Fifth victory in seven matches for the Spurs who have not yet said their last word in the play-in race. A completely crazy victory since Dejounte Murray’s teammates won 157-153 after two overtimes in Washington! San Antonio thought they had done the hard part in the 4th quarter by sticking an 11-0 to the Wizards to lead 128-120 two minutes from the end. But Kyle Kuzma’s partners sign an 8-0 in one minute to equalize (120-120). Murray misses the winning basket: overtime.
In the first extension, an incredible first crossover with a doubly decisive Raul Neto. The Brazilian leader equalizes near the circle (145-145) and the Spurs still have the match point. Murray has the match point again. And he misses, new extension!
Daniel Gafford is the first to hit, and he goes for the And-1 (150-147). Spurs respond with an 8-0 with a decisive Poeltl on both sides of the pitch. The Austrian covers Gafford, then gives a five-point lead 28 seconds from the end (155-150). Neto, again, plants a 3-pointer, but Murray ensures the free throws, and the Spurs sign their craziest victory of the season.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
Two more… Gregg Popovich is one step closer to the regular season win record. He has 1,334 career successes. One more, and he will equal Don Nelson, and a second will allow him to be, alone, the most victorious coach in NBA history. The Spurs must move to Miami then Memphis. They will host the Kings and move to Charlotte. Then, up to seven straight home games, including the first against the Lakers.
Record(s) of the season. Spurs and Wizards combine 310 points, and it’s the record for this season! Poeltl, Keldon Johnson, Neto and Kyle Kuzma set their scoring records for the season. Murray signs his 12th triple-double of the season and his 16th in career, two franchise records.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅Keldon Johnson. The Olympic champion signs his best career game and it is the only Spur to have hit the mark from afar. Aggressive, he held the house for three quarters, before handing over to Murray.
✅Jakob Poeltl. Career record also for the pivot of San Antonio, as impressive in attack as in defense. It has taken on another dimension. Watch out for free throws because the “Hack-a-Jakob” allowed the Wizards to snatch the extension.
✅Kyle Kuzma. We would have liked to see him more in the “money time” and the two overtime, but Kuzma does not have much to reproach himself for. He behaves like a leader, and he does not force anything.
✅Raúl Neto. The Brazilian signs his best performance in points and assists, and he shook Spurs in both extra time. We found the Neto from the end of last season, and the team is doing well when he is on the pitch.
⛔✅Dejounte Murray. A nice triple-double and some leadership, but watch out for the direction of play… Derrick White is gone, and Murray has to deal with a two-man strike. He loses six balls, and Gregg Popovich must find the player capable of relieving him.
⛔The Wizards rebound. On his return, Kristaps Porzingis will have a job because the Wizards are not the kings of the delayed screen! The Spurs are not the biggest but like Poeltl, they largely dominated under the panels with 50 takes to 39, including 16 offensive. In such a close match, it hurts a lot.
THE FOLLOWING
Wizards (27-32) : back-to-back from the Cleveland side.
Spurs (24-36) : back-to-back too, but on the Miami side
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