The Spurs blitz the Blazers with balanced scoring and tough defense

The Spurs did a little bit of everything in smothering the Portland Trail Blazers for their third straight win. Bryn Forbes came off the bench in the second half and led all players with 18 points on 7-9 shooting with 3 three-pointers made. All five starters for the Good Guys scored in the double digits, and the starting unit averaged 6.8 rebounds per player for the night. Dejounte Murray continued to pad the stats to the tune of 15 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds with 4 blocks while Doug McDermott welcomed himself back by pouring in 16 points.

The Spurs brought Forbes back this season for his three-point shooting, corporate knowledge, and to help fill in the large shoes left by Patty Mills. Tonight, he did exactly what he was supposed to do by connecting from deep and providing quick scoring from off the bench.

Dejounte Murray’s nightly flirtation with triple-doubles has become typical and customary. But his importance to the team is far from typical. Tonight was no different as Murray had his fingerprint all over this game on both ends of the court.

Murray makes the pick-2 look easy here. He had two steals tonight, and his fast break bucket with a slight flourish at the end helped ice the game late for the Fiesta-clad boys.

Tre Jones had his own pick-2 against the Blazers, and he made the most of the opportunity. Playing heavy minutes off the bench, Jones did well by providing energy and hustle plays.

Forbes took a break from sniping from long distance to take this ball to the hoop through traffic.

Keldon Johnson does not go quietly into the night. Here, he bulldozes his way through defenders for the up and under. Then he added a smooth somersault after the and-1 just because. I give the landing an overall score of 7.9. It was technically sound, but it could have used more flare. KJ is not short on flare; he’ll get it next time.

The Spurs welcomed back Doug McDermott, and he immediately gave the box score some love with a corner three. As a team, the Spurs shot 39% from downtown tonight so having Dougie McBuckets back certainly helps stretch the defense and open up the lane.

Derrick White had a beauty of a wrap-around, no-look pass to Thaddeus Young for the casual dunk. White “quietly” had a solid game with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he scored in double-digit for the third straight game to coincide with the Spurs’ third straight win. His consistency largely drives the Spurs’ success as they need him to carry the play-making and defense alongside Murray.

The ball ping-ponged a bit around the Spurs’s defense, but Young was able to corral it to get it to Jones who found Lonnie Walker streaking up the court for the high-flying jam. Walker flew so high that his head almost hit the backboard. Jones’s open court pass was also a thing of beauty.

And last but never least, the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs head down the coast to take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, December 4, 2021.