SpursUniverse

San Antonio Spurs

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!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets in cup play 139 to 136 in an epic 18 point comeback lead by D. Vassell 35 points. D. Vassell hit two clutch three pointers down the stretch to put the game out of reach after the Spurs came back. I am sure he has heard many of the fans talking down on his contract and play as of late, but being a professional and learning how to be mentally tough will go a long way for his game, as well as how his positive play is such a continued asset to what the Spurs want to accomplish this year! J. Champagnie also contributed in the victory by playing solid defense and scoring 25 points with 10 rebounds. His decision making and killer instinct from three has really helped the Spurs get to the quarter finals in cup play. D. Fox also had a solid game by scoring 15 points and having 12 assists to affect the game in different ways! D. Harper had 11 points and continues to bring a different but steady element at the point guard position. K. Johnson also continues to bring plenty of energy off the bench with 14 points and 8 rebounds. H. Barnes hit some timely shots and contributed with 10 points to a steady Spurs attack that will only get better when S. Castle and Wemby come back!

    Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets were without A. Gordon but still seem like the title contender many around the NBA have labeled them to be! N. Jokic is still an amazing all around player that the Nuggets run the entire offense out of scoring 21 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds to pace the team. C. Johnson chipped in 28 points and found himself open most of the night for timely three pointers. J Murray was also a thorn in the Spurs side scoring 37 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the surging Spurs!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs won an important game against the Portland Trailblazers in cup round behind 37 points from Star-Fox! D. Vassell also contributed with 23 points and 6 rebounds to help the Spurs stay alive in cup play. The team seemed a little out of focus at first but things settled in as D. Fox got going in the game. K. Johnson also helped right the ship with 11 points off the bench. D. Harper made his return to the lineup with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He will take a few games to get back to the form he was playing at before his injury. D. Fox took over in the fourth quarter and helped get the Spurs back on the winning track!

    Trailblazers: The blazers are playing good basketball as of late and are getting as much out of their young players as they can. D. Advija had 37 points to lead the blazers but slowed down in the fourth quarter. This team will play hard and will win some games against some good teams because they play defense and are coached well. Former Spur T. Splitter has them playing hard and focused on basketball more than the outside noise with the NBA and FBI coming down hard on former player and coach C. Billups.

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost against the Phoenix Suns in a game that the Spurs seemed to run out of gas! The Suns had to work back into the game and after they took the lead, the game was over for the Spurs. D. Fox had 26 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Spurs but it wasn’t enough to get the win! D. Vassell had 17 points and K. Johnson chipped in with 14 points off the bench, but the Suns seemed to have that final gear that the Spurs seriously lacked. With big games against tougher competition the Spurs young core and All-Star are going to have to play some good basketball in order to compete!

    Suns: The Phoenix Suns are shaping into a decent playoff team. Lead by D. Booker 24 points and D. Brooks 25 points, the Suns are looking like a very improved team despite trading Durant this offseason! They should be a play-in team if not a play-off team this season with space and pace being a real focus!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs won 135 to 126 in a great performance from Star-Fox and the bench unit against Atlanta! D. Fox had 26 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds with 3 steals in a steady and very calming effort against the Hawks. The real star of the show was first year Spur D. Jones-Garcia with a stat line of 12 point, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 18 minutes of action! After shaking off some nerves Jones-Garcia was critical in San Antonio getting the lead and keeping it in the final quarter! K. Johnson also had an amazing game off the bench with 25 points and 7 rebounds! He remains a weapon with whom the Spurs can call upon when the first unit is struggling or going through the motions. J. Champagnie chipped in 20 points and plenty of steady defense as well as J. Sochan 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, each player had a few monster slams in the 4th quarter! D. Vassell and K. Olynyk each helped stretch the floor by hitting timely 3 pointers down the stretch! All in all a good team win from the Spurs and something to keep building on as the schedule gets tougher!

    Hawks: N. Alaxander-Walker is a player and an awesome pick-up for Atlanta in the offseason. He had 38 points in a loosing effort but was game for the entire match! Getting T. Young back or trading him will help this team focus on what the future holds and help them make a run!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs played steady games against bottom dwelling teams without Wemby and now S. Castle. (Star-Fox) D. Fox has been getting into a groove now that he has to have the ball in his hands most of the game! Scoring 28 points against his former team and 26 against the Grizzlies, he showcased exactly why the San Antonio Spurs traded for him! Wemby will miss some time with the calf strain but I expect him back before X-Mas and ready to play OKC! Get healthy Big man! It is now on the shoulders of Spurs that have been in the system for a while and now have the green light to get some run! D. Vassell 16 points and 10 points, K. Johnson 14 points and 18 points, and J. Sochan 11 points and 8 points, all have to step-up and help Star-Fox keep the ship afloat!

    Kings: The Kings are a true mystery as to what they are heading into this season. They have vets that can still play, the trick will be to move a few and see what assets they can accumulate.

    Grizzlies: J. Jackson Jr. is still an elite big man scoring 18 points. He normally has great games against the Spurs and is the Grizzlies future going forward.

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost a crazy back and forth game due to poor execution in crunch time as well as S. Curry going for 49 points and the fact that the referees controlled the game from the opening tip! V. Wembanyama had another great game with 26 points and 12 rebounds. He had an amazing dunk over D. Green but the play was ruled a foul on the floor. After watching the play again and listening to the whistle the play should have counted! The referees controlled the game from opening tip where the more physical team in San Antonio was called for every small amount of contact! Much like the game on Wednesday. The execution down the stretch was also poor. The final play of D. Fox left fans wanting more and questioning just what D. Fox saw on that final play, as well as why Coach Johnson elected to keep the ball out of the hands of the Spurs best player? D. Fox had a better game this go around with 24 points and 10 assists, but his costly mistakes down the stretch never lived up to his clutch reputation he has established for himself! He will get better as the season goes on and there will be more opportunities to prove himself, especially in the play-offs!

    Warriors: S. Curry was amazing again with 49 points and the game winning free throws. It is sad to see such a good game have to be controlled by the referees on every level. You literally cannot touch S. Curry or any of the Warriors and it becomes a foul! NBA has to do better with its officiating and maintain a standard for all NBA teams!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs lost a game they controlled for much of of the contest in a 125 to 120 victory for Golden State. The team looked unfocused and unsure of how to handle the misdirection that was implemented by the Warriors. Wemby was the only Spur that was engaged and focused throughout the contest with 31 points, 10 assists and 15 rebounds. His only help was S. Castle who also had a good game but was burdened by foul trouble during the game scoring 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds! Area 51 seemed to stay on attack all night and kept the Spurs close down the stretch. D. Fox was a non-factor throughout the night with 13 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds but many of his points came in garbage time and his turnovers were very costly. He needs to stay attacking his match-up, especially when Curry is has to defend him! After the first quarter the Warriors got a lot of foul calls but the Spurs did not seem interested in finishing the game from there!

    Warriors: S. Curry is still the best shooter in the NBA and one of the best to ever shoot the basketball! He had 46 points and made it look easy! J. Butler also contributed with 28 points, most of his jumpers were uncontested. This team will look to make a run but from the eye test they are still a piece away from real title aspirations!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs won a thriller against the Chicago Bulls in comeback fashion! WeM-VP showed that the NBA is, and will eventually be his, by contributing to the win with 38 points, 12 rebounds and a clutch game winning step-back! Having French-Vanilla back helped Wemby and the second unit get going and by helping in closing the game. L. Kornet was steady off the bench with 16 points and 7 rebounds and continues to help Wemby close games. L. Kornet makes it so the defense cannot switch smaller players on Wemby through-out the entire game! D. Fox was steady with 21 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. S. Castle was doing his thing again with 19 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds. K. Johnson was also impressive off the bench with 10 points and 7 rebounds!

    Bulls: The young Bulls showcased why they have one of the best records early in the season. The core of T. Jones 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as well as K. Huerter 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, had Chicago up ten with 5 mins to go in the game. The Bulls do have something special brewing and are on pace to make the playoffs! Watch out for the Baby Bulls!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs won as D. Fox returned to the line-up in a back and forth contest with the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night. D. Fox had 24 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. It took a quarter for the former All-Star to get his groove, but when he did the Pelicans were in trouble. It is nice to see when the Spurs get into a funk that they have a guy who can get his own shot! Eight Spurs scored double digits to counter every run the Pelicans threw at them! D. Vassell 16 points and H. Barnes 15 points remain a steady combo that teams have to pay attention to. Both players hit consistently from three and play solid defense! Speaking of paying attention to, S.C. the Castle in the Sky has continued his all around game and is showcasing that he is more than just a dunker, but rather a well rounded player who can affect the game positively from different areas! S. Castle had 14 points, 14 assists and 4 rebounds! WeM-VP was also a force on both ends with 18 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks! D. Fox made life easier for him and others during this contest! Up next, Chicago!

    Pelicans: T. Murphy III is showcasing to the NBA that he is “HIM” with 41 points and 9 rebounds! The Stellar 3/D forward kept the Pelicans within striking distance and should be in the three point contest this year during All-Star weekend!

  • Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets in a gritty 121 to 110 victory in the first game of group play. WeMVP finally got going in the second half scoring 18 points after halftime, and finishing with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to pace the Spurs to victory! H. Barnes 24 points and J. Champagnie 22 points had clutch moments in the Spurs win over the Rockets. S.C. the Castle in the sky had a good all around game with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists as well as many timely offensive rebounds and put backs to keep the Spurs in front! D. Vassell also hit timely 3 pointers when the Rockets were making a run and trying to take the lead! K. Johnson AKA KJ Desperado also had a huge energy game off the bench contributing with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. J. McLaughlin also had a good game off the bench and hit clutch shots with steady play on both ends of the floor and finished with 9 points. The Spurs finally found a groove in the second half and an answer to the double teams on Wemby. All it took was patience and key passing as well as not settling for the first shot!

    Rockets: K. Durant is still an offensive weapon! He scored 24 points and helped keep the Rockets close down the stretch. Look for this Rockets team to be a problem in the playoffs if this team can stay healthy! A. Sengun was a terror in the post for the Rockets with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists! The big man seems to relish playing against Wemby and is considered one of the closest to Jokic in being a big that can run an offense and dictate machups!