SPURS PRESEASON SCORES, SCHEDULE
Oct. 5: Orlando Magic 125, Spurs 89, AT&T Center
Oct. 8: Miami Heat 107, Spurs 89, Miami
Sunday: New Orleans Pelicans 123, Spurs 114, AT&T Center
Wednesday: at Houston, 7 p.m.
Friday: vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center
SAN ANTONIO – Admittedly not quite ready for prime time yet, the Spurs are down to their last week before opening the regular season.
After losing their first two preseason games by 36 and 18 points, the Silver and Black played better Sunday in a 123-114 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Spurs jumped out to a 17-3 lead and were up 66-56 at the break. But they faltered in the third quarter, getting outscored 35-16 to trail 91-82 heading into the final period.
"It was a great first half," point guard Dejounte Murray said. "Preseason is to get guys going. I mean, you're not really playing for anything. But you're also not going out there to get embarrassed. You're playing to get better and get used to guys.
"We started off where we wanted to start. I think that was our best first half for the preseason so far. Pop [Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich] preaches 48 minutes a lot, and I think we just got comfortable. Dudes just forgot what got us to halftime."
Veteran guard Patty Mills said the team's progression is a matter of the players learning to play together and feeling comfortable with each other.
"It's like piecing the puzzle together and playing hard," Mills said. "We're obviously starting back (with) basics, teaching young guys and new guys the system, terminology and all that kind of stuff. But playing hard is something that we can control night in and night out."
"Throughout the training camp, we have the opportunity to play these preseason games. We go back to the drawing board and film and see what we can improve on. I guess try to find our identity as we move through these first few weeks going into the season," Mills said.
The Spurs play the Rockets in Houston on Tuesday night and wrap up their preseason schedule Friday at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Silver and Black open their 47th season in San Antonio against the New York Knicks next Wednesday at the AT&T Center.
The franchise played six seasons as the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association before moving to the Alamo City in 1973. The Spurs were among four ABA teams that remained intact after the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.
San Antonio is the only former ABA team that has won an NBA championship, taking titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
The Silver and Black held the Pelicans to 37.5 percent (18-48) in the first half, but New Orleans hit a scorching 62.5 percent (15-24) in the third quarter.
"I think tonight we just got outhustled, outcompeted in the end, especially in the second half," Mills said. "The last couple of weeks we've been able to get momentum under our belt defensively of how we want to play.
"It's [defense] always going to be where we need to hang our hat, and then we'll work out the other pieces around that. But, definitely, some good (defensive) patches tonight."
Murray continues to knock off the rust after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
"As far as expectations, I'm just trying to get better," Murray said. "I think it's more so me getting comfortable again. It's my third game in a whole year. There's going to be some road bumps, but at the end of the day, I've just got to get comfortable about playing again. I'm trying to do my part, set the tone on 'D'. I'm trying to get guys the ball."
Murray, who turned 23 last month, was the Spurs' first-round draft pick in 2016 He replaced Tony Parker as the team's starting point guard in January 2018, and went on to become the youngest player in league history to earn a spot on the NBA All-Defensive team. He made the second unit.