SPUR-EVER: Ten Titles

It just hasn't worked out for Beasley & Dekker. The Spurs have reluctantly cut both recent free agent additions, Michael Beasley & Sam Dekker respectively, after both failed to be effective on the court for San Antonio. Beasley got more playing time, but shot 28% overall including 15% from the 3-PT line on just 3.4ppg. In a bad loss against the Phoenix Suns, Dekker turned the ball over and missed an open 3-PT shot in the corner. With surprising growth by Derrick White and with Nik Stauskas flourishing as a reliable sniper (41% 3PT thus far with the Spurs), it was enough of a struggle to even get Beasley & Dekker playing time, which meant it was vital for them to play well when given the chance. Reportedly this caused morale issues for Beasley & Dekker, as we know are player personnel issues better off elsewhere. It's unknown at this time if the Spurs will take fliers on any other free talents, but it has been nice to see Stauskas coming on nicely, aiding...

Ingram is on a good upswing lately. The Spurs got revenge on the Suns in Texas, with Brandon Ingram's stellar 25-point display delighting the Spurs faithful. "We're trying some new things," Coach Pop said post-game regarding Ingram starting at the power forward position and P.J. Tucker on the wing, whose perimeter defense is lauded as proficient. Tucker went 2-7 & 0-4 from long range, but with Nik Stauskas catching fire since joining the Spurs, it freed up a nice combo of Stauskas/Ingram, giving the Spurs more shooting power and Tucker can also get hot at times. Ingram also managed 7 rebounds whose 6'9" presence behooves such, going 12-22 overall with 2 steals & 3 blocks. Dejounte Murray had 15 points with 6 rebounds & 8 assists, 1 steal and hitting a three also. Nik Stauskas splashed in 15 points (5-10 3PT). Avery Bradley came on late for 11 points, still struggling lately with 2 steals. Taurean Prince chipped in 11, also with 3 steals. T...

#1 pick Zion Williamson had a forgettable showing. The Pelicans were blown out in the Big Easy tonight, losing badly: the Spurs won the second quarter 35-17 & the third quarter 32-24. Brandon Ingram looked great with 22 points. Nik Stauskas scored 15 points; Dragan Bender joined the active unit with 15 points & 9 rebounds. Taurean Prince scored 12 points; J.R. Smith knocked in 12 points with 7 assists. Derrick White & Dejounte Murray combined for 18 points & 8 assists. San Antonio shot 55%, also splashing in fourteen perimeter baskets. They got four more free throws than the Pelicans, winning the fast break 3-13, the paint 52-40 & Bench Points 74-58, sharing 30 assists as a unit. The Pelicans went 21% from long range and only 40% from the field.

The Suns downed the Spurs tonight in a close and therefore frustrating road loss for San Antonio. Frank Kaminsky, III scored 15 points with 9 rebounds in a collaborative effort by Phoenix to get the feel-good home win. The Suns won the fourth quarter 31-24 to pull away late. Ricky Rubio scored 12 points, going 3-12 and struggling to distribute for just 2 assists. The recipe for a road win was there, especially with Devin Booker being off on 4-14 overall, 0-2 3PT (12 points). Miles Bridges scored 11, but Dario Saric played well for 10 points & 11 rebounds. Davis Bertans scored 10 points against his old team with 7 rebounds. Kelly Oubre, Jr. scored 9 points for Phoenix. The Spurs were led by Dejounte Murray's 19 points & 8 rebounds (8-15, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers ). Joe Harris had a promising 17 points in the loss, hitting 5 threes on a cold night for Nik Stauskas (2-8 3PT). Brandon Ingram had 18 points & 10 rebounds, looking good in this unfortunate defeat. Timofey Mo...

Justice Winslow had a strong game with 24 points. The Heat bested the Spurs again, being only the fourth team to win in San Antonio so far this season as the Spurs struggled to score past 100 tonight. The Heat won the first quarter 24-18 & the second half 57-47. Tyler Herro had 15 points; Bam Adebayo with 15 points & 8 rebounds, 2 steals; Jimmy Butler had a quiet 12 points behind James Johnson's 11 points & 14 rebounds. Goran Dragic dished 7 assists with 10 points. San Antonio shot a putrid 37% for the game, firing up 43 threes in desperation (well past their average), making just 12 of them compared to 7/15 by Miami. The Heat dominated the interior again 62-32, despite 53-29 by the Spurs bench. Frustration fouls ensued, as Miami went 17/22 compared to 13/14 by the Spurs (8 more attempts in an outcome decided by 11). The Rest: Dejounte Murray had 16 points with 5 assists, but went just 6/13. J.R. Smith scored 18 points, trying his best to steal this one for the ...

Nik Stauskas splashed in 21 points. In a resilient home victory, the Spurs eventually tired out the Hawks despite a strong game by Trae Young (33 points, 6 assists, 13-28 FG, 3-10 3PT). Having lost John Collins due to a league substance abuse violation, Jabari Parker contributed 15 points. DeAndre Hunter had 11, Cam Reddish with 10 & Alex Len crashed down 14 rebounds. Vince Carter scored six. For the Spurs, Dejounte Murray scored 21 points with 5 assists & 1 steal. Nik Stauskas continues to play well, scoring all 21 points from beyond the arc--seven threes is impressive. "He was on fire tonight," Popovich said post-game. "He's really helped us improve our perimeter presence." Brandon Ingram had another rough game, going 4-11 for 16 points but did manage 7 rebounds. Taurean Prince scored 14 points; Timofey Mosgov scored 10 & Jarrett Allen owned the paint with 10 points & 15 rebounds to go with 4 blocks. Avery Bradley struggled again also, ...

Jimmy Butler had 23 points, also stifling Ingram on defense. Jimmy Butler scored 23 points in a solid home defense against the Spurs, going 10-19 with 2 steals whilst stifling Brandon Ingram (17 points, 6-17, 3-9 3PT, 2 turnovers). The Spurs shot 41%, losing the paint 42-82 and not flowing well on offense 21-32 on assists. Goran Dragic had 18 points with 9 assists. James Johnson was a force down low with 17 points & 8 rebounds. Bam Bdebayo had a solid 12 points, 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro, Justice Winslow, Kelly Olynyk & Meyers Leonard combined for 30 points. San Antone, meanwhile, was led by Dejounte Murray's 21 points, 7 rebounds & 6 assists (7-13 FG). Derrick White had a strong 18 points (7-9, 2-3 3PT). J.R. Smith, Nik Stauskas were the only hitters tonight, combining for 20 points. Timofey Mosgov had 10 rebounds, but Avery Bradley went 1-9. The Heat battered the Spurs 34-10 on the fast break, also. It was just an ugly game for the Spurs.

Toronto struggled to score tonight. The Spurs recovered well after a drowsy start in this game, its defense proving to be the x-factor in the 2nd Quarter to win it 36-20, causing lots of bad shots and missed shots by the Raptors. Kyle Lowry & DeMarr DeRozan went a combined 10-34 from the field, with just 28 point scored between them. Serge Ibaka was a bright spot for the Raptors with 15 points & 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam went 3-8 for 9 points. The Spurs didn't shoot the lights out, only going 43%, but it was still better than 37% by Toronto to tally 100 points on the night, courtesy of 16 points by Nik Stauskas, who continues to carve out a scoring role. The Raptors went 5-24 from long range, making half of San Antone's total. The Spurs bench won 60-38, leading by 18 points at one moment, bursting out in the final quarter 28-18 after Toronto's run got them close. The Rest: J.R. Smith scored 13 points; Brandon Ingram had 12 points on a chilly 6-17. Jarrett A...

Jarren Jackson, Jr, had another nice game. The Grizzlies came on too late in this game, winning the 4th Quarter 31-22 to trim the loss to a respectable six points, after trailing by as many as 21 throughout. Jarren Jackson, Jr., had 20 points with 8 rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas scored 16 points & 11 rebounds. Dillon Brooks dropped 15 points, and rookie Ja Morant dished a career-high 13 assists to go with 14 points. Grayson Allen scored 12 points for Memphis. Meanwhile, the Spurs came out strong in the first half: 28-21, 1st; 33-21 2nd, to seize control. Nik Stauskas had a scoring outburst for 25 points, splashing in 6 threes. Brandon Ingram scored 14 points, and Taurean Prince had 11 points with 8 rebounds. Minor contributions were enough from the rest of the Spurs to win this one.

The Celtics were held to 79 points. A low-scoring affair wound up to a road win for the Spurs, whose 88 points proved enough for a nine-point victory. Kemba Walker had 19 points with 7 assists and Gordon Hayward scored 18. Outside of those two, Boston didn't have much else going on, despite 14 boards by Enes Kanter. Jayston Tatum went a cold 3-16, with Jaylen Brown's 3-13 not much better. The Spurs poured it on in the final quarter, winning 28-18, recovering from two bad quarters between after breaking out early to a 20-10 lead after one. Brandon Ingram had 25 points, going 10-18 and 3-4 from long range. Dejounte Murray had 13 points, but San Antone struggled to score also, with Timofey Mosgov's 20 monster rebounds helping carry the load. Boston shot 34% overall, with the Spurs going 42%. The Celtics went an awful 8-43 from 3PT distance, as the Spurs were able to prosper from their well-known sharpshooting (10-26).