Don’t look now, the San Antonio Spurs are back in the playoff mix
By Duncan Smith
Things changed quickly for the Spurs
The Grizzlies picked a bad time to hit a rough patch. They’re currently on a three-game losing streak while the Spurs are on a three-game winning streak. Now it’s a three-team battle for that nine seed, and it’s a virtual certainty that we’re going to see a play-in.
On Sunday, the Spurs won perhaps the biggest game of their season with a 108-106 victory over the Grizzlies themselves, pulling into the nine seed all by themselves, just 2.0 games behind the Grizzlies. They’re half a game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and 1.5 games ahead of both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings.
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They were virtually left for dead after their All-Star center/forward LaMarcus Aldridge was ruled out for the restart following shoulder surgery, but they’ve displayed surprising depth and resilience. On Sunday, five players scored in the double digits, led by Dejounte Murray‘s 21 points, and they outscored the Grizzlies 39-23 from the bench.
Aldridge might be their best player, but in this suddenly renewed quest for the playoffs, they might have found that a balanced attack makes up for some of what they’ve lost in his absence.