timvp
01-27-2019, 03:12 AM
https://i.imgur.com/mr0zdkm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rv6ca7B.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qze8zLf.jpg
The Spurs traveled to New Orleans to take on a Pelicans squad missing three of their four best players. San Antonio, who was also shorthanded without DeMar DeRozan (knee, ankle, bumps, bruises) and Davis Bertans (personal), took care of business by leaving the Big Easy with a 126-114 victory.
Coming out of halftime with a three-point lead, the Spurs blew it open with a 13-2 run early in the third quarter. The Pelicans never got within single digits from then on out.
All in all, it was a needed road win for the good guys. They weren't overly impressive but, with the Pelicans being without Anthony Davis, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic, the Spurs really needed to get it -- and they did. Plus, with a back-to-back game tomorrow night, San Antonio much preferred an easy win. They did that too.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
Heading into the affair, LaMarcus Aldridge was questionable with a left wrist injury. After begging Pop to let him play, Aldridge once again exhibited All-Star form -- even though he was doing most everything one-handed. The University of Texas product was physical in the paint, threw his weight around and gave the Spurs a focal point on offense. Aldridge's right-handed touch was good, he made smart passes and took care of the ball. Defensively, he wasn't a world-beater but he was solid. He was effective on the defensive glass and he was deft enough out on the perimeter to deal with the fact that he was almost always matched up with a small forward.
Grade: A
Summary: Aldridge shook off a wrist injury to post another impressive performance.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
With DeRozan out, Rudy Gay stepped into the role of the offense's second option and did so seamlessly. His outstanding efficiency (22 points on 13 shots) was bolstered by a season-high eight free throw attempts. Gay looked comfortable in all facets of the offensive attack: he hit multiple three-pointers for the first time in more than a month, he tenaciously attacked the basket and he was impactful on the post. His defense wasn't anything to write home to Baltimore about but Gay did grab double-digit rebounds for the first time in six weeks. Unfortunately, he twisted his ankle midway through the fourth quarter. Gay says he'll play tomorrow night ... but we'll see.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay was good until he limped off the court.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
I was mostly pleased with Bryn Forbes offensively. He didn't shoot particularly well but I liked his aggressive shot-selection. His passing was better than usual; Forbes had a pair of pretty dishes to Pau Gasol. Defensively, he made a few mistakes and got overwhelmed on multiple occasions but he wasn't too far south of his normal level.
Grade: B
Summary: Forbes was fine.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White was the conductor of the offense more than usual tonight and he did well. He could have pushed the pace more and called his own number more but he ran the sets with precision, made a number of very good passes and his court vision continues to impress. Defensively, it was tough sledding for stretches as White attempted to deal with the Pelicans only standing star in Jrue Holiday. White took his lumps but competed well and eventually had some success. Despite having his hands full with his one-on-one responsibilities, White managed to offer timely help on defense. He finished with team-highs in steals and blocks. (White has posted three straight games with at least two steals and at least one block.)
Grade: B+
Summary: It wasn't easy but White persisted.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
I mean, there was definite improvement from Pau Gasol. Offensively, he was a weapon the Pelicans couldn't handle with their top three bigs out injured and their hands already full with Aldridge. Gasol was strong around the rim and passed the ball extremely well -- both from the top of the key and in the low block. This was by far the Spaniard's best offensive showing since returning from injury. Defensively, though, Gasol is a, uh, work in progress. He was absolutely hopeless when his man went out on the perimeter; Gasol simply stayed in the lane and observed from a distance. His slowness also hurt his interior defense, as he couldn't guard the paint unless the offensive player came right at him. Overall, Gasol looked better but I'm not sure if he legitimately regained some of his missing mobility or if the Pelicans simply didn't have the weaponry to take advantage of his labored movements.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol had his best game since his return.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
This was the first time in eight outings that Marco Belinelli scored less than 12 points. To his credit, Belinelli's lowered output was mostly due to him being more willing to pass than usual, as his four assists were the most he's tallied in a month. Though he was once again a valuable offensive threat, his defense was even worse than usual. Belinelli was slow in man-to-man situations, failed to rotate a handful of times and was basically just going through the motions on that end. It was no coincidence that the Spurs struggled to get stops whenever he was on the court.
Grade: B-
Summary: Offense was a plus. Defense was a minus.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
The good: Patty Mills' passing was really, really good on his way to racking up a team-high five assists. He attempted and completed multiple difficult passes. Mills kept his mistakes to a minimum and his shot-selection was tolerable, which hasn't always been the case of late. The bad: Mills' overall vivacity was a level lower than it needs to be on a nightly basis. His defense wasn't too terrible but it was definitely on the passive side.
Grade: B
Summary: Mills' passing was impressive.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Offensively, Dante Cunningham was fine. He didn't explode like he did the previous two games against his former team (his two highest scoring games of the year, 19 and 15, were versus the Pelicans) but he was helping out by passing well, crashing the offensive boards and scrapping for loose balls. (With his 1-for-1 showing from three-point territory, Cunningham is now 9-for-11 from deep against New Orleans this season.) Defensively, Cunningham was bad. Really bad. He struggled mightily to defend out to the three-point line, his rotations were about two and a half steps slow and, to top it off, he was getting scored over in the paint. I'm still amazed at how bad Cunningham is defensively. He plays hard on that end but he doesn't have the physical skills (too slow to defend smalls, too small to defend bigs) and has no defensive instincts at all.
Grade: C
Summary: Cunningham's D was bad.
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Lonnie Walker IV
https://i.imgur.com/JOLYiew.png
Welcome to the NBA, Lonnie Walker IV. Playing his first meaningful minutes of his career, I thought Walker was impressive. First of all, he passes the eye-test with flying colors: he's really quick even compared to other NBA players, he's an explosive athlete and he's longer than he appears at first glance. Walker's shooting stroke is looking better and better -- tonight he opened with a midrange jumper and later buried a three-pointer. It was good to see him rebounding well as he's been rather anemic in that category while in the G-League. I also liked what I saw from him defensively. He was making tactical mistakes here and there but the energy he brought to the court was palpable. Walker had trouble navigating around screens but was successful in one-on-one situations and stayed mentally-engaged when off the ball. Truth be told, he's been poor defensively in the G-League, so showing flashes of ability on that end was notable. Considering everything, this was a really good debut for Walker. He legitimately looks like a prospect with an excitingly high ceiling.
Grade: A-
Summary: Walker didn't disappoint.
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Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/NUKbCEE.png
With the Spurs stuck in mud in the second quarter, Pop called on Quincy Pondexter and he delivered immediate results. Over the proceeding minute, Pondexter scored six consecutive points to spark an 11-2 run. Add in some hard-nosed defense and the coaching staff couldn't have asked for much more in his eight minutes of playing time.
Grade: A-
Summary: Pondexter answered the bell.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
With Gasol playing his best game in a long time, Jakob Poeltl was the odd man out. I hope this doesn't become a trend.
Grade: Inc.
Summary: Poeltl's minutes vanished.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Going with Gasol as the replacement for DeRozan in the starting lineup worked out well even though the Pelicans started a tiny lineup. Playing Walker and Pondexter when the team needed a boost of energy also worked fantastically. Pop did well to limit everyone's minutes in this first game of a back-to-back ... with one glaring exception. Why was Gay on the court with the Spurs up by 20 points and only six minutes remaining? Pop has done a good job all year of limiting Gay's minutes as much as possible in order to protect his fragile health. Until tonight. Gay twisted his ankle while playing garbage minutes on top of his already team-high 32 minutes. Mistake.
Grade: C+
Summary: Good except for a glaring mistake.
Looking ahead: Got the win. Nice job.
Next up is a back-to-back against the Wizards. The game is at home and Washington is 6-18 on the road so, really, this is another game the Spurs need. No excuses.
https://i.imgur.com/rv6ca7B.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qze8zLf.jpg
The Spurs traveled to New Orleans to take on a Pelicans squad missing three of their four best players. San Antonio, who was also shorthanded without DeMar DeRozan (knee, ankle, bumps, bruises) and Davis Bertans (personal), took care of business by leaving the Big Easy with a 126-114 victory.
Coming out of halftime with a three-point lead, the Spurs blew it open with a 13-2 run early in the third quarter. The Pelicans never got within single digits from then on out.
All in all, it was a needed road win for the good guys. They weren't overly impressive but, with the Pelicans being without Anthony Davis, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic, the Spurs really needed to get it -- and they did. Plus, with a back-to-back game tomorrow night, San Antonio much preferred an easy win. They did that too.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
Heading into the affair, LaMarcus Aldridge was questionable with a left wrist injury. After begging Pop to let him play, Aldridge once again exhibited All-Star form -- even though he was doing most everything one-handed. The University of Texas product was physical in the paint, threw his weight around and gave the Spurs a focal point on offense. Aldridge's right-handed touch was good, he made smart passes and took care of the ball. Defensively, he wasn't a world-beater but he was solid. He was effective on the defensive glass and he was deft enough out on the perimeter to deal with the fact that he was almost always matched up with a small forward.
Grade: A
Summary: Aldridge shook off a wrist injury to post another impressive performance.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
With DeRozan out, Rudy Gay stepped into the role of the offense's second option and did so seamlessly. His outstanding efficiency (22 points on 13 shots) was bolstered by a season-high eight free throw attempts. Gay looked comfortable in all facets of the offensive attack: he hit multiple three-pointers for the first time in more than a month, he tenaciously attacked the basket and he was impactful on the post. His defense wasn't anything to write home to Baltimore about but Gay did grab double-digit rebounds for the first time in six weeks. Unfortunately, he twisted his ankle midway through the fourth quarter. Gay says he'll play tomorrow night ... but we'll see.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay was good until he limped off the court.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
I was mostly pleased with Bryn Forbes offensively. He didn't shoot particularly well but I liked his aggressive shot-selection. His passing was better than usual; Forbes had a pair of pretty dishes to Pau Gasol. Defensively, he made a few mistakes and got overwhelmed on multiple occasions but he wasn't too far south of his normal level.
Grade: B
Summary: Forbes was fine.
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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
Derrick White was the conductor of the offense more than usual tonight and he did well. He could have pushed the pace more and called his own number more but he ran the sets with precision, made a number of very good passes and his court vision continues to impress. Defensively, it was tough sledding for stretches as White attempted to deal with the Pelicans only standing star in Jrue Holiday. White took his lumps but competed well and eventually had some success. Despite having his hands full with his one-on-one responsibilities, White managed to offer timely help on defense. He finished with team-highs in steals and blocks. (White has posted three straight games with at least two steals and at least one block.)
Grade: B+
Summary: It wasn't easy but White persisted.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
I mean, there was definite improvement from Pau Gasol. Offensively, he was a weapon the Pelicans couldn't handle with their top three bigs out injured and their hands already full with Aldridge. Gasol was strong around the rim and passed the ball extremely well -- both from the top of the key and in the low block. This was by far the Spaniard's best offensive showing since returning from injury. Defensively, though, Gasol is a, uh, work in progress. He was absolutely hopeless when his man went out on the perimeter; Gasol simply stayed in the lane and observed from a distance. His slowness also hurt his interior defense, as he couldn't guard the paint unless the offensive player came right at him. Overall, Gasol looked better but I'm not sure if he legitimately regained some of his missing mobility or if the Pelicans simply didn't have the weaponry to take advantage of his labored movements.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol had his best game since his return.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
This was the first time in eight outings that Marco Belinelli scored less than 12 points. To his credit, Belinelli's lowered output was mostly due to him being more willing to pass than usual, as his four assists were the most he's tallied in a month. Though he was once again a valuable offensive threat, his defense was even worse than usual. Belinelli was slow in man-to-man situations, failed to rotate a handful of times and was basically just going through the motions on that end. It was no coincidence that the Spurs struggled to get stops whenever he was on the court.
Grade: B-
Summary: Offense was a plus. Defense was a minus.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
The good: Patty Mills' passing was really, really good on his way to racking up a team-high five assists. He attempted and completed multiple difficult passes. Mills kept his mistakes to a minimum and his shot-selection was tolerable, which hasn't always been the case of late. The bad: Mills' overall vivacity was a level lower than it needs to be on a nightly basis. His defense wasn't too terrible but it was definitely on the passive side.
Grade: B
Summary: Mills' passing was impressive.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Offensively, Dante Cunningham was fine. He didn't explode like he did the previous two games against his former team (his two highest scoring games of the year, 19 and 15, were versus the Pelicans) but he was helping out by passing well, crashing the offensive boards and scrapping for loose balls. (With his 1-for-1 showing from three-point territory, Cunningham is now 9-for-11 from deep against New Orleans this season.) Defensively, Cunningham was bad. Really bad. He struggled mightily to defend out to the three-point line, his rotations were about two and a half steps slow and, to top it off, he was getting scored over in the paint. I'm still amazed at how bad Cunningham is defensively. He plays hard on that end but he doesn't have the physical skills (too slow to defend smalls, too small to defend bigs) and has no defensive instincts at all.
Grade: C
Summary: Cunningham's D was bad.
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Lonnie Walker IV
https://i.imgur.com/JOLYiew.png
Welcome to the NBA, Lonnie Walker IV. Playing his first meaningful minutes of his career, I thought Walker was impressive. First of all, he passes the eye-test with flying colors: he's really quick even compared to other NBA players, he's an explosive athlete and he's longer than he appears at first glance. Walker's shooting stroke is looking better and better -- tonight he opened with a midrange jumper and later buried a three-pointer. It was good to see him rebounding well as he's been rather anemic in that category while in the G-League. I also liked what I saw from him defensively. He was making tactical mistakes here and there but the energy he brought to the court was palpable. Walker had trouble navigating around screens but was successful in one-on-one situations and stayed mentally-engaged when off the ball. Truth be told, he's been poor defensively in the G-League, so showing flashes of ability on that end was notable. Considering everything, this was a really good debut for Walker. He legitimately looks like a prospect with an excitingly high ceiling.
Grade: A-
Summary: Walker didn't disappoint.
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Quincy Pondexter
https://i.imgur.com/NUKbCEE.png
With the Spurs stuck in mud in the second quarter, Pop called on Quincy Pondexter and he delivered immediate results. Over the proceeding minute, Pondexter scored six consecutive points to spark an 11-2 run. Add in some hard-nosed defense and the coaching staff couldn't have asked for much more in his eight minutes of playing time.
Grade: A-
Summary: Pondexter answered the bell.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
With Gasol playing his best game in a long time, Jakob Poeltl was the odd man out. I hope this doesn't become a trend.
Grade: Inc.
Summary: Poeltl's minutes vanished.
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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Going with Gasol as the replacement for DeRozan in the starting lineup worked out well even though the Pelicans started a tiny lineup. Playing Walker and Pondexter when the team needed a boost of energy also worked fantastically. Pop did well to limit everyone's minutes in this first game of a back-to-back ... with one glaring exception. Why was Gay on the court with the Spurs up by 20 points and only six minutes remaining? Pop has done a good job all year of limiting Gay's minutes as much as possible in order to protect his fragile health. Until tonight. Gay twisted his ankle while playing garbage minutes on top of his already team-high 32 minutes. Mistake.
Grade: C+
Summary: Good except for a glaring mistake.
Looking ahead: Got the win. Nice job.
Next up is a back-to-back against the Wizards. The game is at home and Washington is 6-18 on the road so, really, this is another game the Spurs need. No excuses.