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Spurs goaltender Derrick White took the first shot at rising Nuggets star Jamal Murray in the 101-96 San Antonio win over Denver on Saturday. White, a sophomore who succeeded Dejounte Murray as playmaker after a pre-season injury, defeated his beloved counterpart in the first game of the series between the two teams. He finished with 16 points and five assists on 7 out of 10 shots, against Murray's 17 points and 8 out of 8 shots. The match between the two guards, who mostly defended themselves on the floor, will play an important role in determining the outcome of the series.
White could make a name in the playoffs. He has one of the NBA's most unlikely home stories: he is a former Division II athlete who has played a season in Colorado and was taken away with No. 29 choices in total in the 2017 draft a few days before his 23rd birthday. After spending most of his rookie season in the G League, White was ready when Murray fell, stabilizing the Spurs at both ends of the ground. He is a stable decision maker (3.9 assists on 1.4 turnovers) able to succeed open shots (33.8% on 3 attempts on 2.1 per game) with a size (6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds with a span of 6 feet 8 inches). and athletics to defend several positions. San Antonio has his best net score with Whites on the ground (plus-4.3 in 1728 minutes) compared to their other starters, and their worst score when he left (minus -0.9 in 2,223 minutes).
His skills were fully visible at his first playoff start. After committing two quick fouls in the opening minutes, White calmed down and took control of the game early in the second quarter. It is perfectly suited to the Spurs attack: it lacks the bursting of many of the best leaders in the NBA, but it is a smart player who knows how to play against DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. White made the bulk of his damage by leaving the ball, attacking makeups and taking advantage of the rotating defense to reach the edge and find the man open. He used his strength to move Murray away from his movements:
White took over for Aldridge (15 points out of 6 shots out of 19) and DeRozan (18 points out of 6 shots out of 17), both of whom fought against the Nuggets' double aggressive teams. He is the key to the skeleton that unlocks all the others on the Spurs. DeRozan, an average defender and a mediocre outsider, must be associated with a 3-D guard like Dale White. His net score this season goes over-2.3 in 1 238 minutes with White to less than 2.4 in 1,451 minutes without him. San Antonio does not have enough defense when DeRozan plays with a combination of Bryn Forbes, Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli in the backcourt.
White's defense against Murray was just as important as Saturday's attack. He is only an average athlete compared to the NBA, but he is a tireless worker who uses his length to his advantage. He is tied for second place in blocks per game (0.7) among goalkeepers this season, and he is in the 73rd percentile of all players in the world league when he defends the pick-and-roll and at the 70th percentile defending the isolations, according to Synergy Sports tracking numbers. . White did a great job of staying tied to Murray while chasing him around the screens, picking up the ball off the 3-point line and challenging his shot:
Whites do not have all the merit of Murray's poor performance on Saturday. Murray missed many open shots, while the individual fights on the perimeter are quite fluid. Murray played five minutes longer than White and their minutes were not perfectly aligned. There were also situations where they were matched on other players in transition, or forced to change assignments after a screen. But the numbers when the two were against each other were striking: Murray was 6 out of 17 in the 35 possessions where White was his leading defender, while White was 6 out of 7 in the 33 possessions where Murray was his main defender.
It is difficult for the Nuggets to overcome Murray's poor performance. The third year guard leads them in the placement attempts (15.6 per game), and he is their second best scorer (18.2 points on a 43.7% shot) and playmaker (4.8 assists). decisive with 2.1 turnovers per game). He has had huge points games this season, including losing 48 points to the Celtics. Denver needs his outside shots to give Jokic the floor: It's a 3-point average shooting team that is not. 16 in league attempts (31.4 per game) and no. 17 as a percentage (35.1). Murray fires 39.7% of his 3 attempts to 5.9 per game winning this season and 29.9% to 4.9 attempts his defeats. He was 0-on-6 of 3 Saturday.
Murray lived an enchanted life in the NBA. He is a first-rate player with a medium size (6 feet 4 inches and 207 pounds with a wingspan of 6 feet 6 inches) and a track and field for a goalkeeper shooter. Playing next to Jokic gives him the freedom to hunt for his own shot against smaller defenders as a leader, without having to worry about facilitating the offense. His net score goes from plus-6.7 in 1,859 minutes with Jokic this season to over-1,3 in 589 minutes without him. His performance in the first match was the worst scenario for the Nuggets. They can not afford their headguard to shoot 23 shots without a single help. Murray must ensure that the ball returns to Jokic, who has 14 assists for just nine shots.
Denver has other options if Murray can not go. Monte Morris is one of the NBA's top scorers, whose emergence in his second season may have ended Isaiah Thomas's career in the NBA. He averaged 10.4 points over 49.3 percent in 24.0 minutes per game this season, as well as 3.6 assists in just 0.6 turnovers. Murray does not have the size or ability of Murray to score the dribble, but he is a more consistent defender, as well as a better passer and shooter outside (41.4% against 3 out of 2.8 attempts per game). The Nuggets need a second playmaker in addition to Jokic in this series, and Morris was second in aid assistance (five) on Saturday when he had only played 23 minutes.
The problem with Morris more is that there may not be enough minutes for Murray elsewhere in the rotation. Moving him to the wing would mean reducing playing time for Gary Harris, Will Barton, Torrey Craig and Malik Beasley, who all went on to defend DeRozan in the opening game. Murray time on the DeRozan bigger and stronger. There is not much room to hide a perimeter player in defense against the Spurs. DeRozan is an All-Star player, while White, Mills, Forbes and Belinelli move well without a ball and can punish defenders for falling asleep. San Antonio will not fight, and they will kill a team that makes mental mistakes.
It's a safe bet that Denver head coach Mike Malone will not make any major changes to his rotation. The Nuggets are a young team making their playoff debut. Their plan is for Murray (22) to become their second star alongside Jokic (24) for the next decade. They do not want to shake Murray's confidence. He will have to play a lot better so that they can beat the Spurs. It starts with the fact that he opens the 3 points and moves the ball when he enters the lane. He rarely sent her back to Jokic after the big man put the screen in the two-man game.
Murray's other key is to stay engaged in defense. He had good times at this level Saturday, including five interceptions. He just has to stick to the game. White is not a demon of speed. He should not be able to blow Murray by the dribble. Murray needs to be more aware of White's position on the ground and do a better job of positioning himself so White can not unbalance him. The end of the first match was marked by the duel between the two guards, who missed a rider at the last minute and forced the other in a crucial turnover. Whoever makes these coins consistently over the next two weeks could reverse the situation in a series that should be hotly contested:
It should be a learning experience for Murray and White. There is nowhere to hide during the playoffs. The key players on each team must surpass the guy around them to move forward. Whatever their reputation or origin. Murray was a five-star rookie who played a season in Kentucky before being caught by No. 7 overall choice in the 2016 draft. He is supposed to be a star. He should be able to win a match against White, a player most NBA fans have never heard of. White could make a name for Murray in this series. Murray can win his against the whites. He has a chance to fight back in the second game on Tuesday.
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