Spurs Complete Rodeo Road Trip, ‘There’s No Place Like Home’
Despite going 1-8 on the annual Rodeo Road Trip; with the lone win coming against the Raptors, the Spurs seem to be gaining some momentum returning to the friendly confines of the Frost Bank Center.
The Silver and Black snapped their five game skid at home Thursday by thumping the first place Oklahoma City Thunder 132-114.
“It’s been a long rodeo road trip. It was tough the other night getting back at 7:30 in the morning. It was a little bit late, but
they dug down deep and they’re a good group. They stuck with it, and they showed a lot of metal tonight against a hell of a team. OKC has been fantastic all year long. To play with them like that is really a good feeling for these guys”, said Coach Popovich.
The Spurs built on that momentum Sunday defeating a quality Indiana Pacers team 117-105 to extend the winning streak to two games. The Silver and Black were able to buckle down down the stretch against the high octane Pacers who lead the league in scoring.
The Pacers pulled within one point 102-103 with 4:56 remaining in the game on a T.J. McConnell 10-foot pullup jump shot. Unlike a plethora of games in the past two seasons the Spurs were able to hold off the Pacers down the stretch to secure the win.
Asked about the team’s composure down the stretch veteran Keldon Johnson said, “We are just trying to build good habits. We continue to stick together. We lose them together and we win them together. You learn important things when you lose a lot of close games, and we’re starting to piece it together. But this is just the beginning. I feel like we just got to keep growing, keep listening to our coaches, keep watching film and keep correcting things that we can control going forward.” Johnson had 17 points in 27 minutes off the bench.
Eight of the final fifteen games of the 2023-24 season are at the Frost Bank Center. The Silver and Black would be wise to take advantage to gain momentum going into next season.
While this season is definitely a wash for the Silver and Black, kudos to the team for staying focused amidst the criticism. I for one predicted they’d maybe win two games to close out the season, looks like the team might actually garner some respect in the final month of this season.
Upcoming Games:
Thu, Mar 7 @ Sacramento (34-25) 9pm
Sat, Mar 9 @ Golden State (32-28) 730pm
Mon, Mar 11 vs Golden State (32-28) 7pm NBATV
Tue, Mar 12 vs Houston (26-34) 730pm
