Spurs show depth in their antics on injured Trail Blazers

Spurs’ dominance on the road continued into Martin Luther King Jr.’s day in Portland. With LaMarcus Aldridge in the lead and a strong second unit performance, San Antonio comfortably beat the Trail Blazers 125-104 to win their sixth game away from the AT&T Center and their eighth of the season.

Both teams started the game taking advantage of their opponent’s central weakness, with the Spurs using pick-and-pop after pick-and-pop to expose Enes Kanter’s inability to contain and recover, while the Blazers did the same with LaMarcus Aldridge using transfers and screens to free Rodney Hood from the midrange. These games unlocked the offenses, which dominated early on as the defenses failed to do much. San Antonio’s offense looked a little smoother, which is why the team put in the best quarterback of the season, but despite the overall points, Spurs only led four after the first quarter due to their inability to get enough saves.

The trend of just swapping buckets continued into the second period, at least for a while, although San Antonio’s second unit is better than the Blazers. Once the starters returned, however, Spurs made their first run. The jumpers were falling, which gave the Silver and Black a nine-point lead at one point before Damian Lillard stopped the bleeding. It was a missed opportunity to sideline the fiery Blazers early on due to unforced errors (and an understandable attempt to attack Lillard, who was in trouble) that turned on him and blocked the offensive. Enough shots fell for Spurs to increase their lead to five at the break, but it wasn’t their best effort.

Not much changed in the second half. Aldridge always feasted on pick-and-pop jumpers, and the San Antonio attack looked more fluid and balanced overall. But once again, the second they created a split, the Spurs started flipping the ball around and making bad decisions on offense while letting Portland get enough buckets to keep the game tight. Although he had to work for everything against a large switchable perimeter defense, Lillard managed to line up and fuel an attack that didn’t have many other reliable weapons. Once the benches were saved, Spurs regained the lead, but there was a feeling they had missed another opportunity to finish this one quickly.

Fortunately, the second unit did not give up to start the last period. The Blazers’ lack of depth caused by injuries to CJ McCollum, Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic was finally revealed, as Patty Mills, Rudy Gay and Jakob Poeltl outscored their outclassed counterparts to open a significant 17-point lead. From there, navigation went smoothly for San Antonio despite an attempt by Lillard to make it a game. This time around, the Spurs’ tendency to play at their opponent’s level did not come back to haunt them, as they closed in force just like they did against the Rockets on Saturday. It would have been great to see more of a killer instinct earlier, but in the end, all that matters is that ultimately Silver and Black took care of things.

Play Notes

• Thanks, Enes Kanter. LaMarcus Aldridge needed a big game and he got one by doing what he does most comfortable doing: taking open pick-and-pop midrange jumpers. Aldridge scored all 20 of his 22 points in the middle zone taking – and missing – his only shot to the rim and his only attempt beyond the arc. Is this the shooting profile he should have in the future? Certainly not, but given his defender, it made sense that he had this shooting chart:

• In their previous game, Spurs had a low season in assists. Against the Blazers, they had their second most in a game. Anyone who played at least a dime when Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan had 11 each and Devin Vassell (!) Had four. Portland has poor defense and Aldridge’s hot shots played a role in the guards getting so many assists (five of the DeRozans were in Aldridge) but it was always good to see the ball move.
• You couldn’t tell from looking at the boxscore, since he finished with 35 points from 23 attempts and six assists, but Spurs made Lillard work for everything and made him spit the ball five times. The perimeter defense is still far from great, but there is potential.
• Speaking of defense, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV didn’t shine on offense but did their part on the other end. They also combined to get 11 boards. Dejounte Murray had nine rebounds, one less than a triple-double. Perimeter players are rebounding well, which is part of why Aldridge, who only had two tables on Monday, posted disappointing numbers in this category.
• As good as DeRozan, Aldridge and Murray were, the bench was definitely the difference in this one. Rudy Gay and Patty Mills took him beyond the arc and Jakob Poeltl once again took advantage of an opponent who lacked a save center. The Spurs bench more than doubled Portland in points and had an outstanding defender and offensive rebounder in Jak. Depth matters.
• Devin Vassell gets his own ball point because he not only made more than three in this game (two) than he did in the last five games combined, but also moved the ball, rebounded well and was solid in defense. Games like this are encouraging not only about his future but also his ability to contribute now.
• Spurs continue to catch opponents as they lack key players and beat them. Memphis didn’t have Jaren Jackson Jr., the Clippers were missing Paul George, the Rockets were missing half of their roster, including John Wall and Victor Oladipo, and now the Blazers were missing their second and third best players. Some would argue that this might explain why they exceeded expectations, in terms of records, but Spurs lack Derrick White and are without DeRozan for a few games. Either way, Silver and Black will win the victories for now. There will be plenty of time to prove themselves against full-strength opponents later in the season.

Next game: @ Warriors Wednesday

Spurs will have their first clash against the always dangerous Warriors. They’ll have to make Stephen Curry work for everything and win the battle inside against Draymond Green and James Wiseman to escape with a victory.