Spurs 94 Celtics 108
At the end of a four-game road trip, the Spurs lost their third consecutive game this season in a 108-94 loss to the Boston Celtics last Monday night, giving them an overall record of 4-3.
The Spurs looked great throughout their first 4 games with standout performances from LaMarcus Aldridge, which put them at number one in ESPN’s power rankings. However, after a three-game losing streak, they fell to number three before they matched up against the Celtics.
The Spurs continued looking sluggish on both ends of the court and couldn’t get enough energy from any of the starters. Aldridge, who was up to tie David Robinson for the most consecutive 20+ point games to start a season for the Spurs, had an off night with only 11 points and 5 rebounds. The two top scorers for the Spurs came off the bench.
Still, the Spurs were unable to push past Kyrie Irving and the Celtics. Irving, who is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 4 RPG, scored 24 points and made 6 assists during the win over the Spurs.
Rudy Gay
Gay, who has scored 10+ points in all but one of the Spurs’ seven games so far, was the second top scorer with 14 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. He made 2 out of 3 shots from beyond the arc and 5 of 12 from the field.
Brandon Paul
The rookie guard Paul, was the top scorer of the night with 18 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes. He went 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from three-point territory making him the first Spurs rookie since 2011 to make 5+ three pointers in 7 games.
Spurs 92 – Warriors 112
The Spurs met up with the Golden State Warriors for a rematch of the 2017 Western Conference Finals Thursday night in a game that ended in a 20-point loss for the Spurs at home.
With another disappointing offensive performance, and a lousy defensive game as well, the Spurs lost an early 19-point lead against the defending champions. The loss came down to poor offense (39.1%), turnovers (16), and less-than-average defense, as they allowed the Warriors to shoot 51.8% from the field and 50% from 3-point land.
The most hope the Spurs had came from the current Spurs go-to man, Aldridge who led the way, and Kyle Anderson, who stepped up as other starters failed to do their part.
LaMarcus Aldridge
The Spurs’ top scorer on the season ended with another top score for the silver and black with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The statistics fail to show the struggle Aldridge experienced however as he shot 36%.
Kyle Anderson
Anderson was second in scoring with 16 points, 4 assists, and 7 rebounds. He shot 5-8 from the field in the 26 minutes he was in the game, came up with a couple of blocks and was 2-2 from the line.
The biggest downfall for the Spurs in terms of player involvement was the effectiveness of Danny Green and Patty Mills. Green was only able to contribute 8 points in 30 minutes on 4-10 shooting and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Mills, who got the start on top of Dejounte Murray, was equally unimpressive with only 6 points in 28 minutes on 2-7 shooting, 6 of which were from 3-point territory.
With key players like Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker out, veterans Mills and Green must step up and provide consistent support for Aldridge, who is doing his part.
Spurs 108 – Hornets 101
Coming off a tough home loss to the Warriors, the Spurs took on the Charlotte Hornets at home on Friday in a 108 – 101 victory.
For the second time this season, Aldridge scored less than 20 points with 14 on 4-12 shooting and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes. In spite of Aldridge’s uncharacteristic performance for the season, the Spurs drastically improved on the second leg of the back-to-back by shooting 47% from the field and much more of an impact off the bench with 64 points.
The Spurs’ two top scorers, Rudy Gay and Bryn Forbes, came off the bench while Patty Mills recovered from Thursday’s poor shooting to score the third most points for the silver and black with 17 points.
Bryn Forbes
The second year guard scored 22 points on 8-11 shooting for the Spurs in 22 minutes. With a +/- of +18, nine of Forbes’ 22 points came from beyond the arc.
Rudy Gay
Probably the most consistent bench player for the Spurs this year, Gay scored his second highest of the season with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Gay, who played 27 minutes, had the highest +/- for the Spurs with +20.
Spurs 112 – Suns 95
After trailing by 5 at the half, the Spurs went on to win by 17 points against the Phoenix Suns Sunday night in San Antonio.
Following a tough week in which they lost 2 out of 4 games, the Spurs shot 50% from the field and beyond the arc to power themselves toward their second-straight win. Led once again by Aldridge, the Spurs had 7 players score in double figures and every active player scored aside from Darrun Hillard.
LaMarcus Aldridge
Averaging 22.6 PPG on 46.6% shooting, Aldridge led the way for the Spurs with 21 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes. With four double doubles on the season, Aldridge also leads the Spurs in rebounds with an average of 8.4 RPG.
Patty Mills
Veteran guard Mills was the second top scorer for the Spurs with 17 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. Mills shot 63.6% and made 3 of the 5 3-pointers he attempted. This type of efficiency would be a great help to Aldridge against teams that pose a bigger threat.
Danny Green
Similar to Mills, Green also stepped up against the Suns. With 14 points on 6-10 shooting, 3 for 5 from beyond the arc, Green was the third top-scorer for the Spurs.
Week in Review
The Spurs struggled through the first part of week 3 of the 2017-2018 season. Coming off two straight losses, the Spurs continued the losing streak against the Celtics and the Warriors, before finally shaping back up.
Without Leonard and Parker, the Spurs held their own against the Warriors for a good portion of the game. Still, the type of play Mills and Green executed toward the end of week three would have helped give more of a chance of winning against top-notch teams like the Celtics and Warriors.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead to week 4, the Spurs will face up against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, and the Chicago Bulls for the second time on Saturday.
