The San Antonio Spurs snapped their two-game skid with a 96-89 victory over James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Following a string of poor performances, San Antonio was able to pull away from the Rockets late in a close game. Although it wasn’t their best offensive output of the season, the Spurs hung on to clinch a much-needed win.
Points weren’t easy to come by. And thanks in large part to the stellar defensive play of the entire crew, the Spurs hardly needed to score. San Antonio held Houston’s trio of Harden, Chris Paul, and Eric Gordon to a ghastly 21-of-66 from the field.
DeMar DeRozan had little success finding his sweet spot against a dysfunctional Houston squad. Despite the off shooting night, the superstar shooting guard still managed to chip in a point-rebound double-double.
San Antonio couldn’t rely on DeRozan for instant offense down the stretch. Luckily for the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge was able to step up and carry the load.
An ice-cold LA had combined for only 20 points over his last two games, but he rediscovered his shooting stroke and broke out of his slump. Unable to drain his patented midrange jumper early, the big man found other ways to get himself going.
Aldridge was assertive from end to end and dominated the fourth quarter with 12 points in the final frame of action. The rangy power forward secured his fifth double-double of the season and finished the evening with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-21 shooting.
While the rest of the league trends towards more three-balls and shots in the paint, San Antonio continued to prove they’re more than happy to do it their own way. The Spurs ended their one-game home stand with just 20 three-point attempts and a mind-numbingly low 30 points in the paint.
If you tuned in for this one, it was easy to see that it wasn’t the most entertaining competition from the two Texas teams. Both coaches had trouble getting their guys organized on offense and the Rockets laid enough bricks to build a new stadium.
Despite the sloppy showdown, second-year combo guard Derrick White stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and a career-high 8 assists. Jitters or soreness may have contributed to his less than stellar outing against the Heat, but he erased any concerns with his second starting stint of the year.
White hasn’t quite found his role on the Spurs yet, and that’s perfectly fine. We know he can pass, we know he can defend, and he reminded us how well he can shoot.
If you love watching White fire away, then you’ll love how lethal Bryn Forbes was from downtown. The undersized sniper caught fire and was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point land.
Though the usual bench points weren’t there tonight, San Antonio’s second unit was once again back in business from beyond the arc. Patty Mills, Davis Bertans, Marco Belinelli and Quincy Pondexter connected for 6 long-distance bombs on twice the number of attempts.
Saturday was far from perfect for the Spurs. However, it was a solid step in the right direction. The defense clamped down, the bench shot well and LaMarcus Aldridge made his presence felt.
San Antonio will have one day of rest before they hit the road to take on the Sacramento Kings. Long, athletic teams have given the Spurs fits in recent seasons. Can the Black and Silver overcome Sacramento’s talented young core?
Comments