Game 78: Spurs unable to complete 17-point comeback vs Blazers
The San Antonio Spurs were officially eliminated from play-in contention Sunday after coming up short in a 17-point comeback attempt in Portland.
Though there was a slim chance going into Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs and Blazers had a mathematical chance of making the Western Conference play-in picture.
Whoever lost between the Spurs and Blazers would be eliminated from play-in contention, or if the Sacramento Kings won Sunday, then both Portland and San Antonio would be out.
Just before the Spurs and Blazers’ game wrapped up, the Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, eliminating both teams' chances of making the play-in.
The Blazers jumped out to a big lead early, leading by 17 points multiple times in the game. In the fourth, the Spurs faced a 16-point deficit, yet they still got the game to crunch time and had several chances to tie or take the lead, trailing by only two points. The Spurs had trouble, though, with the Blazers’ inbounding ball pressure, and after some costly turnovers inbounding the ball, the Blazers eventually held on for the 11-point win.
Since their three-game winning streak on March 23, the Spurs have struggled, losing eight of their last nine games. They’re now 32-46 overall, with four games remaining in their regular season schedule.
One bright spot for the Spurs’ lottery scenario is that the Toronto Raptors won a game Sunday, keeping the Raptors with 50 losses this season. If the Spurs were to lose out the rest of the way, they too could match the Raptors with 50 losses, as San Antonio currently sits 8th in the lottery order, and Toronto stands 7th. One Raptors loss, though, would eliminate this chance of the Spurs.
Notable Players in the Game
Spurs
Stephon Castle - The rook finished with a team-high 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, and he was aggressive in getting to the free throw line and making a team-high 7-of-9 free throws. Once more, he struggled with his outside shot, going 1-of-5 from distance, but he was pretty efficient around the basket, matching his season high of 12 paint points from dunk/layup range. Inside the arc, he shot 6-of-12 from the floor. He was crucial to the Spurs, who almost made a complete comeback, as he led the team with 12 points in the fourth quarter. While he didn’t get as close to a triple-double, he collected more rebounds than usual, finishing with seven rebounds, five assists, four turnovers, and one steal in 31 minutes. One play that stood out was when he drove by Toumani Camara on a drive, and as Camara fouled him at the rim, Castle still dunked the ball with two hands for an and-one possession. When asked about the Rookie of the Year race, Castle said, “I feel like, at this point, I pretty much got it locked up. I mean really just continuing to be myself, not really think about it when I’m in the game. Just game by game, I feel like I’m more confident to be able to say that I am it.” Castle and Hawks rookie Zacharie Risacher are the only two players nominated for the Rookie of the Month award in all five months of the season for their conferences, and both players have won the monthly award twice this season. Castle remains the Vegas favorite to win the award going into the final week of the regular season.
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