Lyles makes immediate impact after jumping back in as starter
Trey Lyles answered the call Sunday night with some impressive work on the boards.
After the sixth-year forward played in just four of the Spurs’ first nine games, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him struggle early on to shake off rust after replacing Demar Derozan in the starting lineup.
But instead of stumbling out of the gate, Lyles produced, ripping down six of his game-high 10 rebounds in the first period of the Spurs’ 96-88 loss to the Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
“He was great tonight,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said afterward in a Zoom conference. “He didn’t miss a beat. … He really got us through the first half.”
Lyles started a careerhigh 53 games last season, but his playing time has been greatly reduced this season with the emergence of second-year forward Keldon Johnson. In three of Lyles’ four games before Sunday night, he played just six minutes or less.
But against Minnesota, he logged 35, his most since he had a season-high 41 on March 8, 2020, in a loss at Cleveland. Popovich called on him after
Derozan left the team to be with his ill father following a 38-point performance in Saturday’s 125122 win over Minnesota in overtime.
Lyles’ performance was a credit to the hard work he’s put in to stay ready, his teammates said.
“He doesn’t complain,” guard Patty Mills said. “He does all the necessary things to stay ready.”
Day after day, Lyles played three-on-three either after practice or during warmups to keep in game shape.
“That’s a professional right there,” Mills said.
Lyles also contributed five points on 2-of-4 shooting and two assists.
“For him to get thrown into the fire like that and still be able to make an impact … it’s a credit to those guys who haven’t been playing but are still engaged and learning and are ready to go,” Mills said.
With the Spurs on Monday listing Derozan as out for Tuesday’s game in Oklahoma City, Lyles could get his second start in a row. The Spurs could also be without rookie guard Devin Vassell, who they listed as questionable with a sore left knee.
Murray a ‘dog’ on the boards
Dejounte Murray is averaging a career-best 7.2
rebounds per game after leading the Spurs in rebounding in a team-best four games this season.
“That just comes from wanting the ball,” the 6-foot-5 point guard said of his rebounding prowess
Murray explained that as a child growing up in Seattle, it was up to him to gain possession of the ball while playing with his older uncles and their friends.
“I couldn’t get the ball unless I rebounded,” he said. “I have always been a
dog in that area.”
Team excelling at ball security
The Spurs committed just 10 turnovers Sunday night, marking the fifth straight game game they’ve committed 10 or fewer.
Such a streak has happened just two other times in franchise history over the last 35 years, Spurs broadcaster/analyst Dan Weiss wrote on Twitter.
The Spurs lead the NBA in fewest turnovers per game with a 10.8 per-game
average. Their assist-toturnover ratio of 2.36 is also the league’s best.
“Protecting the ball is key aspect of the game,” Derozan said after dishing out eight assists without a turnover in last Thursday’s 118-109 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Derozan leads the Spurs in assists with a career-high 7.0 average. His turnover rate of just 5.1 per 100 possessions is a career low, according to Nba.com.