The Spurs led 18-0 in Friday night’s game against the Warriors with few hands and finished with a 38-point victory that put them firmly in control of the West Group C of the NBA Cup. ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. One encouraging sign was the vision Castle Stefan sinking 5-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc after entering the game, shooting 31.5% from 3-point range. Like most teams, Golden State deflected off of Castle and forced him to shoot, and he was able to make them pay for that strategy.
“I think the biggest obstacle I’ve faced has been myself, sometimes just thinking, not making open shots and forcing myself to make worse shots.” Castle said. “I think I just came in today with a clear mind, thinking about our defense, our principles, trying to play the right way, and the basketball gods found me.”
San Antonio has won 11 games in a row and put to rest any fears that may have arisen after opening the season with losses to Oklahoma City and Houston. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the Spurs “the best team in the league” and they look poised to make another NBA Finals appearance.
“We can defeat you in many ways, and our offense is not really the only one,” A lock has been added. “Our defense makes a lot of those plays and causes our runs. We may not have had our best shooting night, but showing up defensively is really non-negotiable. If we get it right and play our way, eventually teams will start to break down.”
There are more from the Southwest Division:
- Rockets security guard Fred VanVleet will miss Sunday’s game against Washington, which is the first of two meetings, due to treatment of right knee injury. In this regard, consideration was given to allowing him to play both games Marcus Smart‘s suspensionand VanVleet said after Friday’s contest that he felt ready to try, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle states in the story for subscribers only. “We’re going to keep fighting back from this” said VanVleet, who missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL. “It’s going to be an up-and-down process, and I’m not really going to judge my body by my performance. … Just trying to find more efficiency and more consistency. But definitely starting to pick up my legs and feel through the season. And the goal is to be at my best by the end of the year. So whatever it takes, we’re on the right track. Our plan is working.”
- Rockets backup center Stephen Adamswho missed the last 11 games with a strained right soleus, was upgraded to probable on Sunday, per Will Guillory of The Athletic (Link to Twitter). Clint Capella remains sidelined with a sprained right ankle and is not expected to play in either game.
- Trade rumors have intensified Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole this week, but Spotrac’s Kate Smith points to an obstacle that could make things more difficult Pelicanseffort to move them (Link to Twitter). Although Murray’s salary is $32.7 million, he has $35.2 million. Pool earns $34 million and the apron hit is $38.8 million. As Smith points out, that difference could be critical for any team that’s either close to the apron or trying to stay under the hard cap.
