El Conclusión: Los Angeles Clippers 119, San Antonio Spurs 115
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Tim Duncan, PF 33 MIN | 12-14 FG | 5-5 FT | 11 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 30 PTS | +5 +/-
Was once again the best player on the floor. Not much elaboration needed here. |
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Kawhi Leonard, SF 27 MIN | 1-11 FG | 2-4 FT | 6 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 4 PTS | +4 +/-
That was bad. The six boards and six assists are sort of surprising when all you can really remember is the complete shooting disaster that took place on that floor. When you’re missing uncontested dunks/bunnies, and you’re Kawhi Leonard, something’s off. Guessing it’s just a blip. Otherwise, he was still pretty good defensively on a night the Spurs were not as a whole. He’ll always have that going for him. |
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Aron Baynes, C 26 MIN | 6-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | +1 +/-
Baynesie continues to eat up a lot of what would normally be Splitter minutes, and he just kind of keeps getting better. He’s a handful when he gets in rhythm, and his strength around the rim is something Tiago has never really demonstrated. (But I mean, c’mon, Tiago…seriously… c’mon.) |
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Tony Parker, PG 35 MIN | 8-17 FG | 4-4 FT | 3 REB | 13 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 21 PTS | 0 +/-
The scoring efficiency wasn’t quite there, but that was one of the more Tony Parker-esque games we’ve seen in a while. He gets up for matchups with Chris Paul, typically, but let’s see if this continues. He seemed to lose a bit of steam late, though L.A. was running a lot of hedges at him off those pick-and-rolls. Still, this was positive. The Spurs really, really need him. |
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Danny Green, SG 27 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 9 PTS | +1 +/-
What in the world was that airball? Danny was fine — had a few nice takes to the rim when defenders closed out — but all in all lacked the impact he normally has. Interested to see if he can return to the level of play we saw from him over the first two months of the season. |
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Marco Belinelli, SF 24 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | +1 +/-
Hit a really big 3-pointer late to give the Spurs a gasp, but it wasn’t enough. Marco’s really found his way since returning from injury, reminding us of his value to this roster — especially during the regular season. And I should say: Belinelli is still a subpar defender, but he does work hard on that end. Sometimes that’s the most you can ask for. |
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Boris Diaw, C 16 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 3 PTS | -14 +/-
Another game where it felt like he barely did a thing. Honestly don’t get it, as he doesn’t appear to be nonchalant. Boris is going to be interesting to watch down the stretch of this season, but he was awful tonight, and so were the Spurs when he was on the floor. |
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Tiago Splitter, C 16 MIN | 3-4 FG | 5-6 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 11 PTS | -2 +/-
Tiago looked energetic, which is good to see after the break for a guy with lingering injury issues in his lower extremities. Need to see this consistently, though, to get his job back, probably. And man, that anchor-level defense just still isn’t there. Time will tell, I guess. |
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Patty Mills, PG 13 MIN | 1-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 2 PTS | -2 +/-
A lot of bricks from the Spurs tonight, and Patty was one of the dudes holding the mortar. All that energy is great, but when he’s not hitting shots that second unit is in trouble. |
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Manu Ginobili, SG 23 MIN | 3-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 1 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 5 TO | 10 PTS | -14 +/-
The rare game where Manu scores efficiently and registers a decent amount of assists, but has an awful plus/minus. He’s usually the plus/minus king. But those turnovers… oof. Some of those were inexplicable. |
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Gregg Popovich “Hack-a-Shaq” 4-ever! |
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Five Things We Saw
- Spurs missed a chance to jump up to 5th in the Western Conference standings. Considering they’re essentially in no danger of falling back any farther, that’s not exactly a huge deal. Still, the “two steps forward, one step back” theme of the season continues.
- I know I’m in the minority when I say I LOVE THE HACK-A-WHOEVER STRATEGY. I don’t take this stuff too seriously. It’s just basketball. Entertainment. I don’t understand the people who think it damages the game. I’m immensely entertained by the visceral reaction it receives. People get SO DAMN ANGRY, and even though the game slows down because of it, the chaos and frustration of players, fans, and media just makes up the difference. It’s fun! And the idea we should change the rule is confusing. At risk of sounding like the annoying “JUST HIT YOUR FREE THROWS GUY,” why would we change a rule to protect players with weaknesses in an area of the game that is inherent to the sport? It’s not a strategy void of risk — there are actual points on the scoreboard at stake. I like it. I know I’m in the minority, but I do. The entertainment value of a game goes up for me. Plus, I mean, HOT DAMN HIT YOUR DANG OL’ FREE THROWS.
- The Spurs are now 2-2 on the Rodeo Road Trip. Inauspicious start.
- There were quite a few “Where was Kawhi in the final minutes?” questions after this one. Man, he was really bad offensively and his confidence just seemed shot. Pop made a judgment call, I’m sure. Furthermore, the Spurs didn’t need his defense much because their defensive strategy was to just foul DeAndre Jordan. And by the time they got within two minutes, he had been on the bench long enough, and San Antonio had played well enough, to make it risky to bring him back in. That’s my theory, at least.
didn’t play kawhi because hack a was the defense
- Just in general, the Spurs did not defend well. As Popovich said after the game, the Hack-a-Jordan strategy was better than chasing Chris Paul around all night. That should improve quickly, and it had better; a date with the Warriors in Oakland awaits tomorrow (tonight). Anyway, BRING ME YOUR GRADE CORRECTIONS!
