El Conclusión: San Antonio Spurs 93, Los Angeles Lakers 80
 |
Matt Bonner, PF 20 MIN | 2-4 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +11 He’s been more aggressive moving off the 3-point line with the ball in his hands when the shot isn’t there or simply isn’t falling. Bonner’s always had a bit of an underrated (but still limited) floater game when given the chance, but it seems to be coming with more regularity this year. These moments where he’s attacking the paint off the dribble are tough to get used to, but couldn’t be more entertaining. This was just one of those solid, efficient Matty B games — the Spurs were 28.8 points per 100 possessions better than the Lakers when he was on the floor. |
|
 |
Tim Duncan, PF 25 MIN | 6-8 FG | 1-1 FT | 11 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +6 Timmy got point No. 25,000 in his career, and in doing so became only the second player in NBA history to log at least 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds, and 2,500 blocks in his career (some guy named Kareem). He was pretty good in this one too. Only one grading option here. |
|
 |
Kawhi Leonard, SF 18 MIN | 5-6 FG | 0-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 3 TO | 12 PTS | -1 He was just dominant when he was on the floor, though that ended up being only 18 minutes. But that brief, two-steal sequence in the first quarter was just more evidence that you literally shouldn’t dribble the basketball within, I dunno, six feet of Kawhi Leonard? He also did his part in helping make life miserable for Kobe Bryant in this one. Kobe was just awful, though, going 1-of-14 from the floor and 0-of-6 when Kawhi was in the game. There was nobody who could deal with Leonard on either side of the ball. He did suffer a cut on his eyebrow after taking a hand to the face from Bryant. It required five stitches, but he’s expected to be ready to go Saturday night in Sacramento. I wish he could’ve spent a little more time on the floor on Friday, but that’s just nitpicking and also selfish. |
|
 |
Tony Parker, PG 31 MIN | 4-9 FG | 3-3 FT | 2 REB | 9 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 11 PTS | +16 His best assist game of the young season, but the Spurs offense wasn’t great. This seems to be the norm right now, and Parker did a good job getting others involved against the league’s worst defense, but there was nothing spectacular here. The point guard told Sportscenter after the game that the Spurs have just been more focused over the last three games than they were to start the season, and it kind of seems he’s still got it on cruise control a bit himself. Tony was fine, but they really didn’t need him in this one. |
|
 |
Danny Green, SG 29 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | +7 Coming into Friday’s game, Green was 2-of-20 from the 3-point line through the team’s first four road games. He was 3-of-7 against the Lakers in this one. That’s obviously not anything unreal — that’s actually essentially his average from last year — but just to see him get that stroke back away from the AT&T Center is a good thing. Danny was also great defensively, doing his part in the Kobe matchup. In the 25 minutes Green spent on the floor, Bryant missed all seven of his shots. Again, Kobe was bad, but Green and Leonard didn’t help matters. (Sorry, forgot to add the grade — but Danny gets a ‘B’) |
|
 |
Aron Baynes, PF 20 MIN | 1-3 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +5 Baynes continues to get run without Splitter in action, and he’s doing a serviceable job. He’s up and down and has his moments, both good and bad, but the low points are becoming fewer and farther between. He’s just a tough body to deal with for opposing big men, and he’s developed just enough of a skill set to avoid being an offensive liability. This time as backup is good for him. |
|
 |
Jeff Ayres, PF 7 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -9 He did not drop the nutmeg pass from Manu, and he dunked the hell out of it. All you can ask for in garbage time. |
|
 |
Boris Diaw, PF 24 MIN | 3-12 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | +13 Ehh, not Bobo’s best. Again, this wasn’t a night where the Spurs needed their big guns to roll out for all 48 minutes, but Diaw struggled to find his shot, really from everywhere. He was fine defensively, and outside of the shooting, did his job just fine. But that’s been the issue for San Antonio early this season: shooting. |
|
 |
Kyle Anderson, SF 11 MIN | 0-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -12 Ton of garbage time for Anderson. His nickname couldn’t be more perfect (Slo-Mo), but he’s very smooth as a ball-handler, passer, and rebounder, and he’s demonstrated an ability to get to his spots on the floor against quicker opponents. There’s some development time ahead of him, but you can see the intangibles. |
|
 |
Austin Daye, SF 4 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -11 Again, this guy has to hit shots to be worth much of anything. Garbage-time/end-of-bench guy when this roster is healthy. |
|
 |
Cory Joseph, PG 26 MIN | 5-10 FG | 3-4 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 14 PTS | +10 I’m not sure how much our readers approve of the grades we’ve been giving Cory Joseph this season, but this dude is playing really, REALLY well. He was once again incredibly efficient, and he continues to demonstrate his developed ball-handling skills and surprising athleticism. If he can find his shot consistently he’ll be a total package, but the 3-ball needs work outside of the right corner. NBA.com has a statistic called Player Impact Estimate (PIE) that measures a player’s overall impact; Joseph’s was second in this one, behind only Duncan. |
|
 |
Manu Ginobili, SG 25 MIN | 2-9 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 8 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | +30 Bad shooting night, but he had some of that Manu flair again. The between-the-legs dime to Ayres was glorious, and it’s really just par for the course. It’s been a slow assist-rate season for Manu and Tony this year, but they both bounced back big in that capacity against the Lakers. Fun stat: In the 25 minutes Manu spent on the floor, San Antonio outscored Los Angeles by 56.4 points per 100 possessions. |
|
 |
Gregg Popovich It’s really just muscle memory for Pop against teams like this: Just sit back and let ’em play. |
|
Five Things We Saw
- This was another rough offensive game, but the Spurs put the clamps on once the fourth quarter came around. They’ll start getting guys like Splitter and Belinelli back soon, so you’d think help is on the way. San Antonio appears to be in cruise mode right now, so expect things to pick up … slowly.
- Tonight was the 47th time in Kobe’s career that he’s made one or fewer field goals in a game. That seems crazy to me. Then again, tonight was only the seventh time that’s happened since the turn of the millennium. You forget that there was a time when that guy didn’t play a whole lot.
- Spurs busted out a little zone tonight at times, and I thought it worked well. The Lakers are not a good team, but their offense is somewhat respectable. Holding them to 80 points is nothing to scoff at. Of course, the majority of this one was played straight up, with man-to-man, but mixing in those different looks was effective.
- We’re all waiting for this team to string together consecutive games like the one in Oakland the other night. They’ve had their moments in each matchup, but none were as complete as the win over the Warriors. Still, even when they’re coasting a bit, they can still control games like these.
- Shooting rhythms are a bit off through eight games this season, but that won’t last. These guys will be fine.
