Season 48, Game 20
San Antonio 123, Minnesota 101
15-5, 5th in the West
Even though the Spurs had the game in hand from the beginning, I found myself getting annoyed at some of the sloppy and careless play. Then Sean Elliott said something: “We’re just getting a little careless because it’s Minnesota.” I immediately felt better and watched the remainder of the game with the appropriate level of care it deserved.
A little carelessness is to be expected. Down 2 of the Big 3, on the second night of a back-to-back, and coming home after a week-long road trip, there was bound to be listlessness and tired legs. There were lulls in energy, really funky and disjointed line-ups (I imagine several that have never seen court time together), and stretches of really poor decisions and execution.
But it was also against the a depleted Timberwolves team. Almost no amount of error could result in a loss, and a little leeway to “experiment” is to be expected.
So let’s focus on some of the positives in tonight’s win:
–Marco Belinelli was feeling very good about himself in the first half. We forget what an important role he played on this team last season. With his early season injury, he’s fallen a few spots deeper in the rotation than you might expect. Tonight was a great night for him to reestablish some rhythm, get his stroke back, and burn up some big minutes–minutes he’s probably been dying to play. He’s a great shooter and so clever moving away from the ball.
–Marco’s play also demonstrates how important the quality of depth is on this team. In games like this when fatigue and injuries are going to be a factor, the Spurs have a whole bench full of players waiting for an opportunity, waiting for minutes, and, most importantly, the ability to come in and contribute and get wins. Beating the Timberwolves on a Saturday night in December may seem like a foregone conclusion, but they’re also the types of wins a team needs to get to 55-60 wins.
–I know I’m in the minority in not fully jumping on the Cory Joseph bandwagon, but I thought tonight was a great game for him. I think he’s better starting for Tony, as he is really stealing all of Tony’s moves. He’s gotten so good attacking the rim, putting up those awkward unblockable layups, stopping and popping from 15 feet, and running the offense. Much like young Tony, he still doesn’t have a reliable 3-point shot, and sometimes doesn’t quite know when to get his own and when to be a PG.
While I still favor Patty, it’s going to be very interesting how Pop plays the three PGs once they’re all healthy. They all deserve minutes…minutes that won’t be there.
–Kawhi had another important game as a main focal point of the offense. He’s another player still learning when to get his own and when to involve teammates. There were definite cases of both tonight: plays when he should have passed to an open teammate, and plays when he should have put the ball up. But this is nitpicking. In all, he looked great tonight on offense. I particularly love when he’s aggressive in the open court and in early offense, really putting a ton of pressure on opposing defenses when they are weakest.
–It only happened once tonight, but Baynes is showing a very reliable 14 foot jump shot. This really opens up so many offensive possibilities with the second unit. Plus, it’s just fun to watch this brute of a man shooting feathery jump shots.
The Spurs have a couple of nights off before heading to Utah on Tuesday to play the Jazz.
