San Antonio Spurs: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Nuggets
3. San Antonio got pushed around too much
For the second straight game, the San Antonio Spurs struggled mightily in the second quarter. After a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Spurs let Denver storm back in the second quarter to tie the game going into the half.
This was the third game in a row where the Nuggets pushed back against the Spurs in the second quarter and the second game in a row where Denver “won” the second quarter. The Spurs were aggressive in Game 3, but the Nuggets turned the aggressiveness up a notch in Game 4, dominating from all aspects of the floor.
Popovich was not pleased in his postgame press conference, noting the team’s lack of physicality. Denver outplayed the Spurs in all aspects, even the free throw line. San Antonio got 32 freebies in Game 4, but shot poorly from the charity stripe, making just 24 of them. The Nuggets didn’t get to the line as many times, but shot much better from the free throw line, hitting 22 of their 24 attempts.
In Game 3, the Spurs finished with a 53.4 effective field goal percentage, their best of the series. Game 4 was just 50.0 percent, the second-lowest mark of the series. The Nuggets tallied a 53.4 effective field goal percentage in Game 4, their second-highest mark of the series, thanks mostly to their barrage of 3-pointers.
Denver attempted 31 3-pointers, making 14 of them (48.4 percent). The Spurs attempted just 17 3-pointers, but only managed to make five of them (29.4 percent).
Tonight was the first game of the series where the Spurs allowed over 100 points from the paint + free throw line + 3PT line.
— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) April 21, 2019
The two numbers that stick out are 22 points from DEN from FT line and 45 from 3PT line.
The Spurs tried to outgun the Nuggets and play too much at their pace in Game 4. The team was successful when it slowed the pace of the game down in Games 1 and 3, but in Games 2 and 4 (both losses), played at a faster pace than Pop may have liked. If they can slow things down again in Game 5, the Spurs could be right back in the series.