Once a harm, third now a charm
ATLANTA — The Spurs seem to have uncovered a cure for their seasonlong woes in the third quarter.
Maybe all it required was a little bit of mind trickery.
“Those first few moments of the second half are so important, trying to set the tone, trying to get momentum on our side,” point guard Tre Jones said. “We’re trying to come out like it’s the start of the game.”
Whatever the Spurs are doing to get their second halves off to a better start, it’s working.
In the first 33 third quarters of the season, the Spurs were outscored by 255 points, by far the most in the NBA. They won only three third quarters in that span.
Over the past five games, the Spurs are plus-32 in third quarters, winning all five of them. In Saturday’s 122-116 loss to Chicago, the Spurs claimed the third quarter 39-31.
They will look to make it six in a row Monday as they open a five-game road trip at Atlanta.
“Those first few minutes are so big for us,” Jones said. “Early in the year we struggled in that, so we’re trying to make that a priority.”
Indeed the third quarter, which once consistently did the Spurs harm, has now become a charm.
Jones is one reason for the turnabout. His insertion as the Spurs’ point guard five games ago not only puts him on the floor to start the game, but also to start the second half.
“He has an ability to push the pace and if stuff ’s not organized, he’s always a calming presence out there,” guard Doug Mcdermott said. “That’s what you need when you’re starting the game and starting the third quarter. That’s something Tre is really good at.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gives Jones only partial credit for the shift. He believes the change in Spurs’ third-quarter fortunes is related to a change in mindset.
“I think it’s maybe a matter of focus,” Popovich said, “where they understand that third quarter is really important and to lean into the game defensively rather than offensively. Just think about stops, think about boards. … It’s a different mindset to think about starting a quarter defensively, and the third quarter is a special spot for that.”
Pop takes booing Bulls fans to task
Consider Popovich among those appalled at Chicago Bulls’ fans treatment of the late Jerry Krause.
Chicago faithful made headlines for all the wrong reasons Friday, when they booed the team’s former general manager amid a ceremony meant to honor the club’s inaugural ring of honor inductees. Krause’s wife,
Thelma, was in attendance.
“It’s unnecessary, it’s impolite, it’s ignorant,” Popovich said before the Spurs faced the Bulls a night later in San Antonio. “If anything, it’s like a snapshot of the world that we live in today, where meanness seems to be a lot more condoned.”
Krause was the architect of six Michael Jordan-led championship teams in Chicago during the 1990s. Fans there also blame Krause for ending the dynasty and apparently have not forgotten.
Popovich was a participant in Friday’s ceremony in Chicago from afar, penning the essay meant to honor another inductee, Jerry Sloan.
He could not believe his eyes and ears when he saw video of the fans’ treatment of the Krause family.
“I guess I’m naïve, but I never knew that there were that many people willing and ready to act that way in our country, and even more people doing things violently like it’s acceptable,” Popovich said. “I think that’s just the by-product of it. It’s the mood we’re in (as a country).”
Wemby set to return from not resting
Star rookie Victor Wembanyama is expected to return to the lineup against Atlanta after sitting out the second night of a back-to-back Saturday.
The official injury report designation for Wembanyama’s absence against the Bulls was “rest.” Popovich made clear before Saturday’s game that term is not entirely accurate.
“The doctors don’t keep him from playing back-to-back because of rest,” Popovich said. “It’s because of his body. They want to make sure everything is copacetic.”
The Spurs’ medical staff has recommended the 20-year-old Wembanyama not play both ends of back-to-backs after he rolled his right ankle three times during the month of December.
Wembanyama is expected to be re-evaluated inside of the next two weeks, Popovich said, at which point the protocol might change.
The Spurs’ next back-to-back comes Friday at Charlotte and Saturday at Washington.