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Maybe it’s no longer an accident that the last three mini-win streaks for the San Antonio Spurs have come on the road. There’s just something about this team that makes them perform better away from the AT&T Center this season, where they are just 12-18 compared to 16-10 away from home. That rend continued in their road victory over the Indiana Pacers, where 75% (or 27) of the Spurs’ 36 makes were assisted. Derrick White shined the brightest among a constellation of standout performances with 25 points on six three-pointers.
White nearly outscored the Pacers by himself early on with 16 points in the opening stanza. These catch-and-shoot opportunities were encouraging to see early on:
Dialed in from deep pic.twitter.com/LSjUyIkJwO
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
D3RRICK! pic.twitter.com/9REnGQDYrl
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
White’s four long range bombs in the opening quarter earned him part of a long-standing franchise record:
Derrick White tied the Spurs franchise record for three-pointers in the first quarter with 4 treys in the opening frame tonight.
— Jordan Howenstine (@AirlessJordan) April 20, 2021
When White has been able to generate offense off the dribble, it has been a boon for his teammates:
getting buckets tonight pic.twitter.com/uPtMrAVJrQ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
Jakob Poeltl benefitted from White’s delivery once the Pacers’ defense keyed on the Spurs guard:
Jak with the reverse pic.twitter.com/oUTmHJHVAH
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
After Patty Mills was unwittingly involved later in a kerfuffle with JaKarr Sampson, White affirmed Mills’ untouchable status among the players’ and fans’ hearts (and especially Rudy Gay):
“That was crazy. I’m not sure how it started. Patty’s one of the nicest guys in the league, obviously. I don’t know how it started, but we’ve always got Pat’s back.”
Things got a little chippy between the Spurs and Pacers. pic.twitter.com/8RmqU6Mgmz
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) April 20, 2021
The hard-charging Keldon Johnson may have figured out a new and less straightforward way to arrive at the rim:
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
Not to be outdone, Poeltl ran the finest fast break of his adult life :
Jakob Poeltl...
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) April 20, 2021
✅ Steal
✅ Put it on the floor in transition
✅ Dime pass
✅ Got it back for the dunk pic.twitter.com/AlvtpsdHB5
When Gay wasn’t protecting Mills’ honor, he was playing the part of willing distributor and found Poeltl for a jam:
POELTL #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/uZTH2Nu12w
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) April 20, 2021
The table-setting was contagious this evening and Lonnie Walker IV made his move towards being an expansive threat off the bench with this nice find to Poeltl:
Lonnie Walker with the assists to Jakob Poeltl for the layup! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/fwegbVcHIV
— Joe Garcia (@twoshotspodcast) April 20, 2021
Dejounte Murray found DeMar DeRozan for a baseline flight to help San Antonio stay safely ahead of Indiana:
Dejounte Murray ➡️ DeMar DeRozan#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/6NtM85s4Ir
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) April 20, 2021
When Murray and White have shared the floor, the potential synergy between the two results in great set-ups like this one:
we love a Derrick ➡️ DJ connection pic.twitter.com/JMri4PuLYt
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 20, 2021
Here’s to hoping the Spurs bring that excellent team play home to South Texas for the next two home games!
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