Spurs best Lakers in battle of west titans, 110-120.

Every Spurs fan @AT&T Center was on pins and needless, collectively breathless by the buzzer's sound as they watched the defending champions cling to a 4-PT advantage for most of the night. Klay Thompson, being Klay Thompson, buried a corner 3PT bomb to end the 3rd Quarter, giving the Lakers a one-point lead heading into halftime, 53-52.

The Spurs recovered strongly, taking a 87-80 lead into the final period. It helped their odds tremendously to see Steven Adams foul out before the end of the 3rd Quarter, harassed ruthlessly by the driving tenacity of Dejounte Murray (25 points, 2 steals, 10-12 FTs) & Brandon Ingram (28 points, 10-10 FTs). Adams fouled out with 4 points, 2 rebounds, unable to contend with Andre Drummond's 18 rebounds (9 points, 1 block, 1 steal). Fred VanVleet had 16 points, scoring 9 of them in the 1st Quarter to give the Spurs a 29-25 early advantage. He would go 4-9 from long range, overall. KCP hit 4 threes of his own, for 14 points. San Antonio's shooters definitely came through in the clutch, a huge part of the victory.

It was Dejounte Murray's corner 3PT dagger that sealed the victory to the roar of the crowd, which segued into the classic "Beat L-A" chant. Drummond had poked the ball free from LeBron's grasp, which sparked a fast break pass by Ingram to Murray in the corner, giving the Spurs a 104-110 lead. Free throws by LA would keep them in it, though. Meanwhile, Rodion Kurucs had 10 points off the bench, hitting two threes and earning some respect from Anthony Davis, whose lax defensive coverage came back to bite L.A. The bench came through also for the Spurs, playing well enough to hold the line as the stars got some breathing room on the sidelines.

In the narrow defeat, LeBron James missed a wide-open jumper as Klay Thompson nearly got open for a 3 on the fast break. It had become just a 2-PT, one possession affair at 108-110 with 1 minute left to go in regulation as Murray heroically drew another whistle, burying two more to fend off the Lakers. Not to be outdone, LeBron found Dennis Schroder. He was on fire in his own right, nailing the layup with 49s left. Next, Murray caught a double-team but whipped the ball down to Ingram, who double-clutched his way past a trailing Anthony Davis for the rise-up dunk. After LeBron's misfire, Klay nearly got the rebound but Drummond prevailed and that was all she wrote, at last. Down by four after two free throws, Davis missed a 3PT attempt and more free throws followed to seal the strong win.

The Rest: 

Anthony Davis: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Dennis Schroder: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4-6 3PT

LeBron James: 18 points, 8 assists, 5 turnovers

Wes Matthews: 11 points

Klay Thompson: 7 points, 3-11 FG (1-5 3PT)

Shabazz Napier: 6 points, 2 assists

Spurs pulverize Knicks by 51 points, 143-92 in the Garden.

Things got ugly fast in MSG tonight: the Spurs won the 1st Quarter, 42-25. The Knicks fought back, 30-23 in the second. Then the second half happened. The Spurs outscored the Knicks by 41, scoring 78 points (in the second half!) to just 37 by New York.

The fans in attendance, most notably Spike Lee, that stayed til the mercy cry of the buzzer had booed their lungs out at the young team, who'd already been yelled at all game long by Coach Thibodeau. He got ejected to make matters worse when Draymond Green got whistled for a flagrant-1 foul on Brandon Ingram, who nearly annihilated the Knicks by himself.

The Slender-Man scored 32 points with 4 steals, leading the Spurs. Andre Drummond crushed the Knicks in the 4th Quarter, finishing with 20 points & 23 rebounds with 5 thunderous blocks & 3 steals. Dejounte Murray had 19 points & 7 assists. Fred VanVleet was a flawless five-for-five from long range, scoring 19 points & 12 assists in his best game so far this season. KCP chipped in 15 points. Evan Fournier had 10 points, with 8 points by Alex Caruso.

For the Knicks, it wasn't all bad, somehow: Mitchell Robinson had 18 points. R.J. Barrett had 16 points, but shot 6-14. Nerlens Noel had 14 points in the loss. The Spurs shot an astounding 60%, to 38% by NY. They also shot 57% from 3PT territory, to just 10% by the Knicks (2-20!). They won the fast break, 39-19, dominated the paint 74-56, had 44 assists as a team which may very well be close to a team record and dominated the glass 53-38. The Knicks were forced into 18 turnovers and never led.

It's still early this season, but the Spurs may have trouble scoring 143 points a second time. For comparison, the 76ers scored 143 points against the Spurs two seasons ago, when they lost the Finals in double overtime. San Antonio also scored 145 points in the regular season that year in a huge win over the Timberwolves. The team record for points by the Spurs is 171, way back in 1982 which was a triple-overtime win over the Bucks.

Spurs control east rival 76ers on road, 119-103.

The Philadelphia 76ers (13-2) were given a third defeat by their twice Finals foe of recent memory, spoiling a 38-PT downpour by James Harden. It took The Beard thirty shots to get there, though, with Ben Simmons put on an island by the Spurs defense (9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists). Tobias Harris scored 24 points, with 10 & 8 by Clint Capela. The rest of Philly's shooters did little to make things interesting, trailing continually by around 15 points all game long.

1st Qtr: 26-12, SA

2nd Qtr: 30-29, SA

3rd Qtr: 32-29, SA

4th Qtr: 33-31, PH

Brandon Ingram had 26 points to lead the Spurs. Fred VanVleet was on fire for 21 points, hitting 5-6 from long range. Evan Fournier had 13 points. Marc Gasol contributed 13 off the bench, behind a huge 11pt/20reb showing by Drummond. Dejounte Murray had 10 points, but fought foul trouble and lost. KCP had 9 points.

When asked post-game about possible lineup changes and Harden's usage rate, Philly's new head coach, Doc Rivers, said "We'll see, but we have a strong team. On the other hand, we only meet this team one more time and we're hoping to get a leg up next time around." The 76ers last lost to the Spurs in an insane, double overtime classic, bowing out 4-0 in a sweep, just two seasons ago. The year prior, Philly took one game from the Spurs. Last year, the Lakers knocked out the 76ers in a seven-game war, which prompted the Sixers to make a coaching change, before the Lakers were swept themselves in an unforgettable, experimental all-west Finals.

Spurs handle Wizards on the road, 116-109.

Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points, with 17 points, 7 rebounds & 8 assists (with 5 steals) by Russell Westbrook, but the pair couldn't pull off the home win. Jarrett Allen had 15 points & 8 rebounds. Rui Hachimura ahd 12 points. Brandon Ingram had 32 points, with 4 steals. Dejounte Murray was hot for 21 points & 6 assists. Marc Gasol got going for 11 points, 6 rebounds. Fred VanVleet hit for 9 points & 7 assists. Andre Drummond had 12 rebounds with 2 blocks & 8 points. San Antonio led 35-20 after the 1st Quarter, by as many as 19 points. It was a 35-21 swing in the 3rd that made things relatively interesting, but still decided.

Spurs put on defensive display against Mavericks, 94-81 on the road.

Luka Doncic managed 23 points & 6 assists, but shot just 9-22 on the night. Kristaps Porzingis shot 3-12, with 12 rebounds. In another strong night, Brandon Ingram scored 25 points on an 11-14 clip. Fred VanVleet hit a trio of three-balls for 13 points. Drummond hoisted down 16 boards. The Spurs led by as many as 25 points.

Ingram leads Spurs past Blazers, 117-129.

Ingram had 22 points, with 19 by Dejounte Murray. Andre Drummond kept up his hot streak, going for 19 points & 9 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 18 points. For Portland, C.J. McCollum scored 27 with 7 assists. Damian Lillard had 22 points with 6 assists. Robert Covington & Carmelo Anthony combined for 27 points of their own. Jusuf Nurkic banged down low for 19 rebounds & 10 points.

Drummond notches trip-dub as Spurs crush Magic, 114-86.

The Spurs kicked things off in Florida with a 34-19 first quarter thrashing.

Mo Bamba had 14 points & 9 rebounds for Orlando, with DeMarr DeRozan's 12 points to pair with 12 by Johnathan Isaac. Aaron Gordon had 10 points, 9 rebounds. Point guard plight ensued for Markelle Fultz shot just 2-7, though, with Killian Hayes also going 1-7.

Drummond, meanwhile, cruised to 23 points, 22 rebounds & 11 assists, 3 steals & 5 blocks in a virtuoso display of what he brings to this Spurs championship team. Dejounte Murray's 18 points did the rest, with 17 coming from Ingram. Evan Fournier splashed in 16 points. Devon Vassell had 13 points as a rookie swing-man for the Spurs.

Spurs recuperate with road win over Minnesota, 119-112.

The Spurs came into Minnesota a wounded warrior, but struck hard first, winning the 1st Quarter 32-26. It still took a 3rd Quarter ten-point scoring blitz to fend off the Timberwolves, whose KAT had 30 points.

D'Angelo Russell scored 19 points, with Ricky Rubio's 11 assists & 16 points helping the home team effort. Anthony Edwards scored 12 points.

The high-man on the night, Brandon Ingram scored 35 points on a stellar 15-21 showing. He also had 3 steals. Dejounte Murray scored 18 points & 6 assists. Evan Fournier had 16 points, hitting four threes. Fred VanVleet had 13 points. Andre Drummond grabbed down 11 rebounds.

Tenacious Grizzlies steal one in San Antone, 116-114.

Memphis handed the champs their first home loss in thrilling fashion. The scoring went: 32-32, 23-25 (ME), 38-26 (SA) & 35-29 (ME). Brandon Ingram had 25 points. Dejounte Murray came very close to a triple-double (19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals). Fred VanVleet had 16 points and had a look at the buzzer, but couldn't knock it down (4-5 3PT). Evan Fournier had 16 points. Andre Drummond had 14 points, 17 rebounds & 3 blocks. P.J. Tucker notched 12 points. It just wasn't enough, even with the Spurs shooting 45% from 3PT territory.

Trouble is, Memphis shot 47% from 3PT range and tore up the fast break, 26-12, narrowly won the interior 46-44, scorched the bench battle 45-24. The Grizzlies had 9 blocks as a team. The Spurs even won the rebounding war and had 11 steals, but the Grizzlies had 9 steals, leading by as much as 10 points to the Spurs eight-point spread at one moment in the game.

Dillon Brooks was the reason with 27 points, hitting 5 heart-crushing three-pointers and the fifth came late, putting the Spurs on the brink of defeat. Tyus Jones had 15 points, with Ja Morant struggling to score for just 12 points (5-12, 3 turnovers). Jarren Jackson, Jr., had 13 points. Justice Winslow had 12 points also. Jonas Valanciunas had 21 rebounds, a beast down low.

"They played one hell of a game," Coach Popovich spoke after the buzzer.

San Antonio tops Boston, 103-107.

The Spurs led by 19 at haltime after a 36-17 beatdown in the 2nd Quarter, but the Celtics stalemated the 3rd Quarter and pulled off a 38-23 point swing in the 4th to make a game of it once more, though not enough to get the upset.

Brandon Ingram had a somewhat off night, going for 15 points on 5-12 shooting. Fred VanVleet similarly struggled, going a rare 3-10 (1-6 3PT) for 7 points. Murray, Fournier, Drummond, KCP & Caruso, however, thankfully combined for 67 points to pick up the slack. 

In Boston's comeback effort, Kemba Walker had 23 points & 7 assists. Jayson Tatum scored 22 points & 7 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points & 7 rebounds, with 20 points between Jaylen Brown & Marcus Smart. Tristan Thompson had 8 boards.

The highlight of the night came from a furious dunk by Murray past Tatum, which knocked him to the floor to the roar of the crowd at AT&T Center.

Spurs eviscerate Thunder, 63-105 in 42-point clobbering.

The Thunder shot 30% on the night, hitting just 4/26 attempts from 3PT range and only 25/83 overall. They also had 21 turnovers, with the Spurs excelling in the same categories for the huge blowout home win. Brandon Ingram had 22 points, 7 rebounds with Evan Fournier & KCP combining for 28 points. P.J. Tucker looked sharp with 12 points, nabbing two steals. For OKC, Jakob Poetl had 22 rebounds. All the guys suiting up for OKC tonight made about 1/3 of their shots, hence the devastating defeat.

Hawks wipe out Spurs, 109-125 at home.

Brandon Ingram gave a 31-PT effort, with 21 points & 14 rebounds by Andre Drummond, but the Atlanta Hawks had too much firepower to defend their home turf against the champs.

In the loss, Fred VanVleet had 14 points, and Dejounte Murray dished 11 assists, but the Spurs couldn't muster enough ingredients for a road victory. Atlanta won the 4th Quarter, 38-26 to ultimately pull away.

Rarely do the Spurs get out-shot from the perimeter, but Atlanta did it (56% vs 41%) courtesy of Bogdan Bogdanovic going 4-4 from long range for 16 points. John Collins showcased his stretch five talent with 3-4 from deep, finishing with 23 points & 12 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 15 points, with Trae Young scoring 23 points & 11 assists.