DeMar DeRozan returned after missing the last four games as he helped the San Antonio Spurs win their third consecutive game for the fourth game. time this season.
Until the final framework, the Spurs made themselves proud and were on their way to giving their beginners some rest before a SEGEBABA tomorrow night in Milwaukee. Unfortunately for the Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to go to work in the fourth quarter and made San Antonio fight to the last buzz to pull this one out; 116-110.
The Spurs started the game strong for once, with a 7-0 start with buckets for all three of their 29de overall choices; Keldon Johnson, Derrick White and Dejounte Murray. Not everything went smoothly, because on the other hand Jakob Poeltl committed two early offenses and forced himself to the bench. Drew Eubanks came in and did what he usually does and even had a nice dunk after a good ball move from the rest of the Spurs. This led to a Cav-time-time as the lead was 16-8, halfway through the first quarter. The timeout worked for JB Bickerstaff and his team as they passed on a 30-second, 5-0 run, causing a now-angry Gregg Popovich to call his team’s first time-out. Late in the quarter, the turnover and missed shots cost both teams as the Spurs were 25-22 ahead at the end of the first frame.
Pop is still busy with the bad second half of the first quarter, and he fielded Tre Jones early in the second quarter to try and get an answer out of his outfit. Tre was only 90 seconds in, but was a +6 on the floor and did his job when the Spurs started running. An 11-0 run shifted the lead to double figures halfway through the quarter. The Spurs closed out the half with a flurry of dunks, layups and en-1s as San Antonio went 12 at halftime.
Quarter 3 began with the return of DeMar DeRozan who left his mark on the game as eight consecutive points boosted Spurs’ lead to 18. The home team and San Antonio traded buckets throughout the quarter until Patty Mills took the fight and hit the back tries to give up. the Silver & Black their biggest lead of 22. Cleveland closed the frame better as they knocked it back to 15 with a good defense and shooting on offense.
The Cavs needed something to bring themselves back into this game, and they showed a sense of urgency and pace early in the 4de to chase the Spurs on both sides of the floor, something similar to what we saw San Antonio do in their return against the Bulls two days ago. The Spurs struggled to adjust the energy of Cleveland, what did the Spurs do? They turn to their lighting in a Keldon Johnson bottle to help bring up a stir. It worked perfectly, especially during a play where KJ got an offensive setback and put it back for an en-1 that lifted his team. If you go back and watch the play, then look at DeMar’s reaction and his excitement and energy due to a press release from Keldon Johnson.
However, the Cavs did not stop fighting and with 5 to play the game, they brought the lead to single figures for the first time since the first time.st half. Pop therefore turns to his two largest bucket tractors; DeMar and Dejounte. The two traded some coupling points before a try from Patty Mills increased the lead by double digits. The Cavs became desperate and instituted a full court press. This wreaked havoc on San Antonio as the turnover and poor decision-making could give the Cavs some faith and take the lead a bit. Fortunately, time was running out for the young team from Cleveland and San Antonio scored a 6-point victory.
Game notes
- The Spurs win their third consecutive series for the 4de time this season. Interestingly, since the Rodeo Road Trip in 2019, the Spurs have not won more than three in a row and finished on March 20th. So it’s not only San Antonio’s longest win of the season, but also a win tomorrow. longest in exactly two years.
- There was no Lonnie Walker IV in the rotation tonight. It was enigmatic because he was not in the injury report and started in the absence of DeMar DeRozan. We got some clarity after the game because Pop said Lonnie was “Okay, but just a little puffed up”. Hopefully we see SkyWalker tomorrow because its fresh legs can come in handy on the SEGABABA.
- JB Bickerstaff, what did you do so early with your challenge? It was perhaps stranger than Lonnie was not in the rotation. The Cavs coach used only 7 minutes in the first time a challenge on a clear foul by Jarrett Allen. It was not even as if Allen was in trouble. The refs only needed one look at the monitor before they knew it was not going to be flipped. What a waste of a challenge.
- KELDON “BIG BODY” JOHNSON. A career night for Keldon when he had his first 20-20 game of his professional basketball life. 23 points and 21 pounds for the two-way threat. He also played almost 40 minutes, so that shows how much Pop trusted him tonight as a difference maker. Keldon also needs a game like this as he has stagnated since the All-Star break because other guys got their stats and moments. Tonight, Keldon made it his.
- 20 points and 7 points for DeMar DeRozan in his return. He played 36 minutes and was solid throughout. Not spectacular, but his usual striking self. We missed you DeMar. The initial backcourt of White and Murray scored a combined 39 points, which is a big bonus if we can pick up that kind of point production on an evening.
- My Free Hit Theory. Tomorrow night the Spurs play the Milwaukee Bucks on a second night of a back-to-back. This will be Spurs’ fifth and final elimination game on this road trip. The Spurs beat the three teams they were meant to, losing to the team they were inferior to. The Spurs are now six games over 0.500 and no matter the results tomorrow, this road trip will also complete over 0.500. The Bucks also come off a two-day break after an OT win over the 76ers. If the Spurs lose tomorrow, without injury, we are going against one of the best teams in the league that is also well rested. Therefore, this game is a free hit for San Antonio. Go out there playing without pressure, without tension, play your game. You lose no biggie, but you win, STATEMENT. If the Spurs win tomorrow night, it’s a statement to the rest of the league that San Antonio can play with the big boys, even on a second night of a rugby player against a team that only had a two-day rest period. Due to the fact that the Spurs have been doing business for the past three games, it gives the Spurs a free hit tomorrow night where it feels like a loss will not hurt, but a win will be a message of ” You must we now have more respect ” to the rest of the league, the national media and everyone involved in the NBA.
Next game: @Bucks on Saturday, 20:00 CT on FSSW.
MAKE. A STATEMENT.