SAN ANTONIO — More often than not, last season's San Antonio Spurs squad found it challenging to maintain big leads down the stretches of games.
Loss of focus, costly turnovers, youth and inexperience all tended to result in leads evaporating. The Spurs last year ranked 28th out of 30 teams when it came to win percentage in "clutch" games (within five points with five minutes or less remaining), emerging victorious in just 31.7% of those contests. In clutch scenarios, the Silver & Black allowed 12.3 points on average to opponents, which was 23rd in the league.
That trend left the team frustrated and with a 22-win season.
"We knew it was a thing last year, giving up leads," Spurs center Victor Wembanyama said.
However, early in this new season, San Antonio has shown huge growth at maintaining leads heading into the final frame, a sign that the team is figuring out how to not let up and seize wins.
"I think we've had some opportunities this year. You go back and look at the Clippers game, the Portland game, the Utah game, opportunities where we've got a little bit of a lead and just kind of been careless," said Harrison Barnes, one of the veterans the Spurs acquired in the offseason to help translate close games into victories. "Obviously, turnovers have been tough for us, and I think part of our maturation process is still approaching the game the right way, even if you have a lead."
After the team's Monday victory over the Kings, the Spurs are undefeated (4-0) at the Frost Bank Center when leading after the third period. Overall, they are 5-1 in that situation.
"It's one thing to be able to come back and try to have these valid efforts and have guys make great plays to get back in the games when you've done the work and played the right way to get the lead," Barnes said.
Credit goes to Barnes and Chris Paul for keeping the young Spurs on target when the team is up on the scoreboard.
Their veteran presence, experience and calm on the court have been a boon for the Silver & Black especially in the final frame.
"I think Harrison and Chris get a lot of credit for that. They obviously have a lot of experience in that regard," said interim Head coach Mitch Johnson. "The young guys are hopefully taking some of that seasoning and growing up a little bit. So it's good to see."
Holding on to leads has been critical in their wins this season.
The team averages 30.4 points per game in the third quarter, good for fifth in the league. However, it dips to 25.5 points per game in the fourth period, placing them 27th in the NBA.
But it's the little things outside of scoring at the basket that's helping the Spurs seal victories.
The team turns the ball over an average of three times in the final period, pulls in 11.9 rebounds per the fourth period (3rd in the NBA), and averages 1.5 blocks (tied for eighth) and 3.2 offensive rebounds (seventh) in those final dozen minutes.
Last year, those numbers were 10.4 (19th in the NBA), 1.1 (tied for eighth) and 2.7 (17th).
"We got to believe in ourselves. We got to go into every game expecting a win, and I think we're starting to build that," Paul said.
Other signs of growth from the team are reflected in 3.8 second-chance points in the fourth period (13th in the NBA), 8.7 defensive rebounds (fifth) and 1.5 blocks (eighth).
Add it all up and you have the makings of a team on the right developmental path in its rebuild, boosted by a pair of savvy NBA veterans in Barnes and Paul who are instilling confidence in younger players.
“(It's) very, very important," Wembanyama said about having Barnes and Paul on the roster. "Just them talking at halftime, timeouts, their experience—it just gives us more certainty about a lot of things.”