The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Washington Wizards, 116-99 on Monday night. Dejounte Murray recorded 22 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists for the Spurs, while Bradley Beal tallied 18 points and 8 assists for the Wizards.
Next Game: San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers - December 2nd
Post Game Notes:
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich
(On Tonight’s Game…)
“We did well, we played hard, so we’re thrilled with the victory. I’m happy that so many people were able to participate. It’s great having Jakob back, because he does so many good things. Thaddeus [Young] was fantastic tonight with his minutes on the court. Derrick is back to being the Derrick White that we all remember, and that’s been a big plus for us, so there’s a lot of good things out on the court. DJ has continued to do what he’s done the whole season. He played fantastically, so we’re thrilled with it.”
(On Derrick White…)
“With those injuries, it really racked his confidence. He had to sit around for a long time and when he came back, he just had no rhythm. He wasn’t really confident, but you can see he’s coming back. He’s starting, he’s stopping, he’s spinning, he’s doing the things he used to do and playing a really good game.”
(On Josh Primo…)
“He’s, as we’ve seen in the past, confident. He’s not impressed with anything. He just goes out and plays. He’s pretty fundamentally sound, and he’s got a good aggressiveness for somebody so young.”
(On Lonnie Walker’s defense…)
“Lonnie was really important down the stretch for us. We challenged him and told him he’s got Bradley [Beal], and he’s got to just do his best, stay down on him, be smart. I thought he did an excellent job.”
Spurs Forward Thaddeus Young
(On going into a game after a win…)
“That’s what we’ve been working on all season long. When we get a win, just basically trying to have that carry over to the next game, letting that win get thrown out the window. Not forget about it, but throw it out the window, because we have another game coming. That’s always been the case for us all season long, just trying to get to the next game and continuing to have a swing of momentum and a shift towards trying to build a streak.”
(On his approach going into a game…)
“Same as it’s always been. Always be ready, just do what I’ve been doing for years. Fifteen-year career, you don’t be here just by being here. You’re here because you have a level of consistency, a level of professionalism and a level of always being ready. For me, that’s what it’s always been about. Even though I’m not playing a lot of minutes, I still go to the gym. I’m doing things that a 15-year veteran shouldn’t be doing. I’m playing 3-on-3, getting some runs in with some of the guys that aren’t playing much as well and with some of the coaches, staying after practice and getting shots up, doing conditioning, just staying ready. When my number is called, just being ready to get out there and compete. I understand how to play this game. I understand what I need to do as far as my job going out there, and that’s to help the young guys continue to get better and also help my team win and bring energy.”
Spurs Guard Dejounte Murray
(On whether the team came into the game with the right approach…)
“Yeah, probably for three quarters. I feel like we lacked a lot of stuff in one quarter of the game, then we came out and picked it up in intensity, especially in the second half. Just stayed together and fought.”
(On Derrick White…)
“He’s just got to be aggressive. He can shoot it, he can score it, but he’s also a smart basketball player. The thing for Derrick is staying aggressive and keeping that confidence in himself. He works so hard. Every single day he comes in and works hard, so he just has to be aggressive. I’m not surprised. That’s the type of player he’s capable of being every night if he’s just confident and aggressive.”
Spurs Guard Derrick White
(On grinding in the first half…)
“Yeah. We had some good looks. We just didn’t make them. Defensively, we weren’t very good, too, especially down the stretch in that second quarter. We just kind of upped the energy there and good things started happening. We just made some shots and went on that run in the third.”
(On his shot falling tonight…)
“I’m just trying to stay in the gym, keep shooting, and it’s been feeling good for a while now. Just had to keep believing in it. The coaching staff was on me about staying aggressive. My teammates, I love them. They had my back when I was down. Just stay confident, and they trust me to take those shots. I got to just make them.”
(On what he saw in the second half…)
“Moving the ball. We were getting stops, we were getting out in transition and pushing it, finding open guys. I think we did a good job of finding Bryn a couple times. KJ pushed it and attacked. It’s what he does. It all started with getting stops and getting out in transition. And in the half-court, just finding open guys, knocking it down and making the right play.”