No lead is safe in the modern NBA. The San Antonio Spurs learned that lesson in Sunday’s home opener against the Brooklyn Nets. The Spurs’ 26-point lead, built over the course of roughly 27 minutes, became
a 1-point deficit with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Thanks to the heroics of their superstar and his new rookie teammate, the Spurs were able to pull out their second-straight clutch victory, 118-107.
“There were similarities to the New Orleans (Pelicans) game,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “You don’t blow teams out or lead for 48 minutes in this league… When you give teams or players life, when you assist in that… Now they make shots. Now one of your shots goes in and out. A tough whistle here and there. That’s where we need to continue to get more consistent.”
The Nets were physical and pressured the Spurs from the jump. San Antonio turned the ball over four times in the first two and a half minutes. Brooklyn frequently sent doubles at Victor Wembanyama and had two big, physical centers in Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, who consistently bodied up Wemby. Brooklyn’s physicality seemed to shock the Spurs a bit in the opening minutes of the game.
Things didn’t stabilize until rookie guard Dylan Harper entered the game. Harper had a tight command over the contest and made Brooklyn pay for their pressure defense. He had 20 points, 8 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers off the bench in just 29 minutes. Plus-minus is a flawed stat, but Harper was an eye-popping +33 in the game.
“He made some really solid, simple plays today,” Johnson said. “His offense was really good; his stat line will represent that. His defense was even better than his offense.”
Harper wasn’t the only bench player who made a significant impact. Keldon Johnson continued his stretch of solid play with his best game of the season. He picked up 11 points in the first quarter and continued to impact the game throughout, finishing with 19 points and 7 rebounds, including 3 huge offensive boards.
“Keldon is impacting winning more than he ever has, and it’s really cool to see,” Johnson said. “You create your own luck, and he’s getting rewarded for that.”
That praise has extended from the coaching staff to his teammates.
“That boy is a dog,” Harper said. “He’s relentless on the glass. He’s always the loudest one. He never loses energy, no matter what. He’s our voice and is working hard.”
Thanks to the hard work of Johnson and Harper, the Spurs had built a 26-point lead early in the third quarter. Then came a flurry of threes from Cam Thomas and the Nets. Thomas was unstoppable, no matter who was guarding him on Sunday. Whether it was Stephon Castle, Harper, or even a contest from Wembanyama, everything was going in. Thomas finished with a game-high 40 points on 11-25 shooting and spearheaded the Nets’ comeback in the third. Brooklyn went on a 25-7 run in the third, outscoring the Spurs 33-19 total in the quarter.
Brooklyn shot 9-16 from three over the course of their run to get themselves back in the game. While the Spurs couldn’t buy a bucket, the Nets were humming on all cylinders. Role players like Jalen Wilson made a huge impact, as the swingman knocked down three triples on his way to 9 points.
It was the rookie who would get the Spurs back into the game in the fourth. After checking in, Harper got going in transition, scoring easily over and around the Nets’ defenders at the rim.
“When they took the lead, I could see the energy go down a bit,” Harper said. I (always) want to come in and pick the energy up. That’s something Keldon and I do big.“
With 6 minutes to go, Harper snatched an offensive rebound from two Nets defenders and kicked it out to Wembanyama for a huge three-pointer that put the team up 6. It was 3 of Wembanyama’s 9 fourth-quarter points that helped seal the victory for the Spurs. San Antonio’s superstar had what felt like an off game, but still tallied 31 points, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
The Spurs finished the game on a 10-o run by doing what they’ve done well all season, dominate inside and play in transition. Johnson and Castle scored layups, Wemby got an alley-oop dunk and some free throws, and Devin Vassell sealed the game with a steal and dunk on the break. The Spurs once again owned the paint, outscoring the Nets 48-28 inside.
San Antonio is undefeated three games into the year for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. The Spurs will have their 3-0 record tested against a tough Toronto Raptors squad on Monday night. Both teams will be on the second game of a back-to-back.
