In a game of runs, the San Antonio Spurs run out of gas down the stretch
Given how the Golden State game stated, it was easy for the Spurs to start this matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers better. They certainly did so, as they led 16-4 after a mere 3:46 of game play. Unfortunately, they only scored 13 points over the remaining 8:14 and ended up trailing 30-29 at the end of the quarter. Jakob Poeltl, on the way to a career night, led the way after one with nine points. On the other end, it was the rookie Shaedon Sharpe who helped give the Blazers the lead. He came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark, scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting.
Spurs came out in the second quarter similar to how they started the game. They used an 11-2 run to take a 40-32 lead with 8:47 left – capped off by an Isaiah Roby dunk that we’ll come to later in this article. And similarly to the first quarter as well, their lead was for naught. A Charles Bassey bucket gave the Spurs a 48-40 lead with 5:49 left in the half. After that, the Blazers went on a 22-8 run to take a 62-56 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter felt more like a track meet, as two of the youngest teams in the league let the youth do their thing. The back-and-forth play meant there were more points scored than any of the other quarters, but that also led to a lot of passes that wound up in the stands rather than in hands. This was the only quarter of the game that didn’t have a lead change, but the Spurs found just enough scoring to keep things close, thanks to a little help from Keita Bates-Diop and Doug McDermott. If you want to have some fun, go ahead and read the play-by-play of that quarter.
Again, as they did in the first and second quarters, the Spurs started off the fourth extremely well. A 17-7 run over the first 5:10 of the quarter gave the Spurs a 106-100 lead. Spurs fans were going crazy as they watched Jakob make bucket after bucket during this time, but these were his last points. The final 6:50 of the game was owned by the Blazers. There were some open looks the Spurs just missed, who knows if it was the moment, the inexperience, the defense, or something else, but they could only able to manage two baskets in that time. You’d think that it was Dame that took over, but it was really a complete team effort from the Blazers. Jakob’s career-high 31 points weren’t enough, as the Spurs drop this one to the Blazers, 117-100, and fall to 6-9 on the year.
Game Notes
Jeremy Sochan just keeps getting better night after night. He might not blow you away on the box score, but his defense, hustle, playmaking, and all the other little things he does right make him the ultimate teammate. At halftime, he had four points, four assists, and two rebounds, but led the team in plus/minus at +19. He guards everybody, from Damian Lillard to Jerami Grant. He’s just such a joy to watch every game. Toward the end of the game, when it entered what’s known as Dame Time in Portland, he even blocked a Dame three-point attempt. If it weren’t for foul trouble, he might have helped lead the Spurs to a win, given he ended as a +18 in 27 minutes.
One of the reasons the Spurs were pegged to be toward the bottom of the standings was the depth of their roster. How this season has played out hasn’t helped that depth, but you play the hand you’re dealt. And tonight, if the starters are the two cards you hold in Texas Hold ‘Em and the bench are the community cards, the Spurs were dealt pocket aces and the community cards were a two, five, seven, nine, and jack (meaning they amounted to nothing). Keita Bates-Diop had a few good minutes when he scored six straight points, but that was it. It seemed like every time the bench came into the game, the Blazers were able to find their rhythm and make a run.
Jakob played probably his best game of the season. Heck, he might’ve played the best game of his career. He was hyperefficient tonight, and at one point, took Nurkic to the hole from outside the three-point line for a layup. He ended the night with a career-high 31 points and added 14 rebounds and five assists. His defensive stats might not have been what he’s had in prior games, but he was certainly felt on that end. The Blazers only had 46 points in the paint, which is a key indicator of an interior defender’s impact. It was the kind of game that reminds you of why his name gets floated in trade rumors.
Jerami Grant was one of the best signings of the offseason. While CJ McCollum was a great running mate for Dame, Grant seems to be an even better fit. His shooting, size, and quickness make him a tough matchup. He can take bigger defenders off the dribble and bully the smaller ones on the block. Tonight, he did most of his damage from behind the arc, making six of eight attempts, en route to scoring 29 points. Those 29 points were all scored in the first three quarters, but they helped keep the Blazers in good position heading into the fourth. If he keeps this up, the Blazers hot start to the season might continue throughout the year.
Play of the night
There’s a reason why the dunk is the most exciting play in basketball. In a game filled with quality plays, a dunk that happened at the 8:47 mark of the second quarter is the one that stands out the most. I mean, how could it not? Just look at Isaiah Roby put the Blazers into the basket. We don’t even remember if he finished the and-one or not (he didn’t).
