timvp
11-11-2018, 02:39 AM
https://i.imgur.com/V15qR8A.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yGrYIQy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/znTedq3.jpg
The Spurs ended their two-game slide by defeating the Rockets in the friendly confines of the AT&T Center. The 96-89 victory improves San Antonio to 7-4 on the season as they now head west for a three-game road trip.
While any win against the Rockets is worth at least a subtle fist pump, this one was ugly. Houston was at the end of a five-game road trip and they looked a few steps slow. Add in a barrage of missed open jumpers by the Rockets and the Spurs didn't so much win this game as they managed (just barely at times) to not beat themselves.
Woof.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
While his final box score numbers were handsome, LaMarcus Aldridge's outing was far from aesthetically pleasing. Offensively, he never really took advantage of the fact the Rockets were using smaller defenders on him (including James Harden) and weren't sending many double-teams. Instead, he authored numerous ill-conceived fadeaways, misfired on standstill jumpers and added to the drudgery by missing a few bunnies at the rim. Defensively, Aldridge tried to move his feet but most of his success on D involved Houston missing a makeable shot. His work on the boards was decent but could have been a lot better; his boxing out left much to be desired. All that said, give the big man credit, his effort was consistently positive throughout the affair. He slogged through a lot of griminess and did enough to lead the good guys to a win. Aldridge kept his head up, scored key points in the fourth and played with a physicality that was missing in Miami. Let's hope he can build on this going forward.
Grade: B-
Summary: Aldridge scratched and clawed his way to a productive evening.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
The good: I thought DeMar DeRozan's defense was solid. He kept guys in front of him, swiftly switched when the gameplan called for it, kept his hands up to avoid cheap fouls and was extremely fiesty on the defensive glass. The bad: Offensively, Saturday night was just one giant headache for DeRozan. He scored two quick buckets off isolation plays but then things went way south. He let a couple no-calls get in his head and started forcing the issue. The results weren't pretty. A majority of his touches led to bad shots, off-balance passes and/or turnovers. Needless to say, DeRozan never found a rhythm and was far from the offensive superstar we've witnessed in the majority of games thus far.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan was totally discombobulated on offense but uncharacteristically sturdy on defense.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Alright, that's more like it. After a feeble season debut against the Heat, Derrick White showed the world why Pop made him an instant starter. First of all, and most importantly, it looks like the Spurs officially have another playmaker on the roster. White's ball-handling was a plus, his court vision was great and his passing was impeccable. He was seeing plays develop a step ahead of everyone else and that led to him finishing with a game-high (and career-high) eight assists. Once he shook the cobwebs off of his trigger finger in third quarter, White wasn't bashful about creating for himself. Defensively, he was also quite impressive. He moved his feet better than anyone else on the team, he expertly played passing lanes and provided timely help defense. While, yes, this was just one good game, it was definitely an exciting glimpse at what White could become. Judging by what we saw tonight, he's a legit 6-foot-4 point guard who plays bigger and faster than he looks at first glance -- and does so with a high basketball IQ and advanced playmaking abilities.
Grade: A
Summary: White was really good and gave hope that he has a bright future.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
In Miami, Bryn Forbes struggled in the transition from point guard back to shooting guard. Against the Rockets, it looked like he had overcome that mental block and had successfully completed the transition. Forbes did well moving to open space, drove the ball to the basket with purpose and wasn't timid about firing shots off the dribble. Defensively, I don't think he could have done much more. He doesn't have the physical tools to impact the game much on that end but he played with edge, kept his rotations tight and didn't unnecessarily reach as much as usual.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes started the game at shooting guard and gave the Spurs good minutes.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Dante Cunningham was once again the starting lineup. However, with third scorer Rudy Gay still out, Cunningham's presence in the starting lineup wasn't helping matters. Offensively, he single-handedly clogged the lanes and made life more difficult for DeRozan and Aldridge. Defensively, Cunningham wasn't doing much right. He was too small to battle Clint Capela and too slow to stay in front of Harden or Chris Paul. Not being able to physically compete, Cunningham quickly got in foul trouble and sat on the bench for the final twenty three and a half minutes.
Grade: C-
Summary: Dante Cunningham wasn't helping much at all. He got in foul trouble. He sat.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
Patty Mills didn't have the extra gusto he had in recent games. Offensively, his ball-handling was shaky and he wasn't even trying to make plays for himself or others. On the defensive end, I liked that he showed extra effort on the boards and he competed decently well most of the time. However, he was blatantly flopping a lot and that led to spontaneous and unnecessary defensive breakdowns a handful of times as the rest of the team scrambled to cover his man. All in all, I wouldn't say Mills was bad but I also wouldn't say he helped the cause much at all.
Grade: C+
Summary: Mills was subdued after a string of energetic outings.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
For the second straight game, I was impressed with Davis Bertans' defense. He avoided mental errors, moved his feet well to stay in front of smaller players, used every ounce of his God-given testosterone to box out and generally moved like he knew what he was doing. Compared to all the air-headed mistakes he was making to start the season, these last two games have been a big step forward for Bertans on that end. Offensively, Bertans did what he does best: Fire away from downtown. I also liked that he sometimes used his dribble to create a bit of needed movement in the otherwise morose offensive sets.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans was the best player off the bench on this night.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
There just wasn't much to like about how Marco Belinelli played. He was the worst perimeter defender on the team by a wide margin. On offense, the Spurs rely on Belinelli's controlled chaos to enliven the bench unit. Against the Rockets, that didn't happen. Instead, he was out of control and oftentimes made disheveled possessions even more jumbled.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli wasn't playing smart on either end and was thus a liability.
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Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/loUbrtn.png
Progress. Quincy Pondexter at times looked like a legitimate NBA player. He took turns defending Harden and CP3 and did pretty well. (Though, it should be noted that neither Harden nor CP3 were playing well at all. CP3, specifically, was moving in slow motion.) On offense, Pondexter had his moments. After knocking down a three-pointer, he started aggressively taking the ball to the rim and ended up at the line at an impressive rate. That said, his passing and court awareness were painfully poor on offense and the Rockets were so stuck in mud that it was difficult to judge Pondexter's effectiveness on defense. But, overall, this was a step in the right direction for Pondexter's NBA ambitions.
Grade: B+
Summary: Pondexter was active during his 15 minutes and the coaches have to be intrigued by his performance.
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Chimezie Metu
https://i.imgur.com/hS6PzUh.png
Yikes. With both Pau Gasol (foot) and Jakob Poeltl (ankle) sidelined, Chimezie Metu entered the rotation. And . . . it was difficult to watch. Metu somehow had no idea where to go on the court. I mean, the Coyote would have had a better grasp on the sets the Spurs were trying to run. I'll give the rookie a pass because this was his first meaningful minutes but, jeez, I don't think I've ever seen a Spur so clueless on both ends of the court. Metu needs minutes (lots and lots of minutes) in Austin to learn the offensive plays and the defensive principles. The silver lining is he passed the eye-test. He moves really well for a modern day center, he has good timing when going for blocked shots and rebounds, and he didn't sulk despite the deluge of errors.
Grade: D
Summary: Metu played his real minutes and he looked like the greenest of rookies, to put it kindly.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Pop obviously believes in White and that belief paid off tonight. It's safe to say Pop's confidence in White was not unfounded. Keeping Forbes in the starting lineup at shooting guard appears to be the right move, at least for now with Gay out. Pop got good minutes out of Pondexter and let him learn on the fly. And, even though he was bad, it was probably a good thing to give Metu some daylight. At the very least, the rookie now understands the difficulty of this next level. Benching Cunningham was the right move. (In fact, Cunningham really shouldn't be starting anymore. We'll see if Pop is starting to come to that realization or if it was just foul trouble that limited Cunningham's minutes.)
Grade: A-
Summary: Pop pressed a lot of buttons that worked out well.
Looking ahead: Burn the tape. Yes, Spurs won but I don't think they can take anything from the game. The Rockets were busy beating themselves tonight and the Spurs did just enough let them do just that.
The three-game road trip San Antonio faces starts Monday in Sacramento and ends with back-to-back games against the Suns on Wednesday and the Clippers on Thursday. With the schedule about to get a lot more difficult following the trip west, the Spurs really need to win at least two of these three games.
Westward ho.
https://i.imgur.com/yGrYIQy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/znTedq3.jpg
The Spurs ended their two-game slide by defeating the Rockets in the friendly confines of the AT&T Center. The 96-89 victory improves San Antonio to 7-4 on the season as they now head west for a three-game road trip.
While any win against the Rockets is worth at least a subtle fist pump, this one was ugly. Houston was at the end of a five-game road trip and they looked a few steps slow. Add in a barrage of missed open jumpers by the Rockets and the Spurs didn't so much win this game as they managed (just barely at times) to not beat themselves.
Woof.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
While his final box score numbers were handsome, LaMarcus Aldridge's outing was far from aesthetically pleasing. Offensively, he never really took advantage of the fact the Rockets were using smaller defenders on him (including James Harden) and weren't sending many double-teams. Instead, he authored numerous ill-conceived fadeaways, misfired on standstill jumpers and added to the drudgery by missing a few bunnies at the rim. Defensively, Aldridge tried to move his feet but most of his success on D involved Houston missing a makeable shot. His work on the boards was decent but could have been a lot better; his boxing out left much to be desired. All that said, give the big man credit, his effort was consistently positive throughout the affair. He slogged through a lot of griminess and did enough to lead the good guys to a win. Aldridge kept his head up, scored key points in the fourth and played with a physicality that was missing in Miami. Let's hope he can build on this going forward.
Grade: B-
Summary: Aldridge scratched and clawed his way to a productive evening.
-------------
DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
The good: I thought DeMar DeRozan's defense was solid. He kept guys in front of him, swiftly switched when the gameplan called for it, kept his hands up to avoid cheap fouls and was extremely fiesty on the defensive glass. The bad: Offensively, Saturday night was just one giant headache for DeRozan. He scored two quick buckets off isolation plays but then things went way south. He let a couple no-calls get in his head and started forcing the issue. The results weren't pretty. A majority of his touches led to bad shots, off-balance passes and/or turnovers. Needless to say, DeRozan never found a rhythm and was far from the offensive superstar we've witnessed in the majority of games thus far.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan was totally discombobulated on offense but uncharacteristically sturdy on defense.
-------------
Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Alright, that's more like it. After a feeble season debut against the Heat, Derrick White showed the world why Pop made him an instant starter. First of all, and most importantly, it looks like the Spurs officially have another playmaker on the roster. White's ball-handling was a plus, his court vision was great and his passing was impeccable. He was seeing plays develop a step ahead of everyone else and that led to him finishing with a game-high (and career-high) eight assists. Once he shook the cobwebs off of his trigger finger in third quarter, White wasn't bashful about creating for himself. Defensively, he was also quite impressive. He moved his feet better than anyone else on the team, he expertly played passing lanes and provided timely help defense. While, yes, this was just one good game, it was definitely an exciting glimpse at what White could become. Judging by what we saw tonight, he's a legit 6-foot-4 point guard who plays bigger and faster than he looks at first glance -- and does so with a high basketball IQ and advanced playmaking abilities.
Grade: A
Summary: White was really good and gave hope that he has a bright future.
-------------
Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
In Miami, Bryn Forbes struggled in the transition from point guard back to shooting guard. Against the Rockets, it looked like he had overcome that mental block and had successfully completed the transition. Forbes did well moving to open space, drove the ball to the basket with purpose and wasn't timid about firing shots off the dribble. Defensively, I don't think he could have done much more. He doesn't have the physical tools to impact the game much on that end but he played with edge, kept his rotations tight and didn't unnecessarily reach as much as usual.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes started the game at shooting guard and gave the Spurs good minutes.
-------------
Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Dante Cunningham was once again the starting lineup. However, with third scorer Rudy Gay still out, Cunningham's presence in the starting lineup wasn't helping matters. Offensively, he single-handedly clogged the lanes and made life more difficult for DeRozan and Aldridge. Defensively, Cunningham wasn't doing much right. He was too small to battle Clint Capela and too slow to stay in front of Harden or Chris Paul. Not being able to physically compete, Cunningham quickly got in foul trouble and sat on the bench for the final twenty three and a half minutes.
Grade: C-
Summary: Dante Cunningham wasn't helping much at all. He got in foul trouble. He sat.
-------------
Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
Patty Mills didn't have the extra gusto he had in recent games. Offensively, his ball-handling was shaky and he wasn't even trying to make plays for himself or others. On the defensive end, I liked that he showed extra effort on the boards and he competed decently well most of the time. However, he was blatantly flopping a lot and that led to spontaneous and unnecessary defensive breakdowns a handful of times as the rest of the team scrambled to cover his man. All in all, I wouldn't say Mills was bad but I also wouldn't say he helped the cause much at all.
Grade: C+
Summary: Mills was subdued after a string of energetic outings.
-------------
Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
For the second straight game, I was impressed with Davis Bertans' defense. He avoided mental errors, moved his feet well to stay in front of smaller players, used every ounce of his God-given testosterone to box out and generally moved like he knew what he was doing. Compared to all the air-headed mistakes he was making to start the season, these last two games have been a big step forward for Bertans on that end. Offensively, Bertans did what he does best: Fire away from downtown. I also liked that he sometimes used his dribble to create a bit of needed movement in the otherwise morose offensive sets.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans was the best player off the bench on this night.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
There just wasn't much to like about how Marco Belinelli played. He was the worst perimeter defender on the team by a wide margin. On offense, the Spurs rely on Belinelli's controlled chaos to enliven the bench unit. Against the Rockets, that didn't happen. Instead, he was out of control and oftentimes made disheveled possessions even more jumbled.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli wasn't playing smart on either end and was thus a liability.
-------------
Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/loUbrtn.png
Progress. Quincy Pondexter at times looked like a legitimate NBA player. He took turns defending Harden and CP3 and did pretty well. (Though, it should be noted that neither Harden nor CP3 were playing well at all. CP3, specifically, was moving in slow motion.) On offense, Pondexter had his moments. After knocking down a three-pointer, he started aggressively taking the ball to the rim and ended up at the line at an impressive rate. That said, his passing and court awareness were painfully poor on offense and the Rockets were so stuck in mud that it was difficult to judge Pondexter's effectiveness on defense. But, overall, this was a step in the right direction for Pondexter's NBA ambitions.
Grade: B+
Summary: Pondexter was active during his 15 minutes and the coaches have to be intrigued by his performance.
-------------
Chimezie Metu
https://i.imgur.com/hS6PzUh.png
Yikes. With both Pau Gasol (foot) and Jakob Poeltl (ankle) sidelined, Chimezie Metu entered the rotation. And . . . it was difficult to watch. Metu somehow had no idea where to go on the court. I mean, the Coyote would have had a better grasp on the sets the Spurs were trying to run. I'll give the rookie a pass because this was his first meaningful minutes but, jeez, I don't think I've ever seen a Spur so clueless on both ends of the court. Metu needs minutes (lots and lots of minutes) in Austin to learn the offensive plays and the defensive principles. The silver lining is he passed the eye-test. He moves really well for a modern day center, he has good timing when going for blocked shots and rebounds, and he didn't sulk despite the deluge of errors.
Grade: D
Summary: Metu played his real minutes and he looked like the greenest of rookies, to put it kindly.
-------------
Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Pop obviously believes in White and that belief paid off tonight. It's safe to say Pop's confidence in White was not unfounded. Keeping Forbes in the starting lineup at shooting guard appears to be the right move, at least for now with Gay out. Pop got good minutes out of Pondexter and let him learn on the fly. And, even though he was bad, it was probably a good thing to give Metu some daylight. At the very least, the rookie now understands the difficulty of this next level. Benching Cunningham was the right move. (In fact, Cunningham really shouldn't be starting anymore. We'll see if Pop is starting to come to that realization or if it was just foul trouble that limited Cunningham's minutes.)
Grade: A-
Summary: Pop pressed a lot of buttons that worked out well.
Looking ahead: Burn the tape. Yes, Spurs won but I don't think they can take anything from the game. The Rockets were busy beating themselves tonight and the Spurs did just enough let them do just that.
The three-game road trip San Antonio faces starts Monday in Sacramento and ends with back-to-back games against the Suns on Wednesday and the Clippers on Thursday. With the schedule about to get a lot more difficult following the trip west, the Spurs really need to win at least two of these three games.
Westward ho.