San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Even amid skid, White never lost heart
Derrick White was praised by a teammate for remaining upbeat throughout the six-game losing streak the Spurs snapped with a 96-88 win over Boston on Friday.
The skid coincided with White’s shooting slump, but the fifth-year guard never got down during the tough time, reserve point guard Tre Jones said.
“No matter what he shoots from the field, he is always a great teammate for everybody in the locker room,” Jones said. “He always has a positive mindset, is always trying to push the next guy, is always trying to pick everybody up when we are not doing well. He is a great leader for us.”
White’s positive vibes paid off with a stat-sheet-stuffing performance against the Celtics highlighted by the contested midrange jumper he sank over Al Horford to give the Spurs the lead for good with 1:21 left.
In his best all-around game since recording a 12-point, 10rebound double-double in a win over Orlando on Nov. 5, White finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, a team-best seven assists, one steal and two blocks in 37 minutes. His plus-16 plus/ minus was second only to Jones’ plus-17.
White has scored in double figures in four of the past six games after notching just seven points in the previous three. During that six-game span, he has averaged 12.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and one block
He continues to struggle with his 3-point shooting, hitting just 24.2 percent in the past six games on 5.5 attempts, but he’s offset it with contributions in many other areas.
After Friday’s game, White praised his teammates for following his lead by keeping their heads high during the losing
streak.
“We got some great guys in the locker room,” he said. “We had a losing streak, but whenever they came in for shootaround, they were high and wanted to get better. It’s a big win for us and something we can grow from.”
Jones thrilled to team with mentor in clutch
Getting his first crunch-time minutes from coach Gregg Popovich in Saturday’s game was a huge step for Jones, who said he was thrilled to work next to his mentor, point guard Dejounte Murray, in helping the Spurs close out the win.
Jones had a career-best 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes, including five valuable ones in crunch time, after entering the game averaging 3.3 points per game over 8.0 minutes.
“Tre is the ultimate competitor,” Popovich said. “He is a hell of a defender. He has a great will about him. He is just a driven competitor, and it shows up in a lot of different ways.”
Jones said he’s learned from the best in Murray, who scored 13 of his career-high-matching 29 points against the Celtics in the fourth quarter.
“I have told you guys how much he has helped me up to this point so far, how he is in my
corner, always rooting for me, always trying to pull me aside, always trying to help me the best he can,” Jones said. “Being able to be out there and compete with him and get the win with him out on the court tonight meant a lot to me.”
Spurs hope to get injured players back
The Spurs (5-13) hope starting forward Doug McDermott and key reserve Devin Vassell will return against Washington on Monday in the last game of a four-game homestand.
The Wizards were 12-7 entering Saturday’s game at Dallas.
McDermott (right knee inflammation)
and Vassell (right quadriceps contusion) sat out Friday’s game after the club downgraded them from questionable earlier in the day.
It was the third game in a row McDermott has missed and the first for Vassell this season.
“It won’t be long,” Popovich said before the Boston game when asked if there was a timeline for their return.
With the Spurs off Saturday, they sent rookies Josh Primo and Joe Wieskamp to Austin for its home game against the Memphis Hustle. Primo was scoreless in five minutes against Boston.