Category: Sports News

As far as I can tell, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili only scored 30 points in the same game twice.

I remember both instances well.

The first came during the clinching Game 6 win against the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals, a critical home win with the series potentially going back to Phoenix for a deciding Game 7.

The second came the following year, in Game 3 of another hotly contested Western Conference Semifinal against the Chris Paul-era Hornets (now Pelicans), in a series that did go seven games.

Parker and Ginobili were 24 and 29 respectively in the 2007 postseason — 25 and 30 the following year.

And last night, at the tender ages of 21 and 20, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper not only came within a three-pointer of duplicating that feat, but they also nearly became the youngest pair of Spurs to score 30 points in a postseason game, period.

On the one hand, it’s almost shocking to find that Tony and Manu only combined to score 30 points together twice in all the years they played together.

On the other hand, it’s absolutely crazy to think of Castle and Harper following in their footsteps when only one of the two can even legally buy an alcoholic beverage.

Crazier still to consider that they performed the way they did in the absence of San Antonio’s franchise player.

That the fledgling duo effectively carried the Spurs in the fourth quarter of a dark postseason hour left me sitting there in shock at what I’d just witnessed.

With 5:09 left in the 3rd quarter, the Spurs were down 65-80, and ESPN had Portland’s chance of winning at 91.4%, their highest percentile of the game. Things looked grim. I had long ceased my pacing over the officiating, and that propulsive agitation had largely left me.

I was sitting in my brother’s most comfortable chair, engaged in conversation about Wemby’s concussion, discussing how Game 4 might go, brainstorming what I could even write about on a night that had felt deflating.

The Spurs were flailing. They couldn’t seem to stifle Portland’s guard duo of Scoot Henderson and the well-heeled Jrue Holliday. The offense that had worked so well against most teams in the absence of Victor Wembanyama just couldn’t find that extra gear.

Possessions looked stagnant as Portland’s game plan to minimize De’Aaron Fox’s effectiveness (and an unusually early four fouls) had San Antonio’s 2nd leading scorer of the regular season looking overly careful as ball movement stalled along with him.

Twitter was awash with tweets crashing out about both Fox and the team at large, so I closed it out and started thinking ahead, as my brothers asked about San Antonio’s chances for the rest of the series.

Caught up in conversation, I almost missed Dylan Harper blocking the snot out of 17-foot driving jump-shot, and then following it up with a clutch three-pointer about 30 seconds later.

I did not miss the slo-motion hand-switching dunk around the reaching arms of Robert Williams III that would have made Michael Jordan proud.

The bench went wild. Wemby was so blown away that he turned around and put his head in his hands in disbelief, and I felt that same thing in the pit of my stomach that I’d felt back in 2014 when Manu Ginobili threw down a statement dunk on Chris Bosh — certainty.

The Spurs were only up by three points with that dunk, but I (and I think both Portland and their crowd) knew it was over. The Spurs certainly played like they knew it was. Whatever well of confidence it was that had dried up over the previous four-and-a-half quarters was overflowing and pouring out all over the hardwood.

Luke Kornet and Carter Bryant had come together in the most wholesome of combos to stifle the Trailblazers every moment that they shared the court. Stephon Castle was driving with such a ’damn the torpedoes’ attitude and ferocity that he was drawing fouls seemingly at will, and making the Blazers pay any time they sagged off of him a little around the arc.

Even De’Aaron Fox was finally finding space as the Portland players frantically shifted focus from threat to materializing threat. It was over, everywhere but the clock. They weren’t letting this one go.

Whether they were seizing their destiny or forging it, it seemed that nothing could bother them. Nothing could disturb the flow they were in. And when you get to witness something like that, you don’t say anything.

You just sit there and shut up, and cheer, and hope that it lasts for the rest of the postseason.

My brothers aren’t really big basketball fans, and yet, for a few minutes, the entire living room went quiet.

Every Spurs fan who had seen it before knew what they were watching, even if they didn’t know how to say it, and every Spurs fan who hadn’t got the thrill of watching it for the first time.

For a moment, I had that great line from the U.S. version of The Office echoing in my head: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.“

Last night Stephon Castle scored the 2nd most points in a player’s 1st playoff road game ever. Dylan Harper became the youngest guard in NBA history with a playoff double-double, the second youngest player to score 20+ points off the bench in the playoffs (after Kobe Bryant), the fourth rookie to ever score 25+ points and tally 10+ rebounds in a postseason game, and tied Manu Ginobili’s rookie record for most points in a postseason quarter.

Together, they joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only duos age 21 or younger to each score 25+ points each in the same playoff game.

Sometimes in life, we do get to know exactly when we’re living in a special moment.

It was Game 3 of a first-round series. It meant nothing and everything. But it felt like an omen of things to come, and there’s a good chance I’ll remember it until I can’t remember things anymore.

I suspect I won’t be the only one.

Takeaways

• Absolutely no one is ever going to be able to convince me that Luke Kornet’s contract wasn’t a significant underpay. That the Spurs were able to take advantage of the Celtic’s being relatively cash-strapped (and sold) has made this one of the best San Antonio free-agent signings of my lifetime. With Wemby and without, he’s been absolute nails, not just rim-protecting and doing the dirty work, but also taking advantage of any defensive lapses from the opposition in a way that he didn’t for most of the regular season. The Spurs needed every point and heady pass that he had in him, and he rewarded them with what was pretty arguably his best performance of the season. Even with positive comments from Boston fans, no one really understood what a playoff riser Kornet is. He’s been worth every penny, and more.
• If there weren’t already going to be some questions about the off-season fate of Harrison Barnes, there almost certainly will be now. After Carter Bryant performance, I expect the Spurs will only be willing to keep Barnes on the cheap. Barnes is a great teammate who clearly missed winning after time in the basketball purgatory that is Sacramento, so he may very well do that, but Bryant’s box score does not fully express how vital he was to last night’s win. Seemingly, all 6 of his rebounds were heavily contested and/or kept possessions alive, and once he was paired with Kornet in the latter half of the game, San Antonio’s defense began to find stop after stop. Adding to that his three very timely blocks, and as long as he can splash the occasional three, I think the Spurs have their power-forward for the postseason (at least), as there’s just no other player who can match his athleticism on the roster, now that it’s mostly under control.
• Also, I think a lot of credit has to go to Mitch Johnson on this one, who’s figuring out how to mix and match his roster to Portland’s adjustments (and in the face of some questionable calls) seemingly on the fly. Whether pairing Kornet and Bryant was a preconceived strategy or an act of desperation hardly matters because at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that Johnson won’t play it safe in the face of defeat. This was one of his most canny adjustments this year, and I think it says a lot about how much faith he has in an incredibly young roster, and how much faith they have in him. I have to say, I think the Spurs got this one right again. Shocker.

Playing You Out – The Theme Song of the Evening:

Come Sail Away by Styx

The first round series between the Phoenix Suns and the Oklahoma City Thunder shifted to downtown Phoenix on Saturday afternoon, and while the setting changed, the result did not. Oklahoma City handled the Suns 121-109 and now holds a commanding 3-0 lead.

Credit Phoenix as the effort was there. The building had life, the energy showed up, and for stretches the Suns looked ready to push back. Execution never fully followed. Against OKC, that margin matters. It always does.

Phoenix went 13-of-41 from deep (31.7%), although holding the turnovers to 11 was a positive step. Dillon Brooks led the way again with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three. Jalen Green added 26 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Devin Booker finished 6-of-16 for 16 points, with seven assists and four boards.

This was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s night. He went 15-of-18 from the field and 11-of-12 from the line, pouring in a career playoff high 42 points while adding eight assists and four rebounds.

The win gives the defending champions a firm grip on the series at 3-0, with a chance to close it out Monday.

Game Flow

First Half

It was a much cleaner start for the Suns at home as the team looked engaged and energized by the home crowd. The Thunder started 4-of-4 from the field, but they also were turning the ball over, doing so 3 times in the first 6 minutes. One of those turnovers? An SGA push off.

The Suns turned those 3 early turnovers into 6 points and a 15-13 lead during a 9-2 Phoenix run. It was at that point in the game, 5:37 left in Q1 and up 2, that Jordan Ott used a challenge following a ball that the officials called out on Collin Gillespie, but appeared to be off of Ajay Mitchell. The challenge was successful.

With 3 minutes left in the quarter, we witnessed something we haven’t yet seen this postseason: Grayson Allen.

OKC responded with a 13-3 run and took a 28-27 lead.

The Thunder bench was sharp as they outscored the Suns’ second team unit 11–4 in the period. The team was also more efficient from beyond the arc, as they went 5-of-9, whereas the Suns went 3-of-11. SGA had 9, Booker had 7, and the Thunder led 33-28 after one.

The defensive intensity from the Thunder’s second-team unit to open the second quarter was impressive. They create pressure and they swarm. And on offense, Jared McCain looked like the lottery pick he is (why did you give him to the Thunder for scraps, Philly?!). Both he and Ajay Mitchell looked great at the start of the second, and their constant movement confused Suns’ rookie Khaman Maluach, who did not look great on the defensive end.

Still, the Suns were hanging around, despite being 5-of-17 from deep. Midway through the second, Phoenix trailed 44-40, and with 4 minutes left, they took the lead.

Jalen Green looked impressive in the first half as his aggression was creating opportunities for the Suns at the cylinder, which we know is an area of opportunity for them. He had multiple and-1 opportunities, and with three minutes left in the quarter, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault opted to challenge a play in which Green went to the basket and converted an and-1. The challenge was successful as it was determined that Oso Ighodaro pushed Alex Caruso into Green; therefore, it was an offensive foul.

The Suns lead 51-50, but OKC ended the half on a 12-2 run to take a 62-53 lead into the half. 

SGA was 7-of-7 from the field and led all scorers with 17 points, and Ajay Mitchell added 10. For Phoenix, it was Dillon Brooks who led the scoring with 13. Devin Booker was 4-of-8 for 11 points, and Jalen Green had 10. Phoenix was 14-of-23 (60.8%) from two and 5-of-19 (26.3%) from three in the half.

Second Half

The second half opened with SGA drawing a foul on Collin Gillespie. Jordan Ott opted to challenge, seeing as SGA created contact when he elbowed Gillespie in the face on the play prior to any contact by Collin. The call was overturned, which meant Ott was 2-for-2 on challenges, but had none remaining.

Devin Booker went down on a play in which Lu Dort extended his leg in an attempt to negate Booker’s progress. Booker went to the locker room as a result.

Booker would return shortly thereafter.

The Thunder continued to be surgical, answering every Suns run with an impressive one of their own. Suns put together a 5-0 run? Thunder respond with a 7-0 run. Rinse. Repeat. Jalen Green provides a spark with a pair of made threes? SGA responds on the other end. Phoenix kept attempting to chip away, but it was no easy task.

Phoenix did outscore OKC 26-25 in the quarter, but that was due to the Thunder going 1-of-8 from deep while the Suns were 4-of-12. SGA was up to 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting while Jalen Green had 10 in the quarter for Phoenix.

After three, Suns down 87-79.

The fourth opened with that same frenetic lineup the Thunder rolled out to start the second, with McCain and Mitchell playing aggressively. Their pressure put the Suns in foul trouble, and with 9 minutes left, OKC was in the bonus.

There were four straight alternating possessions in which a block occurred, as Cason Wallace blocked Booker, Ighodaro blocked Hartenstein, Holmgren blocked Booker, and Ighodaro blocked McCain.

Phoenix started 2-of-11 from the field in the fourth, and soon they were down 15 points with 6 minutes left. SGA just kept coming at them. There was no stopping him today, and it certainly doesn’t help when you can’t help yourself.

Credit Dillon Brooks, who once again was offensively spicy late. Just as in Game 2, Brooks went into alpha mode, and it was working. For the second consecutive game, he posted a 30-point performance. 

The Suns came within 10 points, but those early whistles in the fourth equated to free throw opportunities for the Thunder late. And if there is a team that knows how to draw fouls late, it’s OKC.

The Thunder outscored the Suns 34-30 in the fourth and easily took Game 3, 121-109.

Up Next

Game 4 is Monday at the Morg, 6:30pm local time. We will see you then.