Grades: Spurs @ Clippers - Dec. 29, 2018

[timvp]

In arguably their best win of the 2018-19 regular season to date, the Spurs defeated the Clippers by a final score of 122-111 on Saturday night. This was San Antonio's first win in the second game of a back-to-back after six losses to begin the campaign -- and just the team's sixth road win in 18 tries.

The contest was close until the Spurs broke a 58-58 tie in the opening minute of the third quarter by scoring the game's next 12 points. Near the end of the period, Patty Mills connected on back-to-back three-pointers to expand the lead to 23 points, 91-68. Los Angeles would continue to fight back the rest of the game but the Spurs were able to hold them at bay without breaking too much of a sweat.

The Clippers entered the game with a 12-4 home record, including four straight wins -- all against Western Conference playoff hopefuls (Lakers, Kings, Nuggets and Mavericks). So, yeah, good win by the Spurs out on the road, against a tough opponent and right on the heels of a frustrating, tiring loss last night in Denver. Well done, gentlemen.

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LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge was a monster. He began the game by torturing Boban Marjanovic with a combination of quickness off the dribble and marksmanship from the perimeter. When the Clippers gave up on Boban being able to hang with Aldridge, they went to Montrezl Harrell ... and that didn't work, either. Instead, Aldridge used his size and strength advantages to bully Harrell on the low block. It was simply a relentlessly vicious offensive performance by San Antonio's talented bigman; his full repertoire was on display and his effort was dialed up to the highest setting. Defensively, I also thought he was a plus. Aldridge's energy was great on that end as well, as he battled in the paint and kept a hand up on the perimeter. He was also very consistent about boxing out and played a key role in keeping the Clippers off the glass. All in all, Aldridge was wonderful. When he plays with this level of talent and tenacity, he's legitimately one of the top bigs in the league.
Grade: A+
Summary: Aldridge deserves a round of applause.

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DeMar DeRozan

Offensively, DeMar DeRozan was pretty good. He had a couple iffy shot decisions and was a bit sloppier than usual but he got to the line, consistently went hard to the rim and made a lot of quality passes. He was also better than usual at staying within the offense and not forcing the issue. Defensively is where I thought DeRozan really shined. First of all, pulling down 12 rebounds -- many of which were fiercely contested -- was vitally important due to the fact that the Spurs are rolling with their small starting lineup. Beyond his rebounding, DeRozan was very good in the passing lanes, was quick with his help defense and his man-to-man D against Tobias Harris was also quite impressive. When DeRozan goes all out on both ends of the court, he's a really, really good player. Let's hope we see this more often.
Grade: A-
Summary: DD's D was dandy.

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Rudy Gay

Eh, rhythm remains elusive for Rudy Gay. He's not picking his spots as well as he did earlier in the season. Instead, he's breaking the offense to feed himself too often. It doesn't help matters that he's 0-for-11 on three-pointers over the last three games -- that may be causing him to force things. Defensively, Gay wasn't too good. He was physical and active with his hands, which resulted in two steals but also caused him to foul out in 26 minutes. Additionally, poor work on the boards haunted him tonight, just as it did last night.
Grade: D+
Summary: Gay is discombobulated.

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Bryn Forbes

Another solid outing for Bryn Forbes. Over the last six games, he's averaging 14.8 points on 55.7% shooting from the field, 46.9% shooting on threes and 85.7% shooting at the line, while posting the second best plus-minus numbers on the team. Versus the Clippers, in addition to his scoring, Forbes was an asset passing-wise. Although he's playing strictly at shooting guard these days, his stints at point guard earlier in the season have made him a notably better passer. While Forbes doesn't have anything more than average court vision for a shooting guard, he's making good decisions and his passes are on target.
Grade: B+
Summary: Forbes scored in double figures for the sixth straight game and chipped in a team-high seven assists.

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Derrick White

Pop's trust in Derrick White is starting pay off ... big league. Tonight, White came out looking for his shot (a notable improvement from recent outings) and that forced the Clippers to stay up on him. He then used his outstanding court vision to punish L.A. via the pass. White also did good work pushing the pace while playing nearly mistake-free basketball. Defensively, he was even better. He first made Shai Gilgeous-Alexander disappear and then he caused repeated headaches for Lou Williams, the same man who led the Clippers with 36 points last night. Off the ball, White kept his head up, reacted quickly when help was needed and made lightning-fast switches on the perimeter. Don't look now but White has a team-best net rating of 22.7 points over the last ten games, a stretch in which the Spurs are scoring 117 points per 100 possessions he's on the court and allowing only 94.3 points per 100 possessions.
Grade: A
Summary: White is quickly evolving into a dependable difference-maker.

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Davis Bertans

The good: Davis Bertans was pretty darn good on defense. He stayed in front of quicker players on the perimeter and contested shots at the rim to the best of his ability. And while he had a couple of unfortunate miscues, his rebounding was also much better than usual. Offensively, he ran the court well and made a couple plays off the bounce. The bad: Bertans uncharacteristically struggled from deep; this was his first game since becoming a father that he didn't hit at least one three-pointer. I thought his shot-selection was a hair too aggressive and he was also rushing his shots, even when he had daylight. Bertans' decisions when passing also left a lot to be desired.
Grade: C+
Summary: Daddy didn't bring home the bacon.

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Marco Belinelli

In the first half, the entire bench was struggling ... except Marco Belinelli. He kept the unit's collective head above water by knocking down open looks and creating opportunities off of screens. Belinelli's offensive output dried up as the game progressed, however, and his defense was consistently underwhelming. But, again, the Spurs would have been in trouble if Belinelli didn't give the bench early life. For those scoring at home, since being benched for the second half of a game against the Lakers, the Italian is averaging 11.6 points per game over 12 contests on 50.5% shooting from the field and 45.5% shooting from beyond the three-point line.
Grade: B
Summary: Belinelli saved the bench from drowning.

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Patty Mills

Patty Mills' struggles plagued him for another night until a breakout stretch late in the third quarter in which he hit a pair of three-pointers within 14 seconds. A couple minutes later, Mills got fouled on a three-pointer and sank all three freebies. Let's hope that reawakens him. Other than that stretch, it was more of the same from Mills: muted production offensively and uninspired play defensively. He needs to play with unbridled passion or else, honestly, Mills just isn't good enough to compensate. That passion as been MIA lately.
Grade: B-
Summary: Mills showed signs of life.

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Jakob Poeltl

With Aldridge beasting and the Clippers playing a lot of small ball, Jakob Poeltl was relegated to only ten minutes. He fouled too much and wasn't as composed as usual offensively, but otherwise it was another step in the right direction. Poeltl did good work on the boards, was quick off his feet to try to block shots, ran the court with purpose, and flashed great hands when catching difficult passes and corralling balls that were up for grabs.
Grade: B-
Summary: Poeltl's future looks bright, even with Pau Gasol suited up and ready to play.

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Pop

The coaches obviously planned for Aldridge to attack Boban early and often -- and that worked out perfectly, as the former Spur was in over his head trying to hang. The coaches also used a variety of defensive looks to slow down the Clippers and those results were positive (L.A. only scored 101.8 points per 100 possessions). I liked that Pop gave White an extended run in the third quarter when the Spurs were clicking on all cylinders. My lone critique: I thought more minutes of rest should have been found for Aldridge and DeRozan considering it was the second night of a back-to-back, especially after the Spurs went up big late in the third. Playing that duo that many minutes risked injury and could cause fatigue issues going forward.
Grade: B+
Summary: Pop really wanted this victory.

Looking ahead: Very good win. Even with the disappointing loss against the Nuggets, this mini two-game road trip turned out to be a success. A couple more free throws (or three-pointers or defensive rebounds) and the Spurs could have easily swept the trip.

Next up, the Spurs take on the Celtics on New Year's Eve. With everyone's least favorite nephew coming to town the following game, the Spurs need to keep their eyes on the Boston game and avoid looking ahead. Difficult game, for sure, but the Spurs are playing well enough to take it if they come out focused.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. Well-deserved good grades. I would grade White even higher if possible. He dictated Spurs aggressive defense, stopping penetration, closing out on perimeter. The guy is our best defensive stopper out there imo. His length and athleticism, as well as Gay, Demar, LMA enabled them to switch on any players without necessarily creating a lot of mismatches, I don’t remember as many that the opponents are trying to exploit. Even Forbes was pesky enough and help defense was quick that it doesn’t become liabilities. I love it. I do want them to watch out the last minutes defenses where they have a tendency to let the opponent make it a closer game than necessary. Keep the foot on the throat. Overall I’m really impressed. GSG!

[playbonner15]

D White was great in Denver and great vs Clips. Hope he continues this

[MoSpur02]

@"Daddy didn't bring home the bacon."

Thanks for the grades. I personally would have given Derozan a B. He forced things on the offensive side. His rebounding and defense were solid though.

[superbigtime]

D for Rudy? Cmon

[r0drig0lac]

great game in general
Aldrige: Your engine is low, so unfortunately we have to wait for the game to start to know that Aldridge will be playing (it's like he has two completely different personalities), so it was nice to see strong Aldridge out there.


White is on a more consistent outside shot, from becoming an elite role player, he already does all other things at nba level and his defensive reading is really impressive, watching him and Murray harassing backcourts in the next season will be something interesting.

[BillMc]

Always great to get your game grades OP. Many thanks as usual.

I'm really excited to see what White and Poeltl can be in a year or two, especially paired with a developing DeJounte and Lonnie.

[Manu&Duncan fan]

Yes the best win this season. So satisfying!

[monty4329]

Give it to Pop, one month ago they would have lost by 20, especially after the Denver loss (Pop's loss, actually). He evidently sold the group well on what was to be done. The best thing is that the group seems very solid and close.
Right now, they can beat anybody, hope it lasts.

Aldridge realized that with Pau back, he will sit for many minutes if he doesn't perform. But he also needed confidence, props to Pop for still give him the first shots of the game, he clearly needs to feel he is The Man (he is not, but if it makes him play well, so be it)

[spursparker9]

White's defensive ability is impressive...

What a defensive team it could have been if we have Nephew + Danny Green + White + Murray

[TDomination]

Very happy with the win. Now let's sweep this 3 game home stand!

[weeks]

D for Rudy? Cmon

i appreciate timvp for all the trouble he puts into these grades but it's customary for him to randomly give out one savage as grade to someone who deserves better

[sananspursfan21]

I agree with the Patty Mills assessment. Unlike most posters here, I don’t think he’s useless or necessarily needs to be gone (albeit I agree his contract is a league worst). He just has to be mentally engaged and play as good as he once towel waved. He seems to do great in small minutes

[MoSpur02]

i appreciate timvp for all the trouble he puts into these grades but it's customary for him to randomly give out one savage as grade to someone who deserves better

I can't disagree with the D for Gay. His shot was way off. His drives to the basket were the only bright spots last night. He even fouled out of the game. Just a bad night overall. Hopefully he forgets about it and does a complete turn around here at home tomorrow night.

[ceperez]

D White was great in Denver and great vs Clips. Hope he continues this

These were on the road games.... he's going to explode when he gets back in SA.

[Mr. Body]

I agree with the Patty Mills assessment. Unlike most posters here, I don’t think he’s useless or necessarily needs to be gone (albeit I agree his contract is a league worst). He just has to be mentally engaged and play as good as he once towel waved. He seems to do great in small minutes

I don't think the casuals understand Mills is the reason the bench is working the way it does.

[Play Boban]

I agree that Derozan’s D was y.

[UZER]

Aldridge looks slimmer out there. I guess we should be used to his play his way into shape by now.

[NASpurs]

I agree that Derozan’s D was y.

Bundle of sticks.

[Keepin' it real]

Thanks for the thoughts, or random grades, or whatever.

[objective]

Mills and his trash defense lower his grade from me. Whoever was calling him "Red Carpet" in the game thread was spot on and it's been that way for years.

[spurraider21]

forbes/murray/white is going to be a nice rotation tbh

[Mugen]

Mills and his trash defense lower his grade from me. Whoever was calling him "Red Carpet" in the game thread was spot on and it's been that way for years.

You're welcome, obj.

Pop subs out Derrick with about 5 min left in the 1st half and the Clippers go on a run to tie it up because of Patty letting everybody and their mother into the paint. Pop leaves White in longer than usual during the 3rd and the Spurs unsurprisingly play much better defense and hold the Clippers to 19. Patty hits a couple of 3s after the Spurs make their run so good for him I guess...

If Pop is bent on giving Patty 20 mins a game then sub out Bryn for him. It should never come at the expense of DWhite who brings so much more to the table than either Mills/Forbes. One of Derrick and Derozan should always be on the floor as they are both the best facilitators AND the only competent 1 on 1 perimeter defenders on the roster....why Pop is always 4-5 games late on realizing simple, basic rotational adjustments this season is beyond me.....

[RC_Drunkford]

Thx for the grades TimVP, your takes are always solid and on point. I think it's safe to say that this team is legit now. We lost close games on the road to the Rockets and Nuggets, but could've won them with 2-3 shots going in or whistles going our way in the 4th quarter and we just won a back to back @Flippers when they had their full squad together.

This team finally looks like a traditional Spurs team. Good defense, post ups, ball movement, rim rollin big men and a bench unit that wreaks havoc. Derrick White made a leap since the Denver game, LA is back to last years form and Belinelli took over Manu's role perfectly. He's out there scoring and making plays. One observation that stands out to me is that we run more in tradition since the Nuggets game. That worked well against the Clippers and we have the right players for that (DeRozan, Poeltl, White, Forbes). I think we will see more of it. This team seems to get better and better as the season progresses. One can only imagine how good they would be if the 16 million that are rotting on the bench in Pau Gasol would be shipped out for a legit 3-and-D wing like Kent Bazemore.

[phxspurfan]

Is Gay injured?