Wemby Watch: Spurs Control Jazz, Win 2nd in a Row

Story of the Game

The Spurs casually controlled the Utah Jazz for the entire game. Victor played a very good game and had at least 4 spectacular plays, but he wasn’t overly dominant. The rest of the team played so solidly that a dominant Wemby game wasn’t really needed.

Victor Stats

19 points, 6 assists, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks in 30 minutes

7–15 fgs, 1–4 3 fgs

Quick Thoughts

Gregg Popovich might be giving up on the 3rd worst record in the NBA in his tanking quest. Had the Hornets not won tonight, the Spurs would have tied them in wins at 17.

It’s not like 4th worst record is a large drop off in terms of percentages, but given how much effort Pop has put into losing, I’m somewhat surprised.

Then again, the Spurs have been sitting Victor for multiple games. Last game, they won at home against a full Phoenix roster despite not having Wemby. So it’s not like Pop isn’t giving it the ol’ college try.

Also, a win against the Phoenix Suns, without Wemby, wasn’t supposed to be on the menu, but Jeremy Sochan decided to have a special.

As I’ve pointed out, this young Spurs team is so good that it was always going to be difficult to suppress wins, even with all of the circus games Pop was playing (and continues to play).

As for game specific thoughts, here are my bullets:

• Lauri Markkanen is a phenomenal player. I don’t know how this guy fell through the cracks (he bounced from Chicago and Cleveland to Utah). He’s strong, athletic, talented, and plays in a physical, dominant fashion. In multiple games against the Spurs this year, I’ve remarked to myself how strong how he looks. He’s a winner through and through — easily a max player.
• Dominick Barlow only got two minutes, but I love how he plays. He is so smart and does everything that is asked of him and more. If I’m the Spurs, I lock him up on a long-term contract.
• The Spurs shot the ball extremely well this game and win they do, they look tough. But it’s not like they were hitting a bunch of lucky shots or their attempts were paint-heavy. Rather, they were knocking down mostly wide open looks (I’m looking right at Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie).

Pre-game Setup

The Utah-San Antonio matchup is game #73 for the Spurs.

Betting: Spurs +4.5, Over/Under 228.5

(Guess-Prediction: I’ll take the Spurs and the over.)

Betting Record going into the game 46–55–1.

The Spurs traveled to Utah for this contest.