Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. T'Wolves - Jan. 13

[timvp]

Coming off of a loss on the road against the Grizzlies, the Spurs looked to bounce back with a win at home against the Timberwolves. Although the game was a bit more difficult than the 106-88 final score would indicate, San Antonio was able to get that win they wanted and improve their record on the season to 29-11.

The first quarter was actually controlled by Minnesota. They jumped out to an early lead and pushed their advantage to nine points midway through the period. In the latter stages of the first, the Spurs made their run -- a 13-1 run to be exact. Going into the second, the good guys had a 24-21 lead.

The Spurs started off well in the second quarter. A Stephen Jackson three-pointer pushed their advantage to 11 points three minutes in. However, the T’Wolves responded immediately with a 10-2 run of their own. Neither team gained much momentum in the final seven minutes prior to halftime. The Spurs led by between two and seven points during that span before taking a five-point lead, 55-50, into intermission.

The third quarter was topsy-turvy. The Timberwolves scored the first two baskets of the second half to get within one point. The Spurs then landed a haymaker by pouring in the game’s next 11 points. Instead of hitting the canvas, Minnesota instantly answered with eight straight. San Antonio was again able to rally and took a 78-71 lead into the deciding quarter.

Led by Gary Neal’s eight points, the Spurs scored 12 of the fourth quarter’s first 16 points to grab a 90-75 advantage. The Timberwolves fought back with a 5-0 run to make it a ballgame again, partly due to two technical free throws caused by Pop’s ejection. But that ejection also seemed to invigorate the good guys, who went on a 9-0 run to go up by 19 points and essentially end the fight.






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Tim Duncan

Offensively, it was another mostly cloudy evening for Tim Duncan. Scoring-wise, he was better but lacked his usual fluidity and missed a few more easy shots. His passing was very strong, however it was mostly negated by turnovers. (Duncan now has 17 turnovers in his last four games.) Defensively, though, he was a beast against the Timberwolves. He was active in the paint, protected the rim extremely well and played a physical brand of one-on-one defense. In addition to those seven blocks and three steals he recorded, Duncan was also strong on the defensive glass. While I wouldn’t say he’s totally out of his mini-slump, the Virgin Island native certainly took a few steps in the right direction.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 89.1
Adj. Average: 89.3
Last 10 Average: 85.6
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Manu Ginobili

Manu Ginobili was playing great basketball. From the first instant he stepped on the court, he was everywhere. His attacking off the dribble was particularly impressive. He was also passing the ball fantastically, limiting his mistakes and vigorously defending on the other end. Unfortunately, it all came to a screeching halt when he pulled up lame with a hamstring injury. The ailment is expected to keep Ginobili out of the lineup for up to two weeks. It’s disappointing that the injury bug returned right when he had reached the peak of his play. Let’s just hope it’s a minor setback in the grand scheme of things.
Final Grade: 95
Season Average: 84.5
Adj. Average: 84.4
Last 10 Average: 87.7
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Tony Parker

Although his orchestrating of the offense is still below his usual standards, Tony Parker put together a quality outing against Minnesota. When he called his own number, Parker was dominant once again. In his last five games, he’s averaging 22 points on 57% shooting from the field. Versus the Timberwolves, he did the vast majority of his damage in the paint. While he was only 1-for-6 outside of ten feet, he was an amazing 9-for-9 within ten feet. Passing-wise, he was good but not great. He’s not smoothly running sets and he’s spending too much time dribbling out on the perimeter, which has resulted in fewer assists and more turnovers in recent games. Defensively, he was nothing to write home to Paris about. He made a few poor rotations and his energy was suspect on a number of possessions. Despite his negatives, Parker’s ability to get to the paint and score was so dominant that it overshadowed everything else. That said, hopefully the more well-rounded version of the All-Star point guard returns soon.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 86.6
Adj. Average: 86.5
Last 10 Average: 85.6
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Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard’s inclusion in the regular offensive sets remains a work in progress but he did a fine job of taking advantage of his touches on Sunday night. He’s never going to be a huge scorer but Leonard needs to be involved more; five shots in 30 minutes won’t cut it. Defensively, he was solid. His man-to-man defense was stout and his weakside help was timely. Rebounding-wise, he could have been much better. After grabbing nine boards against the Sixers, Leonard only has 12 rebounds in his subsequent four outings.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 84.1
Adj. Average: 83.9
Last 10 Average: 81.9
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Danny Green

The ever-streaky Danny Green is currently streaking the wrong way. After a stretch where he went 19-for-26 (73.1%) from downtown, he’s now just 3-of-16 (18.8%) on three-pointers in his last four games. Considering that he’s still shooting better than 40% from three-point land on the season, it’s difficult to be too concerned about Green’s streakiness. On the other end of the court, he was marvelous against the Timberwolves. His D was staunch on the perimeter, he was very active in transition defense and he also mixed it up in the paint to guard the rim surprisingly well. When Green is playing this hard on defense, he can still be a positive factor even if his shooting is lagging behind.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 82.8
Last 10 Average: 83.3
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Tiago Splitter

Though mostly quiet, Tiago Splitter made noise at the right time. Three of his four field goals and both of his free throws came in the fourth quarter to finish off the T’Wolves. Defensively, he was average at best. His perimeter D was porous and he didn’t defend the rim exceptionally well. Though, to be fair, Splitter was dealing with foul trouble for a lot of the night. All in all, it continues to look like he’s a long-term solution as a starter.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 84.9
Adj. Average: 85.5
Last 10 Average: 85.1
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Boris Diaw

The Good: Boris Diaw’s passing was again great. Just as important, he made his passes without needless risks that had led to a bushel of turnovers in recent games. Defensively, Diaw was also quite good. He seamlessly adjusted when defending the many inside-out threats on Minnesota’s roster. The Bad: He only shot one time in 18 minutes (although it was nice to see him hit only his second three-pointer of the month). Diaw can’t be that passive and consistently be a plus on offense -- it's just not possible. His defensive rebounding was also much too weak.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 80.6
Adj. Average: 81.5
Last 10 Average: 82.9
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Stephen Jackson

Outside of his three turnovers, Stephen Jackson was pretty darn good. Since his return from the fluke ankle injury, Jackson is 12-for-24 (50%) from the field and 8-for-16 (50%) from three-point territory. Considering how putrid his shooting was up until that point, those are extremely encouraging numbers. Jackson’s rebounding continues to impress as his seven boards against Minnesota added to what is a career-best year rebounding-wise for the 34-year-old. Defensively, he was good, particularly in the lane. Jackson still has work to do -- specifically when it comes to limiting his turnovers -- but his overall outlook looks rosier than it did just a couple weeks ago.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 82.2
Adj. Average: 82.5
Last 10 Average: 81.0
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Gary Neal

Even before Ginobili went down, Pop had Gary Neal playing strictly at shooting guard. Keeping Neal at his natural position paid immediate dividends. He had a turnover and a missed shot the first two times he touched it but was able to settle down and provide huge buckets for the Spurs. It’s impossible to ignore how much more comfortable he appears at shooting guard. His passing was better than usual and he wasn’t a liability on defense. Ten of his points and both of his assists came in the fourth quarter, during which he was easily the most influential player on either team.
Final Grade: 91
Season Average: 80.8
Adj. Average: 81.7
Last 10 Average: 80.4
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Patrick Mills

Given a chance to play backup point guard in both the first half and the second half, Patrick Mills was effective -- but not by typical means. Shooting-wise, he was firing blanks; his balance seemed to be off and he was rushing his attempts. But Mills made amends by passing well, particularly on the move. Considering he’s not a good passer -- and even less so when he’s moving -- it definitely classifies as a surprise. Rebounding and his overall activity on defense were other positives he brought to this performance. Mills needs to take care of the ball better and knock down his shots if he wants to keep the backup gig long-term, but give him credit for finding other ways to impact the proceedings on this night.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 83.2
Adj. Average: 83.0
Last 10 Average: 84.6
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DeJuan Blair

DeJuan Blair was a surprise participant in the first quarter. Pop was obviously unenthused by the team’s lack of energy and called on Blair to jump-start his squad. Blair was able to respond beautifully. Although his dexterity remains compromised, Blair hustled his way to an exceptionally impactful nine minutes. He moved to open spaces well, ran the court hard and simply out-willed his opposition at times. Considering how horrible he has been lately, this was a shocking turn of events. While it doesn’t appear like he has the physical wherewithal to do this on a regular basis, it’d be helpful if Blair could at least be able to play the role of a deep bench pick-me-up Pop can turn to when the conventional options are stuck in the mud.
Final Grade: 94
Season Average: 78.4
Adj. Average: 79.9
Last 10 Average: 77.5
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Pop

Considering that Ginobili -- who was playing better than anyone -- went down in the middle of the game, I thought Pop adjusted well and didn’t let his squad sulk. His use of Mills as the full-time backup point guard worked well. Neal excelled at shooting guard. Blair provided the spark that Pop sought. Even Pop’s own ejection ended up working to his favor since it resulted in a 9-0 run. Keeping everyone at 30 minutes or less is another check mark in the positive column.
Final Grade: 90
Season Average: 83.9
Last 10 Average: 83.2
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Offense
Turning the ball over 18 times is by far the most troubling aspect of what the Spurs did on the offensive end. They didn’t get to the line much but it’s the turnovers that must be solved. Other than that, San Antonio did very well. Scoring 32 points on the fast break is great, as is scoring 54 points in the paint. The Spurs shot well and racked up 31 assists -- can't be upset with any of that.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 84.1
Last 10 Average: 82.8
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Defense
The defensive stats look fine for the most part. The Spurs could have done better on the defensive glass and they let the T’Wolves get to the line too often, especially in the first half. Subjectively, the Spurs weren’t as impressive on D as the numbers suggest. Minnesota missed a number of pointblank shots … and it helps that three of their perimeter players (Alexey Shved, Ricky Rubio and Lazar Hayward) shot a combined 0-for-17 from the floor.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 83.6
Last 10 Average: 83.8
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Overall
This was a decent win. Individually, most everyone did well. However, the cohesiveness between the players was lacking and the team-wide energy level was subpar. Let’s hope that tonight’s rematch against the Grizzlies brings out the best in the Spurs.
Final Grade: 86
Season Average: 83.8
Last 10 Average: 83.1
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[Seventyniner]

The turnovers this season are alarming. I'll have a lot more to say on Friday.

[Monkeyboy14]

Why is it always the Wolves Manu gets injured against? Wasn't it last year he got that hand injury against them?

[dylankerouac]

Do you think the turnovers are being caused by teams being familiar with the Spurs sets? It seemed to me like Duncan was getting attacked recently when he would receive the ball in the high post while Tony plays off ball offense and runs around everyone to lose his man. This can't be good, a playoff opponent will certainly attack the same way.

Gary Neal back at SG is a great thing, I hope Pop gives it up and keeps experimenting with who he thinks could work at PG especially since Manu out opens up a few more minutes.

Lastly, thanks for the post, I always enjoy your well thought contributions.