Looking to move past loss in NBA trap game, the San Antonio Spurs welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers
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San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama throwing down a ferocious dunk during the second half of their 127-114 NBA loss to the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center on Dec 27.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
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SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs and visiting Cleveland Cavaliers both have questions to be answered and will look to return to their winning ways, when they clash on Dec 29 (Dec 30, Singapore time) for their second and final meeting of this National Basketball Association (NBA) season.
The Cavaliers beat the Spurs 130-117 in Cleveland on Dec 5.
The Spurs got caught in the proverbial “trap” game in their most recent contest, losing 127-114 at home to the Utah Jazz on Dec 27 after beating the reigning NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder twice in a three-day span.
Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 32 points in his first start since Nov 14 as San Antonio had their eight-game winning streak in regular-season games snapped.
“Pretty disappointed in quite a few things,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the loss. “(We struggled with) game plan execution in terms of just not being connected on very simple things that we do every game... The Utah Jazz took advantage of that and crushed us when we made mistakes.”
Keldon Johnson added 27 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, with Stephon Castle scoring 20, Devin Vassell producing 11 points, and Dylan Harper dishing out a career-high 12 assists for the Spurs. San Antonio roared back from 17 points down in the third quarter to pull even early in the fourth before running out of gas in the final minutes.
“It’s a humbling loss... I don’t feel like we played to our standard,” Johnson said. “I feel like we didn’t deserve (to win). From top to bottom, we didn’t deserve it.”
It was San Antonio’s second loss this season against a team with a losing record.
The Spurs’ failure to produce at the end of the game could be partially attributed to the absence of “closer” De’Aaron Fox, who missed the game on Dec 27 with a hamstring issue. Fox has been San Antonio’s go-to option at the end of quarters and in the final minutes of games. His availability for Dec 29 is still to be determined.
San Antonio (23-8) have lost just three of their past 13 games, but one of those setbacks was against the Cavaliers (17-16).
Cleveland will be concluding a three-game road trip, in which they have lost two games on the bounce after a 117-100 defeat by the Houston Rockets on Dec 27. Jaylon Tyson racked up 23 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers, while Donovan Mitchell added 16 points, Sam Merrill chipped in 13 points and Darius Garland scored 12.
“I rarely say this, but I thought the game was over in the first quarter,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said after the loss. “Their physicality, we weren’t ready for the fight tonight. I don’t know how else to say it...
“Christmas hangover? I have no idea. It’s hard for me to (explain). It wasn’t the same team that played the other day against the Knicks.”
Cleveland trailed by as many as 31 points as their 14 turnovers were converted into 26 points by the Rockets. The Cavaliers also gave up 18 offensive rebounds while dropping their fifth game in their past seven outings.
“It’s tough,” Mitchell said after the loss on Dec 27. “We’ve got to figure it out. I think the concern factor is the ‘how’, not the losses specifically... To have a week where the process was really great and then to come here and play like this is definitely tough.” REUTERS
