Spurs Playbook: Diving into how San Antonio runs their half-court sets

4.) Pop Throwback Wide

Gregg Popovich has leaned on Vassell for clutch buckets on numerous occasions dating back to last season, and the fourth-year swingman is starting to look like a bonafide closer. Taking over a contest often means putting points on the board with a win hanging in the balance, but the best players in the NBA can leverage their scoring gravity to generate openings for others.

The Silver and Black cooked up a call that took this concept and put it into practice. After feigning an empty side dribble handoff between Collins and Vassell, the stretch-five pitched the basketball back to Jones. He then sets a pindown for Vassell at the elbow, who curls the screen to receive a pass and lobs it to his center for a momentum-swinging alley-oop in overtime.

This action is straightforward and elegant, but it translates into a crunch time bucket because Vassell is able to sell Jalen Green on the notion that he wants to cross the paint. That subtle fake lets him get a running start into open space that causes four Rockets to converge on his drive. From there, Collins can slip to the rim for an emphatic two-handed finish.