Post-break offensive woes persist
The Spurs went back to the drawing board after a 134-101 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday with only two pressing problems to address.
They could not score nor could they keep the Clippers from scoring.
In a rematch with L.A. on Thursday, the Spurs fixed one of those issues.
It wasn’t enough to prevent a 98-85 defeat in which the Spurs’ offense went further in the tank.
“I think it is stagnant,” point guard Dejounte Murray said. “I think it’s just a freedom thing, where we’ve got to figure out and adjust as players.”
Nothing underscores the Whacka-mole nature of the Spurs’ unsuccessful series against the Clippers as this: A night after matching a season high in points allowed, the Spurs set a season low in points scored.
Offense has been a persistent problem for the Spurs since the All-star break. They will look to right the ship Saturday, as an 0-3 homestand continues against Chicago at the AT&T Center.
Over the past 10 games, the Spurs are tied with Orlando for 25th in the NBA in offensive rating, at 106.7 points per 100 possessions.
They are 28th in scoring (103.4 points per game) in that span, 28th in assists (21.3 per game) and dead last in 3-pointers made (9.2 per game).
“We are not shooting well, obviously, and we’ve started to turn it over a little bit, which kind of exacerbates the situation,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We are not getting threes. In this league, you’ve got to get them.”
The Spurs appeared poised to break out of their funk in the first half of Thursday’s game against Los Angeles, when they shot 52.5 percent to take a six-point edge into halftime.
The offense came unraveled again in a second half in which the Spurs mustered only 30 points. They made only 12 of 42 shots after halftime and missed 11 of 13 secondhalf 3-pointers.
The Spurs finished with a season-low 16 assists and lost despite holding the Clippers to 38.2 percent shooting,
“We just don’t have any rhythm right now,” said Demar Derozan, whose two assists Thursday also were a season low. “Moving the ball, getting to the rim, a lot of elements that kind of just are all not hitting for us right now that we have to figure out.”
Derozan is confident the Spurs can regain the form that had them averaging 111 points before the All-star break.
“It happens to the best of teams,” Derozan said. “It’s just a matter of us understanding how quick we can turn it around, what we need to do to get back on the positive side of things.”
New-look Bulls debut in Saturday matchup
The Bulls club that visits the AT&T Center on Saturday will look drastically different than the one the Spurs defeated in Chicago 10 days ago.
Chicago was one of the NBA’S biggest movers at Thursday’s trade deadline, acquiring five players: All-star center Nikola Vucevic, forward Al-farouq Aminu, guard Troy Brown Jr., guard Javonte Green and center Daniel Theis.
All but Theis are expected to be available for Chicago against the Spurs. The former Boston big man has been excused to tend to a family matter before joining the Bulls.
“We’ve got to kind of throw ourselves in here and try to figure things out pretty quickly,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “I don’t think anybody really knows roles yet and how that’s going to fit and work together.”
It will mark Vucevic’s second visit to San Antonio this month.
In a March 12 game with Orlando, Vucevic was a bright spot in a 104-77 Spurs victory with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Guard Reynolds agrees to a 10-day contract
The Spurs have signed G League prospect Cam Reynolds to a 10-day contract, filling the roster spot vacated by Lamarcus Aldridge.
A 26-year-old guard, Reynolds appeared in 14 games with the Austin Spurs this season, averaging 16.1 points.
His only NBA experience came in 2018-19, when he made 19 appearances with Minnesota.