Spurs vs. Dejounte Murray's Hawks GAMEDAY Preview: San Antonio Seeking Revenge?
With a 4-6 record in their last 10 games, the Atlanta Hawks host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday evening. While the playoffs are out of the question, perhaps beating the former disgruntled Spurs guard Dejounte Murray is a consolation.
In January, during an All the Smoke episode hosted by Matt Barnes and former Spur Stephen Jackson, Murray unleashed a barrage of shots directed at the Spurs.
In the interview, he judged the Spurs for their point guard depth chart, one that included Tony Parker. Despite the choice words for a franchise that he claimed "saved his life," Murray seemed to have a change of heart, or maybe the bright lights were too much for him.
Aside from the not-so-warm reunion, the game has a few interesting tidbits.
When you lose 11 consecutive games, the team analysis starts to blur. Either you execute on plays down the stretch, or you don't. Conversely, It's hard to critique the Spurs, as they don't have their core rotation players due to injury. But even a 31-point performance from newly-acquired Devonte' Graham didn't finish the job against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
Despite the massive holes in the rotation, team effort isn't the issue with this Spurs team. However, the overall pacing didn't help, specifically in transition opportunities. In a game where your core players are out, perhaps pushing the envelope on the fast break gets you some easy baskets.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs were a -3.4 in points per 100 possessions in transition offense - falling in the eighth percentile. Sometimes chaos is good, and the Spurs need to wreak more havoc vs. the Hawks.
FUN FACT: Amid an 11-game losing streak, good news isn't aplenty. Graham broke a franchise record for most points scored in a debut with 31 points and resurged the Spur's offense off the bench.
RECORDS: San Antonio Spurs (14-42) vs. Atlanta Hawks (28-28)
WHEN: Saturday, February 11, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest, League Pass
RADIO: Spurs Radio WOAI 1200 AM
ODDS: The Atlanta Hawks are 13-point favorites over the San Antonio Spurs.
WHAT'S NEXT: The San Antonio Spurs are on the road vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 6:00 p.m. CT.
FINAL WORD: "That's what he does," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said of Graham Friday night following his 31-point performance. Single-handedly, the backup guard nearly outperformed the Pistons in three-point shooting, making six shots from deep to the their seven.
Moving forward, Graham's spot in the rotation after such an eye-opening performance has an argument to be guaranteed. What's more important, is he the point guard of the future for San Antonio? Regardless of what happens next season, Graham now has the coach's green light to provide a jolt in the Spurs' offense.
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