After Wednesday night’s 94-87 win against the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs remain undefeated on the road.
The Spurs currently sit second in the Western Conference with their 15-4 record, a game and a half behind the Golden State Warriors. While a perfect road record is definitely something to be proud of, the 5-time champion Spurs can’t seem to get into a groove at home.
The silver and black have performed better in every category except defensive rebounding on the road as opposed to playing at home. The Spurs average 15.8 more points in road games compared to at home, which might leave their fans struggling to comprehend how a team that nearly went undefeated at home last year (40-1), has already lost four games in just the first month of play.
Additionally, on more than one occasion, the Spurs have had to put up a fight against struggling teams. For example, in the November 21st 96-91 win against the Mavericks, the Spurs played so poorly against the team with the worst record in the NBA, that Head Coach Gregg Popovich publicly scorned his own team for their “pathetic performance.”
In similar fashion, the Spurs somehow managed to lose 95-83 against the eastern conference 11th seed, Orlando Magic, who had just lost four in a row. Of course, this game was at home and delivered the Spurs their 4th loss of the season and at home just a month into the 2016-17 campaign.
Not much can really be said about the Spurs giving up games to teams they’re obviously well-equipped to beat, and much less about giving up those games at home, except that they might be going into those games with too much confidence. Or, it could be that they’ve hosted some of the top defensive teams in their building early this season. This Spurs team showed early on what potential they have in their starters and on the bench. If they’re all playing well, their potential is actually scary.
In the season opener, the Spurs shot exceptionally well (48%), especially from three point range (50%). They scored 50 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Warriors 64-40. Almost every player scored and the bench put up impressive numbers, scoring 54 of the Spurs’ 129 points. The starters exhibited chemistry you can only hope for after years of playing together. Still, it was just one night, but there have been several games like the opener when the whole team seems to be clicking at the same time.
Those glimpses of exceptionalism exhibited already show what type of potential this Spurs team has.
The Spurs will look to improve their .500 home record Friday night against the Washington Wizards, at 7:30pm.
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