Spurs defeat Suns, 112-95: Recap, highlights and more

Recapping Sunday night’s win for the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Phoneix Suns 112-95 on Sunday night, winning their second in a row and improving to 2-1 in the current homestand. Before tip-off, both teams had a moment of silence to honor the memory of those affected by the shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, about 30 miles away from San Antonio.

Spurs observe moment of silence for #SutherlandSprings victims. pic.twitter.com/kZmhO1ttia

— Maddy Skye (@MaddySkye) November 6, 2017

The first half was ugly for the Spurs. They struggled to keep up with the Suns’ pace, missed open shots, things just weren’t going their way and they headed into the locker room at halftime down by 4. Fortunately, the Suns are one of the very worst defensive teams in the league and the Spurs were able to generate better looks and knock down open shots as the game went on. Their 34

More from Air Alamo

points in the third quarter were the most that they have scored in a quarter this season and secured the lead they needed to put the game away. It’s nice to see Patty Mills gradually return to looking like the Patty were all used to seeing. The Aussie got the start again, connected on 3-5 of his three-point attempts, and contributed 17 points in a solid outing. LaMarcus Aldridge continues to impress early in the season. The big fella’ took what was given to him, going 9-13 from the floor, snagging 9 rebounds, and finishing with a plus/minus rating of +22 in 30 minutes of great play. I don’t know exactly what Danny Green did over the summer but he should do that same thing every single summer for as long as he is on the team. In the past, the sharpshooting Green has not been known for his ability to attack defenders off the dribble and create his own shot but that has not been the cases so far this season. Green has tightened up his handle, is hitting from all over, and looks confident creating opportunities on his own.

Okay, Danny! pic.twitter.com/3GdO64RGc0

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 6, 2017

The Spurs bench played well in this one too, outscoring the Phoenix second unit 51-49. The young guards continue to impress. Bryn Forbes had 12 points, Dejounte Murray got 13, and Brandon Paul rounded out the trio with 11 of his own. Forbes and Paul just keep building their case for more playing time. The success of these three is a particularly good sign for Spurs fans, their solid play will allow the the Silver and Black to slowly phase Tony Parker back in, and then rest Parker and Manu Ginobili throughout the season and remain confident that their young guards can hold down the fort.

Tonight’s win was also significant in that it pushed Gregg Popovich past Phil Jackson to 6th in all-time wins for an NBA coach with 1,156 career victories. Don Nelson currently stands atop the ranks of all-time wins for coaches with 1,335 wins. Pop was quick to turn the focus away from himself and basketball after the win tonight, saying that basketball was “pretty meaningless” considering what had happened earlier that day in Sutherland Springs.

Quick Popovich reaction… basketball not important after what occurred today in Texas #Spurs pic.twitter.com/8Iu7iWNJGy

— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) November 6, 2017

Highlights

https://twitter.com/spurs/status/927331852540551168

.@BP3 out here turning defense into offense pic.twitter.com/OZHSeVP8B5

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 6, 2017

Brandon Paul or Chris Paul?It hard to saypic.twitter.com/S6nNoqNfJT

— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) November 6, 2017

Game Notes

Darrun Hilliard made his Spurs debut tonight, recording one assist in his first game.
The three-point shooting continues to improve. This has been an area that needed improvement. The team went 11-22 from deep Sunday night.
If you leave Brandon Paul open behind the arc he will make you pay. The rookie is shooting 53% (9/17) so far this season.

The Spurs next take on the Clippers this Tuesday, Nov. 7 in San Antonio.

Home/San Antonio Spurs News