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Good write up. Thanks for your time.
The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers played another nail-biter and, like the first contest this season, the good guys prevailed. After a sluggish start that saw the Lakers score 36 points in the first period and lead by double-digits for much of the second quarter, the Spurs eventually found their footing.
Surprisingly, the Spurs can thank partially thank their defensive effort for the win. The Spurs outscored the Lakers 23-18 in the fourth to escape with a 110-106 victory at home.
In what was almost an exact replay of their last game against Los Angeles, the Spurs got up by eight points with a minute and a half remaining. Last time, the Lakers scored eight straight points to send the game into overtime. This time, the Lakers scored seven straight points before DeMar DeRozan delivered the biggest bucket of the night.
LaMarcus Aldridge
In the first game of the season against the Lakers, LaMarcus Aldridge was fantastic. In the rematch, not so much. He struggled on his way to another sub par shooting night, missing more shots that he usually makes. (That's become a concerning trend early this season.) Aldridge wasn't nearly as physical tonight and seemed to be slow off his feet, which led to iffy work on the glass and mediocre defense overall. To his credit, Aldridge kept plugging away and come up with a couple big plays late to help seal the victory. The Spurs need more from the 33-year-old but he was just barely good enough tonight to get the win.
Grade: C
Summary: Aldridge never really got on track but he at least kept his head up.
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DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan suddenly can't lose against LeBron James. In the two games against the Lakers, he's averaging 31 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Not bad. Not bad, at all. This evening, besides that big shot at the end, he was really, really good. His defense in the final three quarters was as good as we've seen out of him in silver and black. DeRozan competed really well, boarded with a purpose and was very alert with regard to his help-defense responsibilities. In fact, I'd say he was the team's best defender tonight. Offensively, he was also quite impressive. He was a little bit sloppy at times but that's about the extent of my critique. I loved his quick pass-aheads when he noticed mismatches, in addition to all the playmaking he did in the halfcourt sets. DeRozan has embraced the gigantic role the coaching staff has carved out for him and is playing as well as anyone could have expected him to play.
Grade: A
Summary: DeRozan played at a superstar level, finishing two rebounds away from a triple-double.
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Davis Bertans
Pop started Davis Bertans at small forward and the Latvian fumbled the opportunity given to him. Los Angeles' first eight points of the game were due to lackadaisical, soft defense by Bertans. He was caught out of position or with his head turned way too often during his 13 minutes of play. Bertans will never be a great defender but he needs to play smarter and with more forcefulness on that end or he's not going to carve out a niche on this team. He didn't do much on offense -- he was oftentimes caught in no man's land on that side of the court as well. And, as we've come to expect, Bertans was invisible on the glass.
Grade: D-
Summary: Bertans got the start but played so poorly that the coaches will think twice before giving him another one.
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Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes is looking more and more like a capable starter on the NBA level. That in itself is a huge step forward for him. Against the Lakers, his confidence was bubbling over on the offensive end. He took it upon himself to create off the dribble and was successful just about every time he called his own number. He did a really good job moving without the ball and spreading the court. Forbes did have issues on the offense with bouts of shaky ball-handling and a few weak, looping passes . . . but overall he did a fine job on that end. Defensively, he was locked in. He made mistakes -- quite a few, in fact -- but at least he's scratching and clawing as much as he can.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes continued his strong play as the team's starting point guard.
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Dante Cunningham
It wasn't pretty but it worked. Dante Cunningham isn't much of a match for LeBron but it wasn't a total disaster. He did the best he could to stay in front of him and keep a hand up. Cunningham also found time to wrestle in the paint for rebounds and keep his hands active in the passing lanes. He hasn't figured out where he fits on offense. Personally, I'd like to see him be a little bit more of a willing passer and to only shoot when he's wide open.
Grade: B
Summary: Cunningham started at power forward against the Lakers and was serviceable.
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Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay came off the bench in the first half but started the second half. In both roles, he was very effective. He came into this game shooting 58 percent from the field so he came down to earth shooting-wise but those misses were easy to overlook due to how much Gay helped out. He rebounded extremely well, authored a number of nifty passes, took care of the ball and was active on defense. Gay experienced struggles on the defensive end but his activity helped mask some of that. The Spurs wouldn't have won this game without his all-around contributions.
Grade: A-
Summary: Gay was a key cog in the machine and provided indispensable contributions.
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Patty Mills
Patty Mills set a low bar in his first four affairs of the season but give him a pat on the back for taking a step in the right direction on Saturday night. On defense, he was caffeinated enough to be a little bit disruptive. And, honestly, given his lack of size and strength (and, since we're being honest, speed at this stage of his career), that's all the Spurs can ask from him. Offensively, I'd still like to see him more aggressive but he did a better job taking care of the basketball and hitting open shots. Baby steps.
Grade: B
Summary: Mills was hyperactive and that alone was a breath of fresh air from the backup point guard.
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Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli cut well without the ball and was just passable enough on defense. Unfortunately, his shot selection and decision-making weren't tuned correctly. And, when he did find himself open, he didn't connect, particularly from deep. All in all, it was an okay evening that would have been a lot brighter if he had shot it straight.
Grade: C+
Summary: Belinelli was shooting blanks but did find ways to not be totally worthless.
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Pau Gasol
On one hand, it's difficult to be mad about Pau Gasol's production. I mean, 11 points and 12 rebounds is certainly nothing to scoff at, especially when Gasol's physicality under the basket was a game-changing attribute. No one on the court was up to the challenge to try to muscle him out of the paint. On the other hand, Gasol's help defense left a whole lot to be desired. The Lakers got a lot of clean looks simply because he wouldn't (or, more likely, couldn't) move his feet. In sum, though, Gasol was a net positive on this night.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol was a beast in the lane and aided the cause even though he was incapable of helping on D.
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Pop
I actually like a lot of subtle changes Pop made tonight. Bringing Gay off the bench was a good idea because it gave the bench unit a go-to scorer. Pop also seemed to think twice before pairing Mills with Forbes in the backcourt -- let's hope that continues. Tonight, he only went to it after the Lakers went with small guards first. Pop also learned his lesson from the first Lakers game and bought DeRozan a breather in the fourth quarter to make sure he had his legs to finish the game. Three positive adjustments in one night? And a victory over the Lakers? I'm not complaining.
Grade: A-
Summary: Pop is showing a willingness to tinker and it resulted in a win and some signs of life on the defensive end.
Looking ahead: Good win. FTL. The Spurs now have an opportunity to start a winning streak with a home game against the Mavericks on Monday and a road in game in Phoenix on Halloween.
Good write up. Thanks for your time.
It was a nice win have to say I was pleasantly surprised. One thing I have noticed with Forbes and Mills regarding the two combined had 4 rebounds and 2 assists that is just not going to cut it for them to be considered starters.
Don’t get me wrong I think they are decent spark plugs but not even close to be NBA starters.
JP all ready in Coach Pop dog house DNP.
Ps. Always love reading your write ups Tim please keep them coming.
With Forbes playing alongside DeMar, he really doesn't have to be a playmaker although he showed flashes of that tonight on a couple occasions. DeMar is fine with his usage for now since he is so effective and then you got LMA and Rudy with their touches... the balance is fine.
Good write up big dawg.
Grades are spot on.
If only we can play D like this more consistently.
An adequate effort, timvp.
I think this was the first game were Pop felt he had enough data to make real adjustments. Maybe that was playing the same team twice or maybe that was them having a couple of days at home to work things out. Overall, the bench was a problem. The D is terrible, and the offense is shaky. I think limiting Mills/Forbes and putting Gay with the second unit were reflections of that. I hope he doesn't bench Bertans for another game or so at least. He's not a great match-up for a Lakers team which is trying to win with physicality. But he should do fine against Dallas. Moveover, the only alternatives are Gay and Beli. Beli doesn't seem like he'll help (though he grades well with the other projected starters. Gay should stay with the bench until White returns. Unless the Spurs can somehow finagle Mills for a SF, they have to stay with Bertans/Cunningham.
Speaking of Cun, I think he should stay starting for the next few games. Dallas and Phoenix both play small, so there's no particular reason to go back to Poeltl. Dante's deal is big enough to factor into potential trades, so finding out how whether the player or contract will be more useful to the team is a pretty big priority between now and December. He deserves an extended trial run.
I’ll jump on the bandwagon, Forbes is the best 3rd string PG in the NBA.
Double pump fake, half-footed fade for the win is so fundamentally unsound and nerve-wracking, Pop must've been thinking "So this is what it's like coaching Kobe." DD's reflexive left foot jab steps pointed at the wrong direction in sync with his pumps is also so cute to watch. Spurs got the goods they traded for. I'll take the w.
Great job! Love your grading posts! Keep it up
Bertans is a disaster. Anderson would have been better for that money. At least he has length for defense and doesn't absolutely blow.
Pop needs to figure out how to get DDR end game touches that aren't just wily-nily isolations.
OP with the grades again. Many thanks good sir.
would love to hear from the Laker contingent in this forum which preferred to keep their young guys instead of taking a flyer on Kawhi. And that particular guy who keeps calling DeMar "DeFrozen". Awfully quiet, that lot.
Thanks timvp
This. Although he hit the big one, I hate that play. Rarely works and will cost us eventually.
I've been the only Bryn Forbes fan from the beginning who sees this kid's potential. Yeah he's limited in height and length but despite that he's continued to be one of the brightest spots in this roster.
Agree with the grades. If Gasol can play with that energy constantly, his production would be at least somewhere in the neighbourhood of his contract value...still a terrible deal.
I'd hope to see some minutes for Poeltl and Bertans vs Dallas, I think they match up way better vs them.
After five games versus teams who will probably be in the playoffs, 3-2 is not too bad; especially if the defensive performance was no fluke.
Agree with the grades. I liked that different guys stepped up. Pau Gasol was a beast in the 2nd half. He really made game winning plays. The team showed some toughness and defensive positioning was very good. Aldridge didn't have to rotate on every play and the Lakers didn't get a lot of open shots in the 2nd half. The team should only get better as rotations become clearer and they learn playing with each other.
Injuries have DD logging more minutes than Pop typically plays a guy.
Dante isn't that good, but if he can take off the load from Gay and DeRozan in guarding the other team's best offensive player, then that is a big plus.
That's why I want Heustis to get well enough to play. I don't really care if they can't shoot. The energy expended in defense lightens the load for others. That's why Manu was all praise for Bowen who did the dirty work so he could come up with flashy offensive plays.
I wouldn't even mind seeing Metu taking over defensive chores. He's still is a rookie and needs experience, but he's got the talent and the shooting range to not be a complete liability.
Thanks for the write-up. But I don’t agree with Pops A- grade. In my opinion it should be lower. The old Pops would’ve yanked Bertans out immediately. Davis was no much to Spurs killer Kuzma period. Also why on earth would he put Mills, Forbes, Belli, Bertans and Pau lineup? I mean really? Only when he put Dante and Gay back with the 1st unit I felt Spurs could match the physicality. Also why are we playing only 9 players? I mean I think Metu could’ve done a better shot at Kuzma than Davis tbh. I just think Pops did not deserve a high grade.
Grades are spot on, thanks.
Will add one thing that I realized watching the game:
I had fun watching and it caught me by surprise as lately the games have been hard to watch, with all the bad breaks the Spurs (and fans) suffered through. Last night I just appreciated the team for what it is now and am grateful for any win against anyone.
The Timmy era spoiled me rotten and I am going to have to just accept what the Spurs are now. It made the game fun to watch at least for me.
thanks for the grades as always. I agree with them all except for Bertans (I give him a c).
On defense he dodn't play very well probably because his opponents made contested shots... Kuzma made his first shots mostly with a hand in his face. Mcgee, like kuzma, is a superior athletic specimen than Davis, and Davis made the correct thing in just trying to contest his shots without fouling. I also loved the fact that on defense he played sometimes at the point...with decent outcomes (considering the traffic cones that Mills and Forbes have been against Indiana).
On offense, probably by design, he never had plays called for him and of the only two shots at least one have been taken just before the expiring of 24 seconds...but for sure he's highly respected as a shooter and in fact I think one of the reasons for the time and space for DDR and LMA to operate in the paint has been his mere presence on the court.
play poertl
I'm worried that Davis has yet to figure out how he'll be valuable in the rotation.
DeRozan,Aldridge,Gay,Forbes,Beinelli,Mills,Pau,Cun ningham seem to have a role to fill.
Only silver lining is he gets minutes.
Can't say the same about Poetl.
Ditto! Always great to read!
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