The San Antonio Spurs lost six of their first eleven games, but have won six out of their last eight to creep into the eighth spot in the West.
Forward Tim Duncan and guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have suited up for only five games together. Ginobili missed San Antonio’s first 12 games after undergoing ankle surgery. Parker missed 9 games after spraining an ankle in San Antonio’s fifth game of the season. And yet the Spurs managed a 7-2 stretch without the services of their superstar backcourt.
San Antonio kept their heads afloat behind an MVP-caliber start of the season from Duncan and solid production from new rotation players Roger Mason Jr., George Hill, and Matt Bonner. Mason and Bonner have spaced the floor with their outside shooting, while Hill provided quality minutes filling in for Parker. Bonner has connected on 48% of his shot attempts (21-44) from beyond the arc. Mason is shooting 48% (48-100) from downtown. Both players rank among the top six in three-point shooting percentage.
The Spurs allowed three of their first five opponents to score more than 100 points, but have since returned to the principles that made them one of the league’s best defensive teams for better than a decade. Those principles were on full display in wins against the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
After allowing 26 first quarter points on 55% shooting, the Spurs put the clamps on the Nuggets Thursday night. San Antonio kept Carmelo Anthony and company from penetrating the middle of their defense, forced ball-handlers baseline and dominated the defensive glass (35-23). The Spurs forced the Nuggets to miss 10 of their first 12 shot attempts to start the second quarter, outscored Denver 31-15 in that period, and never looked back as they handed the Nuggets their worst loss of the season.
The Spurs got off to a similar start against the Warriors. San Antonio held the Warriors to 31% shooting in the first quarter of Saturday’s night game in route to a 123-88 blowout at home.
With Popovich on the sidelines and Duncan patrolling the paint, the Spurs have never finished a season lower than 3rd in defensive efficiency. All-NBA defender Bruce Bowen has definitely lost a step or two, but the Spurs remain fundamentally sound on that end of the floor. And it begins and ends with Tim Duncan.
Duncan had 5 blocks against the Nuggets on Thursday night, including 3 swats in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets cut the Spurs lead to 14 with 9:56 remaining. But blocked shots have never defined Tim Duncan’s defense. Duncan’s rotations are flawless. His defensive presence goes beyond a boxscore.
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