After dropping the opening game of a two-game series on the road against the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Austin Spurs will hope to obtain revenge on their Western Conference foes in this Friday night clash.
The Spurs are running out of time in this race for 6th place, and a loss tonight would almost put their playoff aspirations out of the window. Santa Cruz on the other hand is right behind the Sioux Falls Skyforce, only trailing by two games.
With teams in totally different positions, but still maintaining the same goal, a win will be a necessary result for both.
The fellas faught hard tonight! Rematch on Friday. @uthealthaustin | #ad #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/MZXx8jXCkD
— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) February 23, 2023
Austin Spurs vs. Santa Cruz Warriors Info
When: February 24th, 2023
Tip-Off: 9:00 P.M. CST
Location: Kaiser Permanente Arena | Santa Cruz, CA
How to Watch: NBAGLeague.com
Austin Spurs Preview
The Spurs were greeted by a few more new arrivals in Julien Champagnie and Kaleb Johnson, who is the brother of Spurs guard Keldon Johnson. Champagnie had 12 points and five rebounds in the loss on Wednesday night and Johnson played just one minute off the bench.
Brandon Randolph led the scoring with 22 points and chipped in with four assists. Randolph has been the most consistent player in recent weeks and has looked to be a solid pickup at the G-League level for the Spurs.
With the absence of Dominick Barlow at the center position, Austin has found it difficult in the past few games in terms of defending the interior spaces. While the defense has been a consistent issue all season, the Spurs know that with only 12 games remaining, something has to change, and fast.
Santa Cruz Warriors Preview
As mentioned in our preview for the first game, Jayce Johnson and Lester Quinones are the two danger men for Santa Cruz, and they delivered on the praise. Quinones led all scorers for Santa Cruz with 30 points and 10 rebounds and causes so many problems with his ability to score from different areas of the court. Jayce Johnson was a problem down low as he had 19 points and a whopping 22 rebounds.
This is a massive concern for Austin as a thin frontcourt will have their hands full again with a solid big man. Guard Jerome Robinson also had 22 points and five rebounds and is a real general out there on the court. Austin will have to always be alert on defense this time around, and if they can play in a more structured and organized way, they may have a chance at an upset on the road.
With the season winding down, Austin cannot afford to lose much more than what they have already done this season. Up against the odds, will Austin be able to pull out a crucial road victory against a fellow playoff-seeking team?
