SAN ANTONIO – Welcome to this week's KSAT.com Spurs newsletter! After a 3-0 start, the Spurs came back to earth a bit and it's no surprise why. Two of the past three games were against Kawhi Leonard's Clippers and LeBron James' Lakers.
The Spurs fought hard in both games and proved they can compete with the top teams in West, but made a few mistakes that cost them.
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San Antonio is 4-2 headed into an Eastern Conference road game against Atlanta before another home contest against Oklahoma City. Both are winnable games.
The Dejounte Murray "minutes watch" is in full effect. In restricted minutes, Murray has averaged 14 points, 8.6 rebs, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals. He's been incredible, but admitted he's thinking about the minute restriction.
Murray and fans will have to be patient. Like Coach Popovich has said, they need Murray at full strength in March and April as opposed to right now.
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If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, hit me up at rmarquez@ksat.com.
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POP SOUND OF WEEK: Lakers loss, more on Dejounte and his fun exchange with a reporter, "Hey? That's what horses eat."
ROUND BALL ROUNDTABLE: Will Lonnie Walker be a key part of this season's rotation after coach Pop's comments about his play last week?
I believe Lonnie has his work cut out for him to get into the regular rotation. I don’t remember Pop calling out a young player this early in the season for a lack of competitiveness.
Only time will tell. For now, he’s in Pop’s doghouse. Since the Spurs are guard-heavy, his minutes will likely be low until he proves himself to Pop. Hopefully Pop is dishing out tough love to motivate Walker, who’s extremely talented.
This could be a long, learning season for Walker. He was already relegated to limited minutes, but after coach Popovich called him out after the Clippers game, his season at the end of the bench could get longer. Hopefully he responds if he gets another shot at significant time during a meaningful game, and it will only be praise from Pop afterward.
I think Pop's comments last week about Lonnie were more motivational in nature, but Walker can not waste whatever minutes he gets, especially with the team's depth. He will see more action because it's a long season. I think the Spurs still believe he can be a factor down the line.
PLAYER SOUND OF WEEK: Dejounte Murray on doing the most with limited minutes, relationship with LeBron James
SPURS SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD:
Nov. 5: at Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 7: vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Nov. 9: vs Boston Celtics
Nov. 11: vs Memphis Grizzlies (TP's jersey retirement)
KEY GAME/MATCHUP OF WEEK:
The home tilt against Boston is this week's toughest game. Kemba Walker has been solid and the Celts are one of the best teams in the East. They also have very good wing players in Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs defend a rejuvenated Boston squad.
POWER RANKINGS PULSE:
ESPN.com: 9th in NBA, no movement
SI.com: 12th in NBA, Spurs move up after close losses
NBA.com: 13th in NBA, dropped one spot
OFF-COURT STORY OF WEEK:
New dishes at AT&T Center 'spur' excitement
Fans are getting excited about some new food options at the AT&T Center. We tried them out!
The most interesting Spur, or former Spurs player, in the world is Manu Ginobili with Boris Diaw a close second. What has Manu been up to? This week, he looked back at the time he swatted a bat out of mid-air during a game at the AT&T Center. Hard to believe it's been 10 years. Manu. Forever.
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