The Spurs fell to the Nets on Friday night, losing 117 to 102. James Harden led the Nets with 37 points. Kyrie Irving added 35. Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 37. Jakob Poeltl had 36. LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills were welcomed back to the AT&T Center. Mills ended up scoring 32 points and Aldridge 22 points for the Nets.
Up next, the Spurs will host the 76ers on Sunday night, with a 6 p.m. tipoff at the AT&T Center.
Post Game Comments:
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich
(On if the elbow to Derrick White turned the game…)
“I don't think that had anything to do with it. We missed 34 chippies in the paint, and we got to keep scoring against those guys. That's an inordinate number of misses in the paint. 34. That’s pretty tough to do. If you combine that with 27 percent from three, you're going to have a problem, because obviously James and Kyrie are tough to handle. They did what they were supposed to do, and they got us. We needed to keep scoring and weren’t able to. The effort was great. Thought we did a lot of good things defensively, but those two guys, they’re future Hall-of-Famers, and they had their way.”
(On Dejounte Murray’s back-to-back triple-doubles…)
“What is that eight or nine this year? As I’ve said, he’s having a great season. He's really maturing both in the way he plays, his leadership, his confidence, both ends of the court. So, he’s done a great job.”
Spurs Center Jakob Poeltl
(On if Brooklyn did anything to force misses in the paint…)
“I don’t think so. I think it was just one of those nights where we couldn’t find the basket really. I don’t think it was specifically their defense. They didn’t play bad defense, but I think it was on us missing those shots.”
(On what he saw from LaMarcus Aldridge…)
“I talked to him after the game. Told him I’m happy for him. He’s doing so well over there. It’s tough guarding him in that pick-and-roll with either James or Kyrie, because you have to close out hard to him on that midrange pop. He’s very capable of making that shot. He finds his spots in the paint as well, using his body well. We all know he’s a capable scorer.”
(On Dejounte’s back-to-back triple-doubles…)
“The stats he’s putting up are insane. It just shows how much he’s doing out there for us, every single aspect of the game. I’ve said it before, he’s our leader. We are leaning on him a lot. It’s a tough season for him. He’s taking on a lot of responsibilities, but he’s doing it really well. He’s playing on an All-Star level, for sure. This guy is a beast.”
Spurs Guard Dejounte Murray
(On missed shots and struggles…)
“It was one of those nights. Obviously against the Nets, with their talent and the players and role models they have around those guys, they scored the ball. It’s going to be really hard to stop them. if we were able to finish in the paint and even make half of those three’s, you’ve got a game, because we were going back and forth. It’s just tough going up against two of the best players in the world, and they showed up tonight.”
(On seeing Patty and competing against old teammates…)
“I was happy to see them get the love they deserve, Lamarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills. That’s what it’s all about. They did a lot for this team, this organization, and this community. It’s only right they get the love they deserve.”
(On back-to-back triple-doubles and sharing the record with David Robinson…)
“I’m pretty sure he won though. It’s always tough when we can’t get the win, because these types of things are good to enjoy when you can look and see that you got the win. Especially for me, because I’m a team person. I couldn’t do anything without my teammates having confidence in me, pushing me to lead and bring it every single night. At the end of the day, we play the game to win, but we also play to build our own legacies. I’m always thankful and grateful for the opportunity to be in the NBA, playing for a power four organization. My main thing is to continue to work and learn and win basketball games.”
(On Steve Nash’s comments on Dejounte Murray’s game…)
“First of all, that’s a Hall-of-Fame point guard. I watch his film, and he’s done a lot for the game. That’s somebody that I really watch. How great he was leading the team, being a great point guard in this tough league year in and year out. I appreciate the kind words from a legendary Hall-of-Fame point guard. This is just the beginning for me, because I work hard. When you work hard and are willing to learn, I feel like you can’t put a ceiling on that. I watch film with other players, I watch film on myself in the off-season and this season. One thing about me is I look for the things I can work on. I don’t look at the things I do well, because I know what I do well, and I try to work on everything. Like I said, when you work hard and are willing to learn, you can’t put a ceiling on that for any player.”