Analysis GRADES: 11/30/2025 Spurs 112 @ Wolves 125

[scott]

SPURS FALL TO WOLVES TO CLOSE OUT ROAD TRIP, FALL TO 13-6

Scott's Notes:

• When we set out on this road trip I said I'd be happy with 2-2, and that's what we did. Very successful road trip and can't be too made about this one.
• I thought Mitch did a good job putting us in a position to get another win, but we lacked the execution - specifically at the 3PT line on both sides of the ball
• Fox was great and looked like we were going to get a huge night from him, but MIN completely changed things in the second half after we showed them there was no need to guard the 3PT line against us
• Keldon and Harper were great
• I liked what we got from Devin, the shot just wasn't falling from 3. It happens
• What doesn't happen often, is that HB, Champ and Devin all have an off-night from 3 and that's what happened tonight and it will happen from time to time. When it does happen, it's hard to overcome even if we have the firepower of Wemby and Castle (though they would certainly help). I just chalk this up to the law of averages
• On the bright side, we continue to limit turnovers and that is what kept us in the game. You can win this league by simply getting up more shots than your opponent, and to do that you need to win the turnover battle and the rebounding battle. We got half of it tonight.

What You Said:

• @Area 51.247: Excuse me: The game's not over at 36 minutes. Can't play with your food and let teams get back in the game when you're playing with the big boys in their house. That intent and focus for the whole game is something this Spurs group has to develop, game by grudging game, through a long season and playoffs.
• @spurraider21: Having gone back and rewatched the game, I think a lot of this starts and ends with coaching. I gave Mitch a 2 only because we are still shorthanded. But we built a solid lead in the first half, and then watched it melt away and didn't put up much resistance at all in the second half, especially in the 4th quarter giving up 36 points where they all felt easy.
• @CrustyCoastBendFan: Mitch INC... I don’t know what button he could have pushed on this machine. He seemed to be a victim of circumstance. Nobody was in the mood to play the kind of ball needed to get a win in Minnesota tonight. He had just coached the game of his short career in Denver. This game, and more importantly that entire 4th quarter, was a classic. Burn the tape and move on. Let’s get home. Everybody skip the gym the next day—just go out and enjoy life. Watch a movie, do some gardening, play some video games. In other words, shit happens.
• @heyheymymy: Felt like Spurs were in control and gave this one away. Closed the first half weak. Bad effort in the 3rd and letting the Wolves get hot in the 4th. Looked like SA ran out of gas with 3 point shooters missing.
• @LeBowen: We just don't have enough to keep winning games without Wemby and Castle.

Up next: a quick return home against MEM before headed back on the road. Need to get this one tomorrow. Wemby and Castle back soon?

 

[brazil]

Thanks scott for keeping those grades coming, great read as usual.

 

[onechance87]

Curious of the plan is with carter bryant.It seems like they can move on from sochan at any moment now.

 

[scott]

Curious of the plan is with carter bryant.It seems like they can move on from sochan at any moment now.

I think if Carter could just hit some 3s, it would expedite things. I'm surprised every time one goes in. Bryant is just a ball of chaos right now, he doesn't even give the cuts/dunker spot scoring that Jeremy occasionally does (and Jeremy was doing quite well in his first couple of games back... he has totally spiraled)

 

[spurraider21]

to take a page out of "Awful Coaching" guys playbook... the defensive gameplan in the 4th quarter was a crime against humanity. it was rarely an execution issue from what i saw. it was doubling/trapping from the strong side way too often creating ridiculously easy looks. no chance for rotations to even take place. now if you force a skip pass, or a pass to the high post to have it re-routed to another shooter, yeah, the defense is put under stress, but at least has the ability to recover and try to drive guys off the line... but that wasnt the case on many of the shots i was seeing

 

[CrustyCoastBendFan]

Thanks for the grades. You make a great point about being content with 2-2. I think we need some perspective here. With the introduction of the I-35 Austin “home games” and the seven-day All-Star break, this is the road trip—a month-long journey focused on team building and chemistry, much like what used to happen in February in years past. We’re the Spurs, and we expect this, so I hope Mitch doesn’t start whining like that thin-lipped, jack ass Steve Kerr. Maintaining a .500 record during this stretch is a heck of a goal.

 

[scott]

to take a page out of "Awful Coaching" guys playbook... the defensive gameplan in the 4th quarter was a crime against humanity. it was rarely an execution issue from what i saw. it was doubling/trapping from the strong side way too often creating ridiculously easy looks. no chance for rotations to even take place. now if you force a skip pass, or a pass to the high post to have it re-routed to another shooter, yeah, the defense is put under stress, but at least has the ability to recover and try to drive guys off the line... but that wasnt the case on many of the shots i was seeing

Perhaps I'm being too forgiving of the coaching staff, but I see this as an execution issue and not a design issue... because I refuse to believe Mitch, Sean and Corliss have designed a defense that does this. I think our guys do this, for whatever bizarre reason none of us can understand, on their own. We've seen this for years, guys doubling down in the paint while Wemby has the situation under control to leave their man open for 3, etc. I don't know what this happens... but I'm in denial that it's happening because its the design of the defense.