Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Kings - Feb. 19

[timvp]

In the first game after the All-Star break, the Spurs exhibited some rust and inconsistent play, however San Antonio was able to get another win with relative ease. The 108-102 victory over the Kings was their fourth straight win and their fifth in six games on the 2013 Rodeo Road Trip.

Isaiah Thomas hit a three-pointer to make it 14-10 Spurs midway through the first quarter. The good guys responded by scoring nine of the game’s next ten points to build a 23-11 cushion. At the end of one, the Spurs were up 28-19.

Sacramento did well in the first six minutes of the second quarter. A Jimmer Fredette three-pointer trimmed the Spurs lead to three, 38-35. But over the next three and a half minutes, the Kings went scoreless as the Spurs pushed the lead back to double-digits. At the half, S.A. held a 50-41 advantage.

A quick burst to the second half pushed the Spurs lead to 14 points. They still led by 14 halfway through the period but then the Kings started to get rolling. Sacramento got within six points before the Spurs bumped their advantage back to nine points, 83-74, heading into the deciding stanza.

Three minutes into the fourth, the Kings cut their deficit to four points. Thankfully, the Spurs responded healthfully: Danny Green three-pointer, Tony Parker jumper, Tony Parker jumper. San Antonio was up by 11 points after a pair of freebies by Parker with 2:44 remaining … but the Kings weren’t ready to surrender just yet. Marcus Thornton scored the next eight points to cut the spread to three.

Finally, with 19 seconds remaining, a layup by Parker pushed the lead back to five points and the Kings were out of runs.






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Tim Duncan

Defensively, Tim Duncan was very good. He single-handedly shut down the paint and was cat-quick when protecting the rim. Duncan pulled down 10 of his 14 boards in the first half while at the same time nearly shutting out DeMarcus Cousins. Duncan wasn’t quite as good on D in the second half but he was still an asset. Offensively, when he wasn’t firing foolhardy full-court passes, he was reasonably efficient. Duncan authored a few slick passes (of the sane variety) and was able to create quality looks for himself. His results weren't there on offense but I didn’t see any reason to be alarmed. Considering how little he has played recently, Duncan looked healthy and was moving well.
Final Grade: 88
Season Average: 89.4
Adj. Average: 89.6
Last 10 Average: 91.3
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Manu Ginobili

As he works his way back from his hamstring injury, Manu Ginobili is obviously not 100%. His speed is compromised, he can’t move laterally well at all and he’s clearly being cautious with his movements. All that said, I was encouraged by his play in Sacramento. His jumping isn’t negatively impacted by his hamstring issue, which allowed him to snare multiple contested rebounds. While his overall defense wasn’t very good, he competed and rarely allowed his shortcomings to lead to Kings points. Offensively, he was effective. He seemed to be in constant motion away from the ball, which led to a few open shots. With the ball, he made heady decisions. Ginobili wasn’t spectacular on this night but he’s rounding into shape -- and that’s the most important thing right now.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 85.0
Adj. Average: 84.8
Last 10 Average: 87.8
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Tony Parker

Tony Parker is making this type of staggering production seem like no big deal. It’s truly amazing to behold the level he is playing at right now. Against the Kings, he finished with too many turnovers (seven) but a handful of the miscues could at least partially be blamed on a teammate. Other than the turnovers, Parker was fabulous. He played with unbridled energy. He sacrificed his body repeatedly. He played with an extreme compe ive edge. Parker was creating plays by the dozen on offense and did well to disrupt the action on the other end of the court. Another spectacular day at the office.
Final Grade: 93
Season Average: 88.5
Adj. Average: 88.5
Last 10 Average: 94.2
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Kawhi Leonard

I really liked Kawhi Leonard’s individual defense. He got up into ballhandlers and was active with both his hands and his feet. Regrettably, he might have been too focused on his man and in turn neglected some team-defense responsibilities. His rotations were sometimes a step slow and he wasn’t helping out on the boards. Offensively, I was impressed with his aggression. While it didn’t always lead to smart shots, seeing Leonard try to expand his offensive niche is a positive sign for the future. Overall, I though Leonard played with a lot of confidence on both ends. The sky is the limit for him right now as he begins to spread his wings.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 85.1
Adj. Average: 85.1
Last 10 Average: 88.5
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Danny Green

After missing shootaround with an illness, Danny Green made the Kings feel sick with a few well-timed three-pointers. The Kings were paying a lot of attention to him and yet Green was still able to knock down five three-pointers. Quite impressive. I also thought his passing was well above average. Oh, and Green going 3-for-3 on two-pointers is noteworthy. Defensively, I wasn’t thrilled but I also wasn’t too displeased. He had a few head-scratching mistakes but he was playing so hard on that end that the errors were mostly forgivable. I especially liked Green’s transition defense.
Final Grade: 92
Season Average: 82.5
Adj. Average: 83.0
Last 10 Average: 81.9
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Tiago Splitter

Tiago Splitter began the game with a flying layup -- and that ended up being the highlight of his night. The rest of his minutes were nondescript. After getting into foul trouble in the second quarter, Splitter never really found a rhythm thereafter. Defensively, he rebounded adequately and did well in keeping his arms up while in the paint. On offense, he set good screens but wasn’t finding himself as open as usual.
Final Grade: 84
Season Average: 85.3
Adj. Average: 85.8
Last 10 Average: 84.8
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Boris Diaw

The Good: Boris Diaw’s five free throw attempts were a season-high. His passing aided the offensive flow and he took care of the ball. His defense was decent enough, particularly against pick-and-rolls. The Bad: He could have shot more (stop me if you’ve heard this before) but refused. His defensive rebounding was poor. Diaw’s energy level seemed to waver, which isn’t exactly the way to win minutes under Pop.
Final Grade: 87
Season Average: 81.1
Adj. Average: 81.9
Last 10 Average: 80.4
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Gary Neal

If you don’t look at the results of his shooting, Gary Neal actually played pretty well. He took reasonable shots. He dished off a couple good passes. He didn’t turn the ball over. But ultimately, his job is to make shots and he failed to do so. His defense, especially when he was away from the action, was inattentive. His individual D was also underwhelming, to put it delicately.
Final Grade: 72
Season Average: 79.5
Adj. Average: 80.6
Last 10 Average: 77.9
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Matt Bonner

I’m not exactly sure why Matt Bonner got 12 minutes. Offensively, the Red Mamba failed to slither to open spaces often enough. He hoisted two three-pointers -- but neither one was an exceptionally good look. On D, Bonner had a few positive moments but was largely unable to deal with the athletes on the Kings. His boxing out also wasn’t up to Bonner’s typically strong level.
Final Grade: 71
Season Average: 79.6
Adj. Average: 81.2
Last 10 Average: 76.6
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Nando De Colo

The first crack at the backup point guard gig went to Nando De Colo. I thought he was satisfactory. His passing was sensible yet effective. He played well off of Ginobili and didn’t get in his way; if anything, De Colo made life easier for the Argentine legend. Defensively, the Frenchman was solid in most of his minutes but also made a few costly mistakes. Those mistakes, plus a turnover at the end of the first half, didn’t sit well with Pop. So, in the second half, the Spurs went elsewhere for a PG.
Final Grade: 80
Season Average: 81.3
Adj. Average: 82.9
Last 10 Average: 81.4
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DeJuan Blair

DeJuan Blair got a decent stretch of minutes in the first half. He played a bull in a china shop style that made things happen. Alas, Blair was too out of control to consistently aid San Antonio’s effort.
Final Grade: 74
Season Average: 80.1
Adj. Average: 81.5
Last 10 Average: 82.8
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Patrick Mills

It appeared to me that Patrick Mills was on the precipice of a breakthrough. He just didn’t quite get there. His defense was very active but the results were uneven. On offense, Mills could have really been helpful but he missed an open shot that would have been a momentum-changer and also failed to receive passes a couple other times when open.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 82.2
Adj. Average: 82.3
Last 10 Average: 79.5
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Pop

Usually, Pop will start transitioning to a real rotation after the All-Star break. This, though, wasn’t a real rotation. Pop went 12 deep against the Kings and shifted roles continuously on the fly. I can’t complain much since the Spurs won but I don’t think Pop can wait too much longer before deciding on at least an outline of a rotation.
Final Grade: 81
Season Average: 83.9
Last 10 Average: 83.3
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Offense
This game had a fast pace so the 108 points wasn’t actually too impressive. The Spurs did very well in many areas (particularly scoring on the break and getting to the free throw line) but their 17 turnovers muted their efforts a bit. Let’s hope the rust from the All-Star break was knocked off during this affair.
Final Grade: 79
Season Average: 84.2
Last 10 Average: 84.5
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Defense
The Kings were held to just under a point per possession, which is great work by San Antonio. The Spurs allowed too many free throws and the 61 points allowed in the second half won’t make the coaches happy but holding Sacramento to less than 38% shooting masked any deficiencies.
Final Grade: 89
Season Average: 84.6
Last 10 Average: 86.4
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Overall
This was another really good win. The Kings are over .500 at home and the Spurs were busy adding Duncan and Ginobili back into the mix. Factor in the circuitous rotation and I was impressed with the lack of sweat needed to garner yet another victory. Onward.
Final Grade: 85
Season Average: 84.6
Last 10 Average: 85.9
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[MSPaint]

With the spurs current record, could Pop afford a bit more time to play with his team before settling into his playoff rotation? I'd like to see Mills and Baynes get some more reps in, not sure if they will though.

[Whisky Dog]

I wonder if Pop is going to wait longer to get a rotation nailed down and keep a lot of guys playing to try to keep the playoff rotation guys fresh for a long run. They ran out of gas in the WCF last year, and Pop may be trying to wait until much closer to the playoffs before revving them all the way up. That would make sense to me

[Spurs Brazil]

Thanks timvp

[jjktkk]

Because none of the candidates have nailed down a rotation spot, I wonder if Pop won't have a consistant G rotation, but go with the hot hand.

[Dex]

With 30 points and 11 assists (5 on 3pt shots), Parker played a hand in 57 of the Spurs 108 points. That's absolutely mind-boggling.

[benfti]

I would be keen from here on in for Mills to be also graded on his towel waving input.