Spurscast Ep. 636: An Early Look at Crunch Time Struggles

In Spurscast episode 636, Spurscast host Paul Garcia and Project Spurs writer John Diaz discuss: The Spurs going 1-3 in their last four games against the Dallas Mavericks (twice), Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers Jakob Poeltl out due to Health and Safety Protocols The team offense and defense through eight games Players averaging double figures in scoring The early numbers from the Spurs’ struggles in crunch time 1-3 in Last 4 Games Since the last Spurscast episode, the Spurs have gone 1-3 in their last four games. Going back to last Thursday, they lost a close game in Dallas to the Mavericks after San Antonio jumped out to a 20 point lead. Then on Saturday they went into the home of the defending champion Bucks and defeated Milwaukee. Two nights later in Indiana, the Spurs suffered their worst loss of the season, getting blown out by Indiana by as many as 26 points, though the final score was a 13 point loss for San Antonio. Finally, the Spurs lost another close game to Dallas, this time at home in the AT&T Center. The team is now 2-6 through eight games to start the season, with six of of their games being close and going down to the wire. Poeltl Out The Spurs announced Wednesday Jakob Poeltl would be out due to Health and Safety protocols. Poeltl has been averaging 14 points per game and he is the team's interior defensive anchor. Poeltl is expected to miss a few games. Team Offense and Defense Through 8 Games The Spurs rank 17th on offense and 14th on defense through eight games. In the episode, their Top 10 and Bottom 10 stats on offense and defense are discussed to see which stats are likely going to be a strength or weakness for the team all season, and which are just noise from early sample sizes that will eventually regress. Individual Double Figure Scoring Leaders Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, Poeltl, Derrick White, Devin Vassell, and Lonnie Walker IV are all averaging more than 10 points per game. Each player is discussed with observations and notes on each end of the floor in the episode. Early Look at Crunch Time Struggles The Spurs have been in six games that have gone down to the last five minutes, with the team ahead or behind by five points. Those six games are the second most in the NBA as of Thursday afternoon during those clutch situations. The Spurs are struggling in those clutch situations with a 1-5 record. The team numbers and players who log the most minutes in those situations are analyzed in one conversation of the episode. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy