Shorthanded Spurs squelch Detroit rallies for 106-91 win – San Antonio Express-News
In a battle of shorthanded teams, the Spurs prevailed 106-91 over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night at the AT&T Center.
Playing without leading scorer and playmaker DeMar DeRozan (bruised right quad), starting point guard Dejounte Murray (rest) and sixth man Patty Mills (rest), the Spurs led from midway through the third quarter until the end to pull even at 29 with 14 games left in the regular season.
The game wasn’t without some drama as the Spurs weathered two rallies by the Pistons in the second half.
Detroit scored 13 straight to pull within three before the Spurs went on an 11-2 run to lead 82-70 heading into the fourth quarter.
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In the final fame, the Pistons pulled within three again in the final frame only to watch the Spurs go on a 20-5 run sparked by 3-pointers from Lonnie Walker IV, Derrick White and Keldon Johnson, who punctuated the spree with a thundering slam that gave the Spurs an 18-point cushion with 2:22 left.
“That’s always a good sign,” Popovich said of his young team twice holding off the Pistons. “Sometimes you don’t. When you do, it adds to your experience, makes you feel a little more confident and you learn that an NBA game is a long time and you just have to go out and play and you keep on trucking.”
White led the way with a stat-stuffing performance that included 26 points, a season-high seven rebounds, a season-high tying eight assists, three blocks and a steal in 28 minutes.
Jakob Poeltl also had a big night with 17 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Walker (18), Rudy Gay (14) and Johnson (10) were the Spurs’ other double-digit scorers.
Playing without leading scorer Jerami Grant (quad), leading distributor Cory Joseph (ankle) and a few other rotation players, the Pistons (18-42) got 29 points from Josh Jackson.
Here are three takeaways from a win that eliminated Minnesota and Houston from contention for the play-in tournament.
White unleashed is a sight to behold
With DeRozan and Murray out, White picked up the the former’s scoring slack and the latter’s rebounding in an impressive performance that conjured memories of how well he played in the bubble before his foot issues.
“I think he’s gotten to the point where he is almost his old self,” Popovich said. “He’s pretty close. He’s doing a great job in a lot of different ways.”
White said he’s “getting there.”
“There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “I just want to keep working and looking at what I can improve on, but we are getting there.”
With room to operate and spread his wings, White showed what he could do if he were asked to shoulder more of the load.
“Dejounte steals a lot of the rebounds and DeMar was out, so I felt I had to step up and pick up their slack,” he said. “I don’t really focus on what I should have each and every game. I just go out there and try to impact the game and today it was this.”
That other rookie isn’t bad either
Spurs fans have been clamoring for first-round rookie Devin Vassell to play more. Maybe they should start doing the same for 2020 draftee.
Second-round point guard Tre Jones finished with five points and a season-best five assists in 12 minutes.
“He was really, really solid,” Popovich said. “That’s the first thing you like out of a point guard, be solid, keep everybody together, and he did a good job of that. He knocked down a few shots, which will be great for his confidence, so he did a good job.”
Jones’ best assist of the night came late in the first half when he kicked the ball to a trailing Poeltl for a slam on a pick and roll that resulted in two Pistons chasing him into the lane.
“His focus is on defense as well,” Poeltl said. “He’s very annoying, gets into guys, has very active hands. On offense, he’s a good facilitator. He gets into the paint and he finds guys and he’s a threat with his little floater and his scoop layup. The defense has to respect him and then he finds guys rolling or on the weak side. He does a really good job of that.”
Poeltl becoming double-double machine
Poeltl notched his 12th double-double of the season and his sixth in his last 13 games. The best, though, may be yet to come for the Austrian.
Before the game, Pistons coach Dwane Casey said he thinks the 7-foot-1 center has only scratched the surface of how good he can on the court. Casey was guiding Toronto when the Raptors made Poeltl the ninth overall pick of the 2016 draft.
“He’s a smart young man, high basketball IQ … I am so excited with his growth pattern and trajectory,” Casey said. “He is not a finished product either… He is just scratching the surface of who he can be, and Pop has done a heck of a job with him. He fits well in the San Antonio system.”
Poeltl believes his old coach described him well.
“I think I still have a lot of areas I can improve on offensively and defensively,” he said. “I still want to work on a lot of stuff. I am just trying to fill my role right now, but I still have a long ways to go.”
torsborn@express-news.net
Twitter: @tom_orsborn