The San Antonio Spurs have been riding high for the last two weeks. In the absence of Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, the team has secured big wins and earned its spot in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals. It seemed like that hot streak was continuing in Minneapolis until a fourth-quarter collapse handed the Spurs a 125-112 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There were plenty of highlights for both teams. The difference ended up being the hot shooting of the Wolves down the stretch. Minnesota shot 46% from three, knocking down 17 triples, while the Spurs shot only 24%, hitting 8 threes.
It was rare to see a three go down for the Spurs on Sunday night. This play was fairly comical at the moment. No one picks up Luke Kornet, so he brings the ball up in transition to find Harrison Barnes on the kickout. After an aggressive closeout by Donte DiVincenzo, Barnes resets and knocks down an open three.
Later in the first quarter, Kelly Olynyk got open off a Devin Vassell drive. Vassell draws three Minnesota defenders before kicking it out to Olynyk for the triple. Olynyk is typically known as a stretch big, but has only shot 30.8% from deep for San Antonio this season. Some of that may have to do with his sparse playing time, but the big man has struggled to find a good rhythm from deep so far.
Dylan Harper kept up his solid play with another strong performance against Minnesota. He consistently took the ball to the hoop, even with former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert protecting the rim. Harper had 17 points on 8-12 shooting off the bench.
Harper’s poise and finishing ability for a rookie are impressive. Here, Harper’s initial dig in on Naz Reid disrupts his handle, allowing Vassell to grab the steal. This is a tough catch and finish, going full speed in transition with a defender on your back. Harper makes it look easy.
Vassell didn’t have quite the hot shooting night as he did against the Denver Nuggets. He had 22 points on 50% shooting from the field, but he only hit one of his nine three-pointers. The Spurs desperately needed his threes to fall against the Wolves. This mid-range jumper in the third quarter was beautiful, though. This behind-the-back dribble to stop on a dime and nail the shot is impressive.
Keldon Johnson provided a scoring punch off the bench. He had 22 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 8-12 from the field. He did a little bit of everything, as he was one of two Spurs to hit multiple three-pointers. He did most of his damage in the paint. He’s so good at using his strength to draw contact, while still having the touch to finish at the rim.
De’Aaron Fox carried the offensive load for the Spurs once again. He had 25 points in the loss. He continues to be great at weaving his way into the paint and creatively finishing around the basket. On top of that, he’s shooting the ball pretty well, hitting 35.9% of his threes to start the season.
This was a great play (and edit by the Spurs marketing team). Fox pushes the ball out between two defenders, knowing he has the speed to catch up to it, and then finishes at the rim. It’s a play only the most explosive guards could make in the half-court. Fox fits the criteria.
On top of his finishing ability, Fox can knock down threes and hit creative shots in the mid-range. He’s a true three-level scorer. You’d have to think that when the team is at full strength, he’s getting even easier looks at the basket.
The Spurs will head back to San Antonio for a one-game homestand against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. Watch the video below for full game highlights.
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