SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs used a total team effort to rout the Denver Nuggets (22-21) 112-80 at the AT&T Center on Saturday night.
The victory comes after a disappointing performance in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Saturday night saw the silver and black use a complete team effort to get the win as four different Spurs scored in double figures.
Here is what went good and bad for the Spurs, as well as three standout players: Kawhi Leonard, Davis Bertans, and Danny Green.
The Good:
- The Spurs finally had close to a full team as they could get. Only Rudy Gay was inactive for the silver and black as Danny Green, Tony Parker, and Kawhi Leonard all returned from injury.
- Kawhi Leonard is starting to look like Kawhi Leonard of old.
- Danny Green had a solid night, let’s hope this means he is starting to get into form.
- San Antonio’s defense limited Denver to 35 percent shooting for the game.
The Bad:
- It’s hard to find anything bad in a 32 point victory. However, Patty Mills is the highlight of this portion. Mills finished with three points on 1-for-3 shooting and also committed three turnovers.
Three Standout Players:
Kawhi Leonard: It was been a rough start to the 2017-18 season for Kawhi Leonard. He missed 27 games with a quad injury and more recently missed three games with a shoulder injury. He returned on Saturday and he is beginning to look like the Kawhi we all have come to love.
Leonard finished with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. With each passing game, Leonard is beginning to look like his old self. He got to the rim and looked solid on the defensive end, but still needs work to get into rhythm on the offensive side.
Give it time and soon the Spurs will begin to look dangerous if they can get everyone in sync.
Danny Green: The Spurs guard returned from a groin injury and had a nice night. He finished with 11 points on 50 percent and went 3-for-5 from three point range.
It was a nice outing for Green, who has also had a tough start to first half of the season. Not only did he have the injury, but he shot the ball inconsistently. Hopefully for the Spurs fans and for Green himself, Saturday may have been the start for a turnaround for the former North Carolina Tarheel.
Davis Bertans: Perhaps the biggest standout player of the night is Davis Bertans. He provided an instant spark off the Spurs’ bench as he finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three point range.
Bertans performances of late have earned him more playing time from Coach Pop and he is proving why he deserves it. He is a huge weapon for the silver and black and does not need much time to warm up. Bertans had three consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter and you knew it would be his night.
Those three pointers will come in handy as we head into March and April.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs will now hit the road for another three game road trip as they take on the Atlanta Hawks (11-31) on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Phillips Arena.
