The 111-104 double overtime victory was a close contest throughout, however it wasn’t especially aesthetically-pleasing or well played. This game basically came down to which would suck less: Andrea Bargnani’s shooting or San Antonio’s offensive rebounding. The Spurs eventually strung together possessions of competent rebounding while Bargnani could never shoot it straight -- and thus the win for the Spurs.
The first separation of the game came midway through the second quarter when Toronto took a six-point lead. However, the Spurs quickly responded with a 10-2 run and the game was tied going into halftime.
The Spurs came out cold following intermission; the good guys didn’t score a basket until five and half minutes were off the clock. During that time, the Raptors were able to build a nine-point cushion. With the Spurs still down by seven points with 2:41 remaining in the third period, San Antonio went on a Manu Ginobili-fueled 8-0 to once again narrow the gap.
Toronto went up by five points early in the fourth but that lead quickly evaporated following back-to-back three-pointers by Patrick Mills and Danny Green. Midway through the period, Tim Duncan put the Spurs up by a deuce. The Raptors battled back and held an 86-83 lead with less than three minutes on the clock. Thankfully, Ginobili hit a three (his only one in seven tries) to tie the game.
Again, Duncan put the Spurs up by a basket but Raptors rookie center Jonas Valanciunas calmly hit a pair of free throws to tie the game with 24 seconds to go. On the other end, the Spurs wasted the entire clock but were unable to get a clean look and the game went to a first overtime.
With the Spurs up by one point with 13 seconds remaining, Gary Neal went to the line. After splitting his freebies, the Raptors got the ball back down by two. DeMar DeRozan missed a short shot but, as was commonplace, the Spurs allowed DeRozan to grab the offensive board and tie the game with a layup.
In the second OT, Green started things out with a three-pointer. From there, the Big 3 took the reins. Ginobili hit a shot in the lane, Tony Parker hit back-to-back jumpers and then Duncan finished the Raptors off with a pair of free throws. Finally -- mercifully -- the Spurs had grabbed control of the game and were able to escape the Great White North with a W.
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Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan’s great run continues. This time, he decided to post season-highs in points and assists. In his fourth straight game with at least 20 points, he routinely tortured Bargnani and Valanciunas on the low block, while draining a couple outside shots for good measure. His passing was a major positive, as was his overall offensive efficiency. On D, Duncan didn’t live up to the standards he has set thus far this season. His post defense was iffy and his rebounding left a lot to be desired. After grabbing three rebounds in his first seven minutes, he had only two more in his final 34 minutes. That said, his offensive production was huge and his overall energy was above average.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 91.8
Adj. Average: 92.1
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Manu Ginobili
For the second straight outing, Manu Ginobili shrugged off first half struggles to be a key cog down the stretch. After going scoreless on four shots in the first half, Ginobili scored 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting in 23 minutes during the second half and overtimes. Most of the Argentine’s struggles offensively revolve around his errant three-point shooting. Since going 5-for-7 from deep against the Nuggets, he’s just four for his last 20. (In fact, if you removed that Nuggets game, Ginobili is shooting an abysmal 18.1% on three-pointers this season.) To his credit, Ginobili is finding other ways to help. Against the Raptors, he was productive attacking the basket and passing the ball (five assists, no turnovers). And though his defense was below average, he was able to help on that end by grabbing seven defensive boards.
Final Grade: 82
Season Average: 81.0
Adj. Average: 82.0
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Tony Parker
Tony Parker put together his third straight strong performance. He was the team’s best offensive player in the overtimes, hitting 5-of-7 shots -- including all three of his looks in the second OT. His overall aggressiveness was beneficial throughout and his assist total would have been higher if his teammates didn’t miss a gaggle of wide open jumpers. Defensively, Parker was good. Kyle Lowry hit a pair of three-pointers within the game’s first two minutes but was held in check from then on. The Spurs are best when Parker is going full bore on both ends and it seems like the four-time All-Star is ready to comply.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 86.1
Adj. Average: 86.2
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Danny Green
The Bad: Danny Green missed what felt like a dozen clean looks. His ball-handling was more suspect than usual and his individual D was below average. The Good: The Spurs couldn’t have won without Green’s defensive rebounding. Six of his nine boards came in the fourth quarter and overtimes. His team D and overall hustle were helpful. Despite his shooting woes, he was able to knock down big threes in both the fourth quarter and the second overtime. Green should also be given kudos for being able to soak up a large number of minutes out of position at small forward.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.4
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Gary Neal
Although Gary Neal was impotent with his shot, he was an asset in a number of other areas. His defense was much better than usual. Whether he was defending someone bigger or someone quicker (or both), Neal found ways to put a challenge. He was also strong on the glass; his ability to pull down contested boards remains impressive. Additionally, Neal had relatively good shot selection and took care of the basketball.
Final Grade:81
Season Average: 82.3
Adj. Average: 83.7
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DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Blair started off on Bargnani and did fine work. He got up into him and utilized his improved quickness to stay in front of the tall Italian. Blair also wasn’t a disaster on the boards, especially when speaking relatively. On the other end, Blair had a forgettable afternoon. Although he didn’t turn the ball over, he missed a couple wide open shots at the rim with no one around him. The vanishing of Blair’s touch around the basket -- traditionally one of his best attributes -- remains vexing.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 81.5
Adj. Average: 82.7
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Tiago Splitter
In his 21 minutes, it’s difficult to find areas where Tiago Splitter aided the cause. He didn’t rebound well on the defensive end. His D wasn’t very good. His activity level was low. Offensively, the best we can say about Splitter is that he got to the line. All in all, the Brazilian wasn’t especially horrible in any area but he’s too big and too talented to have these sort of monotonous outings.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 80.8
Adj. Average: 81.8
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Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw found himself open early and often. Thankfully, he was more aggressive than usual and converted those open looks to a season high in field goal attempts and points. Diaw was also very productive passing the ball while limiting his miscues. Defensively, he was average to slightly below average. However, he loses a lot of admiration for being exceedingly weak on the defensive glass. Four boards in 34 minutes won’t get the job done, especially when Toronto’s backup power forward (Ed Davis) grabs eight offensive rebounds. Not only was his rebounding poor, he wasn’t boxing out or holding his ground in the lane consistently.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 79.4
Adj. Average: 81.6
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Matt Bonner
Used again as a change of pace in the fourth quarter, Matt Bonner’s presence changed the flow of the game. He didn’t do much of anything other than commit two fouls, play slow defense and watch a rebound fall into his hands, but it’s difficult to ignore how he’s able to spread the court on offense.
Final Grade: 78
Season Average: 80.5
Adj. Average: 81.1
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Nando De Colo
Missing shots is forgivable within the Spurs offense. Not taking open looks and hesitating is not. Unfortunately for Nando De Colo, it appears as if he’s lost all confidence in his outside shooting. Against the Raptors, De Colo did whatever he could to avoid having to shoot the ball. That type of play isn’t going to keep him in the rotation for too much longer.
Final Grade: 75
Season Average: 81.0
Adj. Average: 82.5
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Patrick Mills
Patrick Mills made things happen. That alone is more than we could usually say for his minutes this season. I liked his aggressive shot selection and how he used his speed to be involved in just about every possession. His passing was once again a liability and his D wasn’t anything to write home about, but overall this was a step in the right direction.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 78.4
Adj. Average: 77.8
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Pop
In regulation, Pop was constantly juggling the lineups. Unfortunately, he never found a combination that did especially well. Sunday afternoon was more about surviving until the Big 3 took over. A few of his moves paid off, specifically using Bonner in the fourth and switching to Mills in the second half, but most of the buttons Pop pushed were hollow.
Final Grade: 82
Season Average: 83.9
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Offense
There wasn’t a lot to be thrilled about offensively. The Spurs poorly from three, didn’t get to the line, didn’t grab offensive rebounds, didn’t get out on the break, didn’t pass the ball particularly well and their two-point percentage (47.4%) wasn’t overly impressive. About the best we can say about the offense is that the Spurs took care of the basketball and avoided any fatal flaws in their attack.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 84.0
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Defense
The defensive stats are filled with positives. The Raptors shot poorly from the field and from beyond the arc. They didn’t get to the line very much or hand out many assists. The Spurs didn’t force many turnovers but what really killed S.A. was offensive rebounding. Giving up 17 offensive boards against a poor offensive rebounding team is deplorable. If it wasn’t for Bargnani playing like a drunk, blindfolded Bonner, that one weakness would have cost the Spurs the game.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 82.0
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Overall
On one hand, learning to win close games on the road should help the Spurs in the long haul. That said, I’m not sure how much can be taken from this game other than the fact that San Antonio ultimately played less bad than Toronto. The Spurs will take the victory but will appreciate forgetting the particulars as soon as possible.
Final Grade: 76
Season Average: 83.1
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I could tell the Spurs were just playing to get the out of Toronto. They played down to their compe ion and wound up playing 10 extra minutes. The 2nd OT they played to finally kill off the Raptors.
I wonder if Pop will rest Tim and Tony knowing that they still have a good chance to beat the Wizards even with a very depleted team.
Thanks! Very well put, which would ultimately "suck less" Bargani's sharpshooting or our inability to get an offensive board. Tonight is going to be interesting to see who is still able to move.
Bustgnani did play like he was drunk. He had the Eli Manning dumb face the entire game and played like .
Thank God
Bargniani did really well for us I'd grade him 98 tbh
By going from down 7 to up 1, they didn't "narrow the gap", they erased the deficit entirely.
You didn't think I'd pass up the opportunity to correct you, did you?
Thanks Tim. I'll take an ugly win any day of the week.
Very concerning that most of the Spurs' wins have been a battle of "who sucks less?"
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