Playing without Victor Wembanyama in the line-up for the third straight game as well as Devin Vassell, the San Antonio Spurs were able to overcome a rough first half to beat the Utah Jazz by double digits, getting them back for the 1-point loss at the Frost Bank Center earlier in the month. San Antonio struggled to get anything going in that first half and went into the locker room trailing by 16, a deficit that eventually ballooned to 20. The script was flipped completely on its head though in the 3rd quarter, as the defense tightened up and the offense started to find its legs, setting the stage for an exciting, back-and-forth 4th quarter that ended with the Spurs coming out on top.
The Spurs are back in action at Frost Bank this Saturday for a match-up with the Golden State Warriors.
Observations
- The Spurs didn’t get their 8th win last season until January 20th against the Washington Wizards. After tonight’s win, they’re 8-8 on the year, and that’s with key rotation players missing significant time.
- Chris Paul was masterful in the 4th quarter once again, going 4/6 from the field and orchestrating the offense in a way fans have come to expect by now. Perhaps his biggest shot of the night was a contested 3 he took and made over Lauri Markkenan that pushed the Spurs’ lead to 4 with under 4 minutes left in the game
- The offense really struggled in the first quarter, going just 5/20 from the field. For a stretch towards the latter part of the quarter, it felt like 90% of San Antonio’s shots rimmed in and out. Everything changed in the 2nd half, especially in the 4th quarter, where they shot 14/21 from the field for a super efficient 67%.
- The Spurs attacked the paint relentlessly all night and were rewarded with a staggering 46 free throw attempts. Utah by comparison took 26.
- Harrison Barnes did everything he could on offense to keep the Spurs in this one early, going 6/8 for 18 points in the first half while the rest of his teammates struggled to get anything going. He finished with a 25 point, 10 rebound double double, hitting a huge 3 in the waning moments of the 4th to push the Spurs lead up. It was his second consecutive game with at least 20 points.
- Getting significant minutes for the 3rd straight game with Wemby out, Charles Bassey injected some much-needed energy and enthusiasm for the Spurs. Bassey ran the floor hard all night, finishing a few possessions with some emphatic jams. It was a similar story on the defensive end as well, where he was active all night and finished with 6 blocks, bringing his total over the last 3 games to 11.
- Steph Castle continued what’s been an impressive rookie campaign with 18 points and 6 assists.
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