SPUR-EVER: Ten Titles

Luka Doncic laughs off losing the ball late in OT. The Spurs led early, 26-16 after quarter one, but the Mavs struck back going 23-19, then erupting in the third quarter 36-18, only to egg on the fierce road warrior spirit of the San Antonio Spurs. The defending champions went 38-26 in the final quarter, sneaking within single digits. Dallas continued to fend off the Spurs, going up again by four points with a minute to spare on the clock. Enter Nik Stauskas. The sharpshooter splashed in back-to-back three-pointers, reminiscent of Joe Harris doing the same earlier this season in a good win, as the Spurs intentionally fouled Luka Doncic (20 points, 6 assists, 6-8 FT) as he made 1-of-2 at the line. Brandon Ingram got the ball out of the timeout after making a tremendous cut past his defender, bee-lining to the hoop for the easy score-tying dunk. A heave by Doncic fell far from the net as the buzzer sounded, with OverTime on the horizon in Dallas. Brandon Ingram kicked things of...

Murray is having a great year so far. The Spurs struggled a bit from the perimeter, but out-hustled and frustrated the Grizzlies on the road, making tough layups and getting out in transition. The scoreboard showcased the results of the higher effort as San Antone won the second quarter 24-16 and the 3rd 27-19. Dejounte Murray had 16 points with 6 assists. Timofey Mosgov had a great outing with 15 points & 10 rebounds. Taurean Prince scored 14 points, and Jarrett Allen had an 11pt/10reb double-double. Avery Bradley, Brandon Ingram & Michael Beasley (in his first game as a Spur) combined for 30 points. Potential Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant, had 16 points, going 7-15 but had four turnovers, hounded by the veterans Murray & Bradley on defense. Jarren Jackson, Jr, looked freakishly athletic with 20 points & 7 rebonds. Tyus Jones scored 9 points, but the Grizzlies went cold overall (44%, 15% 3PT) and trailed by as many as 25 points.

The Spurs recovered well after a rough loss to the Nets, but the score got too close a few times. Thankfully, Kawhi Leonard missed the free throw after tying the game late with a tough layup, and then missed a game-tying 3PT shot to end the contest, earning the Spurs a 2nd win over the Clippers. Led by Avery Bradley's 18 points with 2 steals, the Spurs were boosted by double-digits from Taurean Prince (16pts, 2-3 3PT), Dejounte Murray (15pts, 3stls) and Timofey Mosgov's 12 points & 13 rebounds with 2 blocks. In the loss, Leonard led LA with 27 points & 6 assists. Paul George dropped 20, with Patrick Beverley's 17 points & 9 assists highlighted by a 3PTer that gave Kawhi the missed chance to steal it.

Kyrie Irving looked comfortable as a Net. The second quarter is when the blowout began, as the Spurs lost it 17-32, then again coming up short in the 4th Quarter 18-28 to seal the defeat. Brandon Ingram managed 21 points, with Dejounte Murray's 18 points behind him. Avery Bradley was the only other Spurs to achieve double-digits, but went 4-12, notably J.R. Smith going 1-8 (1-5 3PT). Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving finished with 26 points & 6 assists. Caris LeVert notched 18 points and DeAndre Jordan commanded 18 rebounds down low. Former Spurs got some revenge: T.J. Warren scored 10 points, Iman Shumpert hit two shots and Kyle O'Quinn had 7 points, 6 rebounds & 2 steals. The Spurs went only 26% from long range, going 41% overall with 12 turnovers, trailing by as many as 22 points.