Record skid caps slide into break
Sixteen seconds into the second half of what would become his team’s record-tying 14th loss in a row, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich finally cracked.
A blink after Charlotte’s Dennis Smith Jr. opened the third quarter by outsprinting the entire Spurs defense for a runout dunk.
Popovich called an angry timeout. Red-faced and gesticulating like a symphony conductor on fast forward, Popovich asked players a pointed question.
“He asked us if we wanted to play or not,” guard Malaki Branham said.
The answer came too little, too late. The Spurs lost to the similarly woebegone Hornets 120-110 on Wednesday at the Spectrum Center, blowing what had been a good chance to break their epic losing streak before the All-star break.
Instead, the Spurs headed into the hiatus mired in the longest skid in club history. Popovich hopes that knowledge hampers his players’ vacation plans, at least a little.
“I want them to enjoy themselves at the break, be with their loved ones,” Popovich said. “I hope they take a little time, because I want it to hurt a little bit. I want them to feel sorry for themselves because they’re losing games.”
The Spurs’ losing streak surpasses the previous club record of 13 in a row, initially set in 198889. They have not won since a Jan. 17 victory over a shorthanded Brooklyn club at the AT&T Center.
“It’s never easy to just lose and take it,” said Branham, the rookie guard who scored a teambest 23 points against Charlotte. “You just try to do better than you did. It sucks to lose.”
The Spurs seemed to have a decent chance to halt their slide against a Charlotte team that also
entered the game battling for little more than positioning in this spring’s NBA draft lottery.
Just as they did in a double-overtime loss at moribund Detroit earlier in their rodeo trip, the Spurs came up short. With the win, Charlotte improved to 17-43. The Spurs dropped to 14-45, the second-worst record in the NBA ahead of Houston’s 13-45.
While the Spurs dreadful mark will prove helpful in their pursuit of a premium draft pick in June, players don’t have to be happy about it.
Veteran guard Doug Mcdermott said he hopes the Spurs will spend at least some of the break soul searching.
“You try to get away
from a little bit, but also keep that sour taste in your mouth,” Mcdermott said. “Losing isn’t any fun. Hopefully we can recharge and come back and finish the year strong.”
Bassey’s big deal earns a shout out
At the end of shootaround Wednesday in Charlotte, Popovich gathered players to celebrate second-year big man Charles Bassey, who a day earlier had secured a new four-year, $10.2-million contract with the club.
“We told them all to go see him for a loan,” Popovich said.
Nobody was more thrilled for the 22-year-old Bassey than fellow center
Gorgui Dieng.
The Spurs’ oldest player at age 33, Dieng has taken Bassey under his wing for much of this season.
“I’m happy for him, man,” Dieng said. “He’s worked very hard to be helpful to the team.”
Bassey was born in Nigeria. Dieng is from Senegal.
The pair’s shared African heritage is significant part of their bond.
“That’s my African brother,” Bassey said. “He’s been like a good big brother to me. When I’m slacking, he’s there for me and tells me to get it going. He’s been there for me every night.”
Dieng envisions a bright NBA future for Bassey, a former standout at St. Anthony High in San Antonio.
“He plays hard,” Dieng said. “He gets on the glass and plays defense. The offense, the older he gets the more that will come. He showed how much he wants to win and he played hard.”
Break is good for banged-up players
Popovich is hopeful the seven days off for the All-star break will be helpful for the Spurs’ bodies as well as minds.
There is optimism point guard Tre Jones (foot soreness) and wing
Romeo Langford (adductor strain) could return to the floor soon after play resumes.
Even better, Popovich said there are strong indications Devin Vassell might be ready to return to play soon after the break. The Spurs’ secondleading scorer, Vassell has not played since Jan. 2 while recovering from knee surgery.
“The more starters we get back, the more it helps,” Popovich said.