Issues may very well be quite a bit worse. They may very well be quite a bit higher. Can’t issues be just a bit higher too? Alas, our heroes discovered themselves on the not proper finish of a Texas-sized shootout. Rookie phenom Stephon Fort led the crew with 26 factors whereas Devin Vassell chipped in 22 factors as each gamers drained 3 three-pointers apiece.
I swear each time I’m assigned to a highlights article, the Spurs lose. However I shouldn’t swear as a result of it’s uncouth to yell in a Samuel L. Jackson voice, “I’ve had it with these (expletive) open threes on this (expletive) court docket,” each time the opponent drains an open (expletive) three.
Anyway, please get pleasure from this block by Sandro Mamukelashvili that led to a transition three by Jordan McLauglin as a palate cleanser.
Somebody name the police on Stephon Fort for stealing this hockey-behind-the-goal model pocket move that Steve Nash popularized throughout his heyday within the affiliation. Fort little doubt has come on of late with extra alternatives (albeit with out a rise in minutes) as a consequence of Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox hitting the long-term damage report, and it’s undoubtedly good to see the first-year star cruise to that rookie-of-the-year award.
In a season of many, many increased expectations, Fort working away with the rookie-of-the-year-award was not on everybody’s bingo card (besides mine—in fact I’ve to maintain reminding this into the void that I made the least controversial, fairly secure, not value a clickbait take this aspect of the Rio Grande river).
Except one other rookie on one other crew begins averaging 50 factors per recreation the remainder of the season, the Spurs all of a sudden have two back-to-back rookie of the yr recipients (the final crew to perform that was Minnesota with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Cities).
Blake Wesley doing the alternative of Southwest Airways by taking off for this dunk with out charging us for a checked bag. Wesley’s the kind of dude to face in group B’s line even when he’s in group A.
Confession bear: I as soon as stood in group A with a gaggle C ticket, however the SW attendant was so good she gave me a free drink ticket as amends for the “confusion.” That one has been weighing on me for years. I’m glad I’m capable of air out my demons buried in a highlights article a few Spurs loss to the Charlotte Hornets 145 – 134 (with out extra time!) within the yr of our Lord twenty twenty 5.
Do you know that Chris Paul has performed in each single recreation for the Spurs this season, making him the oldest participant to perform that mark? Do you know which you can make your individual Elevating Cane’s sauce with simply Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic powder, pepper, and salt? Each are fantastic accomplishments, however just one will prevent cash once you bundle your automobile and residential insurance coverage whereas the opposite saves you $0.39 everytime you’re craving southern-style fried rooster.
Can’t inform if Fort pretended to lose management and appear to be he’s about to journey and blew previous his defender in doing so, or if he truly misplaced management and was about to journey however nonetheless blew previous his defender. Both manner, I can not get pleasure from sufficient watching him take the ball to the ring.
It’s going to be enjoyable watching the rookie additional refine his recreation (and possibly let the younger child ball out for greater than 35 minutes at a time!).
I usually marvel if NBA gamers have somebody updating them on scores of their alma mater’s basketball crew taking part in in a event throughout an NBA recreation. But when not, and also you occur to be studying this Harrison Barnes, please settle for my condolences on that Duke/North Carolina recreation tonight that was happening throughout the Spurs recreation.
One other confession bear: I used to eponymously chant “Vlade Vlade, we likes to social gathering; We don’t trigger hassle, we don’t trouble no person” (about Sacramento Kings nice Vlade Divac within the model of Snoop Dogg’s “Lodi Dodi”) any time I’d watch the Kings again within the day when the Kings/Lakers heated rivalry rivaled any sports activities rival at present, extra so than Payments/Chiefs, Bengals/Chiefs, Cowboys/truly profitable, Eagles/Chiefs, Cowboys/actually-paying-their-free-agents-earlier-and-not-waiting-until-price-goes-up, 49ers/Chiefs, and Nico Harrison/Mavs followers.
Probably not a confession, however extra a nonsensical rant to steer me to say, “Mamukelashvili, Mamukelashvili, we likes to social gathering . . .”
In case you missed the sport since you have been too busy calculating lottery odds (NBA and Powerball), listed here are the full-game highlights:
Subsequent up, the Spurs instantly host the second leg of their back-to-back towards the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, March 15, 2025.