With Dejounte presumably drawing the best perimeter defenders the Knicks have to offer, Derrick could have a perfect opportunity to feast upon matchups with Immanuel Quickley, Kemba Walker, and Alec Burks. One off-night doesn’t warrant hitting the panic button, but the Spurs sorely need the Colorado alumnus to find some consistency as a scorer. It should also come as no shock the shorthanded Suns came out on top with as poorly as Derrick shot the ball. White averaged 19.5 points while the Spurs were riding a season-high four-game winning streak, and it was no coincidence they played so well when Dejounte Murray finally had a partner in crime in the backcourt. San Antonio was outscored by a team-worst 17 points when the fifth-year combo guard was on the court, and that has been the story of the season when he struggles to get anything going on the offensive end. Derrick White floundered in Phoenix to the tune of 12 points on a frosty 4-of-12 shooting from the field.Suffice it to say those offseason moves haven’t paid off. Per Synergy, the Knicks have seen their second-ranked defense from a year ago slip to the middle of the pack at the expense of marginally improving an average offense. Instead, they watched starters Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton walk while using a combined $164.5M to re-sign Alec Burks and Derrick Rose and bring Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to The Big Apple. Their front office should have built upon what made them successful for the first time in almost a decade. Reigning NBA Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau brought meaningful basketball to Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks had approximately $50M in cap space to improve their roster. Though they failed to advance past the first round, New York seemingly had a strong foundation built upon a defense-first identity and a versatile All-Star in Julius Randle. Knicks fans rejoiced as they snapped their seven-year playoff drought a season ago.San Antonio’s depth is one of its greatest assets, and the good guys might have to call on their third-stringers for minutes in a SEGABABA following another tilt decided in crunch time. Even Thaddeus Young has seen more run in recent contests, which is a breath of fresh air for the fans clamoring for midgame adjustments.
Rotations have been noticeably more fluid over the last couple of contests, and things could get interesting when Devin Vassell returns, especially if Primo remains with the big league club. When the starting five dug themselves into a hole that the bench couldn’t climb out of, the longtime Spurs playcaller turned to a mishmash lineup of Tre Jones, Bryn Forbes, Josh Primo, Lonnie Walker IV, and Drew Eubanks to erase a 16-point deficit. Head coach Gregg Popovich got experimental against the Suns after he stuck to a tight nine-man rotation versus Golden State on Saturday night.Knicks Injuries: Jericho Sims (Game Time Decision - Illness) What To Watch For Spurs Injuries: Zach Collins (Out - Ankle), Devin Vassell (Questionable - Quad), Devontae Cacok (Out - Two Way) New York Knicks (11-12) Decem| 7:30 PM CT Watch: Bally Sports Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM) And they have more than enough firepower between Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and a talented supporting cast to give the Silver and Black a scare. Head coach Tom Thibodeau and crew have gotten off to a disappointing start through the first quarter of their schedule, but they still have plenty of games left to restore equilibrium to the mecca of basketball. The Spurs must now refocus as they return to the AT&T Center for a matchup against the New York Knicks in their second SEGABABA of the season. San Antonio’s four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt at the hands of the Phoenix Suns as they leaned on the poised veteran presence of Chris Paul to carry them in crunch time.
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