Spurs crush Kings, 112-85.

Davis Bertans had 25 points in Sac-Town, scoring 5 threes.

Davis Bertans had a strong game with 25 points in just 17 minutes, showcasing his marksmanship with five long balls on 9/15 shooting overall. Jeremy Lamb went close behind with 21 points. Rudy Gay had 13 points with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Patty Mills contributed twelve points making two 3PTers. Pau Gasol had 10 & 6, shooting 71%.

Truth be told, the Spurs blew open the score in the second quarter, winning it big 33-21, and so on for the third quarter (30-17). They shot astoundingly well from long range (12-21, 57%) to the Kings' 2-17 by comparison, also shooting 53% for the game to Sacramento's 44%. The Spurs had 21 assists, 14 steals and 6 blocks as a team, forcing 14 cough-ups by the Kings.

In the defeat, the Kings lone highlight was Zach Randolph whose 23 points and 8 rebounds kept them motivated early on before the deficit grew out of reach. He shot 8/12 from the floor. Buddy Hield went 2/7 and De'Aaron Fox showed promise with 9 points and 7 assists but couldn't keep it going. Willie Cauley-Stein had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Justin Jackson shot 3-13 and Garrett Temple went 0-8, to drive home the stinging loss.

"He's got the eye of the tiger right now," Coach Popovich said of Bertans, whose play has improved significantly for the defending champions. "And Lamb's been a spark for us, for sure."

Second unit tops Lakers, Lamb shines: 117-98.

Tony Parker gave his team 15 points tonight.

The Spurs rolled out with Parker-Lamb-Hezonja-Bertans-O'Quinn in this contest, which turned into a fun competitive match-up. Isaiah Thomas had himself a night with 34 points, showcasing a floater in the paint that would earn the respect of Tony Parker (15 points, himself) and making a handful of bombs from long range. I.T. also had 8 assists.

The Lakers held a small lead going into halftime, but the Spurs would win the final two periods, especially the 4th quarter, in which Jeremy Lamb surged to finish with 24 points, making 3PTers and causing a highlight-worthy slip by Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, freeing Lamb for a wide open shot. Confidence showed in the Spurs youth movement, with Davis Bertans knocking down two 3PTers, along with Patty Mills in transition. Mario Hezonja made a three for 8 points, as did Rudy Gay, Iman Shumpert (after a solid pick and spin move). Even Tony Parker splashed one home. Kawhi Leonard burst off the bench for a deadly 14 points, going 100% from the field, including a trio of long shots, including two in transition and one in the corner. Leonard also gave the Spurs a spark of separation with 3 steals, as they seized a lead.

Rudy Gay had 10 points with 7 rebounds and 3 steals, shooting 50%. San Antonio shot 48% overall, including 11-31 from 3PT territory. Davis Bertans had 16 points. Pau Gasol had 10/8 in 16 minutes. Kyle O'Quinn made the most of his start with 5 blocks, 8 rebounds and 7 points, cleaning up the glass. The Spurs would blow open the lead in the 4th quarter, mostly due to Lamb catching fire.

In the loss, the Lakers played well and should feel good about the effort given. They narrowly lost the rebound war 42-36, but led assists and shot better from 3PT distance. The Spurs were able to draw more fouls for 20 made free throws, including 8 second-chance opportunities that burned the Lakers. Brook Lopez had 14 points with 10 rebounds; KCP had 13 points. Brandon Ingram had an off game with just 10 points and 6 rebounds on 5/12 shooting including 0-4 from long range. Julius Randle had 10 rebounds, but just 6 points, knocked down in the second half at the rim after a nasty block. Lonzo Ball also had a quiet showing with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, whereas Kyle Kuzma went scoreless.

Spurs outlast Blazers, 109-104.

Patty Mills shot 5-10 from 3PT range.

This game delivered on excitement and competition, seeing the Spurs outlast the home-team Trail Blazers, but it didn't come without serious effort, as Kawhi Leonard crashed to the floor, fouled hard by Jusuf Nurkic (10 rebounds, 2 blocks)--it was that kind of showdown.

A rough start said otherwise, however, until Jeremy Lamb (30 points, 63% shooting) stormed into the breach for the Spurs. San Antonio rallied back, down 19-26 after the first quarter to tie the game at 30-all. Defensive intensity and consistency was key for the Spurs tonight, with a key steal by Leonard late as Portland tried to tie the game with some long shots. They would make two 3PTers, forcing the Spurs to make free throws. San Antonio nearly cost themselves the game by missing an uncharacteristic seven three throws. Luckily, Damian Lillard had a poor game on 4-15 shooting, going 0-4 from long range.

CJ McCollum, dared to shoot by the Spurs single coverage all game long, did score 20 points, including 4/6 from downtown. Al-Farouq Aminu had 19 points with 6 rebounds. Zach Collins (14 points, 13 rebounds) & Caleb Swanigan (12 points, 11 rebounds) tormented the Spurs with offensive rebounds, helping Portland dominate the rebounds column 53-34. All signs pointed to a Portland victory, but the Spurs were able to carve out a small lead. Trail Blazers would fire back hard, but that slight edge and proficient playmaking was enough to carry the day.

Patty Mills, a sniper, had 17 points on 5/10 shooting, hitting hard when it mattered late, in the corner to on the right wing on the fast break. Kawhi Leonard didn't have the best night, but finished with 24 points, making two clutch free throws. The same result was for Pau Gasol, whose 9 points helped a bit, but he made up for it at the free throw line to ice the game. Lamb's athleticism was the highlight for sure, putting on some impressive heat for the home team to rally back from.

Rudy Gay had 12 points, but Bismack Biyombo and Kyle O'Quinn combined for 9 blocks to go with the Spurs' 18 total steals, 7 courtesy of Kawhi Leonard. In the losing effort, Evan Turner contributed 12 points and Mo Harkless dished in eleven points. The Spurs only had six turnovers, aiding their victory despite 27 assists by Portland, conversely to San Antonio's struggle to find a consistent shooting rhythm. Portland outshot San Antonio 51% to 42%. The final quarter was barely won 41-39 by the Spurs, in this gutsy victory.

Spurs top 76ers, 115-106 despite 2-18 start.

An exciting matchup saw Philly take an impressive 18-2 lead. The Spurs being the Spurs pumped the brakes, took a breath, and prepared yet again for the long haul. Snipping away at the lead, the Spurs wound up tying the game at 26-26 (do the math: a 24-8 run). The defending champions leaked out ahead as the game got really good, with Philly fighting back, bursting out of halftime, before the Spurs regained control.

A key block on Ben Simmons proved vital late, as the Spurs would finish things out at the free throw line. Patty Mills was remarkably cerebral in getting off his 3PT shots, striking hot when it mattered the most, including a dagger at the buzzer as Philly was still looking to intentionally foul.

Once again, Kawhi Leonard had 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Pau Gasol had 19 points with 8 rebunds. Patty Mills finished with 14 points and 6 assists, with four 3PTers. Bismack Biyombo gave some more scoring than usual with 12 points, with Rudy Gay netting eleven. Iman Shumpert chipped in 10 points, his defensive effort helping the Spurs make this a battle late. Off the bench, Mario Hezonja & Davis Bertans combined for 4 shots from deep.

The defensive strategy by San Antonio was to double-team Joel Embiid and stay home on shooters, not allowing playmaker Ben Simmons (21 points, just 2 assists) much to work with. Meanwhile, Embiid still showed his talent with 20 points and 15 rebounds, including a strong block on Kawhi. Dario Saric had 12 points, but Markelle Fultz relieved Simmons' struggle with 15 points and 8 assists. Robert Covington made things hard on Kawhi Leonard and others with his defense, scoring 14 points as well. This wasn't an easy comeback, due to the 76ers' defensive strength as a unit, but the Spurs came ready to bang, winning all three quarters except the first (and that was by a single point), dominating the Sixers.

Spurs down Knicks, 94-87

Kristaps Porzingis dropped some long range bombs in the first half, swishing his first one in this back and forth contest. Rudy Gay was also hot early, finishing with 18 points. The Knicks led 47-41 at halftime, continuing this trend until Gay knocked home two consecutive 3PTers.

Patty Mills got going, knocking in a 3PTer in transition that gave the Spurs control of the lead, then Kyle O'Quinn (13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) spur-ned his old team and sparked a 10-0 run in the 4th QTR. San Antonio went on to win the rebound battle, also forcing 15 turnovers by the Knicks.

That's not to say that Enes Kanter did not have a strong game with 27 points and 8 rebounds, but Tim Hardaway Jr shot just 2-11 and Porzingis cooled off with only 12 points. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard was unguardable in this game, finishing with 26 points. In the loss, Courtney Lee had 13 points and Emmanuel Mudiay had 14 points with 6 assists.