Season 48, Game 24
San Antonio 99, Denver 91
17-7, 5th in the West

This was one of those frustrating games that the Spurs mostly dominated early and built up a big lead, only to squander most of it away; they never quite lost control of the game but also never quite put it away. So a once 17-point margin is cut to about 5, and then vacillates between 5 and 9, so that you never quite feel like the game is out of hand, yet it never quite feels like the other team has enough to get back into it. Then it looks out of hand with about a minute left, but the other team hits some stupid threes, and it’s still probably out of hand, but timeouts and free throws stretch the last 50 seconds of the game out over a 30-minute span, and the Spurs miss just enough free throws to never quite put the finishing touches on it.

You know, one of those types of games.

The good news: the Spurs got the win. More good news: Kawhi Leonard put up the quietest most dominating stat line you could hope to see: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, and 6 blocks with only 1 turnover. Read that line again, slowly, and out loud. Let it fully sink in.

The best news of all: Tiago Splitter started and played 20 very productive minutes. While certainly the least spectacular of the starting unit, he might be the piece that kind of holds it all together, the center (literally and figuratively). Tiago and Timmy form a formidable defensive front line. Throw in Kawhi and Danny on the wings, and that is one of the best defensive units in all of basketball, on full display tonight.

After a hot shooting start for the Nuggets, the Spurs completely shut them down in the 2nd quarter, allowing only 12 points. Between those 4 players, the rim is absolutely shut down for bigs and guards. We all know about Duncan’s blocking ability, and Leonard and Green might be the two best blocking wings in the game. They also do a wonderful job running shooters off of the 3-point line, leaving the only soft spots in the defense that long 2-point jump shot. Which is what we want them taking.

Even as the Nuggets made their push in the third, the defense remained good. Denver just hit some incredible shots. (Arron Afflalo was trying to have a career night, and damn near succeeded.)

Of course, in the 4th quarter as the game seesawed back and forth, the defense really started to come apart. Most possessions seemed to end with a wide open shot, an offensive rebound, or a foul. Sometimes all 3. Tiago was out; Kawhi sat for a large portion of the quarter.

Luckily, the teams were content to trade baskets and trade miscues, and the margin never got under 5.

I was a bit testy watching the end of this game, wanting the team to close it out already. You know who else was testy? Pop. He’s been really agitated the last few weeks, as I think he knows his team is not where they should be. The Spurs are winning enough games to hold ground in the West and look solid against top-tier talent, but they are also losing games uncharacteristically to lower-level teams and often seem to be stuck in the mud, spinning their wheels. It’s a long season with a lot of time to go, but this is also a team that has been playing together for a year and a half now, and shouldn’t have the growing pains typical of other teams.

A testy Pop is a good Pop.

It’s a good thing the Spurs got this win, because they play in Portland tomorrow night, a recipe for near-certain disaster. (Funny how the schedule almost always puts them in Portland on the second night of a back-to-back.) Portland has not been a welcoming place for the Spurs in recent years, and I fully expect a loss. I also expect to see some players sitting for rest. I hope for a competitive game and to see positive signs, regardless of outcome.