Tag: spurs
Cavs keep on winning!
On Monday night, the red-hot Cavs(38-22) hosted the slumping Spurs(14-44), who limped into Cleveland on a 12-game losing streak.
The Cavs led by as many as 21 and defeated the Spurs 117-109 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland has won seven straight, while the Spurs have now lost 13 in a row.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Spurs.
The Great:
Donovan Mitchell scored 23 of his game-high 41 points in the first half. Mitchell(16/26 FG) also added six threes and five assists. He scored 40-plus points for the sixth time this season.
Jarrett Allen had his team-leading 26th double-double as he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked three shots.
First Quarter: Cleveland jumped out early on the Spurs. They scored a game-high 34 points in the first. The Cavs were on fire as they shot 59% from the field. In addition, defensively, Cleveland held the Spurs to 39% from the field and created six turnovers, which led to 12 points.
Turning the Spurs over: The Cavs forced 18 turnovers, which led to 29 points.
Not So Great:
The Spurs hung around too long: The only thing Cleveland did wrong was let the Spurs hang around. They led by 21 in the third, but they allowed the Spurs to trim the lead to 10 going into the fourth. San Antonio cut the lead to four in the final stanza before the Cavs pushed the lead back to 10 after going on a 6-0 run.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs are hot and playing some great basketball right now. They are playing good defense(they held three teams below 100 points during the streak) and getting contributions from multiple sources. However, five of the seven teams they’ve beaten on this streak are below .500, so are they playing great, or are they taking advantage of the schedule?
On Wednesday, the fourth-seeded Cavs go on the road to battle the third-seeded 76ers, who Cavs trail by one game in the standings; that game should tell us some things about Cleveland.
What’s next:
In their final game before the All-Star break, the Cavs travel to Philly to battle the 76ers on Wednesday night.
Best of the Rest:
-Darius Garland had 16 points and seven assists. Evan Mobley added 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks for the Cavs.
-Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 25 points, and Malaki Branham had 18 points. San Antonio had six players in double figures.
Cavs road woes continue in San Antonio
The Cavs(17-11) began a two-game road trip in Texas against the Spurs(9-18) on Monday night.
Cleveland trailed for most of this game but got back into the contest late. With the Spurs leading by one with 06.7 seconds left, Donovan Mitchell’s layup was blocked by Keldon Johnson; Cleveland had one more chance, but Darius Garland would miss a corner three, and the Spurs would defeat the Cavs 112-111 at AT&T Center.
The Spurs have won three straight, while the Cavs have lost their third straight on the road.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Spurs.
Great:
Donovan Mitchell was back after missing two games with a lower leg injury and had a game-high 28 points(12/24 FG) and five rebounds. He did his part, but it wasn’t enough.
Caris LeVert recorded his third straight 20-plus point game as he had 23 points(9/13 FG) off the bench. Nine of his 23 came in the fourth; it’s good to see LeVert find his groove.
Evan Mobley had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. This was his fourth double-double in the last six games.
Fourth Quarter: The Cavs trailed 92-78 heading into the fourth. However, Cleveland looked like themselves in the fourth, and you felt they might get it done. The Cavs shot 54% from the field and outscored the Spurs 33-20. The Cavs brought the defensive energy and created six turnovers, but unfortunately, they fell just short.
Not So Great:
First Three Quarters: Cleveland was outworked by the Spurs for most of this game. For the first three quarters, San Antonio outrebounded the Cavs 39-29. Cleveland looked lifeless, their energy was just not there, and the Cavs were down by as many as 19 points.
Three-Point Shooting: The Cavs had a hard time behind the arc. Cleveland shot 5/23(22%) from deep. Mitchell(2/7) and Garland(1/6) were a combined 3/13 from downtown.
Turnovers: Cleveland had 15 turnovers against the Spurs, which led to 18 points.
Bottom Line:
This was an unacceptable performance by the Cavs. Yes, the Spurs have been playing better, but they did come in this game ten games under .500. Cleveland’s energy is still off on the road as they fell to 5-9 away from “The Land.”
One example of the different energy on the road is Garland.
He’s averaging 26.1 points per contest on 50% shooting, including 46% from deep at home. However, on the road, he’s averaging 16.1 points per game on 34% shooting, including 28% from downtown. He’s one of the best players on the team and has to be better away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
What’s Next:
Cleveland continues their Texas two-step Wednesday night as they head to Dallas to battle Luka Doncic and the Mavs.
Best of the Rest:
Cleveland had five players in double figures. Jarrett Allen had 16 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Garland added 18 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
Josh Richardson led the Spurs with 24 points, including five threes off the bench. Keldon Johnson added 21 points and six rebounds, and Devin Vassell chipped in with 16 points.
Spurs unveil City Edition uniforms
On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs unveiled their 2022-23 NBA City Edition uniform featuring retro accents and a bold turquoise color inspired by the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, which was played in San Antonio at the Alamodome where the Spurs will return to play for the first time in 20 years in January.
This uniform marks the third and final chapter of the Fiesta-themed Spurs City Edition uniforms.
For the 2022-23 campaign, the Spurs City Edition uniform is set against the turquoise color reminiscent of the ‘96 NBA All-Star Game with retro accents along the arm trim, jersey and shorts sides in turquoise, fuchsia and orange.
The Spurs wordmark and player number is stitched across the jersey front in handcrafted lettering that gives a nod to the original All-Star jerseys, which still stand as one of the most iconic uniforms in basketball history. Down the side inserts, the uniform features a tribal pattern reflective of the ‘96 threads. On the jersey’s back center is the NBA logo embellishment. The short’s waistband is centered with an “SA” logo and a throwback badge calls out our home and the host of the on-court classic on the front left cuff.
San Antonio will wear the uniforms for first time on a newly designed City Edition court on Friday, Nov. 11 when the Spurs host the Milwaukee Bucks. The Spurs City Edition uniform and court will be featured during all 10 Fiesta-themed home games, including the game at the Alamodome. During this special 50th anniversary Fiesta Night, the Spurs will attempt to break the NBA’s all-time attendance record when they host the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the first game played by the Silver and Black in the venue since 2002. The Spurs now have five uniforms for the 2022-23 NBA season, including the White Association, Black Icon, Classic Edition, Statement SATX Edition and now Fiesta City Edition.
Spurs sign Alize Johnson, Tommy Kuhse
The San Antonio Spurs have signed forward Alize Johnson and guard Tommy Kuhse, the team announced Friday.
Johnson reportedly singed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, while Kuhse’s reportedly signed an Exhibit 10 deal.
The 6-7 Johnson appeared in 23 games with Chicago, Washington and New Orleans last year, averaging 1.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes. The 26-year-old also played two seasons with the Indiana Pacers before stints with the Nets, Bulls, Wizards, and Pelicans. He holds career averages 2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes across 72 games.
Originally drafted by Indiana with the 50th overall selection in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, the four-year veteran has spent time in the G League with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Raptors 905, averaging 18.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.14 steals in 35.6 minutes in 65 games. Prior to the NBA, the forward played two seasons at Missouri State University.
Tommy Kuhse:
The 6-2 Kuhse recently completed his collegiate career at St. Mary’s, where he spent five seasons. In his final year with the Gaels, the 24-year-old earned All-WCC First Team honors and was named the WCC Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game while shooting 49.4% from the floor and 45.0% from three-point range.
The undrafted rookie free agent played with the Orlando Magic at the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League, in three games Kuhse averaged 17.3 points, 3.3 assists, 3.00 steals and 2.0 rebounds in 23.2 minutes.
After the signings of Johnson and Kuhse, San Antonio’s roster stands at 20.
Official: Spurs sign Gorgui Dieng
The San Antonio Spurs have signed center Gorgui Dieng, the team announced on Tuesday.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, it’s a one-year deal.
This is Dieng’s second stint in San Antonio after appearing in 16 games for the Spurs in 2020-21,
Last season, the 6-10 Dieng spent the 2021-22 season with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 8.4 minutes in 44 games while shooting 47.3% from the field.
A 10-year NBA veteran, Dieng, 32, holds career averages of 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 20.5 minutes in 597 total games played.
A native of Senegal, Dieng was selected in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Utah Jazz; he was dealt to the Timberwolves on draft night and spent his first six-plus seasons with Minnesota.
Spurs’ Popovich on return of Brett Brown: I’m thrilled to be able to hire such a good coach, human being, and dinner partner’
A familiar face has returned to San Antonio as the Spurs added former 76ers head coach Brett Brown as an assistant coach, the team announced Thursday.
Brown joins Mitch Johnson and Matt Nielsen on head coach Gregg Popovich’s staff.
“I’m thrilled to be able to hire such a good coach, human being, and dinner partner,” said Popovich via a press release from the team.
Before leading the 76ers, the 61-year-old Brown served as an assistant coach on Popovich’s staff in San Antonio for 11 seasons from 2002-13. He was a member of the Spurs organization for their first four championship seasons (1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007).
Brown originally joined the Spurs as a member of their basketball operations department in 1998-99 but left after the season to become the Head Coach of the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He rejoined the Spurs in July of 2002 as the team’s Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development and was moved to the bench as an assistant coach prior to the 2006-07 season. Brown was named 76ers head coach in 2013, and during his time in Philadelphia, the team posted three-straight 50-win seasons from 2017-20 and made three straight postseason appearances.
In addition to his time with the Spurs, Brown coached in Australia. He started as an assistant coach with the Melbourne Tigers before being named head coach of the North Melbourne Giants in 1993 and earned NBL Coach of the Year honors in 1994 after leading the Giants to the National Championship. Brown also served as head coach of the Australian National Team from 2009-2012, leading the Boomers during the 2012 Summer Olympics and again from 2019-20.
Report: Hawks acquire Dejounte Murray from Spurs for Gallinari, three first-round picks
Update/deal official: Spurs acquire a protected 2023 first round draft pick, two unprotected first round picks in 2025 and 2027, the rights to swap 2026 first round picks and forward Danilo Gallinari from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Dejounte Murray and center Jock Landale.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Spurs guard Dejounte Murray could be on the move, and according to reports, it’s going to happen.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hawks are sending Danilo Gallinari, a 2023 first-round pick via Charlotte, and their own 2025 and 2027 first-round picks to the Spurs in the deal for Murray; the Spurs will also get a pick swap in 2026.
The 2025 and 2027 first-rounders are unprotected Atlanta first-round picks, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
For San Antonio, the rebuild continues as they add more picks after having three first-round choices in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Hawks are looking to compete for a title as the 25-year-old Murray joins Trae Young in the Hawks’ backcourt. In the 2020-21 season, the Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference finals, but last season they lost to the Heat in five in the first round of the playoffs.
Murray, a first-time All-Star last season, averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and a league-best 2.0 steals per contest, all career-highs. The five-year veteran has one year left on his contract and will be a free agent in 2024.
Spurs release “1,336 Coach Pop NFT Collection”
The San Antonio Spurs announced the “1,336 Coach Pop NFT Collection” a special set of 1,336 exclusive non-fungible tokens that honor Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich’s 1,336 career wins, which now stand as the most of any coach in NBA history.
Featuring digital recreations of Popovich’s famous hand-drawn play cards that helped the Spurs win five NBA Championships, each one of the minted NFTs will be available March 14th on OpenSea with 100% of all proceeds going to the San Antonio Food Bank.
Each of the 1,336 animated NFTs feature a random combination of five hand-drawn plays from Popovich along with the five Spurs court designs that have served as the floor for each of his 26 seasons in San Antonio. Iconic Spurs plays drawn up by San Antonio’s leader like “Loop Shields” and “Lock and Lob” are combined with classic courts like the “Spurs Icon” and “Original Spurs Fiesta Logo” with Coach Pop’s signature included on each NFT.
In honor of Popovich’s five titles, the first 5 of 1,336 will stand alone as distinct one-of-one NFTs that will feature a completely unique play and court combination. These special five NFTs will be auctioned off to the highest bidder and will also include the original hard copy of the play card, hand-drawn and autographed by Popovich, along with a unique in-person VIP Spurs experience at a game in San Antonio next season.
First five combinations of Play Cards and Courts:
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Loop Shields x Spurs Icon
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Side Out of Bounds 212 x Throwback Spurs Primary Logo
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5 Down Strong x Throwback Spurs Wordmark
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Lock and Lob x Fiesta Spurs Icon
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Circle Blu x Original Spurs Fiesta Logo
The remaining 1,331 of 1,336 will go on sale for 0.1 ETH apiece, with each NFT featuring a randomized distribution of play cards and courts that will be minted based on the percentage of Popovich’s wins that came on each of San Antonio’s five home floors that the Silver & Black played on during Coach Pop’s tenure.
The “1,336 Coach Pop NFT Collection” auction will go live on Monday, March 14 at 9 a.m. CT and will be open until Thursday, March 17 at 9 p.m. CT.
