In the previous game, the Holy City Spurs finally played the stability of their old team, beating the Los Angeles Lakers and getting out of the haze of losing streaks. As a team that has constantly surprised us in the West this season, the Spurs have really done quite a few things that other teams can't. Obviously there are no superstar players, but the stubborn Popovich has always refused the team's mess. But who would have thought, Popovich still turned the reverse eye Murray, cultivated into an All-Star player, and also completed the 1335th regular season win of the head coaching career, equaling the old Nelson and tied for the first place in history!
Again, as the old saying goes, you can ignore any team in the league, but you definitely can't ignore Popovich's Holy City Spurs. This game, the Spurs returning home, ushered in the challenge of the Toronto Raptors. Also without an absolute core of winning the championship, the Raptors can still get back on the right track with players who continue to play with value. VanVleet, who has joined the All-Star honor this season, as well as the likes of Anunoby and Siakam, are all guarantees of Nas's win. So, this time against the Spurs, what kind of sparks will burst out from both sides?
At the beginning of the game, the Raptors took the lead and got the lead. Siakam played 12 minutes of the first quarter, sending 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, and VanVleet, who returned from injury, also had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, helping the team to play a 34-29 score. The game began with a feat of domination, and the Spurs, who entered the second quarter of the game, were able to counter-attack. Murray, who delivered 8 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists in the first quarter, continued to threaten, and in the second quarter, he sent 7 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, and Kelden Johnson also contributed 8 points and 1 rebound.
With the continuous force of the team's reverse eyes, the Spurs can also play a 32-24 score, not only recovering the 5 points behind in the first quarter, but also achieving a 3-point counterattack with a 61-58 score in the halftime. The situation was reversed, but the Spurs, who had the lead in the game, did not follow the trend after the easy side of the fight, widening the point difference between the two sides, but encountered a strong counterattack from the Raptors. In the third quarter of the competition, Barnes stepped forward, shooting 5 of 7 in a single quarter, sending 12 points and 4 rebounds, helping the team to play a 33-23 score, recovering the 3 points behind in the first half, and achieving a 7-point counterattack.
In the crucial final quarter of the competition, the Raptors did not give the Spurs the opportunity to fight back again, and played a 28-20 score with a bang to win the game. Looking back at the game, the overall scoring efficiency of the Raptors side is still very good. The team's five players scored in double digits, and at one point three players scored at least 20 points. In fact, in the face of the Raptors' outstanding scoring performance, the Spurs side also has remarkable highlights. The performance of the two reverse chartmen is also outstanding!
Among them, Murray sent a quasi-triple-double of 25 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists in the 34 minutes of the game, and Kelden Johnson even scored a game-high score of 27 points and 8 rebounds. Again, in the absence of superstar players, Popovich, with two reverse eyes that constantly cash in on their talents, supported the team's sky, which is indeed a defeat. After losing this game, Popovich also revealed his heart in a post-game interview, praising the Raptors' defensive ability like an iron barrel.