SAN ANTONIO – LaMarcus Aldridge rebounded from his worst performance of the season as he led the San Antonio Spurs to a 114-102 victory over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers (31-18) at the AT&T Center on Tuesday night.
The victory saw the Spurs rebound from a tough stretch over the past 12 games that saw them go 5-7. San Antonio shot 50 percent for the game and led by as many as 14 points. Davis Bertans had a solid game off the bench with 13 points on 44 percent shooting.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Dejounte Murray, and Tony Parker.
The Good:
- The Spurs defeated the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions. The Cavaliers may not be the same team from their NBA Finals appearances, but they have the best player in the world in LeBron James.
- Tony Parker seems to be fitting in with his new role of coming off the bench.
- Dejounte Murray is the real deal.
- The Spurs did the classy thing and made an announcement congratulation LeBron on passing 30,000 career points.
- It may be an unpopular opinion, but I love the Spurs wearing their black uniforms at home.
The Bad:
- Danny Green struggled as he scored just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and was a ice cold 1-for-7 from three point range.
- San Antonio allowed Cleveland to score 102 points, something Pop may not be happy about.
Three Standout Players:
LaMarcus Aldridge: Prior to Tuesday’s game, it was announced that LaMarcus Aldridge was named to the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, marking his sixth All-Star nod and second in silver and black. On Tuesday night in a nationally televised broadcast, Aldridge showed exactly why he’s deserving of an All-Star selection.
Aldridge finished with 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting (66 percent) and eight rebounds. His performance on Tuesday saw him rebound from a season worst outing on Sunday, where he scored a season low 10 points. This shows the difference and comfort level for the Spurs forward, who stayed aggressive all night long. He hit from the outside, went against Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson in the post, and worked well with Murray.
Tony Parker: After getting praised by both the media and fans for taking a step back and handing the point guard reigns to Murray, Tony Parker showed how comfortable he is in his new role.
Parker came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and dished out six assists. Parker found Aldridge for three of those assists and seemed to have a pep in his step. The combination of Murray and Parker worked well for Coach Pop and gave the Spurs something they haven’t had much of the season.
Dejounte Murray: The second year guard showed why he is the future point guard for the Spurs..and the future has arrived. He was fearless going up against veteran point guards Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas.
Murray posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to go along with seven steals. The 21-year-old Murray showed his skills on the defensive end, resembling shades of Kawhi Leonard.
If Tuesday is anything to go by, the Spurs are in very good hands with Murray driving the car for the Spurs’ offense.
Up next:
The Spurs are now 31-18 on the season and will return to the court tomorrow night when they travel to Memphis to face the Memphis Grizzlies (17-29) at 7 p.m. inside the FedEx Forum.
