The Golden State Warriors annihilated the San Antonio Spurs’ eleven-man roster in a 132-95 rout. Jordan Poole was called up to the Warriors’ starting lineup and he put on a show with a 36-point game in Klay Thompson’s absence. Six Warriors’ players were in double figures by the end of a stunning 37-point victory over the short-handed Spurs squad. The Spurs were outscored in every quarter. Outside of a few minutes in the 1st quarter, the Warriors enjoyed a comfortable lead for most of the game. After a big loss, the Spurs will have to put this behind them as this was the first of back-to-back games. The silver and black will face the Trailblazers Tuesday night. Let’s channel our inner Sergio Leone and analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly from Monday night.
The Good
Jeremy Sochan had a good showing Monday night, in 25 minutes the rookie scored 12 points, recorded 7 rebounds, and helped keep Steph Curry under 20 points. Keita Bates-Diop was one rebound short of a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Diop and Sochan seemed to be the most active players on defense going after rebounds and steals. Isaiah Roby and Jordan Hall got extended minutes in the 4th quarter. They seemed to find a rhythm, and contributed on defense, or at least as much as you can when your team is down 30-plus points. This is where the good section ends.
Isaiah Roby with the Euro Step! #GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/oNju2oQyx3
— Joe Garcia (@twoshotspodcast) November 15, 2022
The Bad
To say Tre Jones was missed would be an understatement. The Spurs only had 11 players on the roster for Monday night’s game with Jones and Romeo Langford out for health reasons. Let’s hope they feel better by game time in Portland. The Spurs had a season-low 18 assists performance in Jones’ absence, and the pace of the game was much slower. Langford’s absence left a hole in the Spurs’ defense with Sochan doing his best to lock up Curry. This left Poole open to having a 36-point game.
Will The Real Charles Bassey Please Stand Up?
It may seem uncalled for to harp on the performance of a two-way contract player, especially after initial strong performances. With 20-point and 30-point games under his belt, Bassey was recalled from Austin because of his scoring ability. While it’s unfair to expect the same amount of points from Bassey in the NBA, there’s no excuse for passing up multiple open shots. Especially with extended minutes in the 4th quarter. You would have expected better than a 6-point performance. No one can complain about his 7 rebounds, but the Spurs coaching staff is undoubtedly going to be pleading with him to take his shots in Portland.
The Ugly
While Keldon Johnson did lead the Spurs with 15 points, it was a season-low performance from San Antonio’s rising star player. As the most experienced players on the starting lineup, Johnson, Vassell, and Jakob Poeltl combined for 27 points. Jones, might be the glue guy for the Spurs’ starting lineup but these guys have to step up in his absence. The Spurs were 10-40 from beyond the arc and shot 36% from the field. While the Spurs never gave up the effort the defense was non-existent at some points in the game. The Spurs also visibly let turnovers and missed shots frustrate them.
Can The Spurs Bounce Back?
The Spurs have a chance to turn things around in Portland, but it won’t be an easy task. The Trailblazers are currently ranked first in the Western Conference. Hopefully, we’ll see Jones and Langford return to action. If not, the Spurs will need to make adjustments. We’ll be on the lookout for someone to step up defensively. It should be a competitive matchup. Expect the Spurs to have a better shooting night. It’ll be fun to see how the Spurs respond to this complete disaster of a game.
What did you think about the Spurs loss to the Warriors?
