SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs put together their best performance of the season as they defeated the LA Clippers (14-6) at the AT&T Center on Friday night.
The win snaps a five-game home losing streak for San Antonio, who had lost two straight and 12 of 14 coming into Friday’s game.
“Everybody, right down the line, everybody was aggressive, picking up the way we need to,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said. “We just need to do it more often and get more consistent.”
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 17 points and DeMar DeRozan added 15.
Here are three thoughts and the standout players from the game:
Game Observations:
- Hot from 3: The Spurs were red hot from beyond the arc, drilling 14-of-36 shots. Derrick White led the way with a career-high five, Patty Mills had three, while Bryn Forbes and Trey Lyles each had two.
- Defensive awareness: San Antonio had its best defensive performance of the season, holding the Clippers to below 100 points. The Spurs managed to contain the two-headed monster of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Leonard scored 19 points but shot 8-for-23. George had a season-low five points on 2-of-11 shooting.
- Consistency is key: The win was good for the Spurs and it will likely be a confidence boost but the main question now is, can they be consistent? The team was sharp on both ends of the floor for the first time all season. Now, if they can keep that up over the next week, they could make their way up the standings.
Three Standout Players
Derrick White
Despite dealing with a lingering foot issue, White relished in his new starting role and delivered a big performance when his team needed it the most.
White scored 17 points and shot 71 percent from three. He was aggressive in attacking the rim and pulled up for his shot with confidence. He and Aldridge worked well together on the court as he set several good screens to give White the open look.
“I think I’m going to take like 20 next game,” White joked. “Just try to get the looks that I get, let it fly, shoot with confidence.”
Jakob Poeltl
The big man came off the bench as Rudy Gay got the start in his place. Poeltl’s time with the second unit resulted in his best games as a Spur.
Poeltl finished with six points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Two of his four blocks were on the former Spur Leonard, which earned a big ovation from the crowd. Poeltl’s play really set the tone for the type of night San Antonio was in for.
“We had a couple of stretches tonight where we just put runs together,” Poeltl said. “Really came out strong with energy on the defensive end. Then all of a sudden, the shots start falling and it really got us going.”
Trey Lyles
The veteran big man’s confidence has been rising over the past few weeks and it really shined bright in the Spurs’ win on Friday.
Lyles came off the bench to score 10 points, pull down four rebounds, and dish out three assists. He was aggressive getting some put back slams and defensively had some big-time rim-protecting against LA’s driving guards.
UP NEXT:
The Spurs are now 7-13 on the season and will now return to the court on Sunday afternoon when they travel to face the Detroit Pistons (6-13) at Little Caesars Arena at 4 p.m.
