Shorthanded Spurs persevere to squeal past Pelicans

After a last second loss to the Thunder, the Spurs proved they can still win close games. Thanks in large part to a fantastic performance from DeMar DeRozan on his return, San Antonio beat the Pelicans 117-114 at home in another game that went on the wire.

It didn’t look like the still severely shorthanded Spurs were even going to force a late closing early in the game. Neither team played a good defense to start the night, but San Antonio simply had no answer for Brandon Ingram. The young All-Star winger dropped 15 points in the first quarter to advance his team by eight points. Fortunately, San Antonio increased the defensive intensity on the perimeter while keeping Zion Williamson under control. Once the second units were registered, the Silver and Black found the edge they needed to come back to it fully, with plenty of credit due to LaMarcus Aldridge’s aggressive play off the bench.

With Aldridge and DeRozan leading the way on offense and an inspired Dejounte Murray wreaking havoc at both ends, Spurs showed more balance in the second quarter. Luck was also in their favor, to be fair, as they were hot from the outside at the right time as the Pelicans struggled with the long ball. If New Orleans could have capitalized on the open appearances San Antonio conceded by overtaking Sion and wrapping paint on the records, the halftime score might have been different. Unfortunately for the visitors, the Spurs did a good job messing up some of their shooters with strong fences, which resulted in a 1-for-7 quarterback beyond the arc for the Pelicans. After a strong closing streak by San Antonio, the lead was six at the break.

The Pelicans had their chance to regain control in the third quarter after some good plays from Williamson, but they made mistakes that kept them from enjoying Spurs’ usual post-halftime lull. After a few chaotic first minutes, San Antonio started again to limit Zion’s impact and control the pace. On offense, they put Trey Lyles in the X-factor role that Lonnie Walker IV played in the second quarter, but the work of DeRozan, who orchestrated the offense well, was really the main reason for their success. Both teams felt cold from the outside and every point was harder to come by, but thanks to an accomplished half-field creator, Spurs came out on top and extended their lead to nine heading into the final period.

The DeRozan addiction that helped them early on returned to haunt Spurs in the fourth quarter. After thriving with an ISO-heavy attack in the second and third frames, the attack dried up. The actors couldn’t hit their punches and unless DeRozan got on the line, there was nothing easy. Luckily for the Spurs, the Pelicans just couldn’t make that final push. Zion has had a great time and the whole team deserves credit for cutting the deficit to three on several occasions in the last few minutes. But every time they got closer, they couldn’t close the gap by missing a shot or failing on defense.

Play Notes

• DeMar DeRozan returned with a vengeance, registering 32 points and 11 assists. It was a tremendous performance that carried Spurs through the toughest parts of the game. DeRozan won’t be in Atlanta, but everyone should know by now that he’s an All-Star level player.
• LaMarcus Aldridge came off the bench again and did a good job offending. After missing a few jumpers, he got more aggressive and ended up shooting 10 free throws. As a bench scorer who can punish second units, Aldridge could be quite productive going forward.
• Is anyone in the league called up for so many soft offensive fouls when screening as Jakob Poeltl? It’s weird. Despite big issues, Jak managed to pull out 11 boards and block three shots in a win, so I’m sure he’s not too bothered with that, but I can’t wait for him to get the respect for officials.
• Dejounte Murray filled in the stat sheet, flirting with another triple-double, while also doing a good job of containing Ingram after his initial barrage. Murray did most of his damage in the first half, but still found ways to contribute when the ball wasn’t in his hands after DeRozan took control. It’s great to see how reliable it becomes.
• Trey Lyles and Lonnie Walker IV have been asked to run again as starters. As mentioned, both had their moments, but they also just helped out in their areas of expertise. Lyles had seven rebounds and kept the ball moving while Lonnie had 17 points. These two will probably continue to have big minutes until everyone is back, so it was good to see them playing well despite some tough defensive assignments.
• Patty Mills was hot in the first half but cold in the second. He’s always played well on both sides, so it’s hard to complain.
• Luka Samanic came off the bench this time but had one of the most encouraging zero point, three rebound games I can remember. He just looked like he belonged and played good defense, for the most part. He also almost had a monster comeback dunk which unfortunately was canceled. We are seeing progress from Luka.
• The whole Spurs game plan centered around stopping Zion Williamson, and he still got 23 points. Even though the defense forces him to take a bad shot, Zion is so strong and has such a good second jump that he can hook up his own offensive board and get the recoil. That’s how he caught at least four of his eight offensive rebounds against Spurs. Just a beast of a gamer.

Next game: Vs. the Nets on Monday

The Nets will then visit the AT&T center. Spurs’ perimeter defenders will face another tough challenge. If they can stop James Harden, the Silver and Black should be able to secure their second straight win.