Lyles sees chance to carve out more minutes down the road
Spurs forward Trey Lyles hopes his return to the starting lineup will lead to a larger role in the season’s second half.
With four rotation players sidelined because they are in the NBA’S health and safety protocols for COVID-19, Lyles has started the past two games. It’s a small sample size, but his work already has drawn praise from coach Gregg Popovich.
“Trey was fantastic,” Popovich said after Lyles had 10 points, seven rebounds and one steal in a season-high 36 minutes in Saturday night’s 114-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Just trying to be a utility guy and carve out some space to maybe get some minutes here in the future when everybody comes back,” Lyles said.
Lyles’ night also included bruising battles with Pelicans All-star Zion Williamson, who finished with 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.
“Just tried to make it difficult for him,” Lyles said. “He’s a load down there. Big dude, quick. Just tried to keep him off the glass the best I could and, with the help of my teammates, I think we did a decent job of that.”
After logging a career-high 53 starts last season, Lyles fell out of the rotation this season with the emergence of second-year forward Keldon Johnson, who has started all 27 games he’s appeared in this season.
Lyles, who has done well in spot duty this season, got his old job back after Johnson, reserve forward Rudy Gay and swingman Devin Vassell entered the protocols along with starting guard Derrick White.
The Spurs listed Johnson as questionable for Monday night’s
game against Brooklyn. White, Gay, Vassell and little-used secondyear guard Quinndary Weatherspoon are all listed as out.
The absence of Johnson and Gay also has resulted in minutes for bottom-of-the-bench forward Keita Bates-diop and second-year forward Luka Samanic, who the Spurs called up from the G League a week ago. Both did yeoman’s work off the bench Saturday night.
“Players want to play,” Popovich said. “The guys that fill in for people that are hurt, they don’t want their teammates to be hurt. But if they are, they want to play and they take advantage of those minutes. They certainly did tonight.”
Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray said after Saturday’s game that his loss of composure following Wednesday’s 102-99 loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City was an act of “frustration” that won’t be repeated.
The NBA fined Murray $25,000 for kicking the game ball into the empty stands at Chesapeake Arena after the Thunder won the game on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“I can’t speak for other people, but I love to win,” Murray said. “It just was a lot going trough my mind. It happened. It won’t happen again. It’s over with. That’s that.”
Select fans getting face masks as gifts
Spurs fans soon will have a new
way to show their team pride while protecting themselves amid the coronavirus pandemic.
New face masks produced by Co. Protect, a supplier of branded protective equipment for NBA and MLB teams, are on their way to season ticket holders.
Each package will contain four three-ply, disposable face masks. The design features the triple band of Fiesta colors stretching from corner to corner with the Spurs logo in the center.
Co. Protect also designed Spurs masks for staffers.
Do the masks signal an upcoming welcome-back of fans to the AT&T Center? Not so fast. A Spurs spokeswoman said the masks are a way of showing “appreciation” for fans.
Murray won’t appeal fine for kicking ball