timvp
12-27-2018, 03:50 AM
https://i.imgur.com/i9KN8X1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/R0JZAyi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oHoQ7Ar.jpg
The Spurs got back to their winning ways with a 111-103 victory over the Western Conference-leading Nuggets on Wednesday night. Unlike San Antonio's recent wins, this one wasn't a blowout.
For the first 38 minutes, it was a back and forth affair, as neither team was able to get a firm grip on the game. Then, with nine and a half minutes remaining and the good guys trailing 80-79, the Spurs caught fire. Three-pointers by Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes sparked a 15-0 run over the next three minutes. A couple minutes later, three-pointers by DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White bumped San Antonio's lead up to 18 points, 102-84.
But a funny thing happened after Denver cleared their bench: they almost completed a miraculous comeback. A 10-0 run got the Nuggets within eight points with 94 seconds remaining. Malik Beasley then hit three three-pointers over the next 54 seconds to make it 108-103 with 40 seconds left in the game.
Thankfully, that's where Denver's luck ran out. White blocked Beasley's next three-point attempt and DeRozan sank three of four free throws to ice it.
All in all, it was a very good win for the Spurs. Yes, the Nuggets are banged up -- but so is just about every team in these dog days of the NBA season. Denver is still dangerous; the Spurs had to play well to beat them. And they did.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up to the challenge in his matchup against Nikola Jokic, a surefire All-Star who's generating MVP chatter. As the numbers suggest, Aldridge outplayed his much ballyhooed counterpart. Offensively, he was physical in the paint, played through contact and non-calls, and had a soft touch from the perimeter. He was also extremely efficient; Aldridge was 13-for-19 from the field and went without a turnover despite a deluge of touches. Defensively, he was also above average. He defended the post well and was willing to move his feet outside of the paint. Although Aldridge had a really good game, especially when factoring in the competition, I do have a few critiques: his help-defense was iffy, his rebounding work wasn't up to par and he sometimes hurt the offensive flow by forcing himself into the middle of the action. But, again, he was rather impressive tonight.
Grade: A-
Summary: Aldridge once again illustrated that on any given night he can be as good as any bigman in the NBA.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
Good game by DeMar DeRozan. First off, I thought he did a better job than usual of keeping his emotions in check after a few whistles didn't go his way. Instead of forcing the issues, he kept his composure and played through it. Well done. Defensively, I thought this was one of his better games. He fell asleep on the weakside a couple times but outside of that he competed very well on that end. On offense, he was efficient on his way to 30 points for the first time in three weeks (for accuracy's sake, let the record show that his point total and efficiency were both aided by seven made free throws at the end as the Nuggets played the foul game during their comeback attempt). DeRozan did a good job of playing within the offense while making plays and limiting his mistakes. He attacked the basket early and often. Oh, and his three-pointer was his first one since Nov. 24 in Milwaukee -- he had missed nine consecutive from downtown before tonight's make.
Grade: A-
Summary: DeRozan was rock solid.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
This was a rare aesthetically unpleasant outing from Rudy Gay this season. Offensively, he missed all three three-point attempts despite entering the game shooting 46.8 percent from deep. He seemed unsure of himself when going to the rim and also hesitated when taking midrange jumpers. Most damning of all, Gay was consuming too many possessions for a guy who didn't have anything going. Defensively, he was okay. He had some strange matchups this game (he started the game defending Mason Plumlee, for example) but he was able to hold his ground for the most part. Gay helped on the boards and had an important blocked shot after the Nuggets called a play to try to take advantage of Plumlee's size advantage. The good news: none of Gay's issues seemed to be health related -- he was moving and jumping fine.
Grade: C-
Summary: Gay didn't have it tonight.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The bad: Bryn Forbes had three of San Antonio's nine first half turnovers. His individual defense was inconsistent. I thought he passed up a few three-pointers he should have taken. The good: After the sloppy start, Forbes cleaned up his play in the second half. He had a couple of muscly drives to the basket and finished well at the rim. Forbes' passing was also a plus. On defense, while he wasn't too hot individually, he was very attentive to his help responsibilities. In fact, this might have been his best game help-defense-wise ... although, admittedly, that wasn't a high bar to clear.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes did more good than bad.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White is at that frustrating stage of his development where he's right at the precipice of being a really, really useful player but he seemingly can't get out of his own way at times. Defensively, White was the man most responsible for Jamal Murray's struggles. He guarded him really tightly, even applying fullcourt pressure for stretches. It looks like the coaches are starting to use White as the team's perimeter defensive stopper and it appears as if he's up for the challenge. Offense was where he struggled. On one hand, he had two important buckets in the fourth quarter and made a couple beautiful passes. But White was also scared to shoot for a majority of the game, even when the Nuggets were going way, way under screens. He also ran away from open three-point looks, which was hurting the offensive spacing. Overall, I thought the second-year man played decently well but he definitely has areas that need to be cleaned up. (Stat of the night: White has nine blocks in his last 132 minutes after going blockless in his first 432 minutes of the season.)
Grade: B-
Summary: White flourished in some aspects, struggled in others.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Firstly, this might have been the best rebounding game I've ever seen out of Davis Bertans. He was boxing out with every fiber of his being, jumping for contested rebounds and actually came away with the basketball more often than not. I score him a perfect 9.5 out 10 for his rebounding prowess on the night. Offensively, Bertans knocked down his first two looks from beyond the three-point stripe. After that, the Nuggets didn't give him much breathing room. Still, Bertans helped the cause with a few slick dishes and exhausting movement off the ball.
Grade: A-
Summary: Is Bertans learning how to rebound? I mean, it looks like it.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Sure, Marco Belinelli's shot selection was head-scratching at times and his defense was often unsightly, but he undoubtedly helped the Spurs get this win. The 15-0 run in the fourth quarter started and ended with Belinelli three-pointers. His playmaking helped breathe life into the second unit and he played with an impressive amount of confidence even when things didn't go his way.
Grade: B+
Summary: Hurricane Belinelli was an asset this evening.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
Patty Mills didn't do much right. He missed all five of his shots (all from three-point land, most of which were wide open). His time management was poor at multiple points in the game and he was more careless than usual. Mills held up defensively but that was mostly because the Nuggets didn't have the personnel to punish size mismatches.
Grade: D
Summary: Mills will want to forget this one.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Alright, this big dude ain't bad. The defense with Jakob Poeltl on the floor was stunningly effective. Pop trusted Poeltl to defend Jokic one-on-one and Poeltl more than held his own. The Austrian was also quick to rotate, played good transition defense, avoided cheap fouls and was a beast on the boards. Offensively, his pick-and-roll game was strong, he scored on the break and he made heady passes. Truth be told, the Spurs just looked like a more cohesive team (particularly defensively) when Poeltl was on the court.
Grade: A-
Summary: Poeltl is very good at basketball.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
At the time, I thought it was mistake to throw so many early double-teams at Jokic but it turned out to be a shrewd coaching move by Pop. Going hard at Jokic early kept him out of rhythm scoring-wise and then he started making mistakes when Pop started shuffling the defensive tactics. I like how Pop used White as the defensive stopper, how he stayed away from Dante Cunningham despite the Nuggets using big lineups, how he found extra minutes for Poeltl even though Aldridge was on fire offensively (the Aldridge-Poeltl pairing actually worked pretty well tonight), how he played Bertans more than usual, and how he pulled the plug on Gay and Mills earlier than usual. No complaints.
Grade: A+
Summary: Pop was flawless.
Looking ahead: Next up, the Spurs head to Denver for the rematch on Friday. The following night, they head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers.
Beating any team twice in a row in the regular season is difficult, especially a team as good as the Nuggets. That'll definitely be a challenge. A split of this back-to-back set would be good but let's hope the Spurs head to Denver with a greedy mindset.
https://i.imgur.com/R0JZAyi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oHoQ7Ar.jpg
The Spurs got back to their winning ways with a 111-103 victory over the Western Conference-leading Nuggets on Wednesday night. Unlike San Antonio's recent wins, this one wasn't a blowout.
For the first 38 minutes, it was a back and forth affair, as neither team was able to get a firm grip on the game. Then, with nine and a half minutes remaining and the good guys trailing 80-79, the Spurs caught fire. Three-pointers by Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes sparked a 15-0 run over the next three minutes. A couple minutes later, three-pointers by DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White bumped San Antonio's lead up to 18 points, 102-84.
But a funny thing happened after Denver cleared their bench: they almost completed a miraculous comeback. A 10-0 run got the Nuggets within eight points with 94 seconds remaining. Malik Beasley then hit three three-pointers over the next 54 seconds to make it 108-103 with 40 seconds left in the game.
Thankfully, that's where Denver's luck ran out. White blocked Beasley's next three-point attempt and DeRozan sank three of four free throws to ice it.
All in all, it was a very good win for the Spurs. Yes, the Nuggets are banged up -- but so is just about every team in these dog days of the NBA season. Denver is still dangerous; the Spurs had to play well to beat them. And they did.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up to the challenge in his matchup against Nikola Jokic, a surefire All-Star who's generating MVP chatter. As the numbers suggest, Aldridge outplayed his much ballyhooed counterpart. Offensively, he was physical in the paint, played through contact and non-calls, and had a soft touch from the perimeter. He was also extremely efficient; Aldridge was 13-for-19 from the field and went without a turnover despite a deluge of touches. Defensively, he was also above average. He defended the post well and was willing to move his feet outside of the paint. Although Aldridge had a really good game, especially when factoring in the competition, I do have a few critiques: his help-defense was iffy, his rebounding work wasn't up to par and he sometimes hurt the offensive flow by forcing himself into the middle of the action. But, again, he was rather impressive tonight.
Grade: A-
Summary: Aldridge once again illustrated that on any given night he can be as good as any bigman in the NBA.
-------------
DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
Good game by DeMar DeRozan. First off, I thought he did a better job than usual of keeping his emotions in check after a few whistles didn't go his way. Instead of forcing the issues, he kept his composure and played through it. Well done. Defensively, I thought this was one of his better games. He fell asleep on the weakside a couple times but outside of that he competed very well on that end. On offense, he was efficient on his way to 30 points for the first time in three weeks (for accuracy's sake, let the record show that his point total and efficiency were both aided by seven made free throws at the end as the Nuggets played the foul game during their comeback attempt). DeRozan did a good job of playing within the offense while making plays and limiting his mistakes. He attacked the basket early and often. Oh, and his three-pointer was his first one since Nov. 24 in Milwaukee -- he had missed nine consecutive from downtown before tonight's make.
Grade: A-
Summary: DeRozan was rock solid.
-------------
Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
This was a rare aesthetically unpleasant outing from Rudy Gay this season. Offensively, he missed all three three-point attempts despite entering the game shooting 46.8 percent from deep. He seemed unsure of himself when going to the rim and also hesitated when taking midrange jumpers. Most damning of all, Gay was consuming too many possessions for a guy who didn't have anything going. Defensively, he was okay. He had some strange matchups this game (he started the game defending Mason Plumlee, for example) but he was able to hold his ground for the most part. Gay helped on the boards and had an important blocked shot after the Nuggets called a play to try to take advantage of Plumlee's size advantage. The good news: none of Gay's issues seemed to be health related -- he was moving and jumping fine.
Grade: C-
Summary: Gay didn't have it tonight.
-------------
Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The bad: Bryn Forbes had three of San Antonio's nine first half turnovers. His individual defense was inconsistent. I thought he passed up a few three-pointers he should have taken. The good: After the sloppy start, Forbes cleaned up his play in the second half. He had a couple of muscly drives to the basket and finished well at the rim. Forbes' passing was also a plus. On defense, while he wasn't too hot individually, he was very attentive to his help responsibilities. In fact, this might have been his best game help-defense-wise ... although, admittedly, that wasn't a high bar to clear.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes did more good than bad.
-------------
Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White is at that frustrating stage of his development where he's right at the precipice of being a really, really useful player but he seemingly can't get out of his own way at times. Defensively, White was the man most responsible for Jamal Murray's struggles. He guarded him really tightly, even applying fullcourt pressure for stretches. It looks like the coaches are starting to use White as the team's perimeter defensive stopper and it appears as if he's up for the challenge. Offense was where he struggled. On one hand, he had two important buckets in the fourth quarter and made a couple beautiful passes. But White was also scared to shoot for a majority of the game, even when the Nuggets were going way, way under screens. He also ran away from open three-point looks, which was hurting the offensive spacing. Overall, I thought the second-year man played decently well but he definitely has areas that need to be cleaned up. (Stat of the night: White has nine blocks in his last 132 minutes after going blockless in his first 432 minutes of the season.)
Grade: B-
Summary: White flourished in some aspects, struggled in others.
-------------
Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Firstly, this might have been the best rebounding game I've ever seen out of Davis Bertans. He was boxing out with every fiber of his being, jumping for contested rebounds and actually came away with the basketball more often than not. I score him a perfect 9.5 out 10 for his rebounding prowess on the night. Offensively, Bertans knocked down his first two looks from beyond the three-point stripe. After that, the Nuggets didn't give him much breathing room. Still, Bertans helped the cause with a few slick dishes and exhausting movement off the ball.
Grade: A-
Summary: Is Bertans learning how to rebound? I mean, it looks like it.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Sure, Marco Belinelli's shot selection was head-scratching at times and his defense was often unsightly, but he undoubtedly helped the Spurs get this win. The 15-0 run in the fourth quarter started and ended with Belinelli three-pointers. His playmaking helped breathe life into the second unit and he played with an impressive amount of confidence even when things didn't go his way.
Grade: B+
Summary: Hurricane Belinelli was an asset this evening.
-------------
Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
Patty Mills didn't do much right. He missed all five of his shots (all from three-point land, most of which were wide open). His time management was poor at multiple points in the game and he was more careless than usual. Mills held up defensively but that was mostly because the Nuggets didn't have the personnel to punish size mismatches.
Grade: D
Summary: Mills will want to forget this one.
-------------
Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Alright, this big dude ain't bad. The defense with Jakob Poeltl on the floor was stunningly effective. Pop trusted Poeltl to defend Jokic one-on-one and Poeltl more than held his own. The Austrian was also quick to rotate, played good transition defense, avoided cheap fouls and was a beast on the boards. Offensively, his pick-and-roll game was strong, he scored on the break and he made heady passes. Truth be told, the Spurs just looked like a more cohesive team (particularly defensively) when Poeltl was on the court.
Grade: A-
Summary: Poeltl is very good at basketball.
-------------
Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
At the time, I thought it was mistake to throw so many early double-teams at Jokic but it turned out to be a shrewd coaching move by Pop. Going hard at Jokic early kept him out of rhythm scoring-wise and then he started making mistakes when Pop started shuffling the defensive tactics. I like how Pop used White as the defensive stopper, how he stayed away from Dante Cunningham despite the Nuggets using big lineups, how he found extra minutes for Poeltl even though Aldridge was on fire offensively (the Aldridge-Poeltl pairing actually worked pretty well tonight), how he played Bertans more than usual, and how he pulled the plug on Gay and Mills earlier than usual. No complaints.
Grade: A+
Summary: Pop was flawless.
Looking ahead: Next up, the Spurs head to Denver for the rematch on Friday. The following night, they head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers.
Beating any team twice in a row in the regular season is difficult, especially a team as good as the Nuggets. That'll definitely be a challenge. A split of this back-to-back set would be good but let's hope the Spurs head to Denver with a greedy mindset.