Murray ignoring All-star buzz
PHOENIX — The drumbeat is still faint for now, but getting louder.
Dejounte Murray, potential NBA All-star? The Spurs point guard is determined not to hear any such talk.
When it comes to pursuit of individual accolades, Murray has long held to a particular credo.
“We win, everybody eats,” he said.
The Spurs have been winning recently, with a four-game streak heading into Monday’s outing at Phoenix. Murray has been a big reason why.
The 25-year-old has posted a double-double or better in six consecutive games. It is the Spurs’ longest such streak since Tim Duncan did it in seven straight games in January 2009.
Murray is coming off a 23point, 12-rebound performance in Saturday’s 112-107 win at Golden State that also included seven assists and a pair of steals.
“He’s made steady improvement since the day we drafted him,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We drafted him 29, but his talent level was better than 29. He has kind of used that to try and make a mark and show people that he is better than they thought he was.”
Through 21 games, Murray is averaging 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and two steals per game — all career highs.
His bid to become the Spurs’ first All-star since Lamarcus Aldridge in 2019 is largely contingent on the Spurs’ improving their 8-13 record between now and February.
NBA coaches who select reserves have long tended to reward players from winning teams. Only two members of last year’s All-star squad — Washington’s Bradley Beal and New Orleans’ Zion Williamson — came from clubs with losing marks.
That qualification is just fine with Murray, who says winning trumps all.
“It’s not a Dejounte Murray show or just about me,” Murray said. “As long as we win, that’s all I care about. We’ll get all the success and glory we all dreamed of.”
Lineup still without Vassell, Bates-diop
Devin Vassell (quadriceps) and Keita Bates-diop (ankle) remain out for Monday’s game, with no specific timetable for a return.
Vassell missed his third game out of four at Golden State, after aggravating his thigh contusion in the first half of Thursday’s victory in Portland.
Bates-diop suffered an ankle sprain in the same game.
Popovich said neither injury is considered serious. Asked if he was treating both players’ ailments as day-to-day going forward, Popovich chuckled.
“It’s a day-to-day pain in the ass,” he said.
Spurs relish role as streak stoppers
The Spurs’ win over Golden State snapped an 11-game home winning streak for the Warriors, their longest since christening the Chase Center in 2019.
The last time Golden State had won more consecutive home games was 2015-16, when the Warriors rattled off a 36-game streak at Oracle Arena on their way to a 73-win season.
Spurs guard Derrick White called Saturday’s victory a confidence-booster for the Spurs.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” White said. “But we did a lot of good things and finally gutted it out to get a big win on the road.”
Saturday’s victory came two
nights after the Spurs halted Portland’s 10-game home winning streak in a 114-83 rout at the Moda Center.
It marked the first time an NBA team has stopped doubledigit home winning streaks in consecutive games since 1993-94.
Coincidentally, it was the Spurs who accomplished that feat back then, ending streaks of 11 games in Portland and 10 at Golden State.
They have a chance to play the role of streak stopper again Monday in Phoenix, where the Suns have won 10 straight at the Footprint Center.