Grades: Spurs vs. 76ers - Dec. 17, 2018

[timvp]

What Chicago loss? The Spurs, 16-15, got back to their winning ways on Monday night with a 123-96 victory over the 76ers. With the win, San Antonio finished their six-game homestand with a 5-1 record. Outside of the second half against the Bulls, the Spurs have to be extremely happy with their play during their extended stay in the Alamo City.

Against Philadelphia, who entered the game with a 20-11 record, San Antonio got off to a sluggish start, trailing by as many as nine points in the first quarter. Thankfully, the bench provided an immediate boost and the Spurs were able to gain the lead in the opening minutes of the second period.

In the third quarter, the Spurs went on a 15-0 run to push their advantage to 26 points. Though the Sixers mounted a few halfhearted runs, the good guys were able to avoid a second consecutive second half collapse and instead strolled sweat-free to the 27-point victory.

Sure, the 76ers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but their first game was an easy one against the Cavs. And they're young. I don't think this victory deserves any type of asterisk. The Spurs needed to bounce back after the Bulls debacle and they did just that.

Homestand Status: Success

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LaMarcus Aldridge

A light has seemingly gone on for LaMarcus Aldridge and he's playing exactly how the Spurs need him to play. He's rim-running to get excellent post position, being physical when he gets the ball, finishing with purpose and only going to his fadeaway jumper once the rest of his game is established. His pick-and-pop jumper looks really good right now, as he's shooting it without hesitation and he's getting better elevation and arc on his shot. Defensively, he did outstanding work against Joel Embiid, arguably the best bigman in basketball. Aldridge moved his feet, protected the rim and was willing to bang. Add in a couple slick passes, a handful of viciously contested defensive rebounds and I'm not sure how much better Aldridge can actually play.
Grade: A
Summary: Aldridge was nearly flawless in his 27 minutes.

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DeMar DeRozan

The offense was stuck in mud coming out of the gates but thankfully DeMar DeRozan realized the sticky situation and took it upon himself to keep the Spurs in the game. DeRozan's 14 first quarter points were exactly what San Antonio needed. The Sixers decided to start sending help whenever he got the ball after his hot start. DeRozan then smartly switched gears and started finding shooters; four of his final five assists were on three-pointers. Defensively, he was good on the boards and had moments of commendable effort -- but the results on that end were still mediocre. All in all, though, I liked how DeRozan played, liked his mental focus and thought he played smart throughout.
Grade: A-
Summary: DeRozan's intelligent play was key.

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Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay was back to jumping out of the arena. When he's feeling good, opponents have had a difficult time slowing him down this season. Tonight was no different. While his three-point touch was impaired, the rest of his offensive repertoire was flowing. Gay was too big and too talented for whoever the Sixers threw at him. During the aforementioned 15-0 third quarter spurt, Gay had eight of the points and finished with 11 points for the quarter. In addition to his game-high in points, I thought he picked his spots well, made a few smart passes and was actually one of the team's better perimeter defenders. Specifically, I liked his defense against Ben Simmons better than any of the other options.
Grade: A
Summary: Gay was feeling good and playing good.

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Bryn Forbes

The good: Bryn Forbes' passing was a lot better than usual, as was his decision-making with the ball. His ability to score off the bounce forced the Sixers to pay attention to him. The bad: Forbes' defense was lacking, especially when he was trying to stay with JJ Re . He just couldn't do it. Forbes' three-point shooting is streaking the wrong way once again. (Recently, he missed 11 straight three-pointers and then hit seven straight. His current streak is seven consecutive missed threes.)
Grade: C+
Summary: Forbes was okay on offense, not so okay on defense.

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Dante Cunningham

Dante Cunningham was back in the starting lineup. Surprise, surprise, it was ugly. He got in the way offensively, which was predictable for anyone who has even halfway kept up with the Spurs this season. Cunningham was trying to flash to open spots but was instead clogging up the pipes. What surprised even me was how bad he was on defense. I mean, he's in the lineup for his defense and he was the worst defender on the court. He wasn't rotating at all, to the point of absurdity. The more I watch him, the more it's apparent that he has a shockingly low defensive basketball IQ and is simply incapable of making the obvious switches in a timely manner. On top of that, he's not a good one-on-one defender, either. How he continues to find his way into the starting lineup, I'll never understand. The Spurs were down 21-13 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter when Cunningham checked out of the game. Uncoincidentally, San Antonio instantly improved on both ends once he sat on the bench, outscoring the Sixers 66-32 over the next two quarters while Cunningham watched from the sidelines.
Grade: D
Summary: Starting Cunningham isn't the greatest idea in human history.

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Davis Bertans

This very seriously might have been the best game of Davis Bertans' career. Defensively, he was really, really good. He stayed with smaller players out on the perimeter, was seamlessly switching and didn't have any trouble navigating screens. On the interior, he was fighting in the paint and pulled down some of the first contested rebounds of his adult life. Offensively, he was mega aggressive, shooting whenever he had even a hint of daylight. He also passed the ball extremely well, including a few plays made off the dribble. Let's hope Bertans can use this game as a catapult and take his game consistently to the next level.
Grade: A+
Summary: Bertans was great.

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Patty Mills

Patty Mills hit a couple contested three-pointers, handed out a couple pretty dishes but I thought his energy was lacking for the second straight game. He fell asleep defensively more than once, which caused Pop to pull him from the court. Mills also wasn't pushing the pace as much as usual. The bottom line is that Mills has to be uber energetic to be useful and we haven't seen that version of him for a couple games now.
Grade: C
Summary: Mills was too muted.

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Jakob Poeltl

Another solid outing for Jakob Poeltl. After putrid post defense against the Bulls, Poeltl was much sturdier tonight. He rebounded well enough and defended the rim. On the other end, his brimming confidence resulted in timely rolls to the basket, strong finishes and almost no hesitation.
Grade: B+
Summary: Poeltl continues to look like a top flight backup center.

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Marco Belinelli

Marco Belinelli's hot run has come to an end; he had a streak of five straight double-digit outings before tonight. Much of his ineffectualness was self-inflicted, as he settled for difficult three-pointers rather than looking to create off the dribble or off of back cuts without the ball. The Spurs had enough scoring on this night but typically they'd be in trouble when Belinelli totally forgoes playmaking like he did against the Sixers. Defensively, he might have been slightly above average but it wasn't anything to write home to Bologna about.
Grade: C
Summary: Belinelli cooled off.

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Derrick White

On paper, it looked like Derrick White was busy stuffing the statsheet. In reality, three of his baskets and three of his assists came in garbage time in the fourth quarter. During minutes the mattered, White wasn't producing at a satisfactory level. He was missing easy shots and his passing was a non-factor. Defensively, he was pretty good; White had two impressive blocks during the guts of the game. (Amazingly, the three blocked shots White had tonight were his first blocks of the season. That's really surprising considering he averaged more than a block per game for the Austin Spurs last season and a block and a half per game while in college.)
Grade: C+
Summary: White wasn't quite as good as the numbers suggest.

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Pop

Pop's gameplan to begin the contest had me wondering if he was purposefully trying to lose. How else do you explain starting Cunningham at this point? I guess Pop thought Cunningham would be useful against Simmons but that was just ... not smart. Cunningham is much too slow to contend with Philadelphia's star sop re. On top of that, Pop had Forbes defending Re to start the game with instructions to go over screens. That was equally as questionable since Forbes is terrible at navigating screens and Re might be the best in the game at using screens to get open. Thank the basketball gods above and below that Pop was willing to adjust by taking Cunningham off the court and switching the coverage on Re . But, really, this team isn't good enough to consistently overcome such an illogical gameplan by their head coach. I'm glad Pop switched it up before it was too late but ... come on.
Grade: D
Summary: Pop saved himself after horrendous early decisions.

Looking ahead: I'll gladly take a 5-1 homestand. Well done, gents.

Very good win tonight. The new Big Three all scoring over 20 points on a combined 60 percent shooting without a turnover in a combined 86 minutes? Yeah, that'll do it.

The Spurs have now held five straight opponents to less than 100 points. Their defensive ranking is up to 23rd in the league, while their offensive ranking has climbed to 7th in the league. Before the homestand, their rankings were 29th and 10th, respectively. Good stuff.

Next up, San Antonio goes out on the road to face the Magic. Orlando, 14-15, won't be an easy game but it's certainly winnable if they can play anywhere near as well as they played tonight.

[vavvi]

Yeah!!!! A+ for Bertans!!! Totally agree, must be his best game as a Spur.

wouldnt be so strict to Pop. Sure starting Cun sucked but he did his adjustments. And the 3rd quarter where we usually suck was a good one with Bertans starting. So I would go with B- for Pop.

there are teams whose record I don’t understand watching them play. I didn’t watch a lot of Lakers games but judging by their performance in 4 games with the Spurs it’s hard to justify their overall record. The same goes with Philly. They seem just not a very balanced team with Simmons-Butler-Embiid not complementing each other.

[r0drig0lac]

- Spurs with one more Rudy Gay (or someone of similar level) would be top 5 team in the league (that's how good he is)

- my man Bertans needs at least 25 minutes, his gravity makes it easier for others in the offense.

[tbdog]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Kings, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Mavs will start dropping games. Clippers look way off since Williams went down. I am really surprised that Kings are doing so well. I don't think they have the depth over 82 games though. Rockets will rise though. I think Jazz are out. They need to turn it around real soon. Hopefully, we can stay healthy now. We cannot lose LMA or DD for more than 10 games combined the rest of the way. And if we do, its timely against east teams.

[JPB]

Pretty obvious at this point Cunni has some nuggets on Pop, there's no other explanation.

Spurs are playing 4 on 6 with on the court... Might as well give him a jersey of the opposing team every night..

[monty4329]

Liked a lot the first quarter. One month ago, after being down 8, we would end the quarter down 15 and see you next time...
It was very comforting that the second unit could right the ship, with a very positive effort.

Very good defense on Embiid, he was often taken out of the game flow. On a side note, Philly rotation is so short, I can't see them go far in playoffs.

[ceperez]

This seals it, Cunningham has been given all the opportunity in the world. However, he's messing up not only the offense (he doesn't know where to go) and the defense (he still doesn't know where to go) and can't even be a good individual defender.

The problem, Spurs need another 6'7"+ player to defend and to keep Gay/DeRozan fresh. That guy isn't playing in the Austin Spurs. Moore can't hit a 3 and Holland is only 6'5". Honestly, perhaps Metu should take the role that whatever Cunningham does... which isn't much!

[MoSpur02]

Thanks for the grades sir.

I thought Pop deserved at least a B- for the simple fact he realized his mistake of starting Cunningham by limiting his minutes after seeing Cunningham wasn't going to cut it.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Watching Cunningham just look over at opposing players going to the hoop without him making any attempt to rotate over would have had me laughing last night had I not been screaming at the TV. He sooks so bad. Pop’s affinity for using him is shocking.

Forbes tries, but man, he’s not an NBA player from a defensive and athletic standpoint. As that gunner you use in key moments for some quick threes off the bench, maybe, but otherwise he’s a liability.

I have been pleasantly surprised by Bertans and have high hopes for his continued development because he could help the Spurs a lot if he could play like he did tonight.

The Spurs won in spite of Marco, but I thought he was awful with his decision making on offense. He made a couple of heady plays defensively, and I at least could see him trying tonight on that side of the ball even though D is definitely not his strength. His offensive decision making is head scratching stuff for a guy with his skills. He just looks like he doesn’t try sometimes. Some of the stuff he slings at the hoop makes me think he’s just out there playing pick up ball. The old guy at the gym who you pass to knowing you won’t see the ball again because he’s just going to throw some wild ass brick up there as soon as he gets it..

I wish the Spurs had one more capable wing player and a backup PG that was big enough and fast enough to defend.

[vavvi]

Very good defense on Embiid, he was often taken out of the game flow. On a side note, Philly rotation is so short, I can't see them go far in playoffs.

Agreed. Was also impressed with the D on Embiid, especially after LA got 2 quick fouls.
Generally we are okay against big dominated teams or even wing dominated teams. It's guard dominated teams that kill us.
Even this game the most successful Sixer was probably JJ Re . not Embiid, not Butler etc

[vavvi]

The problem, Spurs need another 6'7"+ player to defend and to keep Gay/DeRozan fresh. That guy isn't playing in the Austin Spurs. Moore can't hit a 3 and Holland is only 6'5". Honestly, perhaps Metu should take the role that whatever Cunningham does... which isn't much!

Nooo Metu can't do it know. And probably ever as a wing. He looks just lost out there. Can't comprehend team defense or team offense, and too slow for a wing.

[ceperez]

Nooo Metu can't do it know. And probably ever as a wing. He looks just lost out there. Can't comprehend team defense or team offense, and too slow for a wing.

Well, there's always Heustis who is in rehab.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. Good stuff. Agree with the grades. I’ve hoped that the embarrassing Bulls lost was a wake up call and this was the result. Let’s hope they keep hungry and continue to start the system. Bertans emergence is critical to help Gay especially rest sometimes without missing a beat. Poeltl is doing that with Aldridge. I’m hoping LW4, Moore or Huestis is the answer to keeping Cun in the bench. When are we seeing them join?

[timtonymanu]

back in the playoff hunt on our way to a 1st round exit

[monty4329]

Agreed. Was also impressed with the D on Embiid, especially after LA got 2 quick fouls.
Generally we are okay against big dominated teams or even wing dominated teams. It's guard dominated teams that kill us.
Even this game the most successful Sixer was probably JJ Re . not Embiid, not Butler etc

Very true. Unfortunately as we know the backcourt can't guard anybody. Too short or too raw (White). I wouldn't mind picking up Rivers if not for the offense (which is OK anyway), at least for the 3-4 good minutes of defense he can provide -he is a better than average defender and has a decent size.

[Dex]

Pretty obvious at this point Cunni has some nuggets on Pop, there's no other explanation.

Spurs are playing 4 on 6 with on the court... Might as well give him a jersey of the opposing team every night..

Every year, there is one guy that Pop keeps in the rotation for seemingly no reason.

For many years, that guy was Matty...although Matt at least knew where to be on defense and could go off from distance during the regular season.

Last year, it was Forbes. It makes more sense for Forbes to be playing now with Murray out, but there was no reason he should've seen meaningful minutes when we had a healthy DJ, Patty, and Tony.

This year...our unlucky rabbits foot seems to be Dante. Even though he doesn't pass the eye test and looks even worse under the analytical microscope, Pop is going to continue to try to shove a square peg into a round hole.

The worst part is...Cunningham is shooting 51% from distance. The coaching staff probably points to that as justification to keep putting him out on the court, but to me...that's fools gold. Even at 51%, his 1.6 attempts a game don't really move the needle for the offense, and I'm pretty sure opposing defenses are going to be willing to give up that shot over just about any other shot the Spurs could manufacture.

[Mugen]

Your most accurate grades of the season tbh....

I missed the 1st quarter so I thought Pop had went with the Bryn/DD/Gay/Bert/LMA starting lineup but of course he started Dante...that experiment should have been over 15 games ago but here we are...tbh if Pop's rotations made somewhat decent sense for the first 25 games of the year, Spurs are probably 2-3 games better in the standings....

Agree with Bertans, he had some pretty great moments defensively in the 3rd, I honestly think he can be serviceable againts any 3s that aren't elite tbh....he needs to be the starter moving forward.

Concerned about DWhite and he still needs to be on the floor for any minute Demar isn't on it but his lack of aggressiveness in non-garbage time mins is solely on him at this point....

Pau's looming return continues to be the giant Spanish elephant in the room IMO....this team absolutely has no business playing two traditional bigs at the same time but I feel like that is what's going to happen or worse Poetl's minutes get cut....showcase Pau for about 3-5 games when he's back but he needs to be packaged with Bryn or Beli for any wing they can get before the deadline......

[Dex]

Your most accurate grades of the season tbh....

I missed the 1st quarter so I thought Pop had went with the Bryn/DD/Gay/Bert/LMA starting lineup but of course he started Dante...that experiment should have been over 15 games ago but here we are...tbh if Pop's rotations made somewhat decent sense for the first 25 games of the year, Spurs are probably 2-3 games better in the standings....

Agree with Bertans, he had some pretty great moments defensively in the 3rd, I honestly think he can be serviceable againts any 3s that aren't elite tbh....he needs to be the starter moving forward.

Concerned about DWhite and he still needs to be on the floor for any minute Demar isn't on it but his lack of aggressiveness in non-garbage time mines is solely on him at this point....

Pau's looming return continues to be the giant Spanish elephant in the room IMO....this team absolutely has no business playing two traditional bigs at the same time but I feel like that is what's going to happen or worse Poetl's minutes get cut....showcase Pau for about 3-5 games when he's back but he needs to be packaged with Bryn or Beli for any wing they can get before the deadline......

We can only hope that Pau's return forces down Cunningham's minutes. Ideally, I'd like to see Poeltl get slotted into the starting lineup next to LMA, and Pau can be our big off the bench (his passing would be more useful with that unit)...but either way, you'd have to think that leaves Dante as the odd man out.

[DAF86]

Davis Bertans

This very seriously might have been the best game of Davis Bertans' career. Defensively, he was really, really good. He stayed with smaller players out on the perimeter, was seamlessly switching and didn't have any trouble navigating screens. On the interior, he was fighting in the paint and pulled down some of the first contested rebounds of his adult life. Offensively, he was mega aggressive, shooting whenever he had even a hint of daylight. He also passed the ball extremely well, including a few plays made off the dribble. Let's hope Bertans can use this game as a catapult and take his game consistently to the next level.
Grade: A+
Summary: Bertans was great.

Mah

[Mugen]

We can only hope that Pau's return forces down Cunningham's minutes. Ideally, I'd like to see Poeltl get slotted into the starting lineup next to LMA, and Pau can be our big off the bench (his passing would be more useful with that unit)...but either way, you'd have to think that leaves Dante as the odd man out.

We saw Poetl + LMA for like 5mins in the Bulls game and it looked terrible tbh. Even with some practice time, the spacing would be so completely off since you'd have to use Jakob as the screener and spot LMA up somewhere. Not to mention, i can't think of any team that they could consistently defend. Bulls had RoLo and Bobby Portis on the floor and the Spurs still had some trouble defending them...

Simply put, they can't afford to be playing two traditional bigs on the court at the same time, not in today's NBA.

I'm with you that Dante sucks and should not get any minutes, irrespective of the issue with Pau coming back. But even if his minutes get cut as a result, Spurs are still going to have a major problem with finding minutes for their bigs. It goes back to the terrible roster construction + imbalance that people were saying before the season. Took Pop 25 games to find a serviceable rotation ( Cun is STILL getting minutes), I'm ing terrified how long it's going to take him to figure out how to incorporate Pau back into the rotation.

[TDomination]

I'm hoping this homestand truly did help the team find its niche.

Holding 5 straight teams under 100 regardless of opponent in todays NBA is pretty impressive. That bulls game was just re ed but i'm glad they bounced back. Gotta win at least 4 in a row again before its next loss if they want to move up in the standings.

[Mugen]

Overall, not a bad homestand (terrible if you're in the tank camp like me tbh) but it's also sobering to think that this team is a Rudy Gay injury away from chasing Phoenix for bottom of the West

[Fusternino]

Gasol/Bertans would be so bad on defense.

Really don't understand what people have against a LMA/Gasol + Bertans/Poetl + Bertans/LMA staggered rotation.

[rjv]

1) we can assume that anytime pop starts cunningham, that is going to earn him an automatic "D" or less from timvp.

2) fatherhood, so far, has been good for bertans.

[8FOR!3]

I still think we could really use a 3 and D guy even if it’s a cheap trade option. I think Justin Holiday would really open up the offense