Who doesn’t like some high-stakes basketball in November? On Friday evening the San Antonio Spurs will play of their first recreation of the NBA’s In Season Event. For a fast recap on how the match works, take a look at Pounding the Rock’s explainer from this summer season. The Spurs are in a tricky group with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, so each recreation of group play counts.
The Silver and Black discover themselves on a three-game shedding streak as they return dwelling to face the Timberwolves. Minnesota has been enjoying some glorious basketball recently, successful 4 straight. San Antonio should enhance their half court docket offense and perimeter protection in the event that they hope to win their first In Season Event recreation.
November 10, 2023 | 7 P.M. CT
Watch: BSSW | Hear: WOAI/KXTN
Spurs accidents: Charle Bediako – Out (G League,) Sidy Cissoko – Out (G League,) Sir’Jabari Rice – Out (G League)
Timberwolves accidents: Jaylen Clark – Out (proper achilles,) Luka Garza – Out (G League,) Jordan McLaughlin – Out (proper MCL,) Leonard Miller – Out (G League,) Wendell Moore Jr. – Out (G League)
What to look at for
Spurs half court docket offense
The Spurs have struggled to attain within the half court docket ever because the fourth quarter of the Raptors recreation on Sunday. They’re at present nineteenth within the NBA in offensive score (109.6.) Of their final recreation in opposition to the New York Knicks, they scored simply 105 factors, and struggled to get something going offensively, until they performed up-tempo basketball. The issue has been multifaceted: an injured Devin Vassell, groups keying in on Victor Wembanyama and a scarcity of three level capturing.
The Spurs are seventeenth within the NBA in three-point capturing. They shot simply 26.5% from three in opposition to New York on Wednesday. With Vassell again within the lineup, and Doug McDermott heating up from three, there’s a motive to be optimistic that they are going to begin getting extra of these pictures to fall. Getting Wembanyama concerned and in spots to succeed can be a precedence too.
The Timberwolves are a buzzsaw on protection. They rank first within the league in defensive score (100.1) and permit the fewest factors per recreation (101.1.) Rudy Gobert is an all-defense caliber heart, Anthony Edwards is bettering as a 1-on-1 defender, and so they have a number of prolonged wings who can disrupt opposing offenses. The Spurs might want to play significantly better offensively in the event that they wish to keep on this recreation.
Guarding the perimeter
As dangerous because the Spurs offense has been, the protection has been a lot worse. They’re permitting 121.5 factors per recreation (twenty seventh within the league,) and groups are capturing 50% from the sphere in opposition to them. The perimeter protection has been an issue, particularly guarding the three level line. Opponents are hitting 15.3 deep balls a recreation, and making them at a 38.3% clip.
The Wolves present an attention-grabbing offensive problem. Edwards is a star with the ball in his fingers. They’ve a number of place gamers hitting over 40% of their three-point makes an attempt (they’re capturing 37.3% from deep as a workforce.) Plus, they play two of the league’s greatest large males, Gobert and Karl Anthony-Cities, with one in every of its most underrated in Naz Reid coming off the bench. In a giant recreation, the Spurs can have a defensive problem forward of them.
Wembanyama vs. Gobert
We can have a “gros match” (“large matchup” in French) on our fingers Friday evening. Wembanyama and Gobert are two of the league’s greatest basketball stars. Emphasis on large. Enjoyable reality, in case you took Wemby and Gobert’s wingspans and added them collectively, they’d be as tall as a giraffe. France can be a must-watch workforce in worldwide play with these two monitoring the paint.
Gobert is likely one of the few gamers within the league who can problem Wembanyama along with his size. We noticed what a giant with size and physicality can do to the rookie when Mitchell Robinson guarded him on Wednesday evening. Wembanyama might want to use his pace and contact to search out openings in a tricky matchup. That is actually a gathering that the first-year frenchman has been trying ahead to.
