timvp
01-13-2019, 03:04 AM
https://i.imgur.com/NK2lXzr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8nIGJjy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1TVrfI7.jpg
After their memorable meeting on Thursday night, the Spurs and the Thunder were back at it. While the entertainment value was high once again, this time the good guys failed to come out on top.
In the first half, the Spurs appeared to be poised for an upset win in OKC. They were playing tough, heady defense and their offense was flowing well. Leading by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, San Antonio went into halftime with a 60-51 lead.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the third quarter. The Thunder began the period with a 7-0 run in the first two minutes that was ignited by a pair of Spurs open court turnovers. Late in the third, Dennis Schroder started shredding San Antonio's defense as he scored the Thunder's final seven points of the quarter. OKC took a 86-80 advantage into the final stanza after outscoring the Spurs 35-20 in the third period.
In the fourth, the Spurs could never mount anything resembling a comeback. They cut the deficit to five points a couple times but the Thunder never took their foot off the gas and sped away with a 122-112 victory.
Overall, I'm not too disappointed in the loss. The Spurs played really well in the first half. The third quarter was a disaster but mostly a fixable disaster as they were doomed by turnovers that let OKC get out and push the pace, score in transition and find a rhythm. It would have been a great win for San Antonio but unfortunately a bad quarter ended those hopes. Ah well, on to the next one.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge played well. After he scored 56 points last game, the Thunder were determined to keep the star bigman in check. To do so, they sent at least one extra help defender at him whenever he got the ball. Despite all the attention, Aldridge still scored 17 points with efficient shooting and no turnovers. Once again, he was physical in the paint, ran the court well and played with a supreme amount of purpose. Truth be told, with as well as Aldridge was passing and with as hard as OKC was doubling him, the Spurs definitely should have passed the ball to him more. Working inside out, particularly in the third quarter, would have been the smartest gameplan. Defensively on this night, I also thought Aldridge was better than average. He rebounded well and guarded the paint really well in the first half. His perimeter defense was a bit lacking, though.
Grade: A-
Summary: The Thunder wouldn't let Aldridge beat them but he still played really well.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
The offensive woes continue for DeMar DeRozan. In the last three games, he's shooting 32.1% from the floor, has hit only seven of his 14 free throw attempts and has four turnovers in each game. He struggled offensively last time out against the Thunder but he was even worse tonight. Bad shot-selection, bad turnovers and he let his frustrations negatively impact his playmaking and cause him to needlessly ballhog for possessions at a time. Lately, DeRozan has looked slow, stubborn and unsure of himself on the offensive end. Tonight, his saving grace was on the defensive end. I was actually impressed with DeRozan's D on Paul George. Holding George to 5-for-17 shooting is quite the accomplishment. He fought hard on that end and was willing to expend a whole lot of energy while taking on the daunting task. Honestly, though, the Spurs need DeRozan's offense to come out of hibernation because right now he's a liability.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan's defense was surprisingly sturdy but his offense was atrocious.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The good: I liked Bryn Forbes aggressiveness offensively. He was willing to take up the slack and wasn't as much of an observer as he was in the previous affair. He had a few impressive drives to the hoop; that part of his game is really burgeoning as of late. The bad: Yikes, his defense in the open court was horrible. He got burned off the dribble repeatedly. Forbes' defense in the halfcourt was also below average (his rotations to three-point shooters was much too slow) but if the Thunder got going downhill at all, Forbes morphed into a 6-foot-3 traffic cone. Offensively, he missed a few passes he should have made. I like when he's aggressive but he has to recognize when he has wide open teammates.
Grade: C-
Summary: Forbes didn't shoot well and his D was well below par.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White's defense in the first half was superb. His one-game improvement in that aspect was great to see, especially because he was going against a dynamic superstar in Russell Westbrook. White's help defense in the first half was also excellent -- some of the best we've seen from him. Unfortunately, things fell apart for him in the second half. White had two bad turnovers early in the third quarter that let Westbrook get two easy scores. After holding Westbrook to 1-for-9 shooting in the first half, White unintentionally ignited the former MVP with those two miscues. Offensively, White hit less than half of his attempts for the first time in nine games. But despite the misses and the aforementioned turnovers, White partially redeemed himself with a couple great passes and by running the show well. All in all, I'd say there was more good than bad for White but it was definitely a learning experience.
Grade: B
Summary: White played great defense at times but his night took a turn for the worse at halftime.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
Without Rudy Gay (wrist), Pau Gasol was in the starting lineup again. This time, the Thunder were prepared to take advantage of his presence. The pushed the tempo to take him out of the defensive equation and took advantage of his slow help-defense by driving right by him. Gasol did a good job of not getting in the way offensively and he rebounded really well. That said, Gay can't get healthy soon enough because the Spurs literally have nobody capable of filling the void with him sidelined.
Grade: C-
Summary: Gasol was not helpful, to put it kindly.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
I was pleased with Davis Bertans' play. Defensively, this was one of his better games of the season. His individual D was really good; Bertans moved his feet well, impeded drivers and got a hand up on shots. His help-defense was even better. Bertans was fast to recognize situation where help was needed, didn't hesitate to stick his nose in, held his ground and kept his arms straight up in an attempt to stave off whistles. The Thunder are an athletic, high-energy offense and Bertans was able to hang quite well. On offense, Bertans didn't hesitate to late it fly. He went 3-for-3 on three-pointers in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Bertans would miss his final six attempts from deep, although the final two of those were meaningless flings in garbage time.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans showed off his defensive potential.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Offensively, Marco Belinelli was outstanding. He had a game-high and a season-high 24 points in only 22 minutes. He kept the Spurs in it with his marksmanship from the perimeter. It seemed like his release was even quicker than usual and I had no qualms with his shot-selection. He was really, really good on that end. Defense, though, was a different story. The Thunder were attacking Belinelli relentlessly and he couldn't stay in front of anyone. His help-defense was also a step slow. I wouldn't say his poor defense totally negated his offense but it certainly made it more difficult for the coaching staff to keep him on the court.
Grade: B+
Summary: Belinelli was a beast on offense. Defense? Not so much.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
The good: Patty Mills played with infectious vivacity. He went all out from the moment he hit the court, particularly in terms of speeding up the flow of the offense. His passing was also really good -- I'd say, all things considered, he was the best passer on the team tonight. His help-defense was timely. The bad: Mills didn't shoot straight. He, like Belinelli and Forbes, was a liability on defense -- too small, too unathletic to compete in any matchup.
Grade: B-
Summary: Run of the Mills performance.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Jakob Poeltl's rebounding was impressive. His offensive rebounding is a special talent. Against the Thunder, I wasn't too impressed with anything else the backup center did. On defense, his lane protection was lacking and he wasn't closing out on shooters well enough. On offense, Poeltl didn't take advantage of smaller defenders and continues to lack the crispness we witnessed from him on that end a couple weeks ago.
Grade: C-
Summary: Good: Rebounding. Bad: Everything else.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
I would have liked more plays for Aldridge. I wouldn't have shed a tear if DeRozan or Gasol played fewer minutes. (In general, if DeRozan is boiling over in frustration as he's wont to do from time to time, Pop is probably better pulling him and letting DeRozan cool off.) Figuring out a way to hide Belinelli on defense in order to play him more minutes would have been helpful. All that said, the third quarter collapse didn't really have much to do with coaching.
Grade: C+
Summary: Pop was adequate for the most part.
Looking ahead: The Spurs put themselves in a great position after a strong first half. It's too bad they let it slip away in the third quarter. But, hey, they were underdogs entering the contest and the Thunder needed outstanding (and unexpected) play from the bench in order to pull it out.
Next up, the Spurs welcome back the greatest point guard in franchise history. Let's hope Tony Parker gets the anti-Kawhi Leonard treatment.
https://i.imgur.com/8nIGJjy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1TVrfI7.jpg
After their memorable meeting on Thursday night, the Spurs and the Thunder were back at it. While the entertainment value was high once again, this time the good guys failed to come out on top.
In the first half, the Spurs appeared to be poised for an upset win in OKC. They were playing tough, heady defense and their offense was flowing well. Leading by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, San Antonio went into halftime with a 60-51 lead.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the third quarter. The Thunder began the period with a 7-0 run in the first two minutes that was ignited by a pair of Spurs open court turnovers. Late in the third, Dennis Schroder started shredding San Antonio's defense as he scored the Thunder's final seven points of the quarter. OKC took a 86-80 advantage into the final stanza after outscoring the Spurs 35-20 in the third period.
In the fourth, the Spurs could never mount anything resembling a comeback. They cut the deficit to five points a couple times but the Thunder never took their foot off the gas and sped away with a 122-112 victory.
Overall, I'm not too disappointed in the loss. The Spurs played really well in the first half. The third quarter was a disaster but mostly a fixable disaster as they were doomed by turnovers that let OKC get out and push the pace, score in transition and find a rhythm. It would have been a great win for San Antonio but unfortunately a bad quarter ended those hopes. Ah well, on to the next one.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge played well. After he scored 56 points last game, the Thunder were determined to keep the star bigman in check. To do so, they sent at least one extra help defender at him whenever he got the ball. Despite all the attention, Aldridge still scored 17 points with efficient shooting and no turnovers. Once again, he was physical in the paint, ran the court well and played with a supreme amount of purpose. Truth be told, with as well as Aldridge was passing and with as hard as OKC was doubling him, the Spurs definitely should have passed the ball to him more. Working inside out, particularly in the third quarter, would have been the smartest gameplan. Defensively on this night, I also thought Aldridge was better than average. He rebounded well and guarded the paint really well in the first half. His perimeter defense was a bit lacking, though.
Grade: A-
Summary: The Thunder wouldn't let Aldridge beat them but he still played really well.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
The offensive woes continue for DeMar DeRozan. In the last three games, he's shooting 32.1% from the floor, has hit only seven of his 14 free throw attempts and has four turnovers in each game. He struggled offensively last time out against the Thunder but he was even worse tonight. Bad shot-selection, bad turnovers and he let his frustrations negatively impact his playmaking and cause him to needlessly ballhog for possessions at a time. Lately, DeRozan has looked slow, stubborn and unsure of himself on the offensive end. Tonight, his saving grace was on the defensive end. I was actually impressed with DeRozan's D on Paul George. Holding George to 5-for-17 shooting is quite the accomplishment. He fought hard on that end and was willing to expend a whole lot of energy while taking on the daunting task. Honestly, though, the Spurs need DeRozan's offense to come out of hibernation because right now he's a liability.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan's defense was surprisingly sturdy but his offense was atrocious.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The good: I liked Bryn Forbes aggressiveness offensively. He was willing to take up the slack and wasn't as much of an observer as he was in the previous affair. He had a few impressive drives to the hoop; that part of his game is really burgeoning as of late. The bad: Yikes, his defense in the open court was horrible. He got burned off the dribble repeatedly. Forbes' defense in the halfcourt was also below average (his rotations to three-point shooters was much too slow) but if the Thunder got going downhill at all, Forbes morphed into a 6-foot-3 traffic cone. Offensively, he missed a few passes he should have made. I like when he's aggressive but he has to recognize when he has wide open teammates.
Grade: C-
Summary: Forbes didn't shoot well and his D was well below par.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White's defense in the first half was superb. His one-game improvement in that aspect was great to see, especially because he was going against a dynamic superstar in Russell Westbrook. White's help defense in the first half was also excellent -- some of the best we've seen from him. Unfortunately, things fell apart for him in the second half. White had two bad turnovers early in the third quarter that let Westbrook get two easy scores. After holding Westbrook to 1-for-9 shooting in the first half, White unintentionally ignited the former MVP with those two miscues. Offensively, White hit less than half of his attempts for the first time in nine games. But despite the misses and the aforementioned turnovers, White partially redeemed himself with a couple great passes and by running the show well. All in all, I'd say there was more good than bad for White but it was definitely a learning experience.
Grade: B
Summary: White played great defense at times but his night took a turn for the worse at halftime.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
Without Rudy Gay (wrist), Pau Gasol was in the starting lineup again. This time, the Thunder were prepared to take advantage of his presence. The pushed the tempo to take him out of the defensive equation and took advantage of his slow help-defense by driving right by him. Gasol did a good job of not getting in the way offensively and he rebounded really well. That said, Gay can't get healthy soon enough because the Spurs literally have nobody capable of filling the void with him sidelined.
Grade: C-
Summary: Gasol was not helpful, to put it kindly.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
I was pleased with Davis Bertans' play. Defensively, this was one of his better games of the season. His individual D was really good; Bertans moved his feet well, impeded drivers and got a hand up on shots. His help-defense was even better. Bertans was fast to recognize situation where help was needed, didn't hesitate to stick his nose in, held his ground and kept his arms straight up in an attempt to stave off whistles. The Thunder are an athletic, high-energy offense and Bertans was able to hang quite well. On offense, Bertans didn't hesitate to late it fly. He went 3-for-3 on three-pointers in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Bertans would miss his final six attempts from deep, although the final two of those were meaningless flings in garbage time.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans showed off his defensive potential.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Offensively, Marco Belinelli was outstanding. He had a game-high and a season-high 24 points in only 22 minutes. He kept the Spurs in it with his marksmanship from the perimeter. It seemed like his release was even quicker than usual and I had no qualms with his shot-selection. He was really, really good on that end. Defense, though, was a different story. The Thunder were attacking Belinelli relentlessly and he couldn't stay in front of anyone. His help-defense was also a step slow. I wouldn't say his poor defense totally negated his offense but it certainly made it more difficult for the coaching staff to keep him on the court.
Grade: B+
Summary: Belinelli was a beast on offense. Defense? Not so much.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
The good: Patty Mills played with infectious vivacity. He went all out from the moment he hit the court, particularly in terms of speeding up the flow of the offense. His passing was also really good -- I'd say, all things considered, he was the best passer on the team tonight. His help-defense was timely. The bad: Mills didn't shoot straight. He, like Belinelli and Forbes, was a liability on defense -- too small, too unathletic to compete in any matchup.
Grade: B-
Summary: Run of the Mills performance.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Jakob Poeltl's rebounding was impressive. His offensive rebounding is a special talent. Against the Thunder, I wasn't too impressed with anything else the backup center did. On defense, his lane protection was lacking and he wasn't closing out on shooters well enough. On offense, Poeltl didn't take advantage of smaller defenders and continues to lack the crispness we witnessed from him on that end a couple weeks ago.
Grade: C-
Summary: Good: Rebounding. Bad: Everything else.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
I would have liked more plays for Aldridge. I wouldn't have shed a tear if DeRozan or Gasol played fewer minutes. (In general, if DeRozan is boiling over in frustration as he's wont to do from time to time, Pop is probably better pulling him and letting DeRozan cool off.) Figuring out a way to hide Belinelli on defense in order to play him more minutes would have been helpful. All that said, the third quarter collapse didn't really have much to do with coaching.
Grade: C+
Summary: Pop was adequate for the most part.
Looking ahead: The Spurs put themselves in a great position after a strong first half. It's too bad they let it slip away in the third quarter. But, hey, they were underdogs entering the contest and the Thunder needed outstanding (and unexpected) play from the bench in order to pull it out.
Next up, the Spurs welcome back the greatest point guard in franchise history. Let's hope Tony Parker gets the anti-Kawhi Leonard treatment.