There hasn’t been much to learn from the San Antonio Spurs’ 10-game winning streak. Most of the games were against tanking or shorthanded teams, and the result was decided before halftime. With only a handful of games left before the playoffs, there have been murmurings of concern that the young team hasn’t faced enough adversity before the games really start to count.
The Spurs faced plenty of adversity in their 136-134 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Despite leading for 87% of the game, San Antonio couldn’t execute in clutch time, letting go of a 6-point lead with a minute and a half remaining, allowing Denver to force overtime and eventually secure the victory.
Several silly mistakes beat the team. Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie failed to communicate if they were switching screens, which led to Aaron Gordon getting a wide-open dunk after both Spurs defenders went to guard Jokic. De’Aaron Fox fumbled the ball while trying to go between the legs on a jumper over Jokic, and mishandled his dribble, forcing an errant shot. They were too slow to get into their sets, making it hard to run offense. Of course, there was the blown fast break between Fox and Devin Vassell that would have tied the game in overtime.
It may have just been the regular season, but with the Nuggets fighting for the third seed, this felt like a playoff game. The Spurs learned that in a high-stakes game, there is another level of basketball perfection they must reach to win a championship. They have to execute late in the game when the pressure goes up another level. The players and the coaching staff have to find ways to get their best players the ball in advantageous situations to score, even when the opposing team is honing in on them. Then, it’s on those players to make big plays.
The good news is the Spurs learned this lesson without there being actual playoff stakes. They have four more games to right the ship before it really counts. Saturday’s loss showed them there is another level they must get to if they want to contend.
Takeaways:
- Wembanyama vs. Jokic was an outstanding battle. A 7-game series between the two would be a special moment for the sport, as two foreign-born superstars duel on a huge stage. Jokic is one of the few players in basketball who has the touch to get the ball over Wembanyama and still make the shot. His body control and shotmaking ability make him a fascinating matchup for the Spurs’ big man. On the flip side, Wembanyama was able to play through the physical Denver defense to get to the free-throw line and convert. San Antonio used Wembanyama as a screener to get smaller guards switched onto him, creating a mismatch he could exploit in the paint. Wembanyama had 34 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks, while Jokic had 40 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 blocks.
- The Spurs tried a few different approaches to guarding Jokic. Their primary option was to have Wembanyama guard him one-on-one. It worked some times, but in the clutch, it may have been better for them to get the ball out of his hands. They used smaller, physical defenders, like Keldon Johnson, to guard him while Wembanyama acted as a roamer. It seemed like Jokic did most of his damage against this defensive scheme, as he avoided Wemby and scored over the smaller defender. I’d be interested in seeing the French Vanilla lineup against Denver. Luke Kornet can’t guard Jokic 1-on-1; no one can. But Kornet has the size and strength to hold position against Jokic inside, while Wembanyama roams as a shot blocker. Offensively, we’ve seen Kornet and Wembanyama play well together. There is no way to stop Jokic, but maybe French Vanilla could slow him down.
- On the flip side, the Spurs have found a pretty sound end-of-game offensive strategy. Get a smaller guard switched on to Wembanyama and then play off that. The counter for Denver was to put Aaron Gordon on Wembanyama, so when the switch happens, a physical, athletic defender was hounding the guards, making it hard for them to get Wemby the ball. This is what happened on the airball three from Fox late in the fourth quarter. On top of that, Wembanyama faced two to three defenders every time he touched the ball near the paint late in the game. To a certain point, the rest of the Spurs are going to have to beat opposing defenses that key in on Wembanyama.
- Fox has to be better, especially in the clutch. He’s on the team to come up in big moments. The former clutch player of the year has been solid year-round, but faltered against Denver. It’s not just that his shot wasn’t falling, but the failed lob to Vassell in transition, and losing his handle against tight defense late in the game were mistakes that really hurt the team. He’ll have a chance to redeem himself and show why he’s the Spurs’ second star in the playoffs.
- The Spurs’ shooters stepped up on Saturday. Champagnie, Vassell, and Harrison Barnes hit shots from deep. Combined, the trio was 11-for-20 from deep. Having those players hit shots is crucial to San Antonio’s playoff success.
COVERS INTEL:
