No lead is protected within the fashionable NBA. The San Antonio Spurs discovered that lesson in Sunday’s house opener towards the Brooklyn Nets. The Spurs’ 26-point lead, constructed over the course of roughly 27 minutes, turned a 1-point deficit with 10 minutes left within the fourth quarter. Because of the heroics of their celebrity and his new rookie teammate, the Spurs have been capable of pull out their second-straight clutch victory, 118-107.
“There have been similarities to the New Orleans (Pelicans) sport,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson mentioned. “You don’t blow groups out or lead for 48 minutes on this league… Once you give groups or gamers life, once you help in that… Now they make photographs. Now one in every of your photographs goes out and in. A troublesome whistle right here and there. That’s the place we have to proceed to get extra constant.”
The Nets have been bodily and pressured the Spurs from the bounce. San Antonio turned the ball over 4 occasions within the first two and a half minutes. Brooklyn ceaselessly despatched doubles at Victor Wembanyama and had two large, bodily facilities in Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, who persistently bodied up Wemby. Brooklyn’s physicality appeared to shock the Spurs a bit within the opening minutes of the sport.
Issues didn’t stabilize till rookie guard Dylan Harper entered the sport. Harper had a decent command over the competition and made Brooklyn pay for his or her strain protection. He had 20 factors, 8 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers off the bench in simply 29 minutes. Plus-minus is a flawed stat, however Harper was an eye-popping +33 within the sport.
“He made some actually stable, easy performs in the present day,” Johnson mentioned. “His offense was actually good; his stat line will characterize that. His protection was even higher than his offense.”
Harper wasn’t the one bench participant who made a big affect. Keldon Johnson continued his stretch of stable play along with his greatest sport of the season. He picked up 11 factors within the first quarter and continued to affect the sport all through, ending with 19 factors and seven rebounds, together with 3 large offensive boards.
“Keldon is impacting profitable greater than he ever has, and it’s actually cool to see,” Johnson mentioned. “You create your personal luck, and he’s getting rewarded for that.”
That reward has prolonged from the teaching employees to his teammates.
“That boy is a canine,” Harper mentioned. “He’s relentless on the glass. He’s all the time the loudest one. He by no means loses vitality, it doesn’t matter what. He’s our voice and is working arduous.”
Because of the arduous work of Johnson and Harper, the Spurs had constructed a 26-point lead early within the third quarter. Then got here a flurry of threes from Cam Thomas and the Nets. Thomas was unstoppable, irrespective of who was guarding him on Sunday. Whether or not it was Stephon Fortress, Harper, or perhaps a contest from Wembanyama, all the things was entering into. Thomas completed with a game-high 40 factors on 11-25 taking pictures and spearheaded the Nets’ comeback within the third. Brooklyn went on a 25-7 run within the third, outscoring the Spurs 33-19 whole within the quarter.
Brooklyn shot 9-16 from three over the course of their run to get themselves again within the sport. Whereas the Spurs couldn’t purchase a bucket, the Nets have been buzzing on all cylinders. Function gamers like Jalen Wilson made a big impact, because the swingman knocked down three triples on his technique to 9 factors.
It was the rookie who would get the Spurs again into the sport within the fourth. After checking in, Harper bought entering into transition, scoring simply over and across the Nets’ defenders on the rim.
“After they took the lead, I may see the vitality go down a bit,” Harper mentioned. I (all the time) wish to are available and decide the vitality up. That’s one thing Keldon and I do large.“
With 6 minutes to go, Harper snatched an offensive rebound from two Nets defenders and kicked it out to Wembanyama for an enormous three-pointer that put the group up 6. It was 3 of Wembanyama’s 9 fourth-quarter factors that helped seal the victory for the Spurs. San Antonio’s celebrity had what felt like an off sport, however nonetheless tallied 31 factors, 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists, and three steals.
The Spurs completed the sport on a 10-o run by doing what they’ve completed properly all season, dominate inside and play in transition. Johnson and Fortress scored layups, Wemby bought an alley-oop dunk and a few free throws, and Devin Vassell sealed the sport with a steal and dunk on the break. The Spurs as soon as once more owned the paint, outscoring the Nets 48-28 inside.
San Antonio is undefeated three video games into the yr for the primary time for the reason that 2019-2020 season. The Spurs could have their 3-0 document examined towards a tricky Toronto Raptors squad on Monday night time. Each groups will probably be on the second sport of a back-to-back.
