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San Antonio Spurs fall in Charlotte to Cardiac Kemba during overtime

By Dylan Carter

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 26: Marco Belinelli #18 of the San Antonio Spurs and Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets shake hands after the game on March 26, 2019 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 26: Marco Belinelli #18 of the San Antonio Spurs and Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets shake hands after the game on March 26, 2019 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In spite of a valiant effort by DeMar DeRozan, the San Antonio Spurs were unable to pull out the overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday evening.

Getting swept up in all of combo guard Derrick White’s glory has been easy for San Antonio Spurs fans this season. The circumstances of his increased role were highly unfortunate, but he’s used this time to show the world what he’s capable of as a primary defender and ball handler. With his blocks, steals and floaters parading across your Twitter feed, it becomes easy to forget that he’s just a sophomore and still has a way to go before fulfilling his potential.

White’s matchup against ‘Cardiac’ Kemba Walker on Tuesday night put things into perspective; for as talented as he is, White is still very young and new to this league. It’s been a long and winding road to this point but there is a lot left for the 24-year-old to learn.

Walker torched White and combo guard Bryn Forbes for 38 points, 11 rebounds, nine rebounds and a block on 45 percent shooting from the floor. With some of the tightest handles in the game and a jump shot to match, Walker simply dominated the matchup.

Go to work, @DeMar_DeRozan! pic.twitter.com/n2J54XDLsd

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 27, 2019

White finished the game without a single made field goal, totaling four points on 10 attempts with five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. His presence was certainly felt but his production was abysmal. He committed three turnovers and five fouls in 29 minutes, capping a night to learn from moving forward.

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Dueling with a familiar opponent in the Eastern Conference, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan put on a scoring clinic with 30 points on 50 percent shooting to match eight rebounds and four assists. He gave San Antonio a late lead that eventually led to overtime despite missing the potential game-winner in regulation. He struggled on the defensive end with San Antonio out of sorts, but DeRozan looked like himself as a scorer.

His co-star LaMarcus Aldridge also finished with a commendable stat line of 20 points, 15 boards including eight on the offensive glass, four assists and a steal. Aldridge shot 8-of-18 from the floor and failed to anchor the team on defense, finishing without a single block. Had he asserted himself on the defensive end, San Antonio may have scraped out a win.

Head coach Gregg Popovich’s bench mob failed to show up as a unit, but Marco Belinelli and Rudy Gay gave great efforts. Belinelli had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds with five made triples in the game. Gay posted 16 points, nine rebounds and a steal of his own.

Next. Point of emphasis heading into the playoffs

Point guard Tony Parker did not log any minutes in tonight’s contest but he’ll catch a flight with the team back to San Antonio for Manu Ginobili’s jersey retirement on Thursday evening.

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