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Nice write up. It's a shame Aldridge had to play so many minutes, because the last time he faced Anthony Davis he outplayed him. It's going to be tough to repeat that now, if he plays at all.
The Spurs entered Sunday night's game against a banged up Warriors squad as the favorites to win. After a late scare, San Antonio was able to pull out the victory to end the three-game losing skid and improve their record to 8-7 on the season.
Golden State got within one point with three and a half minutes remaining on a Klay Thompson three-pointer. This game, the Spurs' two stars responded. DeMar DeRozan immediately answered with a difficult shot at the basket. On the next possession, LaMarcus Aldridge canned a baseline jumper. Two made free throws by DeRozan on the following possession put the Spurs up by seven points and the Warriors never challenged again.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
There you go, big man. LaMarcus Aldridge snapped out of his shooting slump with a very good performance against the Warriors. The two differences this game: he ran the court hard, which helped him establish consistently advantageous post position. Aldridge was also more physical and utilized power dribbles in the paint instead of resorting to fadeaways at the first sign of resistance. It obviously also didn't hurt that his midrange shooting touch also returned for the evening. Defensively, he was moving a lot better out on the perimeter and guarded the rim with gusto. Recently, Aldridge has been a monster on the boards and that was again the case versus Golden State. Over his last six games, he's averaging 15 rebounds.
Grade: A
Summary: A re-energized Aldridge was a force to be reckoned with on both ends.
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DeMar DeRozan
With Derrick White coming off the bench and Bryn Forbes tokenly listed as the point guard, DeMar DeRozan was back to being the team's main facilitator from the opening jump. It worked well. DeRozan's playmaking skills were on full display -- from penetration-and-kicks to pick-and-rolls to fullcourt finds, he was really doing well keeping everyone involved. While his scoring efficiency was lacking, give DeRozan credit for coming up big by scoring 11 of his 20 points in the final eight minutes of the game. Defensively, the Spurs were making a conscious effort to keep him away from the action but he was able to help out a bit on the boards.
Grade: B+
Summary: DeRozan made plays and scored when it mattered most.
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Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay was back in the starting lineup and I liked what I saw. On the offensive end, his presence is extremely valuable because Gay not only knocks down open shots, he murders smaller opponents when mismatches appear. Against the Warriors, Gay was the team's go-to scorer for a healthy portion of the night. However, even more impressive than his offense was his work on defense. Gay utilized his length to disrupt Kevin Durant as much as possible. Additionally, he was able to help defend the hoop, as evident by his season-high three blocked shots. All in all, Gay continues to be a really good player this season . . . when healthy.
Grade: A
Summary: Gay was extremely impactful on offense and defense.
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Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes didn't have much go right this game. On defense, he gave good effort against Klay Thompson but had a number of tactical mistakes that allowed Golden State's sharpshooter to get too many open looks. He's never been too deft at navigating around screens and he struggled even more than usual in that area tonight. On offense, I liked Forbes' aggressiveness -- even if he was a hair too trigger-happy, which led to a poor shooting performance overall. He does deserve kudos for picking up more ballhandling duties and doing so with ease and hardly any mistakes.
Grade: C
Summary: Forbes didn't shoot straight, didn't have the greatest defensive night but managed to help a smidgen.
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Dante Cunningham
Dante Cunningham played how we've come to expect. He hustled, he helped the Spurs control the defensive glass and he played good transition defense. He also had a few good possessions on D in the halfcourt against Durant when the Warriors went small. With Gay back in the starting lineup, it was much easier for Cunningham to avoid getting in the way offensively.
Grade: B-
Summary: Cunningham did what Cunningham do.
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Patty Mills
The bad: Patty Mills took a couple of really bad shots. So bad, in fact, that the unwise attempts led to immediate timeouts by Pop. He was also sometimes too hyperactive on defense to the point that he was caught out of position. The good: The rest of Mills' night was solid, highlighted by a game-sealing three-pointer late in fourth. His passing was particularly impressive and his ballhandling was better than usual. Defensively, he wasn't much of a liability and he was once again really good on the glass. (Mills, at the age of 30, has apparently decided to focus on rebounding for the first time and the results are career-highs across the board in that category.)
Grade: B
Summary: Mills wasn't perfect but his boisterousness and attention to detail helped lead the way.
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Marco Belinelli
Marco Belinelli is another Spur who suffered from shot selection issues. Maybe he was trying to shoot his way out of a slump but Belinelli shooting 15 times in 25 minutes is a bit much. While a few of the shots were at the shot clock buzzer, he really does need to start to pick his spots better. More passing, more movement and fewer leaners. Defensively, Belinelli wasn't too helpful. He was physical at times but his slow feet limited his effectiveness.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli shot a whole lot.
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Derrick White
Derrick White came off the bench for the first time this season. He had some moments on defense that displayed his vast potential on that end, particularly against Thompson. He also had a couple really good passes, most notably when he was paired with Aldridge. But White's overall impact was minimal. His defense, thanks to a handful of mistakes, was only satisfactory. On offense, he shied away from the ball too much. The result was not enough ball-handling or playmaking. His outside shoot is really flat right now -- let's hope he can find his rhythm soon.
Grade: C-
Summary: White was in a new role but didn't shine.
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Jakob Poeltl
Getting better. Jakob Poeltl is starting to look like the player the Spurs thought they were getting. His work on the offensive glass was really impressive; the Warriors didn't have anyone who could match his size, length and timing. He made quick, decisive decisions with the ball. On the other end, he was active inside and outside of the paint. Poeltl ran the court well and was seemingly in the middle of everything during his eight minutes on the court.
Grade: B+
Summary: Poeltl stayed busy and probably had his best game yet.
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Pop
The starting lineup needed a change and Pop did just that. This particular starting lineup is now 5-0 on the season. It works well because Gay eases pressure on Aldridge and DeRozan, while Cunningham is able to just hang out in the weakside corner. I also thought Pop did well to keep White in the rotation and not banish the young player to the end of the bench. On the other hand, Pop basically went all-in minutes-wise to get this win and the Spurs will pay the price Monday night.
Grade: B
Summary: Pop went back to a starting lineup that works.
Looking ahead: This was a needed win. It wasn't a particularly pretty win because the Warriors didn't play well and the Spurs still almost blew it. But any win is a good win right now.
Can the Spurs win Monday night in New Orleans? That answer went from "unlikely" to "a miracle is needed" after Aldridge and DeRozan both played 40 minutes to beat the Warriors. Don't be surprised if both Aldridge and Gay sit out.
Nice write up. It's a shame Aldridge had to play so many minutes, because the last time he faced Anthony Davis he outplayed him. It's going to be tough to repeat that now, if he plays at all.
Last edited by R. DeMurre; 11-19-2018 at 02:09 PM.
Great stuff as usual
I would give Gay and A+. He was on fire early and his defense really made a difference through the game He would have had 21 points if not for that bull offensive foul call at the end of the 2nd
Agree with all players' grades but I would give Pop an A for this one despite heavy minutes for LA and DeMar. We needed this win badly and he did everything he could to get it. Not his fault that we almost blew it by missing like seven lay-ups in a row. Really liked the line-ups he threw out there.
Also: it's scary how much we depend on Rudy Gay's health. Who would have thought...
We are dependent on health because we are behind the eight ball by losing Murray. Plus Gasol is in a walking boot. Unless one of DD and LMA have a really big game, we are going to rely on all 3 to contribute on both ends.
Good grades. Nice to see LMA have a game like that. He needed it. Also watching them compete hard in the 4th quarter is a good sign.
Small forward is by far the most important position in today's NBA. Which makes what Kawhi did that much worse.
Thanks for the grades Timvp. We really appreciate it. Spot on as always. Good work on our team bringing in the fight. Some things that I like to see more: 9 minutes for Poeltl is not enough to lessen the loads on Aldridge, but I guess Pops wanted Poeltl to stay hungry limiting his minutes. I’m happy for his hard work and should get better as he discovers to use his height advantage more. We really need his height to punish small ball lineups. Too many minutes of Forbes on Thompson and should’ve been White, Pon or Cunningham. Good thing Klay was not having a good shooting night or we would be cussing the Spurs’ loss again tonight, and including revisiting Kawhitter’s departure again. Forbes need to learn how to draw charges, sell fouls on hard picks, etc. He is too short to simply just “guard”, and/or we really need White to become a lockdown defender to earn his minutes back, in addition to draining open shots. I can’t wait for LW4 to show what he can do. Because I think Spurs can cover the bigs, but it’s the likes of Rooks (or worse Curry), Jrue, DJ, Fourtier who Spurs are letting to score too much (while Murray is out). We control the guard penetration, better defend pnr shots, we’ll have more better results. For now, I’m very happy for the win. GSG!
Thanks for the write up!
It carried over despite the lost from the Clippers’ game. I’m happy Pops was able to keep his foot on the pedal to keep the guys hungry. Calling them soft I guess worked
I love that the spurs are getting up for the games against the contenders, but it would be nice if they had the motivation to put away the bad teams too
I wish we had Gay on some of our early 2010 teams so he could play with the big 3. Also sucks that he's injured a lot.
Thanks for the Grades Timvp!
While I do agree with you, it’s notable that we play decently against Lebron and Durant but struggle mightily against guards dominated teams like Lillard’s Portland, Oladipo’s Indi and even Fox-Bogdanovich, Lou Williams and Booker
Just like GS depends on Curry... Rudy's always been a great player, at ude was his issue which honestly surprises me cos he has been nothing but great from that perspective in SA and seems like a pretty cool dude.
We're in a big 3 or even big 4 era nowadays. 20 to 10 years ago, you were still winning with a great duo (Jordan-Pippen, Stockton-Malone, Kome-Shaq, Thomas-Dumars... Not possible anymore, you need 3 stars. All the more if like the spurs you're missing your starting PG and your bench is trash.
Spurs have been struggling big time and they're only 2.5 games from the top spot... Add Murray to this team and a healthy Gay, they're top 3 in the west now and rats don't beg for tanking and on PATFO or Pop.
I know it's asking for too much on the Internet but perspective is everything.
This is the version of LaMarcus that I crave
Great to see the White experiment finally and mercifully end. And the result, a Spurs win and DeMar back on track. Also good to see Gay healthy again
Gay A+++
Angry Lamarcus is best Lamarcus
Thanks for the grades, always appreciated. Does Pop encourage Beli to take these crazy shots? He’s been doing it since day one of the season and you would think if Pop didn’t like his shot selection we would see some change after 15 games. Guess he doesn’t mind it.
This team is in desperate need of some help for DeRozan, Aldridge and Gay. Our success hinges on those three. There’s no longer any x-factors that can give us a few wins when the starters aren’t at their best. I don’t see this group sweeping a b2b this season because Pop has to go all in with those three to scratch out a victory.
I heard some of the talking heads on NBA radio discussing how talented the Spurs still are...I laughed.
That said, I’m proud of how hard these guys played tonight. We’ve got 2 wins over LAL and a GS win early in the season so that’s nice.
Gay has consistently been the most efficient player for this season.
Just too bad that he's on his last legs.
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