Rudy Gobert's revenge: New-look Clippers stun Spurs at buzzer: 104-102.

There was .5 left on the clock and a pin could drop in the AT&T Center. A series of errors had culminated in a put-back dunk by new Clipper acquistion, Rudy Gobert, that finalized a valiant comeback.

The Spurs were stung by their first defeat at the earliest regular season timing in recent memory. "That's why they went out and got him over the summer. Gobert's prowess down low is something all 30 teams would kill to have. We let this game get to that point, and we got a L to show for it," Coach Popovich said in low spirits. When asked if the Clippers wanted the win more badly, he said, "Maybe. We were the only team between them and the NBA Finals last June. All I know is we sure didn't play like winners tonight."

Dejounte Murray did tie the game after a dunk by Kawhi Leonard swiped a 2-PT advantage in what a 34-22 fourth quarter rally by the Clippers, but even that did not come easy. Andre Drummond closed out on new Clipper James Johnson's floater attempt, unfortunately leaving Gobert free to nab the fatal rebound. Johnson finished with 8 points (4-11). Gobert starred with 17 points, 17 rebounds.

This was a close game, too: the Spurs edged LA, 31-29 in the first, getting more spread 21-14 in the second, but the 3rd Quarter went 27-28 in San Antone's favor before the collapse. Kawhi Leonard played very well with 26 points (11-19) & Paul George was right there with him for 25 points & 7 assists. Patrick Beverley dished 12 assists. 

 In the crushing loss, Brandon Ingram nearly willed the Spurs to a win with 29 points (12-18, 3-5 3PT) but did not have much help. Andre Drummond had 12 points, 10 rebounds with 4 blocks, but missed a lot of gimmies down low, clearly bothered by Gobert (who wasn't there to do so in the Western Conference Finals last year). Evan Fournier had his first solid showing with 12 points, hitting two threes with 3 assists also, but Dejounte Murray stayed quiet with 10 points, 9 assists. Fred VanVleet shot 3-7, with Joe Harris going 2-6 from long range. Cold, Kent Bazemore & Thomas Bryant shot 2-10. Luka Samanic briefly rallied the team, hitting two nice shots to stay the lead, but it was not to last, despite 9 points by P.J. Tucker (though he only went 1-5 from long range).

San Antonio bests rival Suns, 96-86.

 

 

The Spurs dominated Phoenix, 26-8 in the first quarter and it took a rough night shooting the ball for Phoenix to get back into the mix, only losing by ten at buzzer's call. DeAndre Ayton continued last year's campaign with more of the same strong play, 25 points & 21 rebounds. Ex-Spur, Patty Mills, had 11 points. Devin Booker did not play well, six points on a 3-12 shooting night (0-5 3PT), with all eyes on his lack of consistency (after not playing well against the Spurs in the playoffs last year).

In the win, Dejounte Murray had 17 points and P.J. Tucker had a standout performance, signaling his worth after a financial increase on his latest new contract with the Spurs, scoring 17 points with 5 assists & 3 steals (3-4 3PT). Brandon Ingram contributed 16 points & 8 rebounds. Fred VanVleet had 10 points, 7 assists.

Spurs receive championship rings and banner, en route to 93-104 win over Mavericks.

The mood was jovial as the Spurs were honored with championship rings once again, as a banner joined the rest in the rafters. They found themselves in a game, reliably due to the timeless rival Mavericks being on the court. 

The Spurs won the first quarter, 28-17 but Dallas stormed back in the 2nd, 28-16. The Spurs recovered to win the 3rd, 30-15 with the Mavs edging them out in the 4th, 33-30.

Drummond had his second nice game of the season, dropping 21 points & 8 rebounds with 4 blocks. Brandon Ingram had 18 points, 7 rebounds with 3 steals. Dejounte Murray scored 13 with 5 assists. Fred VanVleet chipped in 13 points, hitting 3-5 from long range. Thomas Bryant showed promise with 11 points. Evan Fournier went 1-7 in a cold night.

For the Mavs, it was a scoring struggle: Kristaps Porzingis hit on just 5-12 shots (14 points) with Deni Avdija's 13 points, 9 rebounds & 6 assists spoiled by a 5-13 night of his own & the leader, Luka Doncic, had 12 points, 6 rebounds & 6 assists on a 5-13 clip. Dwight Powell is back in action and contributed 9 points, 9 rebounds.

To make it worse, Dallas had 16 turnovers and gave up 17 free throws to the Spurs.

Spurs win opening night clash on the road over Kuzma & Pistons, 104-85.

Kyle Kuzma's debut for the Pistons could've gone better as he scored just 14 points, with Detroit led by John Wall (19 points, 5 assists) instead. Rookie of the Year, Cole Anthony, had 11 points but shot 5-12. New Piston, Hassan Whiteside, had a strong showing with 17 rebounds & 16 points.

The Spurs, however, won every quarter in the scoring column, cruising to a first victory on the new NBA season. The Big Penguin, Andre Drummond, had 19 points & 16 rebounds with 6 blocks against his old team. Brandon Ingram looked familiar with 18 points. The Spurs were boosted by 14 points & 5 dimes from Dejounte Murray, with Fred VanVleet combining with Luka Samanic & Kent Bazemore for 30 points.

In his own debut, Evan Fournier scored 9 points for San Antonio. Jaemyn Brakefield hit his first NBA shot attempt, a corner three and also nabbed a block on defense.

Detroit made just 3-16 from the perimeter, whereas the Spurs connected on 11 shots from deep and shared 30 assists as a squad.