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San Antonio Spurs

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Brandon Lucero here, Journalist and Photographer dedicated to covering the San Antonio Spurs. I served onboard the USS San Antonio while in the United States Navy! I utilized my GI Bill and went to college where I received my Associates and Bachelors degrees in Journalism and Photography!

  • The Spurs Split with Jazz and Rockets to go to 30-14 on the season!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs split a with the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets as the All-Star break gets closer! V. Wembanyama (33pts and 14pts) had a good and then a bad outing after being named an All-Star starter. He helped lead the Spurs past the Jazz but was not himself against the Rockets! D. Fox (14pts and 14pts) was very inconsistent against both teams. When he is not being aggressive the Spurs seem to falter, especially in second half games where they have a lead and no one can get a bucket. If the Spurs are to make a deep run he has to show up and be a force on the offensive end. Subpar nights will not get the Spurs past the second round! S. Castle (18pts and 13pts) was very similar to Wemby in that he had a great game at home but was on cruise control in the loss to the Rockets! He had an awesome windmill dunk, but nothing really else to brag about. J. Champagnie (27pts) against Houston is starting to heat up from deep. It will be interesting to see what happens when D. Vassell returns and if he goes back to the bench?

    Jazz: K. George (30pts) is shaping up to be a really good scorer in the NBA! Maybe it is because he is on a bad team or he can just score the basketball but he can certainly get the ball in the basket! The Jazz are a streaky team, they can beat anybody and loose to anybody!

    Rockets: K. Durant is still a good player for the Houston Rockets! He can score in crunch time and can contribute to a deep run for the Rockets. He does need help form his teammates in order for that to happen. A. Sengun (20pts) seems to love to go against Wemby and can be a pest in the post. He can score from anywhere on the court and can pass the ball at an elite level. His only draw back is his defense as teams will attack him to get the match up they want. R. Sheppard (21pts) was a pest in the Spurs side. He hit clutch shots and was a reason Houston came back and won. It will be interesting to see what the Rockets do at the trade deadline!

  • The Alien gets the Spurs past the Wolves despite 55 from Ant-Man!

    Spurs: The Alien vs Ant-Man sounds like a movie title from the fiction isle, but in fact it was an awesome basketball game that V. Wembanyama (39pts,9rebs,2blks) helped lead the Spurs past Ant-Man (55pts) in a critical western conference showdown! The Spurs beat the T-Wolves 126 to 123 getting key contributions from their stars, D. Fox (25pts,12ast) as well as the leading candidate for 6th man of the year K. Johnson (20pts). KJ Desperado or the bald bandit as he will be known as on wanted posters all around the NBA, hit a key three point shot with 15.8 seconds left to put the Spurs up four! The fourth quarter was a roller coaster in that both A. Edwards and Wemby, seemed to trade big buckets in crunch time and had the arena in a frenzy! When asked about playing against A. Edwards after the game, Wemby said, “It’s an honor!”

    T-Wolves: Ant-Man was special getting a double nickel to help lead the T-Wolves back from twenty five points down and even take the lead with just over a minute left to play in regulation. When asked about the game and how great it was to go against Wemby his comments were a little immature! Not the comment on wishing he could play one on one but the “He (Wemby) is supposed to be the face of the league, I always gotta get up for that one.” In my opinion both Wemby and Edwards are great talents and both are the new face of the NBA that is taking shape in order to replace the all time greats like L. James and K. Durant and S. Currry! We need more than just one individual to take the torch and even if Edwards does not want the title, his stellar play and ability on the NBA court will dictate that. Having maturity to understand and grasp that his life will never be normal because of his gifts on the court, will help the T-Wolves mature as a team and get them to the championship that Minnesota desperately needs! The sooner he embraces this NBA is both his and Wembys for years to come will dictate how far this team goes in the playoffs!

  • Bald Wemby Breaks Bucks Backs!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 119 to 98 behind a motivated and now bald V. Wembanyama! Wemby (22pts,10rebs,2blks) was decisive with his moves throughout the entire game! His new hair cut and new approach to shooting over the smaller player instead of trying to take the smaller faster defender off the dribble, so far for at least one game has shown better decision making! Hopefully he stays with this same approach and focus for the rest of the season! S. Castle (19pts,10rebs) played a solid game and was critical in keeping the pressure on the Bucks. D. Fox (18pts) got off to a solid start to the game and maintained the necessary brand of winning basketball that will help this team in the playoffs. The Spurs need a steady Star-Fox in order to compete with the upper class contenders in the West! D. Harper (13pts) finally got going in this game and contributed to the win with his steady attack and great decision making!

    Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo (21pts) was in attack mood to start the game but after his team fell behind by double digits Coach Rivers sat his star and threw in the towel. It will be interesting to see what team decides to trade for the former MVP as he will make any team he plays for better and instant championship contenders!

  • Spurs loose back2back games against T-Wolves and Thunder!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost back to back games against Western Conference contenders in the Minnesota Timberwolves (103 to 104) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (119 to 98)! V. Wembanyama was stellar against both teams (29pts, 17pts) but it was not enough to get the win! D. Fox (12pts, 14pts) was effective but needed to control the offense more if the Spurs are to beat these teams in the playoffs! He needs to assert himself early and often and average 20pts plus if the Spurs are to make a deep run. S. Castle (11pts, 20pts) had a better game against Thunder but playing with a wrist injury, as well as running the offense and guarding the best player on the other team has been impacting hist play as of late. Take into account that guard D. Vassell has been out for 2 weeks and as a result the guard rotation has suffered, as well as the shooting from deep and you can figure out why this team is struggling as of late. D. Harper (0pts, 12pts) has been in a rookie slump as of late and is stuck in his own head. He needs to figure out how to be effective with the ball not being in his hands and that of course will be on the defensive end! He will get his groove back in time so no need to worry about the rookie just yet! Getting D. Vassell as well as finding rotations that work (Coach Johnson) will eventually work itself out. H. Barnes (13pts, 2pts) continues to struggle since the Cup Championship! Maybe giving J. Sochan some more minutes if Barnes continues to struggle will shake up the rotations. The Spurs are in need of a defensive power forward that can rebound and hit the open three! Lets hope they figure it out or make a move at the NBA trade deadline in order to compete in a stacked Western Conference!

    Wolves: A. Edwards (23pts) is an elite scorer and a star in the NBA. When he gets a robin to his batman look out for the Wolves! They will be a good team for years to come but are still missing a piece to make a run to the finals! Crazy stat: Tim Duncan career wins 1158, Timberwolves franchise wins 1075!

    Thunder: SGA (34pts) took over in the 3rd quarter! He had some dirty plays and even got into a skirmish with S. Castle from the Spurs! Hopefully he understands that dirty play has no place in the NBA and to let his game do the talking. With that being said he played like an All-Star and is a reason the Thunder have the best record in the NBA!

  • Spurs beat Beantown with clutch bucket from Wemby down the Stretch!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs beat the Boston Celtics 100 to 95 in a back and forth game with big buckets from Wemby down the stretch. V. Wembanyama (21pts,6rebs,3blks) was critical for the Spurs hitting big shots off the bench as well as the game sealing jumper with 19.1 seconds left. D. Fox (21pts,6rebs,9ast) also had a steady game and bounced back from a bad showing against the Lakers! K. Johnson (18pts,10rebs) off the bench has continued his quest for 6th man of the year! He was a force off the bench and is showing the NBA he deserves his name mentioned when discussing the most consistent players to come in off the bench and shine!

    Celtics: D. White (29pts,9rebs) played great against his former team. If the Celtics are to make some noise in the postseason it will be because D. White is playing at an all-star level. J. Brown (27pts,8rebs,7ast) is an all-star NBA guard and can beat any team any night when he is hitting his 3 point shots, as well as playing solid defense! Watch out for the Celtics when J. Tatum gets back to 100 percent!

  • KJ helps lift sluggish Spurs against Luka and the Lakers!

    Spurs: KJ Desperado or K. Johnson (27pts,6ast) helped a tired and sluggish Spurs team beat the Lakers 107 to 91. He was the most consistent Spur on the floor besides Wemby and continues his push for 6th man of the year! Speaking of a 6th man of the year, V. Wembanyama (16pts,14rebs,4blks) was steller in 25 mins and was actually on the floor during the final stretch in the fourth quarter! Unlike in Memphis when he sat out the final 5 mins, coach Johnson actually finished the game with the Unicorn in the lineup! D. Fox (14pts) was off the entire night but had a decent stretch in the third quarter. S. Castle (15) had some key moments in the fourth quarter and was the primary defender on L. Doncic! J. Sochan (6pts) hit two 3 pointers and also played solid defense.

    Lakers: L. Doncic (38pts,10rebs,10ast) played a great game, but it was not enough to get the Lakers past the Spurs! L. James sat out the game because he normally sits out all back to backs. The Lakers will need him healthy in the playoffs!

  • Portland presses pause on Spurs winning ways!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost a close game against the Portland Trailblazers 115 to 110. D. Fox (19pts) had a good game but could not bring the shorthanded Spurs back to win the game. J. Champagnie (20pts,10rbs) was one of the few consistent Spurs in this game. He continues to add value with his shot and defense. L. Kornet (23pts,8rebs) was solid in the paint but could not figure out the Blazers young big man D. Clingan for the entire night. One bright spot is that Wemby and D. Vassell will return and help the starting lineup to get a groove.

    Blazers: The Blazers are playing better basketball as of late and D. CLingan (24pts,12rebs) and D. Avdija (29pts,11rebs,10ast) are a big reason why. Coach T. Splitter (Former Spurs) has them believing in the system and style of play, and more wins are a result of this belief!

  • Spurs get dub against Pacers with big performances from 3 headed guard rotation!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers 123 to 113 with big performances form their 3 headed guard rotation! D. Fox (24pts,7rebs) lead the way with a steady attack and consistent guard play! S. Castle (19pts,8rebs,8ast) also helped defeat the Pacers with help from D. Harper(22pts) off the bench. All three guards attacked the paint and played solid defense making life difficult for the Pacers. K. Johnson (16pts,6rebs) was also a factor off the bench and was his usual hyped self making timely buckets and hustling the entire night! When the Spurs guards are playing fast and swarming, other teams rarely have counters to the pace and physical play the Spurs bring to the table!

    Pacers: P. Siakam (23pts,9rebs) continues to play at an elite level despite his teams bad record. He was critical in the Pacers making it a game but without their star point guard it wasn’t enough!

  • Spurs beat Knicks to end loosing streak!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the New York Knicks 134 to 132 at home to end the 2 game loosing streak. V. Wembanyama (31pts, 13rbs, 1blk) was playing great basketball before he slightly hyperextended his knee against the Knicks Wednesday night. The arena went silent when Wemby seemed hurt. He eventually came back to watch the rest of the game and after tests were conducted he was deemed good by the Spurs medical staff. D. Fox (26pts, 7ast) helped close the knicks with timely buckets and solid defense. J. Champagnie (36pts) hit 11 three pointers and is now a new Spurs record in a game. He played solid defense and caught fire from deep helping the Spurs comeback from 19 down. K. Johnson (19pts, 8rbs) was huge for the Spurs off the bench and was a major reason the Spurs won the game!

    Knicks: J. Brunson (29pts) continues to play at an all NBA team level. He hit timely shots and was the reason the Knicks had a chance to win the game. J. Clarkson (20pts) off the bench has a solid game and brings balance to the Knicks lineups. KAT (20pts, 7rbs) will be a big factor in how deep this team goes into the playoffs. He can play solid and sometimes can vanish so his play might just dictate how good this team is!

  • Star-Fox and Wemby deliver coal to OKC on Christmas Day!

    Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the OKC Thunder 117 to 102 on Christmas day and remain undefeated at 3-0 against the the champs! D. Fox (29pts) was in attack mode the entire game for the Spurs in his first Christmas day game! Every time the Thunder got close, Fox had an answer! V. Wembanyama (19pts, 11rebs) was a force off the bench that no NBA team can counter! No backup big can stay with Wemby and the bench unit gains so much confidence when he is playing with them. S. Caste (19pts, 4rebs, 7ast) controlled the offense and made mostly sound decisions on both sides of the ball. H. Barnes (15pts) and D. Harper (12pts) each had moments in the game that helped turn the tide for the Spurs! San Antonio is 3-0 against the Thunder this year and have let the NBA know they, “Are Here!”

    Thunder: SGA (22pts) was steady for the Thunder but it was not enough to counter the San Antonio attack!