After Monday night’s heartbreaking overtime loss against Brooklyn, the Spurs put together four solid quarters of basketball on Tuesday night in their largest win of the season, 119-93 over the New York Knicks. The Knicks came into this game on a 3-game win streak, and put up a good fight in the first half. But, San Antonio came out firing after the break, winning the 3rd quarter 36-21, and boosted themselves to a comfortable lead that they were able to build on throughout the 4th.
Though still short handed, the Spurs were led by 6 players in double figures, including a team-high 18 from Trey Lyles, and a double-double from DeMar DeRozan who came away with 10 points and 11 assists. All 11 active members of the Spurs were able to touch the floor and put points on the board to contribute to this win.
They held off tough performances from rookie Immanuel Quickley, who ended with 26, and Julius Randle, who pitched in 14 points and 11 boards.
Star of the Game: Trey Lyles
Lyles continued his progress in the Tuesday night win over New York when he put up 18 points in 30 minutes. He found his stride right away, scoring the first 5 points of the game for San Antonio. Trey went on to shoot 7 for 13 from the field and 4 for 6 from behind the 3 point stripe. His performance was enough to lead the team in scoring, making him the ninth Spur to do so in a game this season (most in NBA).
Surprise Performance: Luka Šamanić
Šamanić put up a career high 14 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes on Tuesday night. He looked very comfortable on the floor, shooting 5 for 7 from the field and 3 for 5 from 3-point land. Most importantly, Luka was a team-high +26 on the night, showing that he made a key contribution in his minutes. He is improving in every opportunity that he gets, and Spurs fans can be hopeful that he will continue to tap in to his potential and be a big part of this team’s future.
Biggest Concern: What Will the Spurs Do When Everyone Comes Back?
This seems like a good problem to have. But nonetheless, it could be a slight issue in the near future for the Spurs. What will they do when they get everyone back from safety protocols? With Keldon Johnson back in the lineup on Tuesday night (9pts in 10 mins.), and everyone else being on the bench instead of in quarantine (Rudy Gay, Devin Vassell, Derrick White, and Quinndary Weatherspoon), it seems as though the Spurs are very close to being back at full strength.
While this should only seem like good news, it will also be interesting to see how they handle this. Especially since this temporary rotation seems to be finding their own rhythm and playing well. Should people expect to see Trey Lyles and Luka Šamanić go back to playing spotty minutes after showing constant improvement? Whether this should be a concern or not, it will definitely be something to look out for in the next few games.
Next Game
The Spurs will look to get a win on Thursday, March 4th as they cap off this home stand against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be their final game before the all-star break.
Vs Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, March 4th at 6:00 PM Pacific
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