San Antonio started its homeland with four games with an encouraging victory, despite a short series of key players. The Spurs overcame an early backlog and the Pelicans played away with different players making themselves felt throughout the game to secure the win. San Antonio’s bench helped the team’s case with a 34-20 lead.
The Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan (32 points, 11 assists, 2 steals), Dejounte Murray (17 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals) led a balanced points list for the winners. New Orleans’ tandem of Brandon Ingram (29 points and 5 assists) and Zion Williamson (23 points and 14 rebounds) allowed the visitors to take a 53-38 lead.
Observations
- In the absence of Keldon Johnson, Trey Lyles, in this rare beginning, used the unenviable command to try to slow down Zion Williamson. Lyles made two impressive rides to the edge in the second half, ending with hard-earned baskets and doing the woman’s work on the boards.
- Sean Elliott called the Jakob Poeltl and Pelicans center Steven Adams “two centers who like the set holdAnd their shooting preferences back to the ‘1950s’
- With how long Steven Adams has been damaging San Antonio’s front lines, it’s hard to believe he’s just 27 years old.
- Floppy Play: Although a bit slow in development, a Poeltl handover early in the opening stanzas led to a nice Lonnie Walker IV driver.
- Sequence of the game: Dejounte Murray neatly linked on a wing three, snatched the ball from Williamson on the other side and found a backward Walker IV for a passing layup.
- Sequence of the game – Part 2: Murray swept the ball away from an ignorant Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Euro Street around him for a dynamic en-1.
- Williamson’s survey map, where most makes are around the edge, looks like a toddler’s projectile vomit. His ability to beat other players with his second jump to the rebound is unmatched and should at least be responsible 1⁄4 of its points.
- Luka Samanic got a play time in the first half and forced Williamson on the baseline and almost converted a tip-off that would bring the fans ’cut out of their seats.
- In LaMarcus Aldridge’s first act of hip rehabilitation, he slammed his first three shots from outside, but held on to the paint and in the free throw and learned from the distance in the second half.
- Murray’s world-class ability to end up in traffic is great to see and a boon to our late-in-the-shoot-clock options.
- HEB / Spurs ads: “Smell someone else’s burnt fur? Delivered by Patty Mills, remains one of the most memorable lines in Spurs trading history – but well behind Manu Ginobili’s Your hand man! It’s like you’re a part of the bear! ‘quips to his former teammate.
- Brandon Ingram, New Orleans, took out his All-Star snub early on for the Spurs – 13-9 in the first minutes. The Spurs frontrunners received a handful of offenses while Murray and DeRozan were the only Spurs to achieve success off the field. Patty Mills’ hot shot helped keep things close. and the pelicans not named Ingram or Ball struggled to score. Despite the initial backlog, San Antonio left the first quarter 33-32.
- Both teams randomly traded buckets to start the second period. The third tries from Walker IV and Mills helped San Antonio take the lead. Willy Hernangomez and Williamson overcame the offensive boards to monstrous success for New Orleans. A Murray winger gave the Spurs his biggest lead shortly after six times. Poeltl was charged with a dubious third offense that caused an Oscar-worthy Eric Bledsoe flop to pick. The play of DeRozan gave his team more cushioning and the Spurs led 23-11 at halftime to 67-61.
- Adams and Williamson continued to feast on the paint and offensive boards, and the Spurs’ lead quickly disappeared. DeRozan attacked New Orleans on the other hand to increase the margin. A top-10 worthy bounce pass from DeRozan to Walker IV for a highlight jam made it halfway 80-72. Mills’ fourth three-pointer gave San Antonio its first double-digit lead and he entered the final frame 93-83.
- San Antonio could not connect on a few open shots, and a technical foul on coach Stan Van Gundy and the Pelicans capitalized on a 5-0 run. Williamson, who was planning to advance the Spurs’ front line and get his opponents in the penalty area, attacked the edge early and regularly. A Kobe-like breakaway from Ingram reduced the Spurs’ backlog to three. DeRozan and Bledsoe took part in ‘everything you do, I can do better’ and match each other’s shots. After Williamson missed two critical free throws, Poeltl was asked for another dubious foul by his loose ball – his fifth – on the much better player Adams. Williamson drew Aldridge’s fifth offense shortly thereafter.
- In the last minutes, New Orleans lost a challenge from a coach due to a violation of Ingram. After Aldridge’s two free kicks, Williamson converted two of his own throws. DeRozan converted a ‘Manu-Splitter’ high choice and role and found Poeltl for the dunk. Lyles selected the first defensive rebound for San Antonio after a miss by Adams. Williamson made a turn. After a miss by Lonzo Ball in the transition, Murray secured the setback and switched 1-of-2 from the line. Murray then eluded the Pelicans’ defenders after a rebound, finding Mills on the sidelines and leading it to DeRozan for the decisive dunk.
Feel free to visit for the perspective of the Pelicans fan The bird writes.
The Spurs take on Kyried Irving and James Harden and the Brooklyn Nette Monday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.