SPUR-EVER: Ten Titles

James Harden had a rough night, stealing the lead for just a moment. James Harden tried to deliver the home 'W' for his Rockets, stealing the lead with a finesse three-pointer, but had a rough night on 8-26 shooting, including 5-19 from long range. Harden did manage 7 rebounds with 5 assists, but was exposed down the stretch in the clutch on defense by Avery Bradley who drew fouls and got to the free throw line, finishing with 11 points. Dejounte Murray scored 23 points for the Spurs, their powerhouse on offense, slashing and crashing the ball through the net. P.J. Tucker burned his old team with 14 points, hitting 3-5 from deep. Brandon Ingram had a similarly chilly night, going 4-15 for 11 points, but hit a clutch three. Taurean Prince scored 11 points; Joe Harris got hot late to put the game out of reach, letting it fly and looking more confident, shades of Danny Green in years gone by for the Spurs (3-6 3PT). J.R. Smith got going early and hit a clutch three to seize ...

Dragan Bender played well again v. Phoenix. Dragan Bender had another nice showing against his old team, scoring 16 points with 9 rebounds. The Spurs went up big early, 35-23, winning the 4th Quarter 36-28 to close it out on the road. J.R. Smith played well in the starting lineup for 16 points, with Brandon Ingram notching 16 also. Taurean Prince scored a solid 16 points; in fact four Spurs total were feeling #16 tonight, as Prince swiped 3 steals. Avery Bradley scored 14, Dejounte Murray scored 12 & Jeremy Lin had 11. The Spurs and Suns both shot well from the perimeter, going a combined 22/36 overall, with San Antone going 58% from the field to Phoenix's 53%, the fast break a wash along with interior scoring. San Antonio's bench continues to thrive, going 51-39 here, Popovich's defense strong as ever with 14 steals and offensive discipline savvy as ever, with just 7 turnovers to 14 by Phoenix. DeAndre Ayton was the high man for the Suns, 19 points & 7 rebo...

Kevin Love scored 25 points. The Spurs hosted the Cavaliers, a rival of old, and went up by twenty points early, as Dejounte Murray's perimeter ball continues to improve and Taurean Prince looked good to start the game, 33-15 after one. The Cavaliers went a cold 1-8 from downtown in the first quarter (27% FG). The young, rebuilding Cavaliers would bounce back on a 19-7 run, actually holding sway for the first half of the fourth quarter, as the Spurs scoring well ran dry, a loss imminent despite th strong, fluid start. Leave it to Dejounte Murray, taking up the mantle to tie the game with a layup, leaving the door open for Prince to hit a three. Timofey Mosgov got a clutch block on Kevin Love (25 points, 9 rebounds)'s hook shot down low that sealed the home victory. Brandon Ingram splashed in a corner 3PTer for 19 points and swatted former Laker teammate Jordan Clarkson on his own corner three attempt, but it was Murray that received "M-V-P" chants at the free ...

Joe Harris got cooking in the fourth quarter, splashing 5 threes. The Kings came out shooting badly and fell into a 15-27 hole, then made a commendable second quarter rally of 29-18, but ultimately went cold again being trounced 11-39 by the Spurs in the 4th. Joe Harris lit up Sacramento for 17 points, dropping five perimeter punches. Taurean Prince was brought back to the starting lineup, making a good show for 16 points on 7-11, hitting two threes also with a nice block. Avery Bradley, who's been up-and-down lately, had a solid 15 points with 1 steal. J.R. Smith, fresh off a great performance against the Rockets, contributed 12 points with 3 steals. Timofey Mosgov devoured the glass for 13 rebounds with 9 points and 2 blocks. Dejounte Murray clashed with De'Aaron Fox for 8 points, the same output as Brandon Ingram in limited action as San Antonio's lead grew intermittently. P.J. Tucker hit the buzzer beater 3PT shot to mark the halftime break, granting the Spurs a...

Westbrook's strong game was spoiled by the Spurs' fighting spirit. The Spurs pulled off the comeback of the season so far, just barely eclipsing the visitor Houstn Rockets by a single point, persevering past a 24-point deficit after being unable to hit the broadside of a barn in the first quarter, going 35% by halftime from the field. San Antonio would show tremendous heart on the defensive end, winning both the third and fourth quarters in the scoring column, even overcoming foul trouble for Brandon Ingram. Houston seemed to regain control, as less than five minutes remained in the fourth quarter, with Joe Harris and other sharpshooters of the Spurs not able to light up the scoreboard. This comeback would not have been possible without impressive, strong play by Ingram, J.R. Smith & Dejounte Murray (30 points, 9 assists, 2 steals, 10-16). Smith was the first half spark for San Antone, whereas Murray had the game winning basket and Brandon Ingram (21 points) was clutc...

Journeymen Michael Beasley (former #2 pick) and Sam Dekker are now members of the San Antonio Spurs organization. Both roster hopefuls will spend time initially with the Austin Spurs of the G-League, with Dekker's agreement being a two-day contract given only his four years of NBA experience. Beasley & Dekker had previously spent time overseas after not catching traction with a handful of NBA teams so far in their careers, despite each player's potential and athleticism. With the Spurs looking to always improve the athleticism of the team, this pair of moves makes sense, also when each player's shooting ability from 3PT range is taken into account. Neither is a sharpshooter by any stretch, but have shown flashes of being able to contribute in the open floor and on the scoreboard. Beasley being the better shooter between the two, it was only two seasons ago that he shot 39% for the Knicks from beyond the arc and 41% for the Bucks the year before. Dekker is most...

Brandon Ingram sent the Spurs back to Texas with a win. The referees may have missed a back-court violation on Derrick Rose for Detroit's final possession, which ultimately led to the put-back lay-in by Andre Drummond (24 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks), but nothing could stop Brandon Ingram from taking up the mantle and his place as alpha, fadeaway-jumper for the 1-PT victory at the buzzer, crushing the hearts of the Pistons fans inside Little Caesars Pizza Arena. The Spurs called timeout with 5.0 left on the clock after the controversial sequence, as Coach Popovich was livid on the sidelines. "I told him to take us home, come what may on that shot," Coach Popovich spoke after the game. "Brandon's come a long way with us so far, and I'm sure his game-winner is all over the web now. Brandon has been working hard on developing some go-to shots, so he deserves all the likes and tweets," Popovich joked and did not mention the blown call by officials. ...