Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – Game #27
Tre Jones and the Spurs won again (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs (9-18) are just five games back of the 10th seed in the Western Conference after notching their third consecutive win. This time, the good guys eked out a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who fell to 17-11 with the loss.
Playing in front of their home fans in the AT&T Center, the Spurs took a double-digit lead midway through the second quarter. The Cavs entered the fourth period down 14 points but kept chipping away at San Antonio’s advantage. With three minutes remaining, the Spurs were clinging to a four-point lead.
Thanks to clutch shooting by Devin Vassell, a humongous defensive play by Keldon Johnson and tireless hustle, the Spurs juuuust barely escaped with a 112-111 victory.
All in all, it was a fantastic effort by the Silver and Black. They played hard throughout and deserved to get the W. It wasn’t always pretty (it wasn’t even mostly pretty, if we’re being honest) but the Spurs have to be happy with how they’ve responded to that miserable 11-game losing streak.
Final Grades – Spurs vs. Cavaliers
Keldon Johnson
The good: Johnson was really good in the second quarter. In that period, he was 5-for-7 from the floor and was using his big body well to create space for his shot attempts. His game-saving block at the end was perhaps his best defensive play of his career. The bad: Outside of the second quarter, Johnson was a woeful 3-for-18 from the floor. He was held scoreless in the fourth while missing all five of his shots. Johnson’s shot-selection got worse and worse as the game progressed. I don’t want to call him a ball hog but he was really reluctant to pass the ball, no matter how cold he was from the field or how open his teammates were. Johnson has to play a smarter, more team-centric brand of basketball if he wants to become a big-time player in this league.
Grade: C-
Tre Jones
Defensively, I thought Jones was stout throughout. He applied pressure and was a blur to loose balls. Offensively, Jones wasn’t doing a whole lot until the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, Jones led the way with seven points and two assists. Without Jones’ production, the Spurs would have died on the vine early in the fourth. His competitiveness throughout the contest was both palpable and contagious.
Grade: B
Zach Collins
Through three quarters, I was really impressed with Collins. He had helped hold Cleveland’s talented bigs in check while rebounding with might, passing with purpose and finishing plays in the paint. Prior to the fourth quarter, Collins had one foul and no turnovers. In the fourth, the wheels fell off of Collins’ wagon. I don’t know if he started panicking or what but he just began to pile up dumb fouls and questionable decisions like they were going out of style. Amazingly, Collins actually ended up fouling out of the game after fouling five times in the fourth. He was good through three quarters but the Spurs won the game despite Collins’ horrendous fourth quarter play.
Grade: C+
Romeo Langford
Langford entered this game coming off of a career-high 19 points against the Heat. He had also scored in double figures in four of his last five games. Versus the Cavs, Langford couldn’t get his offense on track. He was extraordinarily aggressive coming out of the gates but went into a shell after a couple early misses. Defensively, Langford made up for his offensive shortcomings. He was again without question San Antonio’s best perimeter defender. His scrappiness and attentiveness were difference-making attributes on this night.
Grade: B+
Isaiah Roby
Roby got the start and produced well. In only 15 minutes, he had nine points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. Most of Roby’s production came in the first quarter, when he hit all three of his field goal attempts, provided length and athleticism against Cleveland’s big starting lineup, and got the Spurs off on the right foot.
Grade: B+
Devin Vassell
Coming off the bench again as the coaching staff continues to monitor his health after knee soreness caused him to miss a recent game, Vassell was excellent. Defensively, these last two games might have been his best games of the season. His activity against the Cavs was great to see. Offensively, Vassell hit half of his shots from the field, handed out three assists and didn’t turn the ball over. He looked more fluid than usual tonight. Late in the fourth, it was Vassell who authored San Antonio’s final two baskets. It looks like it’s time to make Vassell the go-to option during clutch situations.
Grade: A
Josh Richardson
Richardson had been cold recently but he warmed up in fiery fashion tonight against the Cavaliers. Without his flamethrowing ways, the Spurs absolutely do not get this victory. He poured in 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Richardson also had a couple of sneaky-good passes and his defense was above average. But the bottom line was that his shot-making made all the difference.
Grade: A+
Charles Bassey
The good: Bassey was an absolute terror on the boards. Even when surrounded by a plethora of Clevenders, Bassey was ripping rebounds out of the sky. He finished well, limited his mistakes and continues to show growth in terms of his overall understanding of what the Spurs are trying to do. The bad: Bassey’s perimeter defense was atrocious. He looked like a fish out of water whenever the situation called for him to step out of the paint. Offensively, there were a few times where he would have had an open shot if he had rolled with more purpose.
Grade: B+
Jeremy Sochan
Following a five-game absence due to a quadriceps contusion, Sochan was back in action. For the first time in his career, he came off the bench. Interestingly, Pop had Sochan playing point guard almost exclusively during his 18 minutes on the court. While his outside shooting was awry, everything else was positive. Sochan’s ball-handling and passing were good enough as the backup point guard. I liked his decision-making for the most part and he exhibited little rust. Defensively, Sochan was out on the perimeter using his length to his advantage. He didn’t look slowed at all due to the injury, as his legs were explosive in the paint.
Grade: B
Doug McDermott
McDermott’s defense was sub par and the Spurs had a difficult time trying to hide him. Offensively, there was nothing to complain about. McDermott wasn’t given open looks but he still found ways to score. As examples, he got an and-one off of an offensive rebound and hit a difficult running floater from an unusual angle.
Grade: B
Pop
Well, tankers have to be frustrated but it’s cool to see how Pop has reestablished the team’s confidence after that losing streak in which the Spurs oftentimes failed to compete. Even if the Cavs would have hit a last second shot, this would have been a classic lose-the-right-way game for the Spurs. As it was, I liked his rotations and his play-calling — particularly down the stretch.
Grade: B+