After four quarters of fighting, although the Spurs at home once erased the 18-point difference and left the suspense of the game until the last moment, they could only swallow a defeat with Kelden Johnson's last-ditch layup slightly offside.
The Grizzlies without Morant continued their magical performances, and the record without the stars in charge reached 19-2. For the Spurs, who did not have much hope, they once saw the dawn of victory, but considering the strength of the Grizzlies, losing this game is not unacceptable.
The happiest is probably the Lakers fans, the tenth throne of the Spurs West has not yet sat hot, and in the blink of an eye, it has been sent back to the Purple and Gold Army. When the game was decided, Dezhangtai Murray and Kelden Johnson scored three consecutive raids, and the two joined forces to score 6 consecutive points to close the point difference to 1 point, and also held the final goal of 5.3 seconds, I believe that Lakers fans have been a little desperate. Especially when the Spurs' exquisite sideline ball cooperation really shook out the empty shot opportunity, it is estimated that the heart has jumped to the throat, and as a result, Kelden's small hand shook and missed the kill, which made the Lakers fans' hearts let go.
To be fair, Murray really tried his best in this game, 33 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 60% of the time, 6 of 9 three-pointers, 4 of 5 in the final quarter, and finally chasing points is also a series of key shots. Looking further ahead, the four-game winning streak also played a role in the team's mainstay, the all-star player is well deserved, he is also the Spurs' biggest gain this season, is Popovich's last treasure left to the Holy City. Of course, if you can fight for a play-off ticket and even finally advance to the playoffs, then this season is more perfect for the Spurs.
After this campaign, the Spurs still have six opponents left, which are twice against the Blazers, Warriors, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Lone Rangers, considering that the Warriors who have no curry are weak, it is likely that they will win three of these six games. The Lakers' next schedule is much more difficult than the Spurs, except for the Thunder (who are still the Lakers' nemesis at the beginning of the season) and the Curry Warriors, the rest of the opponents are jazz, Pelicans, Nuggets (play twice), Suns, if you want to ensure play-off qualification, then these 7 games must win at least 4 games (based on the fact that the Spurs only win 3 games). Look at the faces of others without saying, but also have to give their own strength.
The so-called iron also needs to be hard, the Spurs really gave the opportunity today, then the next is to test the Lakers' round, back-to-back first to play the Jazz and then back to the home court to play the Pelicans two games is the key. Don't look at the Lakers' superior record against the Jazz this season, it is based on the situation of zhan mei combination or at least thirty years old man, relying on Wei Shao to lead the team, facing Salt Lake City, which has lost five consecutive games, will the opponent take the opportunity to bottom out? Don't dare to think.
A battle with the Pelicans is even more critical, because this is equivalent to a key card position battle, and there is no reason for the water birds to be merciful. Don't forget that the Lakers' 2022 draft picks are still in the hands of the Pelicans and Grizzlies, if the final pick is the top ten picks, then it belongs to the Pelicans, and vice versa to the Grizzlies, for this potential, fragrant lotto draw, the Pelicans will presumably work harder to consolidate the ranking and step on the Lakers by the way, trying to keep this draft pick.
The good news is the key battle with the Pelicans, and espnantine news that the thick eyebrow brother will return to the line of fire, which will undoubtedly greatly enhance the hope of winning. In the sprint stage, who can laugh last with the Spurs and Lakers? For the Purple and Gold Army, whether it is necessary to let the thick eyebrow fire line return to compete for the play-off qualification, after all, even if they enter the play-offs or even the playoffs, they will not be successful this season.