OffRtg: 116.6 (8) DefRtg: 111.2 (3) NetRtg: +5.4 (5) Tempo: 101.0 (14)
The Spurs are simply 4-5 since their consecutive wins over the Thunder the week of Christmas, a stretch that features losses to the Jazz, Blazers and Grizzlies. However they acquired a very good win in Boston on Saturday and stay in second place within the West.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs scored 129.3 factors per 100 possessions over these two late-December wins over the Thunder, two of Oklahoma Metropolis’s three worst defensive video games of the season. However the Spurs rank twenty eighth offensively (109.1 factors scored per 100) since Christmas, with taking pictures struggles from a number of guys of their rotation. Harrison Barnes (37.7%), Stephon Fort (36.3%) and Dylan Harper (34.8%) rank 146th, 147th and 148th in efficient subject purpose share among the many 148 gamers with at the least 65 subject purpose makes an attempt since Christmas, with De’Aaron Fox (44.8%) additionally within the backside 12.
2. However in beating the Lakers and Celtics final week, the Spurs held two top-10 offenses (on the time) to a mixed 93 factors per 100 possessions, with the win over the Celtics on Saturday being the one time Boston has been held underneath some extent per possession. They had been coming off a sport the place they scored a season-high 62 factors within the paint, however shot simply 18-for-36 within the paint in opposition to San Antonio, additionally tallying simply 4 free throw makes an attempt. De’Aaron Fox had the most important defensive play of the night time, stripping Jaylen Brown with the Spurs up two within the last minute.
3. After three video games coming off the bench, Victor Wembanyama was again within the beginning lineup on Sunday, when the Spurs opened the sport on a 16-0 run and outscored the Wolves by 17 factors in his 27 minutes on the ground. However Wembanyama’s minutes on the bench had been tough, the Spurs blew a 19-point lead and missed two pictures for the win on their last possession. They’ve now been 13.1 factors per 100 possessions higher with Wembanyama on the ground (plus-13.6) than they’ve been with him off the ground (plus-0.5).
Arising: The Spurs will end their powerful, three-game journey with one other assembly with the champs. They’ve outscored the Thunder by 47 factors (32.6 per 100 possessions) in Wembanyama’s 70 whole minutes over the primary three video games.
