It may be onerous to play by way of all the noise. Consideration within the NBA house is commonly a double-edged sword. The rumor mill brings pleasure for followers and distractions for the gamers. The San Antonio Spurs discover themselves on the entrance burner of the new range with latest stories suggesting Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox needs to don the Silver and Black.
The Spurs must battle by way of that noise in an enormous matchup in opposition to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. It’s San Antonio’s first sport again in the USA after a two-game journey to Paris the place they cut up the collection with the Indiana Pacers. They’ll be welcomed again by one of many hardest defenses within the NBA, and a well-known face in Kawhi Leonard.
San Antonio blew out the Clippers of their final contest, 122-86. Now they face a distinct Clippers squad that’s primarily in full well being. They’ll should cope with not simply the Clippers’ stout protection however a three-headed offensive behemoth that features Leonard, James Harden, and Norman Powell. It’ll be a troublesome sport in an important stretch of their season.
January 29, 2025 | 7 PM CT
Watch: Fan Duel | Pay attention: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Accidents: Sidy Cissoko – Out (concussion protocol), Riley Minix – Out (G League), David Duke Jr. – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League)
Clippers Accidents: Cam Christie – Out (ankle), Kris Dunn – Out (knee), Trentyn Flowers – Out (G League), Kai Jones – Out (G League), PJ Tucker – Out (not with staff)
What to look at for:
Offensive consistency
The Spurs have struggled mightily with sustaining an offensive rhythm all through a sport. Their 12-point fourth quarter in opposition to the Pacers of their final sport is proof. They’d two quarters the place they scored lower than 20 factors of their first matchup with the Clippers. Los Angeles is second in defensive ranking and third in factors allowed. They play an aggressive model, particularly on the wings. That model gave the Spurs points in opposition to the Pacers. Dealing with the strain and discovering a strategy to create offense for 48 minutes shall be key.
Stephon Fort responds
Gamers are people similar to us. They see what individuals are saying on-line and within the media. One Spur whose title has come up most frequently within the Fox commerce rumors is Stephon Fort. It’s so early in his profession for the rookie to face this type of adversity, however he appeared well-equipped for it. He’s having January, scoring 13.9 factors and three.9 assists. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how Fort responds in opposition to the Clippers.
Three-point capturing
The Spurs are a streaky capturing staff. They’ve hit simply 34.8% from deep this season, however in some video games, it looks like they’ll’t miss. The Clippers are elite at guarding the three-point line, permitting groups to shoot simply 34.2% from three. When the Spurs rise up and down and discover threes in rhythm, they’re onerous to protect. Taking part in with tempo, house, and ball motion will assist them get going in opposition to the Clippers.
