The San Antonio Spurs played the stretch of a close match, defeating the Thunder 112-102 and returning to the AT&T Center with a winning record after an exhaustive five-game trip to the Western Conference.
Lonnie Walker IV led Silver and Black with 24 points from 7 out of 15 shots while dividing three boards, two assists and a block. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored Oklahoma City with 20 points and nine rebounds.
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- It took just five points for LaMarcus Aldridge to overtake the Hall of Famer John Stockton for 47th place on the all-time scoring list, and he only surpassed that mark in the first quarter. The fifteen-year-old veteran is now 280 points from becoming the 47th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. Aldridge will join George Gervin, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Pau Gasol and Dominique Wilkins as only the sixth player to achieve that career milestone in franchise history.
- Jakob Poeltl was in seven games without blocks when the night began, the longest period of his five-year NBA career. And although the Austrian center didn’t look like him this season, it was nice to see him hit two shots in the Spurs’ victory. Hopefully, this is a turning point for the recent signatory to the extension of the contract.
- Lonnie Walker IV scored more than 20 points in consecutive games for the first time in his NBA career. The third-year swingman showed his three-level scoring potential, attacking the hoop, reaching the line, pulling up from midfield and taking down shots beyond the arc. The high-speed two-guard ended the night with 24 points, and Spurs fans will not complain if that becomes the new norm.
- Patty Mills climbed to 90th place on three points scored in NBA history, drawing former All-Star Mo Williams in a beautiful trifecta that found nothing but the bottom of the net in the middle of the third quarter. His 3 out of 10 downtown line will knock him down a few points on the efficiency leaderboard, although that probably won’t bother Patty after San Antonio left with the dub.
- Rudy Gay almost always seems to shoot better with a covered defender and, honestly, it is one of the most frustrating things to witness when tuning into a Spurs game. I wondered if I was going crazy, so I did some research on the official NBA website for the semester and, for sure, the statistics confirm my theory. As strange as it may seem, the combo-forward throws more than ten percentage points worse in open shots (the defender more than ten feet) than in heavily contested attempts (the defender within two feet).
- Popovich and company prospered in the second quarter, beating their opponents by an average of 3.5 points (6th in the NBA). They continued this trend, overcoming the Thunder and opening an eight-point cushion before the break. Fortunately, San Antonio did not follow its trend of making 180 complete in the third quarter. The Spurs have the third worst margin of the third quarter in the league (-4.0 points), and Oklahoma City only reduced the deficit to seven points at the start of the final game.
- Dejounte Murray appeared to have rounded the corner after finishing at an elite pace earlier in the season. However, old demons have haunted the fourth-year general on his last outings, and he has been unsuccessful in painting against Thunder. He seemed shy about attacking the interior and, at the time he did, his frustrations overflowed, attracting a technical foul from the referees. The Washington alumnus recovered in the ensuing offensive possession, but he never legitimately built any lasting momentum.
- Aleksej Pokusevski has a rare combination of fluidity and skill of someone of his stature, and those were just some of the many reasons why I ranked him as the ninth best candidate on my 2020 Big Board. I also said that the 19-year-old was years away from being ready for the NBA, although Oklahoma City apparently believes throwing him in the fire is the best approach to his development. And while its flashes of shot and playmaking potential burst onto the tape, that 195-pound frame stands out as a sore thumb for the mediocre inexperienced.
- Thunder led the NBA in attempts at three points per game, and San Antonio was allowing the highest percentage of three points in the league to enter this competition. It seemed like the perfect storm for Oklahoma City to have an explosion beyond the arc, but the Spurs blocked the perimeter from end to end. His opponent hit just 26 outside kicks and knocked out just seven of them. This performance was an encouraging step in the right direction for a previously fragile three-point defense.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league’s hottest players, and his clever use of angles and his God-given length are a pleasure to watch. While the third-year guard accumulated points with a series of arithmic, unbalanced and wrong finishes, the Spurs put the tweezers on him in the second half. A small part of me would like him to have a louder exit at the expense of San Antonio, but nothing makes me happier than a Silver and Black victory.
- It took some time for Dan Weiss to mention that tonight was just Keldon Johnson’s 30th appearance in the NBA, which is remarkable considering the confidence and balance that emanates from the sophomore wing every night. Keldon is far from perfect and he made rookie mistakes at both ends, although it was almost impossible to stop when he started down. His 18 points and seven rebounds were the team’s highest seconds, and his tireless engine remains one of the most fun aspects of the Spurs team.
For the perspective of Thunder fans, visit Welcome to Loud City.
The San Antonio Spurs will finally return to the AT&T Center after a five-game trip while hosting interstate rival Houston Rockets on Thursday night.