The Spurs made NBA history by becoming the first team to ever play four straight overtime games. They won the first two, lost Thursday against the Cavs, and Patty Mills made sure they won again Saturday. In a sluggish overtime period, Mills made the game-winning shot in the final second.
His heroics began earlier in the OT, with a clutch steal and trifecta.
Still, the Suns held a two-point lead in the final 10 seconds. The Spurs gave it to DeMar DeRozan, who raced down the court for a layup.
He was fouled, but missed the go-ahead free throw. The rebound went out off Phoenix, setting up a game-winning shot opportunity for the Spurs in the final four seconds. Patty Mills delivered, and the Spurs escaped with a victory.
Mills finished with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting. LaMarcus Aldridge, Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan had 18 points apiece. Lonnie Walker added 16, and Rudy Gay chipped in 10 points for the Spurs, who improved to 10-15 with the win.
The Silver and Black next play against the Rockets Monday in Houston. You can watch that game on KENS 5 or the KENS 5 app.
FOURTH QUARTER:
At the end of regulation, it's tied at 109.
The Spurs came out with something to prove in the final frame, taking the lead with a quick 6-0 run thanks to easy baskets and playing stellar defense.
The Suns battled back, and it remained a one- or two-possession contest for most of the fourth quarter. The Spurs held a narrow lead with just over two minutes to go when Patty Mills drained a huge stepback jumper from downtown. The Suns called timeout with 2:10 to play. The Spurs held a 102-98 lead at that point.
It came down to the final minute and Rudy Gay was fouled shooting a three. He made all three free throws, then blocked a shot on the other end, but the Suns were able to score.
DeMar DeRozan took a shot with under 20 seconds left, but missed. LaMarcus Aldridge tipped it in and was fouled. With a chance to put the Spurs up by 4 and clinch the game, he missed the free throw. Phoenix came down and tied it with a three, sending the game to overtime.
THIRD QUARTER:
After three, the Spurs trail 80-78.
The Suns extended the lead to double figures early in the third quarter, and the Spurs continued to miss shots and struggle to find a groove on offense. At the midway point of the third quarter, only four plays - Dejounte Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Lonnie Walker - had scored more than 4 points. Bryn Forbes is particularly guilty, missing his first eight shots and going scoreless in 16 minutes.
LMA's defense can only cover so much!
The Spurs finished the third quarter on a nice run, cutting the deficit to just two points to end the period. The three-point shot hasn't been there, with the Spurs shooting just 4-of-21 (19 percent). Instead, they've attacked the rim.
Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker have 13 and 14 points, respectively. Patty Mills is leading the team with 15 points through three, but he's taken 18 shots to get there.
SECOND QUARTER:
At halftime, the Spurs trail 48-44.
The Spurs finished the first quarter with a 10-point lead. It took less than 5 minutes for that to disappear. The Suns went on a 14-2 run to open the second, claiming a 32-30 lead in the process. Point guard Ricky Rubio has been the catalyst. He scored only 5 points in his first 12 minutes of action, but dished out 5 assists.
Meanwhile, Patty Mills and his 8 points lead the Spurs in scoring, but the Australian ran into a brick wall when trying to score on fellow Aussie Aron Baynes.
If the NBA awarded style points, the Spurs would have already won this game because DeMar DeRozan threw down a vicious dunk that will make all the nightly highlight shows. For now, it's worth 2 points for DeRozan, who scored 12 points in the first half.
LaMarcus Aldridge only made one shot in the first half, but it was a thing of beauty on an absolute dime from Derrick White.
All in all, this was a forgettable quarter for the Spurs. The Suns outscored the Silver and Black 30-16 in the period.
FIRST QUARTER:
After one, the Spurs lead 28-18.
The Spurs had the lead in the first few minutes thanks to some rim-protecting defense by LaMarcus Aldridge and some crafty scoring by Dejounte Murray. LMA blocked two of the Suns' first 11 shots. Neither team shot the ball well in the first five minutes, and we'll have to keep an eye on how the altitude of Mexico City affects the conditioning of both teams throughout the game.
While Aldridge didn't score in the first eight minutes, co-star DeMar DeRozan did. He tallied 6 points in the first eight minutes to lead the Spurs to a 16-10 edge.
Lonnie Walker, who is celebrating his 21st birthday on Saturday, scored 5 points in 4 minutes in the first quarter. Happy birthday, Lonnie! The Spurs used a late run to end the quarter with a 28-18 lead.
PREGAME:
The Spurs are playing in what should be a spotlight game for the NBA, but you'd be excused if you didn't have the game circled on your calendar.
Saturday's game against the Phoenix Suns tips off at 4 p.m. Central time in Mexico City, Mexico, as part of the league's effort to grow basketball's popularity around the world.
For fans in Phoenix, it represents one fewer chance to see their team at home. More importantly, this game lacks some of the shine of the earlier Mexico City game, which featured MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the Mavericks taking on the Detroit Pistons.
The Spurs will look to take advantage of the fact that the Suns will be without their star, Devin Booker. Booker (25 points per game) has an arm injury and won't play. Mikal Bridges will start in his place. For the Spurs, Trey Lyles got the starting nod from Coach Pop. He'll be joined by DeRozan, Aldridge, Forbes and Murray for a return to the Spurs' season-opening lineup.
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