The San Antonio Spurs were short handed on Saturday night and put up a good fight against the defending NBA champions. But it was not enough as they fell 122-105 to the Golden State Warriors (43-13) at Oracle Arena.
The game was the second of a six game “Rodeo Road Trip” for the Spurs, who were without Kawhi Leonard, Rudy Gay, Dejounte Murray, and Tony Parker. Despite a solid first half and early lead, the shorthanded Spurs were no match for the defending champions.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Anderson, and Davis Bertans.
The Good:
- Danny Green may have had just four points on 2-of-7 shooting, but he did play stellar defense in the first half. He forced turnovers and made life difficult for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
- San Antonio played well in the first half, scoring the first eight points of the game. The Spurs opened a 12 point lead in the early parts of the second quarter.
- Derrick White had a nice run in the game, getting minutes with the Spurs shorthanded at the point guard position.
The Bad:
- Patty Mills had a rough night. He scored just 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting and was in foul trouble in the first half.
- The third quarter haunted the Silver and Black as they were outscored 33-20, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Golden State made a run.
Three Standout Players:
LaMarcus Aldridge: After his poor play in Oakland during the 2017 Western Conference Finals, LaMarcus Aldridge knew he had something to prove coming into Saturday’s matchup. And he did just that.
Aldridge finished with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, going along with five rebounds and four assists. He scored four of San Antonio’s first eight points and assisted to Anderson for the bucket. Aldridge remained aggressive scoring on David West and Zaza Pachulia.
Unlike last year’s WCF, Aldridge did not back down and remained aggressive all night long.
Kyle Anderson: With Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gay out, Kyle Anderson stepped up when he needed to, helping out Aldridge in the scoring column.
Anderson continued his breakout season by posting a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, going along with five rebounds and four assists. The former UCLA Bruin showed no fear going up against Draymond Green or guarding Kevin Durant.
These type of games prove key to a young players development. And it will only make Kyle Anderson so much better.
Davis Bertans: Ever since moving Davis Bertans into the starting lineup in place of Pau Gasol, it seems to have jolted the San Antonio offense.
Bertans did more of the same on Saturday night as he had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting. The game showed the young sharp shooter has no fear and is always ready when he is called upon. And that is a valuable player to have on your roster.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 35-22 on the season and will return to the court on Monday when they travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz (27-28) at 8 p.m.
The spurs are flying under the radar again. If they get healthy, the league better look out. The hung in there for nearly three quarters of the game with without Kawhi. Not mention, not having tony, dejounte or rudy. I think that w White kid can become a very good nba player. The spurs really know how to draft. If they get a top ten pick, what would they do with it…probably add a franchise cornerstone type player.