Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for theSan Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 19: After a couple of rough losses — their second straight blown double-digit lead in New Orleans and a wire-to-wire blowout loss in Houston — the Spurs concluded the Rodeo Road Trip with a surprising win in Memphis after building just a big enough lead to not completely blow, followed by finally returning home for the first time in a month to put up an offensive fight (but to no avail) against the Thunder.
Week 20: 1-2 (26-36, 13th in West)
127-113 win vs. Brooklyn Nets
Recap: The Spurs continued to ride their offensive momentum of the last couple games to win in front of their home crowd for the first time in over a month, led by a career night of 37 points and 8 threes from Devin Vassell. It didn’t hurt that they played a more “normal” game than usual, playing a solid first half before putting their opponent away in the second (as opposed to getting out big early then holding on for dear life as they inevitably collapse).
What we learned
109-127 loss at Sacramento Kings
Recap: The Spurs’ offense came back down to earth after the last three games, going completely stagnant (particularly in the second quarter) while the Kings exploded from three. The Spurs tried to make things interesting in the fourth quarter, but the Kings always had an answer, and the hole they had dug themselves was too deep to climb out of.
What we learned
124-141 loss at Minnesota Timberwolves
Recap: Running into yet another team that was red hot from three and seemingly couldn’t miss, the Spurs did their best to keep up with the Timberwolves for three quarters, but despite a strong shooting night from inside the arc, eventually the twos couldn’t counter the threes anymore, and the Wolves pulled away in the fourth to hand the Spurs their second straight loss.
What we learned
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 21 (last week: 20)
OffRtg: 112.8 (17) DefRtg: 115.4 (24) NetRtg: -2.6 (21) Pace: 100.1 (12)
The Spurs got a win over Brooklyn on Tuesday, but weren’t very competitive in Sacramento or Minnesota over the weekend.
Three takeaways
1. Playing without Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs rank 28th defensively (121.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) since the All-Star break, having seen the league’s biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions from before the break (114.1, 19th). There have been 21 games this season where a team scored at least 30 second-chance points, and two of the 21 came against the Spurs in the last three days.
2. Stephon Castle continues to come off the bench, but has been the Spurs’ leading scorer (23.3 points per game) over the last six games. He’s seen big jumps in the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint (61% vs. 53% prior) and his field goal percentage in the paint (64.6% vs. 52.5%).
3. The Spurs suddenly have an opportunity to capture the final SoFi Play-In Tournament spot in the West. They trail the 10th-place Mavs by three games in the loss column and Dallas is depleted and reeling. Plus, the teams will play two games in San Antonio this week. The other two games on the Spurs’ homestand are against the Hornets and Pelicans.
Of course, the Spurs trail Dallas by six games in the win column and have a jam-packed schedule going forward. Their loss in Minnesota on Sunday began their second stretch of five games in seven days.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points— 23 (last week: 24)
Now 4.5 games back of the 10-seed in the West, the San Antonio Spurs are on their way to another lottery pick. This isn’t the worst scenario in the world, as the Spurs find themselves in a very good position moving forward with De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyma having a full offseason to work alongside one another. Plus, the potential of a top pick joining the mix creates a ton of intrigue in San Antonio.
Coming up: Mon. 3/10 vs. Dallas Mavericks; Wed. 3/12 vs. Dallas Mavericks; Fri. 3/14 vs. Charlotte Hornets; Sat. 3/15 vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Prediction: 3-1 — It may not have been the case a month ago, but this has suddenly become the easiest stretch of schedule this entire season with four home, all games against bad teams. The Mavs inexplicably traded Luka Doncic, have lost Kyrie Irving and possibly Derek Lively and Anthony Davis for the season, and were down to just 7 healthy players last night. Now, the Spurs get them two games in a row at home, along with bad Hornets and Pelicans teams the Spurs should be out for revenge against after blowing large leads to them in three RRT matchups.
In another world where the Spurs are healthy and pushing for the play-in, I would predict 4-0 in a heartbeat. HOWEVER, this is the Spurs we’re talking about: they’re missing Victor Wembanyama and therefore have no source of rim protection, they have not won their last 9 SEGABABA’s, and this week (including last night) is a FIGASENI. As a result, I can’t allow myself to say 4-0, but my fingers also refuse to type 2-2 (besides right here) because the Spurs are admittedly a much better team at home (and yes, I’ll probably regret this). If nothing else, it will be an intriguing week with no “scheduled losses”.