SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs had an off night at both ends of the floor as they suffered a 116-96 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers (2-2) at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night.
The loss is the first at home for the Spurs this season and their second loss in their last three games. The story of the game was an off night at both ends of the floor, leaving players open and missing shots they normally make.
“We got a lot of work to do on both ends of the floor,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said. “Especially defensively, we’re defensively challenged. There are habits that need to be formed and find out who does what the best. It’ll take some time but they are a willing group.”
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs on Wednesday, as well as three standout players: Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli, and DeMar DeRozan.
The Good:
- Marco Belinelli had his best game since returning to the Spurs.
- Bryn Forbes continues to show confidence with his shot.
- Davis Bertans had a quiet seven points.
The Bad:
- San Antonio continues to struggle on defense. The Spurs constantly left Indiana players open on the perimeter as they hit 6-of-7 three-pointers early in the first half. Through four games, the Spurs are giving up an average of 122 points per game.
- The Spurs struggled on offense for the first time this season, shooting just above 40 percent for the game. The Silver and Black shot 31 percent from three (6-for-19) were held below 100 points for the first time this season.
Three Standout Players
Marco Belinelli:
Many Spurs fans were excited with the signing of Marco Belinelli during the offseason and Wednesday showed why Pop and the Spurs inked the veteran to a contract.
Belinelli had his best game since returning to San Antonio as he finished with 16 points off the bench. He was the leading scorer for the second unit, which had a total of 35 points.
Once the Spurs get things together and meshing nicely, we’ll likely see Belinelli as one of the main threats off the bench for the Silver and Black.
Rudy Gay
One of the lone bright spots was Rudy Gay as he continues to play well a year after dealing with a heel injury.
Gay finished with 11 points on 50 percent shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. The Spurs fed Gay early on in the post as he banged down low and hit his lone three-point attempt of the night.
If he can stay healthy, Rudy can finally be a key contributor for the Spurs that will likely be very much needed this season.
DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan had an off night, being held below 20 points for the first time this season.
He was held scoreless until the five-minute mark of the second quarter and would finish with 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting and added four assists. After the game, he said he rather have these struggles now rather than later.
“I rather have nights like tonight and the Portland game now,” DeRozan said. “We understand what we need to get better at and what we need to work on. It was a great lesson tonight and we have to learn it.”
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 2-2 on the season and will return to the court on Saturday when they welcome LeBron James and the LA Lakers (1-3) to the AT&T Center at 7:30 pm Central Time.