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SPURS GAMEDAY: As always, defense top priority for Silver and Black as they open season

Spurs play Knicks on Wednesday in the first of three home games in six nights.

New York Knicks vs. Spurs

When, where: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center

TV: KENS 5, 7 p.m.

Last season: Tied 1-1

All-time series record: Spurs lead 53-40

Last meeting: Spurs 109, Knicks 83, March 15, AT&T Center

Knicks' injury/inactive report: Guard Kadeem Allen (sore right knee), out; guard/forward Reggie Bullock (cervical disc herniation), out; forward Taj Gibson (sore right calf), questionable; center Mitchell Robinson (sprained right ankle), questionable.

Spurs' injury/inactive report: Nothing to report.

Notable: Wednesday night's game will be broadcast by KENS 5, the official TV station of the San Antonio Spurs. The pregame show starts at 7. The clash with the Knicks will be the first of 14 Spurs games broadcast by KENS 5 this season.  After opening their 47th season in San Antonio, the Silver and Black host the Washington Wizards on Saturday and wrap up their three-game homestand Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers . . . Heading into his 24th season as the Spurs' coach, Gregg Popovich will make history in Wednesday's opener as the longest-tenured coach with one team in NBA history. Popovich ended last season tied with former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan for the longest coaching tenure with one NBA team. Popovich has the most victories (1,245) with a single franchise in NBA history and is the longest-tenured active coach in the country’s four major leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL).

GAME PREVIEW

SAN ANTONIO – If Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's hair weren't white already, it probably would have turned white from the stress of watching his team struggle defensively last season.

"We were average – at best," Popovich said before the Silver and Black started training camp this month. "We've got to be a better defensive team. That's always been something that we've been good at.

"If you're going to have a successful season, you need be to a top defender, especially if you want to go deep in the playoffs. It's got to be our No. 1 priority."

Popovich's message was not lost on his players.

"Standard day one of Spurs training camp, how you would expect," veteran guard Patty Mills said after the team's first preseason workout. "It's back to basics, so it was good. It was long but needed. The main message is how we're going to be able to defend and how we're going to be able to guard.

"Looking back at last year and how we lacked in a ton of different areas in that category (defense), that's going to be our focus. We're going to need to be able to hang our hat defensively, and take individual responsibilities a lot more than what we did in the past."

The Spurs' defense remains a work in progress but the players, at least, believe the team has made progress heading into Wednesday night's season opener against the New York Knicks at the AT&T Center.

"Everyone's trying to put in the basics," veteran forward LaMarcus Aldridge said Monday after practice. "(The new) guys are trying to learn a new system, as far as Trey (Lyles) and guys like that. I think everyone is working at it for sure."

Lyles, a power forward, signed with the Spurs in July after playing the past four seasons with the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets.

San Antonio acquired Lyles after the deal to sign Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris fell through. Morris had committed to sign with the Silver and Black, but reneged on the deal and joined the Knicks instead.

"I've still got a little ways to go," Lyles said, referring to adapting to the Spurs' system. "I'm still trying to feel my way out, but it's definitely getting better."

Asked if he thinks the players have recommitted themselves to play better defense this season, Lyles said: "For sure. Coach has been preaching about it since we started. I think that we've been getting better at it every day.

"We got better as the games went on during preseason. We've just got to continue to work on it and get better."

As a whole, the Spurs are in much better shape heading into this season's opener than they were when the curtain went up last year.

Already faced with the loss of All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green in the offseason, the Silver and Black had three guards go down with injuries in three consecutive preseason games.

Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to KENS5.com
Veteran Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan is averaging a team-high 20.6 points and shooting 51.4 percent in his second season with the Silver and Black.

The toughest blow was losing point guard Dejounte Murray to a season-ending ACL injury two days after rookie Lonnie Walker IV tore the medial meniscus in his right knee. The injury sidelined Walker for the first 20 games of the season.

The injury bug took another bite of the Silver and Black’s backside when Derrick White, who replaced Murray in the starting lineup, sustained a heel injury. An MRI exam the next day revealed a plantar fascia tear in White’s left foot.

And just like that, the Spurs lost their past three first-round draft picks to injuries in three consecutive games.

The Spurs not only lost their point guard when Murray went down, they had to move forward without their best perimeter defender. Murray was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team after the 2017-18 season, becoming the youngest player in league history (he was 21) to make the All-Defensive Team.

A year later, Murray, White, and Walker are healthy and raring to go. Murray and White could potentially become one of the best defensive tandems in the league.

"Defensively, we definitely have to be better than we were last year," White said. "It all starts with transition. A lot of it is turnovers. Have to get back on the turnovers. Doing a lot of point of emphasis on that."

Murray has become more confident as he's shaken the rust from his game.

"I'm just trying to do what I do," Murray said. "And that's being a great defender and trying to set the done on 'D.'"

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