Three Standout Players from the Spurs’ 115-108 win over Mavs

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs welcomed back Tony Parker to the lineup with a 115-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks (5-16) on Monday night.

The win was the second straight for the Silver and Black, who saw Parker return to the floor for the first time since May 2017 in the Western Conference Semifinals series against the Houston Rockets.

Here’s what went good and bad for the Spurs as well as three standout players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker.

The Good:

• Kyle Anderson had a solid game with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. The former UCLA Bruin’s career season continued on Monday, proving his high basketball IQ as he found open players for buckets and stayed aggressive.
• Tony Parker is back, everyone.
• Bryn Forbes caught fire off the bench for San Antonio, scoring 11 points and shooting 3-for-5 from three-point range.
• The Spurs moved the basketball as they dished out 27 assists.

The Bad:

• Turnovers once again hurt the Spurs as they committed 10 for the game, with seven coming in the first half. San Antonio held a nine point lead in the first quarter, but turnovers and bad shots saw Dallas climb back to take a 23-21 lead into the second period.
• San Antonio’s play in the first half upset Head Coach Gregg Popovich so much he decided to take the rest of the night off, getting ejected in the second quarter.

Three Standout Players: 

     LaMarcus Aldridge: You knew from his first shot that LaMarcus Aldridge was in for a good night. In fact, it was his best game of the season scoring wise. Aldridge finished with a season-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. Dallas doubled the Spurs forward from the opening tip as Aldridge passed the ball out to the open man.

When he wasn’t doubled, Aldridge was scoring in the post, from the top of the key, and drew fouls on Dirk Nowitzki. The NBA All-Star continues to show how lethal the Spurs can be with a fully healthy lineup. Kawhi Leonard will command much of the attention from defenses, leaving Aldridge open to take it to the hole.

    Pau Gasol: The NBA veteran center turned back the clock and delivered his best performance of the season. Gasol finished with a season-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists.

Together, Gasol and Aldridge combined for 58 points and 16 rebounds in the win. Gasol showed flashes of his NBA championship days with the L.A. Lakers as he dished the ball out to the open man, hit 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and was an anchor in the paint with Aldridge. Gasol’s play will be key for the Silver and Black as the season goes on and into the postseason.

   Tony Parker: After missing nearly six months of action, Tony Parker made his much anticipated return to the floor on Monday. Parker showed no signs of rust as he finished with six points on 3-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes of play.

Parker will obviously be brought back into the fold slowly, but his first outing was an encouraging sign. He showed no fear as he drove the paint for layups, moved well on defense and offense, and his jumper going in the second half.

Special mention: Kyle Anderson 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals.

Up next: The Spurs are now 13-7 on the season and will return to the court on Wednesday when they welcome the Memphis Grizzlies (7-12) to the AT&T Center at 7:30 p.m.