, he still made several momentum-changing plays on that end to help the Spurs build a lead including a nice chase-down block in the third when the Spurs finally took control of the contest. Really need him to return to form for Saturday's tilt with the Cavs to have any shot against them.
Dejounte Murray - A+
We might have another star on our hands, folks! Murray got the start in place of Tony and did not disappoint. He was scoring in a variety of different ways including going 3-5 from beyond the arc. Loved his defensive energy as well; he gave Denver's own Murray loads of trouble all night. If his three-point shot is already this legit then the I don't see any reason why he can't break into the rotation THIS season if Mills continues to struggle. Keep doing your thing, young man.
David Lee - A
Monster, monster game from DLee tonight; Spurs simply do not win without him considering the lack of Gasol and LMA being in foul trouble most of the night. He was extremely active early on in the game and single-handedly kept the Spurs even with Denver. As the game wore on he continued his effort on the boards, either grabbing them himself or batting them out to teammates to keep possessions alive. He also played above-average defense when out on the perimeter. Couldn't do much against Jokic, but then again neither could anyone else on the team.
Dewayne Dedmon - C
Tonightjust wasn't Dedmon's game. He wasn't able to effectively guard Jokic or Nurkic, and couldn't keep himself from getting into foul trouble. He had his moments throughout but never seemed to establish his presence. Would be nice to see him be a force regularly with Gasol now missing some time.
Manu Ginobili - B+
With no Tony tonight and Murray on the bench, Manu took it upon himself to attack the paint more than we've been seeing as of late. The results were generally positive with Manu either scoring or passing it off for easy buckets for his teammates. He also threw in a three early on and some nifty defense of the passing lanes against Denver. Didn't see much of Manu in the fourth, otherwise we very well may have gotten the opportunity to bump a certain thread...
Patty Mills - D+
Bad, bad outting from Patty tonight. Normally +/- doesn't tell the full tale of a players' impact on the floor, but tonight Patty's -12 was spot on. He couldn't hit a shot to save his life tonight and had trouble running any real offense that didn't involve handing the ball off to Manu or Simmons while on defense he couldn't seem to stay in front of anyone while missing switches that left Denver shooters wide open on the perimeter. Thankfully he finally hit a shot in the fourth when Denver was sorta-threatening.
Jonathon Simmons - B-
Juice was consistent tonight, if nothing else. He didn't shoot well (albeit two of his misses were desperation heaves) but made up for it by attacking the paint and drawing Denver's (nonexistent) defense into the paint to open up shooters. He was pesky on the defensive end helping Dejounte Murray hold Jamal Murray to 4-15 shooting.
Davis Bertans - D
Wasn't a great night for Davis. He was getting murdered on the defensive end outside a few sequences. Meanwhile, he couldn't hit a shot and seemed indecisive when he had the ball in non-shooting situations. Not gonna read too much into it since he's been fine for the most part when given playing time after his explosion against Charlotte.
Pop - Inc
Wasn't looking good early on for Pop; his rotations made no sense (how does LMA play the entire first and half the second before getting rest?! No Bertans until late in the first half when he clearly was needed with Gasol out?) and he clearly didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Took care of it though by getting thrown out.
Messina - B+
Not a big fan of Messina but for the most part I was satisfied with his coaching. Most of his rotations made sense and he didn't pull players early when they were rolling. Was also happy that he didn't stick with lineups that were gushing points to the Nuggets. Gave him the plus since he didn't play Fathead at all.
Damn dude, I posted my grades at the same time as you. Didn't expect you to have them out so fast. You's a beast.
ing Dejounte Murray. Is there any doubt the Spurs are light-years above the rest of the league at developing young talent? He is the ing future and I can't wait to see how far this kid goes.
Thanks for the grades pretty straightforward and I can't say I disagree.
You were right that playing Lamarcus 18 minutes straight was not a good idea. In fact Pop barely played Davis in the first half and it was actually Messina who gave him more run in the second half, as well as go to others in the rotation.
I tend to think if Pop is this reluctanct with Davis, they will look at bigs for 10 day contracts or call Joel Anthony back. I felt uneasy as this Denver team was understaffed as well with injuries and the defense was poor for most of the night... When they tightened things up they pulled away.
Mills had a poor game, but he will microwave right back, I am sure.
And Dijon was the story of the night (yes dudes, Kawhi was awesome too, but Dijon is a novelty to fawn over!)
Messina should get an A+, just for remembering that he has Kawhi.
It's almost like there was something different tonight, on the defensive end. But what?
oh man.. he is so fun to watch..
D-Murr???
not that one
Call him "Play".
He looks like he's straight out of a Kid and Play movie.
Murray is easy to spell...
As long as it ain't Dijon, that 's lame as
name came from reddit. I feel sick.
Thanks Robz, like a boss, per par...
For the nickname, how about dindu murray, tbh?
We could even have the Dindu Shrine of Murray, tbh...
good signs of progress on murray's outside shot... but i wanna see it over longer periods of time before showing any confidence in it.
the development of Murray is astonishing ... it looks like the Spurs have a PG in the future ...his 3 point shooting is totally surprising
Patty sucked again. right after threads were being made about him leading the league in efficient FG% he is going straight downhill ...
Bertans did not play good in the first half ... had Pop been there, he would not have played in the second half ... Messina thought otherwise but Bertans did not reward him
Good grades. Many thanks!A little hard on Danny but otherwise spot on
Thanks for the grades!
Consistency has been an issue with Patty, Danny, Simms and most Spurs players this season. Hopefully they can put it together in next games.
I know it...I know the answer!!! Parker and Pau absences!
Imagine Patty Mill's insane hustle in the body of David Lee!
That would give you...well, David Lee!
I love this guy.
More of it has to do with the kind of guys they draft. Without an elite work ethic, great character, and passion for the game within the player, development from Kawhi or DeJounte isn't possible. From the time he was drafted, DeJounte would post pictures of himself on snapchat at around midnight, drenched in sweat at the Spurs practice facility at least 3-5 times a week. All he does is talk about how great he aspires to be, it reminds me of when Kawhi was a rookies. Both not only aspire to be great, but both have freakish size and length for their positions which gives them a rare, yet solid foundation w/ a huge edge to build on.Damn dude, I posted my grades at the same time as you. Didn't expect you to have them out so fast. You's a beast.
ing Dejounte Murray. Is there any doubt the Spurs are light-years above the rest of the league at developing young talent? He is the ing future and I can't wait to see how far this kid goes.
It's very hard for NBA teams to quantify work ethic, character and passion for the game months/weeks prior to the NBA Draft. Most college coaches will vouch for their guys to help their players get drafted and to help their programs shine.
Those three things are so huge with player development and whether or not a player will be a bust. Spurs seem to have a great grasp on gauging it better than most teams.
Guys, LMA did not play 18 mins straight. He was subbed out for a couple mins in the first. And probably longer than that factoring in timeouts, whistles, etc...
It didn't help all the fouling that was happening, but it's why he had such a short break. But yea, like I said in the game thread he did not play 18 mins straight. That'll never happen under Pop.
Aside from that, I agree with the overall premise of the grades. Patty and Danny both started out the season so well. A slump was expected and comes at the perfect time. We'll need them both to close out the season
Don't know anything about the young PG. I just know a lot about this forum and everyone tends to fellate the new single game performance as if its a trend (see J Simmons/GS). We'll see.
Good job OP!Agree w/ all the grades but Danny's.
I think Danny should've got at least a C+. Actually loved his team defense in this game, especially in the 2nd half. There was a play when he blocked 2 straight shots that killed some Denver's momentum plus hounded the passing lanes aggressively.
He just needs to continue w/ his work ethic and everything should fall in place. Bright future.Dejounte Murray - A+
We might have another star on our hands, folks! Murray got the start in place of Tony and did not disappoint. He was scoring in a variety of different ways including going 3-5 from beyond the arc. Loved his defensive energy as well; he gave Denver's own Murray loads of trouble all night. If his three-point shot is already this legit then the I don't see any reason why he can't break into the rotation THIS season if Mills continues to struggle. Keep doing your thing, young man.
I didn't see the game either, and was only reading about the performance. But I watched the highlights and... he's legit. The attributes are there, and his skillset has a synergistic affect.
Once he learns the game more, fine tunes his gifts, and establish more skills, this kid will have a few 40 point outbursts in his career at least.
He's fast, quick, and has length. Passing skills and vision are there. And he's a gamer. He also has good defensive instincts and the tools to capitalize.
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