The San Antonio Spurs look to begin the season with three straight victories for the first time since 2019-20 when they host the winless Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon.
It’s the home opener for the Spurs, who are coming off a 120-116 overtime win in New Orleans on Friday in which San Antonio flexed its depth and overall improvement.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots but fouled out 43 seconds into the extra period, leaving his supporting cast to produce the win.
Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes all scored in the final four minutes, allowing the Spurs to hold off the Pelicans.
Vassell finished with 23 points, Castle had 16 and Luke Kornet added 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Spurs. Rookie Dylan Harper scored 13 points and Keldon Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds in the win.
“Our guys navigated well, especially as the game went on,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said. “It takes a lot of communication and you have different people at times and different schemes in terms of what you want them to do defensively. And so to stay connected takes a lot of mental focus, fortitude, and communication.
“The guys made some plays, but they also were pressing in time, got a little ahead of ourselves. I felt like for a little bit we were a step slow defensively, or a step fast offensively.”
The Nets head to San Antonio on the heels of a 131-124 home loss to Cleveland on Friday.
Cam Thomas scored 33 points for Brooklyn, which never led in the game and trailed by as many as 25 points despite shooting 51% from the floor. Michael Porter Jr. added 31 and Ziaire Williams had 25 points off the bench, with those two accounting for 11 of the Nets’ 19 3-point baskets.
Brooklyn did not go down without a fight. Rookie Egor Demin hit a 3-pointer with 3:48 remaining to cut the deficit to 121-120 but the Nets missed their next five shots, allowing Cleveland to hold on.
“We can’t really start off slow like that,” Thomas said. “Start off slow, turn the ball over, you know, just them getting open 3s, getting their momentum up, and then we get in a rut a little bit and it’s tough to come back.”
The loss to the Cavaliers followed a 136-117 setback in Charlotte to the Bobcats on Wednesday.
“It’s got to matter to compete, and still, you have to be mad that you didn’t win,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “When we played the first game and didn’t give ourselves a chance, it was even worse because you didn’t fight how you’re supposed to.
“(But in Friday’s game) you’re at home, you get to fight for a one-possession game — the energy in the building, the fans while (we are) making the run, the momentum, credit to our guys. Now we got to clean up a little bit more.”
Sunday’s game is the first of a road back to back for the Nets, who head to Houston for a clash with the Rockets on Monday before returning home to play four of their next five contests.
