Sacramento Kings 95, San Antonio Spurs 92 – Aldridge Struggles in Debut

Oct 8, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) dribbles the ball as Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) defends during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Crafting a post-centric offense requires a highly coordinated attack, which is something these San Antonio Spurs haven’t had time to build this early in the process—especially with key players missing. In LaMarcus Aldridge’s first game, the prize free agent acquisition struggled, scoring just eight points and three rebounds on 3-10 shooting.

Turning a back to the basket also means turning a back to defenses, so it’s imperative to have a read on the floor to know what angles are available to attack, and what room there is to counter. Likewise, passing to a stationary player involves some nuance, and giving defenses a target to hone in on can create turnovers and start such possessions on bad footing.

Without Tim Duncan or Tony Parker in the lineup to help move the pieces and organize such actions, Aldridge looked uncomfortable in his new surroundings—hoisting early shots, spinning into traffic, and missing on a few of his patented turnaround jumpers. Though there were some individual positive tidbits to glean from the starting lineup, as a unit they seemed discombobulated in the Spurs 92-95 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Spurs win over the Timberwolves just one of those Daye(s)

It’s been some time since Austin Daye played more than cleanup minutes for the San Antonio Spurs, so the Minnesota Timberwolves can be forgiven if they failed to include him in their scouting report.

Still, allowing a player–scouting report or not–to part your defense like Moses in the Red Sea and throw down anf uncontested dunk hardly seems like something that requires spelling out on the white board.

And yet, with a simple kick-out pass from Boris Diaw, Daye gave a shot fake to dismiss a lone rotating defender, driving all the way from the three-point line as the rest of the Timberwolves’ defense stood still and watched.

Tim Duncan outlasts 2014, New Orleans Pelicans

The ball dropped on New Year’s Eve well before midnight for the San Antonio Spurs, though it still did so at the end of a countdown–delivering a 95-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Trailing 82-84 after an emphatic dunk by Anthony Davis (21 points, 12 rebounds), Boris Diaw inbounded the ball from the sideline with 0.7 seconds remaining, lofting it towards the rim. Duncan and Omar Asik collided, one of them somehow tipping it in to send the game to yet another improbable December overtime.

How Patty Mills return stabilizes the Spurs

A barrage of injuries, losses, and exhausting overtime games has made the harsh cold of December brutal and seemingly never-ending for the San Antonio Spurs. But Sunday night’s surprising return of Patty Mills and a potentially stabilizing 110-106 victory over the Houston Rockets offers some respite for the weary defending champions.

Mills was shaky in his return, as could be expected after months removed from the basketball court following offseason shoulder surgery. A bevy of missed shots (0-4 from three-point territory) and turnovers (five) did little to dissuade his teammates’ enthusiasm for the hyperactive point guard’s return.

“His energy, just his activity was contagious. It brought a huge spark to the team,” Tim Duncan said. “Even he’ll say he didn’t play the greatest, but he made such a huge impact just being back out there.”

The Spurs confidence in Mills paid off down the stretch, with Mills scoring eight points and pressuring James Harden into a decisive turnover in the closing minute while playing almost the entirety of the fourth quarter.

“[It was rough] with the grind that the guys were going through, coming into the locker room knowing that they were tired and that there weren’t that many subs to give them a break,” Mills said. “It was disappointing thing for me because I felt helpless.”

Mills returned to a standing ovation from the San Antonio crowd, infusing the AT&T Center with energy. But perhaps his greatest contribution was some measure of a return to normalcy.