Beyond the Box Score: Spurs Need Overtime to Charge Past Canton

Austin, Texas – Jaron Blossomgame’s sixth double-double on the season proved to be enough as the Spurs managed to hold off Canton in overtime, 100-96. Blossomgame recorded 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting (55.6 percent) and 13 boards in 29 minutes of action on Sunday night inside the confines of the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Austin.

OFFICIAL BOX SCORE   |   GAME BOOK   |   ROSTER   |   SCHEDULE

THE BASICS

• TV: NBA TV
• Score: Canton Charge 96, Austin Spurs 100
• Records: Charge (6-9) | Spurs (11-7)
• Date: Sunday, December 17 | 2:00 p.m. tip-off CST
• Location: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park | Austin, Texas.
• Attendance: 2,825
• Officials: Dedric Taylor, Tyler Mirkovich, Wesley Ford
• Get Social: Twitter – @spursonsixth| Facebook – Spurs on Sixth

TURNING POINT:

While holding a 16-point lead at the break, the Spurs looked to be in full control of this game. However, outscoring Austin 37-21 in the third quarter made this a whole new (tied) game after three full quarters of play. After both teams scored 21 points apiece in the fourth,  Canton’s Kendrick Perkins was the lone Charge player that could make a basket, as the Spurs outscored Canton 6-2 in overtime for the four-point win at home.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Austin shot 47 percent (35-for-74) from the floor, while Dallas was 35-of-87 (40 percent) from the floor in its four-point loss.
• The Spurs went 9-of-29 (31 percent) from beyond-the-arc in the victory and went 21-of-25 (84 percent) from the charity stripe. The Charge, meanwhile, were 12-of-32 (38 percent) from downtown and went 14-of-17 from the charity stripe (82 percent).
• Despite having a mouth-dropping 29 team turnovers, the Spurs managed to outrebound Canton by 14 (52-38), including a +12-rebounding differential on the defensive glass (38-26).
• The Spurs managed to have five more team assists than the Charge, and also had twice as many blocked shots as Canton (6-3).

INSIDE THE FLOW:

• The Spurs vs Charge’s game saw a massive five ties and 10 lead changes.
• In a tale of two halves, the Spurs managed to have its biggest lead of the game at the half (52-36), Canton managed to outscore Austin 37-21 in the third quarter to tie the game after three quarters of play.
• After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Darrun Hilliard’s finger roll layup gave the Spurs a five-point cushion with 19.4 seconds in regulation.
• A quick three-pointer by rookie forward Marcus Thornton less than a second later brought the Charge within two points with 18.8 to go.
• After a turnover by Hilliard, Isaac Hamilton managed to tie up the game with a successful jump shot with just over two seconds left to force overtime.
• A dunk by Blossomgame 40 seconds into overtime gave the Spurs a two-point edge in overtime.
• Following a Canton turnover, Matt Costello made two free throws to push the lead to four.
• A Perkins layup with 14.3 left in overtime brought the Charge within two points (98-96).
• After a Canton foul, Olivier Hanlan gave the Spurs a two-possession lead with 9.9 seconds remaining.
• A missed three-pointer and follow-up by Canton’s London Perrantes at the buzzer helped the Austin Spurs prevail by four, 100-96, on Sunday evening.

NOTABLES:

• Costello recorded a team-high 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting in 37 minutes, including going 5-for-5 (100 percent) from the free throw line.
• Half of the active Spurs players on Saturday night (5) managed to shoot 100% from the charity stripe (Brimah, Costello, Hanlan, Ledbetter, White).
• Four starters managed to reach double-digit scoring figures (Blossomgame, Costello, Hanlan, White).
• In his first game since being assigned by the San Antonio Spurs, Derrick White registered 15 points, four steals, and two assists in 20 minutes of action, including 5-of-5 at the free throw line.
• Hamilton was the leading scorer for the Charge; scoring 21 points on 9-of-18 (50.0 percent) shooting in 31 minutes off the bench.
• Forward JaCorey Williams recorded an efficient eight points, four steals, four rebounds, and all three of the Charge’s team blocks in 25 minutes of playing time.

UP NEXT:

• Austin finishes its season-long five-game homestand Thursday night in another home court showdown against the Agua Caliente Clippers on Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. CST

Tickets   |   Watch