This season, it's seemed like the San Antonio Spurs haven't been able to rest on their laurels until after the final buzzer sounds. For a young team that may or may not be tanking, it makes sense that they would often blow leads, although San Antonio has made it their calling card.
Earlier last month, in back-to-back contests, the Spurs blew 17 and 19-point lads to the New Orleans Pelicans. On Saturday, they beat the Pelicans 119-115 and gave New Orleans a taste of their own medicine.
In the third quarter, the Spurs found themselves down by eight points before igniting a 17-0 run, led largely by the bench unit. Keldon Johnson was fantastic, scoring 19 points and leading the second unit, and the Spurs hung on to win.
While the main goal for the rest of the season, now that De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama are both out, is to get Stephon Castle as many reps as possible, players on the bench are still striving to prove that they belong.
With Johnson leading the way, the four double-digit bench scorers (Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie, and Sandro Mamukelashvili) are all showing that they are valuable pillars moving forward.
"We were having fun playing for each other," said Johnson. "When you do those types of things, great things tend to happen."
Johnson has often been credited with being the energy guy on the roster, and as his role continues to expand, he prides himself on his leadership both on and off the court.
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"We know we got to bring energy, we know we got to play together, share the ball, play defense," he continued. "When we come into the game, we just try to change it around and bring energy."
The Spurs will have a day off on Sunday before traveling to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 4:12 PM.