Welcome to Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 13: After hitting rock bottom of their post-Christmas slump with an embarrassing second-half blowout loss in Oklahoma City, the Spurs finally appeared to turn a corner, rediscovering their offensive form against a Bucks team in turmoil and overcoming plenty of drama against the Timberwolves, including a 55-point outing from Anthony Edwards,
to finally beat a team that had given them trouble all season.
Week 14: 2-2 (31-15, 2nd in West)
The Spurs swept their three-game homestand by taking care of an injured (tanking?) Jazz squad using a team effort and riding 7 threes from Victor Wembanyama. Unlike previous games, even wins, the Spurs stayed locked in and did not give away the lead, allowing the starters to rest most of the fourth quarter on the second night of a back-to-back.
106-111 loss at Houston Rockets
Alas, just when it felt like the Spurs were their better selves again and learning how to protect a lead, they reverted back to bad habits on the road. After dominating their IH-10 rivals for 2 1/2 quarters and leading by as much as 16, they completely fell apart in the fourth. Wemby had no answers for the Rockets’ physicality, and Reed Sheppard sliced up the Spurs’ backcourt. They were outscored 29-14 in the fourth quarter, adding to their ever-growing list of games lost after leading by double-figures.
The bad taste of blowing a big lead in Houston didn’t prevent them from doing it again two nights later in Utah, but despite having to sweat it out, the Jazz only managed to tie the game a couple of times before Wemby and De’Aaron Fox did what superstars are supposed to do: take over in the fourth quarter to put a worse, shorthanded team away, ending the game on a 22-9 run.
95-104 loss vs. New Orleans Pelicans
In a complete reversion back to their slump days, complacency once again set in against an inferior opponent. After maintaining the lead for most of the first half, the Spurs allowed big runs by the Pelicans to close the second and open the third quarter. After a hockey substitution, the bench unit upped the energy, and eventually the Spurs not only came all the way back from 20 down, but took a five-point lead with four minutes remaining. Unfortunately, they couldn’t sustain that level of play and lost another game the shouldn’t have, spoiling Devin Vassell’s return from injury.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 4 (last week: 3)
OffRtg: 116.5 (9) DefRtg: 111.5 (3) NetRtg: +5.0 (5) Pace: 100.6 (16)
The Spurs are just 8-8 since they beat the Thunder for the third time on Christmas Day, a stretch that includes losses to the Jazz, Grizzlies and Pelicans. But they’re still in second place in the West and one of four teams (all in the Western Conference) that rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs have scored more than 124 points per 100 possessions over their last four wins, but they still rank just 24th offensively (111.8 scored per 100) since Christmas. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have combined for an effective field goal percentage of just 40.4% over the 16 games, and Harrison Barnes has gone quiet, averaging just 6.2 points, down from 12.9 through the Christmas win in Oklahoma City.
2. Keldon Johnson has picked up some of the slack. His 20.2 points per 36 minutes would be the second-highest mark of his career, and he’s having his most efficient season (true shooting percentage of 65.2%) since his rookie year, when he attempted only 89 shots. He’s been the only Spur who’s played in clutch time in all 10 of their games since Christmas that have been within five points in the last five minutes.
3. The Spurs did get Devin Vassell back from a 13-game absence on Sunday, and they’ve outscored their opponents by 12.9 points per 100 possessions with Vassell, De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama on the floor together, though that sample size (137 minutes) is still pretty small.Coming up: The Spurs will have a chance to avenge last week’s loss in Houston when they return to the Toyota Center on Wednesday. They’re 8-7 (5-0 at home or on a neutral court, 3-7 on the road) in games played between the top seven teams in the West.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 3 (last week: 2)
Neither of the San Antonio Spurs’ two recent losses is all that concerning, especially since shots simply weren’t falling against Houston and New Orleans. Now, the Spurs enter a new week, starting with a rematch in Houston and a chance to get back on the right track.
The Spurs rank inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating this season, joining Houston, Oklahoma City, and Minnesota.
As reported on Sunday, San Antonio has been involved in trade talks with New York surrounding former first-round pick Jeremy Sochan. However, the Spurs have been reluctant to trade Sochan to this point, and it’s much more likely they seek further frontcourt help before the deadline utilizing Kelly Olynyk’s expiring contract.
Coming up: Wed. 1/28 at Houston Rockets (27-16); Sat. 1/31 at Charlotte Hornets (18-28); Sun, 2/1 vs. Orlando Magic (23-21)
Prediction: 2-1 — Maybe if I stop predicting the Spurs will go on a winning streak, they actually will. They’ll have a chance for revenge against the Rockets, although I’m not entirely convinced they’re up for the challenge. They then have a sneakily tough game against a healthy Hornets team that has been coming into its own lately, with LaMelo Ball learning how to play team ball alongside Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel (who is exactly the type of shooter who can bury the Spurs in a hurry if they leave him open). Finally, the Spurs return home to take on an underwhelming but tough Magic team that they only barely beat at the buzzer earlier in the season.
