SAN ANTONIO —
The Spurs had a golden opportunity to down a Clippers team that was missing five key players, but ran out of gas as they scored just 30 points in the second half and lost 98-85.
In the last 11 games, San Antonio has gone just 4-11 and scored under 105 points seven times, losing six of those contests including the last three at home. Coach Gregg Popovich reflected on the offensive struggles after the game.
"We're not shooting well, obviously, and we started to turn it over a little bit, which kind of exacerbates the situation, but we're not getting threes, in this league you've got to get em, and overall too many mental errors here and there," Popovich said. "It could be a defensive error, could be an execution error on offense, we've just gotta stick together and just keep pushing, keep getting better."
DeMar DeRozan spoke to the media after the game for the first time since losing his father.
"Managing, all you can do is manage what you can manage, every single day, take it day by day, stay occupied, just try to be positive as best you can," he said. Basketball is a big part of that for him.
"I think it's always an escape," he said. "Sports, through my whole life have been an escape from any issues or problems that you go through in life in general. Sports, its that outlet for not just myself, but for players in general. Being around your teammates, having that camaraderie, being around the guys, kinda can take your mind off a lot of things."
The basketball family helps, but when asked what got him through the toughest parts, he pointed to blood.
"My kids, my mom," he said. "One of the strongest women I've ever been around, witnessed, seeing her strength and me being her only child, it takes a lot to see a woman go through so much and still be able to stand tall, so I lean on my mom, and obviously my kids. They always find some type of positivity to bring out of me."
If that makes the basketball stuff seem trivial by comparison, it should. For DeRozan, he sees the recent struggles as an opportunity to improve as a team.
"You could take some type of positivity from it, understanding that every team at some point in the season hits a low, hit rock bottom, hit a challenge, hit adversity, and it's about how you crawl out, and get out of that adversity and come out on the other side that'll make you better and more equipped for the next time you get hit with a tough blow," he said.
"We've gotta take this on the chin, these past few games, understand how much it hurts, and we've still got a lot of basketball to play, to be able to turn this thing around, let it build itself and be more resilient, and more aware of the sense of urgency we've gotta have."
Recap
Fourth quarter
Reggie Jackson opened the final stanza with an and-1 to push the Clippers' lead to seven, but Dejounte Murray answered with one of his own.
San Antonio broke out a zone look, got a stop, and Murray crossed over and drove for a transition layup giving him six points in a row. Los Angeles scored on a post fade, but Dejounte answered from mid-range.
After a corner three for LA, Murray drew an offensive foul, then Derrick White drove in through contact for a layup. The Spurs forced another turnover, and White drove and kicked to Vassell for a tying three that was off the mark.
Keldon Johnson stopped Paul George on a drive, but the bottom of the backboard stopped Rudy Gay on a reverse attempt.
He got a little mad about it, drove with direct intentions, and put it off the glass to draw a goaltend. George hit from mid-range, and Gay missed in the post.
The Spurs played solid team defense, but Reggie Jackson hit a deep three at the buzzer. White got in close, but missed, as did Dejounte. Los Angeles pushed their lead to seven as George hit a free throw with 5:11 to play, but DeRozan and Poeltl both returned to the floor.
Poeltl stopped George at the rim, then finished on a bounce pass from Murray to cut it to five.
White and Murray stopped George at the rim again, and on the other end DeMar scored to cut it to three. Reggie Jackson hit a turnaround in the post, Poeltl missed a lefty hook, and George got to the line for more free throws.
Pop challenged the call as Jakob Poeltl got a lot of ball when he poked in. It was a successful challenge, but the Clippers retained the ball in a bad break for San Antonio. They finished the stop, but couldn't convert on the other end. Reggie Jackson hit another three, Murray missed, and the Spurs couldn't get the ball to bounce their way.
They built their biggest lead of the game, 93-83 with 1:43 left. DeMar drew quick free throws, hitting both to end a 13-4 LA run. Jackson hit free throws after a quick foul by Murray.
Poeltl went for a layup and got blocked, then Reggie Jackson hit a fading corner three over him as any hope of a Spurs win got erased.
They fell 98-85, managing just 30 points in the second half.
Third quarter
Derrick White opened the second half with a contested triple, but Paul George answered.
White took an arm to the face from Jakob Poeltl and moved very slowly in the plays that followed before a timeout, then headed to the locker room. White reportedly lost a tooth, that appeared to get picked up by the medical staff.
DeMar DeRozan hit a floater, then drove in and drew a foul, though the entire Clippers team protested about his use of his left arm and Ty Lue challenged it. Right or not, that eliminated the challenge for the rest of the game.
The refs decided that they got the call right initially. The Clippers tied it after trailing by as many as nine in the quarter.
White came back, wearing a mouthpiece, and swatted a Paul George attempt hard. DeMar drove in for a score to put San Antonio back in front. Los Angeles tied, then Batum got open for a standstill triple.
Bench units came in with two minutes left in the third, and Patty Mills found Dejounte Murray in the corner for a three to tie.
LA pushed their lead back to four as San Antonio's shooters went cold from outside.
The Spurs trailed 72-68 after managing just 13 points in the third quarter.
Second quarter
Jakob Poeltl gave the lead back to the Spurs with an offensive board and post up bucket, then got a seal down low for an easy layup to cap an 8-0 run for San Antonio.
Dejounte Murray had a layup and an assist in that sequence, and Devin Vassell got to the line with a strong power dribble.
Nic Batum hit a three to make it 38-37 Clippers, and Pop called time. Rudy Gay got loose and knocked down a triple, and San Antonio's team defense tightened as Los Angeles' role players struggled to hit shots.
Paul George came back in and tied it at 40, Poeltl missed a bunny, and the Clips got an easy corner three for Amir Coffey. He stole a pass from Murray and dunked, forcing a timeout by Pop down 47-42.
DeRozan put a vicious post spin on PG, finishing an easy layup. He jumped in front of George on the next play for a steal, then drove and found Devin Vassell in the corner for a three to tie.
He got another stop on George inside, then drove in against him for a lefty scoop to put the Spurs in front.
DeMar hit a technical free throw, then found Keldon Johnson for three before contributing to another interior stop on George.
He dribbled out the clock, isolated at the top, drove in and finished a nifty scoop to give him 15 points and put San Antonio in front 55-49 at the half.
First quarter
DeMar DeRozan opened the scoring for San Antonio with a post-up bucket, then Dejounte Murray hit a floater to give the Spurs a lead, something they never had last night.
DeRozan drove in for free throws and missed the second, but Keldon Johnson got the board. A possession later, Johnson bullied his way to the rim and finished a tough layup.
Pop called timeout down 11-7 after Paul George drove, generated an open three, then put the miss back in.
Murray ran pick and roll with Jakob Poeltl, then found him for a rolling finish. DeRozan drove, picked up his dribble, pumped, pumped again, jumped into the defender he sent airborne, and hit the jumper and-1.
Poeltl played some great interior defense, and Derrick White got a corner three in transition to make it 17-15 Clippers. He got to the line and tied it before a Los Angeles triple, but White evened it at 20 with a corner three and drew an offensive foul on the next defensive play.
He took a heat-check three but missed, then fouled George on a driving layup. Luka Samanic, Devin Vassell, and Rudy Gay came into the game as the Clippers went small, and Gay and Vassell both hit contested mid-range shots.
Patty Mills pulled up and drained a triple to tie, then tried it again but missed. San Antonio trailed 30-27 after a quarter.
Pregame
When, where: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., San Antonio
All-time series record: Spurs lead 130-46
Last season: Clippers won 3-1
Season series: Series tied, 1-1
Last meeting: Clippers won 134-101, March 24, 2021
Clippers' last game: Won vs. Spurs, 134-101
Spurs' last game: Lost vs. Clippers, 134-101
Clippers' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, won 3
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 4-6, lost 3
Clippers' injury/inactive report: Serge Ibaka: OUT (back); Patrick Beverly: OUT (knee); Kawhi Leonard: OUT (right foot); Lou Williams: OUT (traded) Marcus Morris Sr.: OUT (calf).
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Lonnie Walker IV, day-to-day (wrist); Keita Bates-Diop, OUT (hamstring).
The Spurs should have a fighting chance in a rematch against the Clippers team that blew them out the previous night.
Kawhi Leonard is out to rest a sore foot after putting up 25 the previous night, and Lou Williams has been traded to the Hawks, so Los Angeles will be coming back for round two of this fight with significantly less firepower.
Before the game, Coach Popovich reflected on the basketball-loving life of former Spurs coach Stan Albeck, who spent time around the team for the past 19 years after suffering a stroke and reportedly died today.
"Coach Albeck wasn't just important to the Spurs, he's what I call a lifer. People like myself don't come close to loving the game the way he did, and his whole family did. They participated in so many ways, and followed him so many places: ABA, NBA, assistant coach, head coach, my gosh, he was an assistant coach for Wilt Chamberlain at one point, and sometimes ended up coaching the games, he loved it," Popovich said.
"He'd talk to players, he'd talk to coaches, he'd always have a smile for us, a suggestion or two because he's a coach," Popovich said with a smile. "He'd run a bright light to wherever he was, as either assistant or head coach. He lived a good life."
The NBA trade deadline came and went today, and the Spurs couldn't find a deal they liked for LaMarcus Aldridge, buying his contract out instead. San Antonio acquired the injured Marqueese Chriss from the Warriors in a move that saves Golden State tax money. Pop called it a money transaction, but said they'll wee where it goes as he gets healthy.
As for the game tonight, he's not gonna give his team a rah-rah speech or challenge their pride after the blowout loss.
"They're grown men, they have families, they know what happened last night, they don't need to be Knute Rockne'd," he said. "They'll come out and do their best. It'll be a win or a loss, but they'll do their best."
Spurs lose to Clippers 134-101 in first of two games
The Spurs started slow and never really recovered in a 134-101 loss to the Clippers.
Former Spur Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, almost former Spur Marcus Morris had 20, and Los Angeles outscored San Antonio by 30 from beyond the arc. Coach Popovich pulled the plug early and rested his starters for the back-to-back against this team tomorrow night. One of the only bright spots was Luka Samanic tying his career-high with 14 points.
"I think he's beginning to prove himself deserving of time," Popovich said of the 6'11" second-year player in a rare case where he shared his thoughts on minutes, and through a genuine compliment no less.
"He's played well, he's got more confident, he's a good athlete with good size, so hopefully he'll continue to improve."
Samanic spoke after the game about his career night, and early growth in his young career so far. He said it was great to play against a talented team like the Clippers, as he switched from scorer to scorer defensively and even finished over Kawhi at the rim as he showed off his own scoring ability. He credited his time in the G League with helping him grow and prepare for an NBA role.