SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs welcomed back LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills to the AT&T Center on Friday but fell 117-102 to the Brooklyn Nets.
The result sees San Antonio slip three and a half games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Here are three points from the game:
Welcome home
Obviously, it was an emotional night as Aldridge and Mills returned to San Antonio, where they spent a good portion of their careers. Both were honored with video tributes and received loud ovations from the crowd.
“I was happy to see them get the love they deserve, Lamarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills,” Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said. “That’s what it’s all about. They did a lot for this team, this organization, and this community. It’s only right they get the love they deserve.”
Aldridge finished with 16 points and Mills had nine points.
Guarding Harden can be..hard
James Harden gave the Spurs all they could handle on Friday, torching San Antonio for 37 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. He got into the paint and hit the three early and often, making things difficult for the guys in the fiesta uniforms.
”(Harden) got into his groove,” Mills said. ”He felt where he could make an impact on the game. Got into the paint, obviously shot it well and as well from the 3. When he has that variety, he gets it going pretty quickly and pretty easily.”
Struggles are just a part of the game
The Spurs struggled in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 38-28. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and Derrick White went down after taking an elbow to the nose by Harden. He left with six minutes left but returned with just over two minutes left to close out the game.
“It was one of those nights,” Murray said. “Obviously against the Nets, with their talent and the players and role models they have around those guys, they scored the ball. It’s going to be really hard to stop them. if we were able to finish in the paint and even make half of those three’s, you’ve got a game, because we were going back and forth.”
UP NEXT:
The San Antonio Spurs are now 17-29 on the season and will return to the court on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers at 6 p.m. from the AT&T Center.