The San Antonio Spurs and visiting Cleveland Cavaliers each have inquiries to be answered and each will look to return to their profitable type once they conflict on Monday for his or her second and last assembly of the season.
The Cavaliers beat the Spurs 130-117 in Cleveland on Dec. 5.
The Spurs bought caught within the proverbial “lure” recreation of their most up-to-date contest, shedding 127-114 at house to Utah on Saturday after beating league-leading Oklahoma Metropolis twice in a three-day span. Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 32 factors in his first begin since Nov. 14 as San Antonio had its eight-game profitable streak in regular-season video games snapped.
“Fairly dissatisfied in fairly a number of issues,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson mentioned after the loss. “(We struggled with) gameplan execution when it comes to simply not being linked on quite simple issues that we do each recreation. … The Utah Jazz took benefit of that and crushed us after we made errors.”
Keldon Johnson added 27 factors and 10 rebounds off the bench, with Stephon Fortress scoring 20, Devin Vassell producing 11 factors, and Dylan Harper shelling out a career-high 12 assists for the Spurs. San Antonio roared again from 17 factors down within the third quarter to tug even early within the fourth earlier than operating out of gasoline within the last minutes.
“”It is a humbling loss. … I do not really feel like we performed to our commonplace,” Johnson mentioned. ” … I really feel like we did not deserve (to win). From prime to backside, we did not deserve it.”
It was San Antonio’s second loss this season towards a workforce with a shedding document.
The Spurs’ failure to provide in the long run of the sport could possibly be partially attributed to the absence of “nearer” De’Aaron Fox, who missed Saturday’s recreation with left adductor tightness. Fox has been San Antonio’s go-to possibility on the finish of quarters and within the last minutes of video games. His availability for Monday’s recreation remains to be to be decided.
San Antonio has gained 10 of its previous 13 video games, with a kind of setbacks to the Cavaliers.
Cleveland concludes a three-game highway journey whereas carrying a two-game shedding streak that features a 117-100 setback to Houston on Saturday. Jaylon Tyson racked up 23 factors and 15 rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers, whereas Donovan Mitchell added 16 factors, Sam Merrill chipped in 13 factors and Darius Garland scored 12.
“I hardly ever say this, however I believed the sport was over within the first quarter,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned after the loss. “Their physicality, we weren’t prepared for the struggle tonight. I do not understand how else to say it.
” … Christmas hangover? I don’t know. It is exhausting for me to (clarify). It wasn’t the identical workforce that performed the opposite day towards the Knicks.”
Cleveland trailed by as many as 31 factors as its 15 turnovers have been transformed into 26 factors by the Rockets. The Cavaliers additionally gave up 18 offensive rebounds whereas dropping their fifth recreation of their previous seven outings.
“It is robust. It is a concern issue as a result of it is the how,” Mitchell mentioned after Saturday’s loss. “We have to determine it out. I believe the priority issue is the how, not the losses particularly. … To have per week the place the method was actually nice after which to return right here and play like that is undoubtedly robust.”
–Subject Stage Media
