timvp
02-05-2019, 02:45 AM
https://i.imgur.com/OU6x2uY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/32qkPSl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wQ565rs.jpg
The 2019 Rodeo Road Trip started out with a dud in Sacramento. The Spurs dropped to 32-23 after a 127-112 loss against a 28-25 Kings team fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The pattern throughout the game was consistent: The Kings built a lead, the Spurs battled back, the Kings rebuilt the lead, the Spurs battled back, the Kings rebuilt the lead, the Spurs battled back, on and on and on. But, as it turned out, the Spurs could never gain enough traction to mount a legit run.
Despite the defeat, San Antonio did a lot right. They shot well from within the three-point arc (53.2%), shot well at the charity stripe (90.5%), took care of the ball (eight turnovers), crashed the offensive glass (15) and rebounded well on the defensive end (grabbed 79.5% of available rebounds).
The Spurs loss rests on two factors: errant three-point shooting and not having Derrick White. The NBA's best three-point shooting team hit nine of their 32 three-point bombs despite getting plenty of open looks. Without White, who missed the game with a foot injury (he's out at least the next two games), the Spurs were missing their best perimeter defender and that unmistakably led to an even more porous defensive effort than usual.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
I was largely pleased with how LaMarcus Aldridge played. He put in work on the offensive end as he battled on the offensive boards, fought his way to the line for a game-high ten attempts and his deep post position in the paint routinely created space for three-point shooters. Defensively, he was decent. Aldridge was stout near the rim but was a step slow when helping and wasn't too willing to travel outside of the paint.
Grade: B
Summary: It wasn't an inspired effort from Aldridge but he was fine.
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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
With Derrick White out with injury, DeMar DeRozan had the ball in his hands a lot more often. And he produced. DeRozan looked a lot more comfortable in this role and was able to maintain his rhythm scoring-wise. While he didn't look 100% physically, his 24 points on 15 field goal attempts was definitely efficient. Playmaking-wise, DeRozan wasn't as good as we've seen from him but he did do a lot better job of taking care of ball than he has in recent weeks. Defensively, though, it was a struggle. The Spurs hardly got any stops when he was on the court and it wasn't a coincidence. He was unable to stop penetration and was slow to rotate out to shooters.
Grade: B
Summary: Does DeRozan prefer to play point guard? It looks like it.
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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
On offense, I didn't always love Rudy Gay's shot-selection but he made up for those questionable decisions by being the team's best passer on this night. He's becoming better and better at feeding players in the paint when he's perched out on the perimeter. Defensively, Gay looked slow a lot of the time going up against the springy athletes on Sacramento's roster. However, he gave good effort and exhibited some versatility by seamlessly battling in the post one possession and then guarding out to the three-point line the next.
Grade: B-
Summary: Gay wasn't good or bad.
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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The good: Bryn Forbes continues to show potential in terms of creating his own shots. He shot well from two-point range, helped out on the boards more than usual and generally played hard. The bad: Forbes was one of many Spurs marksman inept from three-point distance. While he played hard on defense, he got driven around, shot over and physically overwhelmed at a disturbing rate.
Grade: C
Summary: Forbes was a defensive liability and didn't shoot straight enough.
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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Davis Bertans was in the starting lineup with White sidelined. On the offensive end, Bertans was the only three-point shooter who was hitting the target. If anything, the Latvian should have been shooting more; the vast majority of plays Pop called were for Bertans but he wasn't letting enough fly. While he's showing a burgeoning ability to take the ball off the dribble, the best version of Bertans is the one who let's it go from deep whenever there's a sliver of daylight. Defensively, he was one of the many players who wasn't effective (the Kings were scoring on him right and left) but the effort was there and he grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
Grade: B-
Summary: Bertans was pretty good but could have been better.
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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
The Spurs were desperate for an offensive punch from their bench. Unfortunately, Marco Belinelli was shooting blanks. He was getting clear looks -- he just wasn't connecting. That's bad timing for a guy who has been blazing as of late. Defensively, the team's worst pound-for-pound defender was doing what we've come to expect. It wasn't for a lack of effort, Belinelli just wasn't quick enough to stay with the Kings perimeter threats.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli laid a poorly timed egg.
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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
It's safe to say Patty Mills is currently icing his shooting shoulder after this game. The Australian didn't see a shot he didn't like in Sacramento. And though I usually appreciate when Mills is aggressive, he took it too far this game. He was oftentimes teeing off without setting his feet or taking time to actually look at the rim. Defensively, uh, let's just say Mills was part of the problem. The Kings point guards shot a combined 16-of-19 from the floor and Mills had a front row seat for many of those attempts.
Grade: C-
Summary: Too many shots, not enough defense.
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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Jakob Poeltl did good work on the offensive glass, per usual, and finished reasonably well around the rim. Defensively, he was able to provide ample help out on the perimeter and played strong transition defense. On the other side of the coin, Poeltl had some frustrating plays on the offensive end (a perfect pass bouncing off his hand, not holding his ground and letting his man steal the inlet pass -- to name two) and I thought he could have been sturdier in the paint as far as defending the rim and snatching defensive caroms.
Grade: B-
Summary: Poeltl won the coin toss and got the majority of the backup center minutes.
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Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
Against the speedy Kings squad, Pau Gasol looked even more glacially slow than normal. He couldn't do much more than foul on the defensive end and hope to get down the court in time on the offensive end. If we're being honest, though, there's no reason for him to have been playing at all.
Grade: C
Summary: Gasol was predictably unable to keep up.
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Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Credit where credit is due: Dante Cunningham played well. His defense was improved, particularly when it came to making quick rotations and reading who to pick up in transition. On offense, Cunningham made smart passes and knocked down his lone attempt. Well done.
Grade: B+
Summary: Cunningham gave reasons for Pop to play him again.
-------------
Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Yes, the reasons the Spurs lost (three-point shooting, no White) weren't Pop's fault but he didn't help matters by shoehorning Gasol into the rotation. And, considering the porosity, I would have also appreciate more anger and action from Pop in response to the lack of defense. I did like the countless plays for Bertans, however.
Grade: C+
Summary: Why Gasol?
Looking ahead: Not a terrible loss but also not the way the Spurs wanted the Rodeo Road Trip to begin.
Next up is a difficult back-to-back against the Warriors and Blazers. Splitting those two games would be nice. Shall be a challenge. Let's hope the Spurs are up for it.
https://i.imgur.com/32qkPSl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wQ565rs.jpg
The 2019 Rodeo Road Trip started out with a dud in Sacramento. The Spurs dropped to 32-23 after a 127-112 loss against a 28-25 Kings team fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The pattern throughout the game was consistent: The Kings built a lead, the Spurs battled back, the Kings rebuilt the lead, the Spurs battled back, the Kings rebuilt the lead, the Spurs battled back, on and on and on. But, as it turned out, the Spurs could never gain enough traction to mount a legit run.
Despite the defeat, San Antonio did a lot right. They shot well from within the three-point arc (53.2%), shot well at the charity stripe (90.5%), took care of the ball (eight turnovers), crashed the offensive glass (15) and rebounded well on the defensive end (grabbed 79.5% of available rebounds).
The Spurs loss rests on two factors: errant three-point shooting and not having Derrick White. The NBA's best three-point shooting team hit nine of their 32 three-point bombs despite getting plenty of open looks. Without White, who missed the game with a foot injury (he's out at least the next two games), the Spurs were missing their best perimeter defender and that unmistakably led to an even more porous defensive effort than usual.
-------------
LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
I was largely pleased with how LaMarcus Aldridge played. He put in work on the offensive end as he battled on the offensive boards, fought his way to the line for a game-high ten attempts and his deep post position in the paint routinely created space for three-point shooters. Defensively, he was decent. Aldridge was stout near the rim but was a step slow when helping and wasn't too willing to travel outside of the paint.
Grade: B
Summary: It wasn't an inspired effort from Aldridge but he was fine.
-------------
DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
With Derrick White out with injury, DeMar DeRozan had the ball in his hands a lot more often. And he produced. DeRozan looked a lot more comfortable in this role and was able to maintain his rhythm scoring-wise. While he didn't look 100% physically, his 24 points on 15 field goal attempts was definitely efficient. Playmaking-wise, DeRozan wasn't as good as we've seen from him but he did do a lot better job of taking care of ball than he has in recent weeks. Defensively, though, it was a struggle. The Spurs hardly got any stops when he was on the court and it wasn't a coincidence. He was unable to stop penetration and was slow to rotate out to shooters.
Grade: B
Summary: Does DeRozan prefer to play point guard? It looks like it.
-------------
Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
On offense, I didn't always love Rudy Gay's shot-selection but he made up for those questionable decisions by being the team's best passer on this night. He's becoming better and better at feeding players in the paint when he's perched out on the perimeter. Defensively, Gay looked slow a lot of the time going up against the springy athletes on Sacramento's roster. However, he gave good effort and exhibited some versatility by seamlessly battling in the post one possession and then guarding out to the three-point line the next.
Grade: B-
Summary: Gay wasn't good or bad.
-------------
Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
The good: Bryn Forbes continues to show potential in terms of creating his own shots. He shot well from two-point range, helped out on the boards more than usual and generally played hard. The bad: Forbes was one of many Spurs marksman inept from three-point distance. While he played hard on defense, he got driven around, shot over and physically overwhelmed at a disturbing rate.
Grade: C
Summary: Forbes was a defensive liability and didn't shoot straight enough.
-------------
Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Davis Bertans was in the starting lineup with White sidelined. On the offensive end, Bertans was the only three-point shooter who was hitting the target. If anything, the Latvian should have been shooting more; the vast majority of plays Pop called were for Bertans but he wasn't letting enough fly. While he's showing a burgeoning ability to take the ball off the dribble, the best version of Bertans is the one who let's it go from deep whenever there's a sliver of daylight. Defensively, he was one of the many players who wasn't effective (the Kings were scoring on him right and left) but the effort was there and he grabbed a season-high eight rebounds.
Grade: B-
Summary: Bertans was pretty good but could have been better.
-------------
Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
The Spurs were desperate for an offensive punch from their bench. Unfortunately, Marco Belinelli was shooting blanks. He was getting clear looks -- he just wasn't connecting. That's bad timing for a guy who has been blazing as of late. Defensively, the team's worst pound-for-pound defender was doing what we've come to expect. It wasn't for a lack of effort, Belinelli just wasn't quick enough to stay with the Kings perimeter threats.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli laid a poorly timed egg.
-------------
Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
It's safe to say Patty Mills is currently icing his shooting shoulder after this game. The Australian didn't see a shot he didn't like in Sacramento. And though I usually appreciate when Mills is aggressive, he took it too far this game. He was oftentimes teeing off without setting his feet or taking time to actually look at the rim. Defensively, uh, let's just say Mills was part of the problem. The Kings point guards shot a combined 16-of-19 from the floor and Mills had a front row seat for many of those attempts.
Grade: C-
Summary: Too many shots, not enough defense.
-------------
Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Jakob Poeltl did good work on the offensive glass, per usual, and finished reasonably well around the rim. Defensively, he was able to provide ample help out on the perimeter and played strong transition defense. On the other side of the coin, Poeltl had some frustrating plays on the offensive end (a perfect pass bouncing off his hand, not holding his ground and letting his man steal the inlet pass -- to name two) and I thought he could have been sturdier in the paint as far as defending the rim and snatching defensive caroms.
Grade: B-
Summary: Poeltl won the coin toss and got the majority of the backup center minutes.
-------------
Pau Gasol
https://i.imgur.com/oF0jVre.png
Against the speedy Kings squad, Pau Gasol looked even more glacially slow than normal. He couldn't do much more than foul on the defensive end and hope to get down the court in time on the offensive end. If we're being honest, though, there's no reason for him to have been playing at all.
Grade: C
Summary: Gasol was predictably unable to keep up.
-------------
Dante Cunningham
https://i.imgur.com/W3QWUCI.png
Credit where credit is due: Dante Cunningham played well. His defense was improved, particularly when it came to making quick rotations and reading who to pick up in transition. On offense, Cunningham made smart passes and knocked down his lone attempt. Well done.
Grade: B+
Summary: Cunningham gave reasons for Pop to play him again.
-------------
Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
Yes, the reasons the Spurs lost (three-point shooting, no White) weren't Pop's fault but he didn't help matters by shoehorning Gasol into the rotation. And, considering the porosity, I would have also appreciate more anger and action from Pop in response to the lack of defense. I did like the countless plays for Bertans, however.
Grade: C+
Summary: Why Gasol?
Looking ahead: Not a terrible loss but also not the way the Spurs wanted the Rodeo Road Trip to begin.
Next up is a difficult back-to-back against the Warriors and Blazers. Splitting those two games would be nice. Shall be a challenge. Let's hope the Spurs are up for it.