The San Antonio Spurs (6-7) broke their 5-game-losing streak last night against the Milwaukee Bucks (10-3) with a 111-93 victory. San Antonio took advantage of a Milwaukee team lacking valuable assets. The lack of competition didn’t matter to the fans who kept the stadium roaring on Veterans Day.
Final stats 📊
KJ: 29p | 2a | 2r
Devin: 22p | 5r
Jak: 15p | 10r | 3a | 3b
Jeremy: 10p | 7r | 2a
Doug: 10a | 3r
CBassey: 5p | 14r | 4a
Tre: 9p | 5r | 9a
Rich: 7p | 2a
Romeo: 4p pic.twitter.com/Ic0Ovc4jjA— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2022
Sticking to the Game Plan
The Spurs went into the challenge with no sympathy for the Bucks injured core. They elevated their level of aggression to control the pace of the game. They relied heavily on assists (22) and compensated for the 19 turned-over possessions with strong defensive rebounding (41).
Jakob Poeltl and Charles Bassey produced a problem in the paint. Poeltl had 10 rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and 15 points while Bassey added 14 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and five points. Three of Bassey’s five points came from a 26-foot jump shot off the shoulder assisted by Jordan Hall. He has official purge fans on notice and they want to see him buy into the “if you’re open, shoot it” mentality the Spurs have been cultivating.
The offense moved smoothly coming out of the gate. Forward Keldon Johnson scored 29 points with two assists, two rebounds, and a steal. Guard Devin Vassell contributed 22 points and five rebounds. Shots were going down for both at a consistent rate. Vassell and Johnson shot at 52.9% from the field, with Johnson having a more efficient 3-point shooting night.
San Antonio Spurs Playing Team Basketball
You can tell the team is learning their spacing on the offensive end and allowing the natural chemistry they develop off the court to translate. Most of all, they make the game of basketball look so fun. You can see Jeremy Sochan anticipating a lob from Jones as he brings the ball up. The more they improve their flow the more dangerous they can become playing team basketball.
This is what Johnson had to say to the media on why they choose to play such team-centered basketball.
“To be honest, the truth is that we know we need each other to win. When we go out there, and we look to the left, look to the right, we don’t have any quote-on-quote superstars. We need each other to win and be successful. We totally bought into that. There are no egos are something that we accept. We move the ball and play with each other, and we know the best for us to win”
Facing the Champions Next
They will definitely have to lean on each other in a couple of days when they meet the Golden State Warriors and, greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry for a late-night matchup. As of today, the Warriors (5-7) are ranked 2 spaces below the spurs at 11th in the Western Conference.
The Warriors are favored to repeat as NBA Champions this season so this will be a good chance for the Spurs to see what moves the recent champs are making on the court in order to remain potential champions. You can watch this interesting meeting on Bally Sports Southwest at 9 pm Monday, November 14th. Will the San Antonio Spurs be able to increase their win streak to 2?
