Grades: Spurs @ Thunder - Jan. 12, 2019

[timvp]

After their memorable meeting on Thursday night, the Spurs and the Thunder were back at it. While the entertainment value was high once again, this time the good guys failed to come out on top.

In the first half, the Spurs appeared to be poised for an upset win in OKC. They were playing tough, heady defense and their offense was flowing well. Leading by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, San Antonio went into halftime with a 60-51 lead.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the third quarter. The Thunder began the period with a 7-0 run in the first two minutes that was ignited by a pair of Spurs open court turnovers. Late in the third, Dennis Schroder started shredding San Antonio's defense as he scored the Thunder's final seven points of the quarter. OKC took a 86-80 advantage into the final stanza after outscoring the Spurs 35-20 in the third period.

In the fourth, the Spurs could never mount anything resembling a comeback. They cut the deficit to five points a couple times but the Thunder never took their foot off the gas and sped away with a 122-112 victory.

Overall, I'm not too disappointed in the loss. The Spurs played really well in the first half. The third quarter was a disaster but mostly a fixable disaster as they were doomed by turnovers that let OKC get out and push the pace, score in transition and find a rhythm. It would have been a great win for San Antonio but unfortunately a bad quarter ended those hopes. Ah well, on to the next one.

-------------

LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge played well. After he scored 56 points last game, the Thunder were determined to keep the star bigman in check. To do so, they sent at least one extra help defender at him whenever he got the ball. Despite all the attention, Aldridge still scored 17 points with efficient shooting and no turnovers. Once again, he was physical in the paint, ran the court well and played with a supreme amount of purpose. Truth be told, with as well as Aldridge was passing and with as hard as OKC was doubling him, the Spurs definitely should have passed the ball to him more. Working inside out, particularly in the third quarter, would have been the smartest gameplan. Defensively on this night, I also thought Aldridge was better than average. He rebounded well and guarded the paint really well in the first half. His perimeter defense was a bit lacking, though.
Grade: A-
Summary: The Thunder wouldn't let Aldridge beat them but he still played really well.

-------------

DeMar DeRozan

The offensive woes continue for DeMar DeRozan. In the last three games, he's shooting 32.1% from the floor, has hit only seven of his 14 free throw attempts and has four turnovers in each game. He struggled offensively last time out against the Thunder but he was even worse tonight. Bad shot-selection, bad turnovers and he let his frustrations negatively impact his playmaking and cause him to needlessly ballhog for possessions at a time. Lately, DeRozan has looked slow, stubborn and unsure of himself on the offensive end. Tonight, his saving grace was on the defensive end. I was actually impressed with DeRozan's D on Paul George. Holding George to 5-for-17 shooting is quite the accomplishment. He fought hard on that end and was willing to expend a whole lot of energy while taking on the daunting task. Honestly, though, the Spurs need DeRozan's offense to come out of hibernation because right now he's a liability.
Grade: C-
Summary: DeRozan's defense was surprisingly sturdy but his offense was atrocious.

-------------

Bryn Forbes

The good: I liked Bryn Forbes aggressiveness offensively. He was willing to take up the slack and wasn't as much of an observer as he was in the previous affair. He had a few impressive drives to the hoop; that part of his game is really burgeoning as of late. The bad: Yikes, his defense in the open court was horrible. He got burned off the dribble repeatedly. Forbes' defense in the halfcourt was also below average (his rotations to three-point shooters was much too slow) but if the Thunder got going downhill at all, Forbes morphed into a 6-foot-3 traffic cone. Offensively, he missed a few passes he should have made. I like when he's aggressive but he has to recognize when he has wide open teammates.
Grade: C-
Summary: Forbes didn't shoot well and his D was well below par.

-------------

Derrick White

Derrick White's defense in the first half was superb. His one-game improvement in that aspect was great to see, especially because he was going against a dynamic superstar in Russell Westbrook. White's help defense in the first half was also excellent -- some of the best we've seen from him. Unfortunately, things fell apart for him in the second half. White had two bad turnovers early in the third quarter that let Westbrook get two easy scores. After holding Westbrook to 1-for-9 shooting in the first half, White unintentionally ignited the former MVP with those two miscues. Offensively, White hit less than half of his attempts for the first time in nine games. But despite the misses and the aforementioned turnovers, White partially redeemed himself with a couple great passes and by running the show well. All in all, I'd say there was more good than bad for White but it was definitely a learning experience.
Grade: B
Summary: White played great defense at times but his night took a turn for the worse at halftime.

-------------

Pau Gasol

Without Rudy Gay (wrist), Pau Gasol was in the starting lineup again. This time, the Thunder were prepared to take advantage of his presence. The pushed the tempo to take him out of the defensive equation and took advantage of his slow help-defense by driving right by him. Gasol did a good job of not getting in the way offensively and he rebounded really well. That said, Gay can't get healthy soon enough because the Spurs literally have nobody capable of filling the void with him sidelined.
Grade: C-
Summary: Gasol was not helpful, to put it kindly.

-------------

Davis Bertans

I was pleased with Davis Bertans' play. Defensively, this was one of his better games of the season. His individual D was really good; Bertans moved his feet well, impeded drivers and got a hand up on shots. His help-defense was even better. Bertans was fast to recognize situation where help was needed, didn't hesitate to stick his nose in, held his ground and kept his arms straight up in an attempt to stave off whistles. The Thunder are an athletic, high-energy offense and Bertans was able to hang quite well. On offense, Bertans didn't hesitate to late it fly. He went 3-for-3 on three-pointers in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Bertans would miss his final six attempts from deep, although the final two of those were meaningless flings in garbage time.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans showed off his defensive potential.

-------------

Marco Belinelli

Offensively, Marco Belinelli was outstanding. He had a game-high and a season-high 24 points in only 22 minutes. He kept the Spurs in it with his marksmanship from the perimeter. It seemed like his release was even quicker than usual and I had no qualms with his shot-selection. He was really, really good on that end. Defense, though, was a different story. The Thunder were attacking Belinelli relentlessly and he couldn't stay in front of anyone. His help-defense was also a step slow. I wouldn't say his poor defense totally negated his offense but it certainly made it more difficult for the coaching staff to keep him on the court.
Grade: B+
Summary: Belinelli was a beast on offense. Defense? Not so much.

-------------

Patty Mills

The good: Patty Mills played with infectious vivacity. He went all out from the moment he hit the court, particularly in terms of speeding up the flow of the offense. His passing was also really good -- I'd say, all things considered, he was the best passer on the team tonight. His help-defense was timely. The bad: Mills didn't shoot straight. He, like Belinelli and Forbes, was a liability on defense -- too small, too unathletic to compete in any matchup.
Grade: B-
Summary: Run of the Mills performance.

-------------

Jakob Poeltl

Jakob Poeltl's rebounding was impressive. His offensive rebounding is a special talent. Against the Thunder, I wasn't too impressed with anything else the backup center did. On defense, his lane protection was lacking and he wasn't closing out on shooters well enough. On offense, Poeltl didn't take advantage of smaller defenders and continues to lack the crispness we witnessed from him on that end a couple weeks ago.
Grade: C-
Summary: Good: Rebounding. Bad: Everything else.

-------------

Pop

I would have liked more plays for Aldridge. I wouldn't have shed a tear if DeRozan or Gasol played fewer minutes. (In general, if DeRozan is boiling over in frustration as he's wont to do from time to time, Pop is probably better pulling him and letting DeRozan cool off.) Figuring out a way to hide Belinelli on defense in order to play him more minutes would have been helpful. All that said, the third quarter collapse didn't really have much to do with coaching.
Grade: C+
Summary: Pop was adequate for the most part.

Looking ahead: The Spurs put themselves in a great position after a strong first half. It's too bad they let it slip away in the third quarter. But, hey, they were underdogs entering the contest and the Thunder needed outstanding (and unexpected) play from the bench in order to pull it out.

Next up, the Spurs welcome back the greatest point guard in franchise history. Let's hope Tony Parker gets the anti-Kawhi Leonard treatment.

[monty4329]

Thanks for the grades, as always well thought.

I have the same issue with Pop I had after the previous game: Why the was DeRozan on the floor for 35 minutes?

I hope the guy is sick and needs a rest (he has zero spring). Whatever the case, I'd rather see Cunningham fighting than this DeRozan. And I like him a lot, but he has no place on the floor if he plays like tonight. I thought last game he was awful, but this time he was even worse.

I also noticed in the third quarter some bad body language from teammates towards him (Beli, Mills, Aldridge that I remember).

One more thing: when you start the third quarter as the Spurs did tonight, it is totally on the coaching staff. It is their job to keep the energy and the focus high.

Loss is on Pop and DeRozan.

[r0drig0lac]

Gasol...

[cd021]

Thought DeRozen was a bit of a train wreck; missed a couple of point-blank layups, pouted and drew a tech, bad turnovers etc.


Aldridge, Beli, Bertans, and White all were solid but everyone else hurt the team in my opinion.

If these two teams play in the playoffs, I am all the more confident that the Spurs would win. Westbrook continued to shoot poorly against us, they aren't nearly as good of a shooting team as they've shown and a healthy Gay is significantly better than Gasol. They also have to double LMA which obviously helps our shooters.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I understand DeRozan being in an emotional and physical slump but if they allow him another T for arguing with the refs it's entirely on the coaching staff. This is terrible and his game always falls off a cliff after he gets mad. The only player who got that much better when mad was Manu, DeRozan's the exact opposite.

[vavvi]

Before the game I had had this an as automatic loss but actually I was pleasantly surprised by the first half. Our guys showed some pride and some poise. It was a much better effort than the final score indicates.

I strongly agree with you on the following:
- Bertans's D was good, especially considering how much he had to defend with everyone going right at him. But I think this game we got some hint why he rarely plays more than 25 minutes. In the end he looked really tired. That's why he started missing shots as well.I think he should work on his conditioning and if successful he can become a very important player for us.
- LA's game. I liked that after his show in San Antonio he did't force crazy shots and stayed within a game plan playing efficientl y

Wondering what's up with DeMar. Some of his turnovers were really sloppy and uncharacteristic. Also a couple of times he missed wide open 3pt shooters and drove to be blocked by 3 guys -- weird. Maybe he's really sick??
But even with this DeMar we had good chances if a couple of their role players didn't turn hot at the same time.

Wouldn't blame this on Pop. Timvp forced him not to play Cun so he has limited options.

[Shakril]

This time the grades are not comprehensibly.

Poeltl C-?

He played very well defensivly, and on offense he was ignored despite having good position. Also Aldridge did not have an A game. Bertans missed many shots in the 4th Quarter, so his grade is also to high.

[vavvi]

This time the grades are not comprehensibly.

Poeltl C-?

He played very well defensivly, and on offense he was ignored despite having good position. Also Aldridge did not have an A game. Bertans missed many shots in the 4th Quarter, so his grade is also to high.

Yeah, C- for Poeltl is way too low

[RC_Drunkford]

this loss is on DeRozan. At the start of the 3rd quarter he had like 10 posessions in a row where he scored a total of 4 points I think. He clanked shots, free throws and turned it over. Really bad outing from him. I agree though that his defense was impressive, but I think we win this game if he sits out.

[monty4329]

this loss is on DeRozan. At the start of the 3rd quarter he had like 10 posessions in a row where he scored a total of 4 points I think. He clanked shots, free throws and turned it over. Really bad outing from him. I agree though that his defense was impressive, but I think we win this game if he sits out

So actually the loss is on Pop. He should have benched him as he would do with Bertans or any other player. Or at the very least call other plays. DDR tragic, but the loss is on the coaching staff.

[monty4329]

Yeah, C- for Poeltl is way too low

So he didn't play better than DDR?

[RC_Drunkford]

So actually the loss is on Pop. He should have benched him as he would do with Bertans or any other player. Or at the very least call other plays. DDR tragic, but the loss is on the coaching staff.

I give you that he should've played less minutes. I'd rather see more Derrick White. Pop definitely has to have a word with him, because the way he's been playing recently he is hurting the team. We can't have outings like that from him in the playoffs. I don't know if it's cause Gay's not playing, if he has a mental issue or if (what I hope for) he's tired, but they need to figure it out.

[vavvi]

this loss is on DeRozan. At the start of the 3rd quarter he had like 10 posessions in a row where he scored a total of 4 points I think. He clanked shots, free throws and turned it over. Really bad outing from him. I agree though that his defense was impressive, but I think we win this game if he sits out.

While I agree the loss is on DeMar...
If he sits out we're seeing a lot of Cunningham ))

[vavvi]

So he didn't play better than DDR?

He did. That's what I'm saying.

[monty4329]

I give you that he should've played less minutes. I'd rather see more Derrick White. Pop definitely has to have a word with him, because the way he's been playing recently he is hurting the team. We can't have outings like that from him in the playoffs. I don't know if it's cause Gay's not playing, if he has a mental issue or if (what I hope for) he's tired, but they need to figure it out.

What worries me most is that I seen clear signs of frustration from some teammates, it may very well be that he is trying to get his shots no matter what.
Maybe he is trying to make the ASG (no way). Whatever the case, he must be benched and have a serious talk with Pop before he becomes even more detrimental.

[monty4329]

He did. That's what I'm saying.

yes, my bad, read it upside-down

[Andreas68]

This time the grades are not comprehensibly.

Poeltl C-?

He played very well defensivly, and on offense he was ignored despite having good position. Also Aldridge did not have an A game. Bertans missed many shots in the 4th Quarter, so his grade is also to high.

100% agreed!! Poeltl B-

[vavvi]

What worries me most is that I seen clear signs of frustration from some teammates, it may very well be that he is trying to get his shots no matter what.
Maybe he is trying to make the ASG (no way). Whatever the case, he must be benched and have a serious talk with Pop before he becomes even more detrimental.

No way it's ASG-related. And probably he'll get there anyway because coaches feel bad for him. Toronto game showed how he could channel his extra effort.
I'm not too worried about his misses. What worries and seems weird to me is his choices offensively. What we liked about him this season before the recent slump is he played smartly. He took what the defense gave him and took good care of the ball. Now he seems old-westbrookian at times like a chicken with no head. And this multiple dribbling into people turnovers... Very puzzling

[John B]

Thanks for the grades Timvp. I didn’t see the game as I was out of town, so I immediately watched the highlights and was disappointed at the lost, only because I thought Spurs could’ve shot better and won the game. My expectations are higher now with their performances as of late. But also it would have helped to have athletic guards, and trailer to block shots. What’s the status of Walker getting called to help on D? How about Huestis? If they could help, I bet this team would be more complete, especially when Gay is out like last night. Finally what’s up with Demar? I guess the honeymoon is over. Is he sick? He seems frustrated lately. I hope it was just a slump and he turns his game around. Spurs need him if we want to stay on the playoff hunt. GSG!

[sananspursfan21]

No excuses for this loss, barely winning the other night, and the loss against the Griz, but I wonder how these games play out of Rudy suits up. Not saying that the two losses automatically go another direction but having another offensive threat would have been really nice last night to help carry the load. Maybe offset Derozan’s recent nightmare games a little

[Cryptic Parable]

It’s looking like Spurs will be losing that Raptors rematch.

Also, if both primary scorers routinely go through severe scoring droughts and emotional ups and downs that cause offensive woes then bringing in another scoring option has to be considered preferably one that can play great defense. I think DDR is best suited as the Scottie Pippen of this team minus the defense of course but as a scoring option but more so as a facility. I think he’d be better suited in the third scoring option role thereby free LMA and another scoring option to carry the offense.

Do so I think DDR is a good second option, of course but having him facilitate and possibly lead a second unit would probably be a better choice .

Sure this His is just one opinion and it’s not concrete.

[MoSpur02]

Didn't watch the game due to Dad duty and having to take my boys to Monster Jam. Was surprised by the 24 points from Marco, not surprised about his defense. Same goes for Mills and Forbes defense. The Spurs really need to search for a defender on the wing. Derozan's offense is scaring me.

Thanks for the grades.

[RC_Drunkford]

What worries me most is that I seen clear signs of frustration from some teammates, it may very well be that he is trying to get his shots no matter what.
Maybe he is trying to make the ASG (no way). Whatever the case, he must be benched and have a serious talk with Pop before he becomes even more detrimental.

Pop just has to stop those Defrozan technicals and frustration fouls when he doesn't get a call. I like what DeMar did in the Boston game, he had an off night in the first half so he just went drive and kick in the 2nd and we scored 46 points. That's what he needs to do if he can't score and that's what's gon get his game to the next level. With that being said it's still mind boggling, because when he gets cold he also misses free throws and a lot of lay ups. It has to be mental and it's quite an extreme turnaround

[tmtcsc]

Eh...Beli's points may have been empty but there were still 24 of them. That's an A - at the very least.

[RD2191]

To me it looks like Demar is having a hard time finding his place on the team.