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| The Spurs and Warriors remain in a dogfight for the Western Conference crown. |
Thon Maker had 23 points and 17 rebounds for the Bucks, but the "Greek Freak" had a modest showing, allowing the Spurs to win 131-125 behind Rudy Gay's 27 points. Josh Smith had a strong game with 18 points, behind Gasol's 18 points as well, and Kawhi's typical 19 points. The Lakers came ready to play, until the final period that saw the Spurs demolish Lonzo Ball's young squad 38-13 on the scoreboard. Kawhi finished with 23 points, 130-101. Patty Mills had his usual handful of long balls; Rudy Gay had 15 and Gasol's double-double compared to Tony Parker's 10 assists.
The Suns lost to San Antonio in Phoenix, as Pau Gasol had a flash from the past with 37 points (32 in the first half) including the game-sealing 3PTer, also with 3 blocks. The 7'0" Spaniard shot 16-22 from the field and 3-4 from distance, as the Spurs won 128-119 on the road. Leonard had 27 points, as well. The Suns gained a 12 point advantage at one point, but Rudy Gay's defense and Thaddeus Young's 3PT improvement helped San Antonio claw back into the contest. Devin Booker had an off night, having to deal with Leonard and Shumpert hounding him. The Suns had 15 turnovers and went cold from range, 6-21%. The "Spur-fection" ball movement made for a highlight when Shumpert got a nice corner 3PTer after a myriad of passes that had Phoenix scrambling uncontrollably.
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| Patty Mills has surged past early season slump, shooting .44% from 3PT range |
Prior to the Nuggets revenge victory, they had a matchup nightmare as San Antonio's strategy payed dividends. Iman Shumpert had a season-high 25 points to match Kawhi's, the Spurs winning 133-116 on the road as Gasol and Anderson Varejao frustrated Millsap and Jokic all game long. Jokic had only 12 points. The Spurs scored 80 points in the second half, blistering Denver 37-25 in the first quarter, as Denver turned the ball over 19 times. History repeats itself, indeed, as the season series now stands at 1-1 so far.
The Timberwolves nearly snapped SA's streak in an exciting affair, due to Mills shooting poorly. Lamb, Gasol and Gay provided the early spark for the Spurs. Minnesota's 20-7 run gave them the lead, however, until a 12-4 run into the 4th quarter brought the Spurs back into the mix. Mills redeemed his team from the jaws of defeat, as did Kawhi, both stars hitting 3PTers late. Rudy Gay would get a nice screen by Leonard, hitting a go-ahead shot with 49.6s on the clock. Jimmy Butler would hit a 3PTer later, but Mills would counter it for 105-110 advantage, winning 108-112 as Andrew Wiggins missed a corner 3PTer at the buzzer. Leonard had 18 points and 9 rebounds (7-11%; 4-4 3PT%); Mills recovered for 25 points finishing with 7 long balls; Pau Gasol's strong double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Karl Anthony-Towns went 0-4 from deep, finishing lightly with 15 points and 19 rebounds. Jamal Crawford sparked the Wolves early off the bench with 15 points and his trademark 4PT play after drawing a foul. Wiggins had 17; Taj Gibson had 17/8; Teague had 12 assists with 17 points, but gave the ball over 5 times.