Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports Combine offensive struggles with the second night of a back-to-back, and you As a team long-since eliminated from playoff contention with 11 games left in the season, we’re approaching that point in the season where you’re about ready for it to end, especially if the team isn’t going to show you anything new. The post-All Star stretch started well enough for the Spurs, with them showing improvement on both ends and getting some exciting wins against good teams, but the last couple of weeks have been disappointing, with blowout losses to better teams and letdowns in the rare instances they should win. Tonight was the former, with the Spurs looking like a team on a back-to-back after a loss at the buzzer to the Grizzlies last night. The cold three-point shooting continued as they missed their first six, but they stayed close initially thanks to Victor Wembanyama’s aggressiveness down low and defensive presence. However, the Suns instantly went on an 8-0 run once he subbed out as Kevin Durant got aggressive around the basket, and it was never really a game after that. The Spurs looked tired, with nearly all their shots coming up short, while the Suns moved around them with ease. It wasn’t long before they doubled up the score at 24-12 before Zach Collins finally broke the ice from three, and the Spurs ended the quarter down 26-17, having shot just 6-22 from the field. Things got no better to start the second, as the Suns started on a 7-0 run, and the Spurs’ offense remained a disaster, especially when Wemby wasn’t on the floor. The Suns continued to get whatever they wanted on their end, seemingly making everything regardless of the difficulty level of the shot, and the Spurs found themselves down 65-47 at the half only thanks to a Tre Jones floater at the buzzer. If the Spurs may had any hopes of making a comeback, it was quickly squashed by another big Suns run to start the second half, and it was more of the same the rest of the game. Devin Booker was on a scorcher all night and couldn’t be stopped, racking up 32 points and 9 assists while barely even seeming like he was trying. With the Spurs already down by 32, the fourth quarter was entirely trashtime as the starters never returned, and the game ended as a 131-106 blowout loss for the Spurs. Game Notes - After outscoring their opponents from three in each of the previous 12 games, the last two have been a disaster. After hitting just 7-38 last night, they were barely any better tonight, hitting just 9-33. Ironically, it was mostly good basketball plays that got them a lot of those looks, and if this were the 2014 Spurs, we’d probably be impressed with the ball movement and passes, but it’s also a result of what teams are giving the Spurs on offense, and they just don’t have the shooters to finish the plays on a regular basis.
- For the most part, Wemby has been relatively immune to fan criticism, with most blame for his struggles being passed to his teammates. Some of it is well deserved, such as their baffling inability to find him when he’s open at times, but he still plenty of things to work on too. He is way too prone to turnovers, with 12 of them over the last two games, whether it’s lackadaisical passing, not seeing defenders coming, getting stripped down low, or poor ball-handling. Some of that will improve with age and as he gets used to his own body, but his biggest priority this summer should be to work on improving his handle on the ball. MVP’s don’t average 3.5 turnovers per game.
- It’s remains rare, but whenever Sandro Mamukelashvili gets a chance, he shows what he’s all about. This time it was just 8 minutes of garbage time, be he played with more energy than anyone else tonight, hitting 5-7 shots for 11 points and 3 rebounds. There may not be a spot for him on next season’s roster, but if that’s the case, I will wish we could have seen more of him in a Spurs uniform. He’s fun, energetic, and always ready.
win the jump ball knock down the three! pic.twitter.com/fa32RjadIS— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 24, 2024 Up next: Monday vs. Suns The Spurs will conclude their miniseries with the Suns (and their eight-game homestand) on Monday. Tip-off will be at 7:00 PM CT on Bally Sports. Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/3/ ... owout-loss