San Antonio Spurs, Dejounte Murray close out 4th quarter; 3 takeaways
The 2019-20 NBA season is here and the San Antonio Spurs came out of their opener with a 120-111 win over the young New York Knicks. The Spurs showed what they can bring to the table this season, as well as where they can improve.
Alas, the wait is over and the San Antonio Spurs season is finally here. Wednesday night, the Spurs took on the New York Knicks in their season opener at the AT&T Center. The Spurs overcame a rough third quarter to surge to a 120-111 win against the Knicks.
It was a sweet game for the home crowd as they got to see the new rendition of head coach Gregg Popovich’s squad. The game began by showcasing all of the great things about this Spurs team. Fans also got to boo Knicks forward Marcus Morris over his offseason antics with the Spurs.
Reporter: Did the Knicks act unprofessionally with Marcus Morris situation.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) October 23, 2019
Popovich: “Who signed him?”
Reporter: The Knicks.
Popovich: “There you go.”
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But the biggest story of the night was Dejounte Murray’s return to the lineup and the energy he can bring to the team. He made a few plays that got the crowd and his team locked into the game. The Spurs jumped out to an early 16-point lead in the second quarter and went into the second half up by eight, thanks to 15 points from Bryn Forbes.
The Spurs then had a rough third quarter, as the Knicks outscored them by nine thanks to a flurry of turnovers by Spurs’ starters. The team showed what could be a rough patch this season in their lack of pace when getting back on defense.
Yet the fourth quarter came as a huge positive for the Spurs and washed away the woes of the third quarter. Murray came out and made an impact, DeMar DeRozan woke up and started to get going offensively and clutch 3s from Forbes helped put the game out of the way.
Zero turnovers and stellar shooting led the Spurs to a 120-111 game in the home opener. A few things came out of the game that need to be looked at closer.