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The 2022 Mexico City game featuring the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat carried more gravitas and pomp-and-circumstance than a typical December NBA event.
Both teams trotted out titanic representatives of past glory - Alonzo Mourning for Miami and George ‘the Iceman’ Gervin for San Antonio.- to warm crowd embrace:
Two basketball legends in one photo #NBAenMexico pic.twitter.com/qgXO8xUewV
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 18, 2022
Devin Vassell is perhaps getting and undestanding the message to attach the basket more ferociously and he found some downhill momentum here through the Heat defense:
we see you, Dev pic.twitter.com/B3EMUN5orR
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2022
After a Jakob Poeltl block (welcome back, Jak!), Vassell later took an outlet pass and double-pumped this beauty home over a surprised Adebayo:
This sequence was everything pic.twitter.com/Y1RU4NWbdd
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2022
Though we all know that he is continuing to tinker with his shot mechanics and figuring his sharing of the offensive load with Vassell, Keldon Johnson maintains his fierce forays into the point with power and flair:
T smooth pic.twitter.com/1gHNaTAhGa
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 18, 2022
Johnson then outdid himself by dribbling in and through traffic to find an awaiting Sochan at the dunker spot, which bodes well for the swingman as he continues to find his way:
.@JeremySochan with a TUFF finish pic.twitter.com/hNIXHM5PKq
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 18, 2022
Jones, despite Miami’s usual perimeter intensity, was able to sneak this floater up-and-over Bam Adebayo:
yessir @Tre3Jones pic.twitter.com/xUHUvK5GHa
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2022
Malaki Branham accomplished something that may not have ever been done by an NBA player before him - play a game for the G-League Affiliate AND the big club on international soil!
Spurs rookie Malaki Branham is the first player in NBA history to play a road game on back-to-back days on foreign soil.
— Jordan Howenstine (@AirlessJordan) December 17, 2022
Branham played in Mexico City last night with the Austin Spurs and today with San Antonio.
Branham showed off a shooting stroke (one part Sean Elliott and one part Mikal Bridges) by hitting on 3 of his 4 three-point attempts:
Malaki Branham was very good against the Heat:
— Ersin Demir (@EDemirNBA) December 18, 2022
12 points
2 steals
4-for-5 shooting
He is looking comfortable with his jumper. The G League reps definitely helped.
Even in this game, where he played on the same court with the Austin Spurs against the Capitanes. pic.twitter.com/IFOl2PgFB5
Point Forward Jeremy Sochan found a cutting Keita Bates-Diop amidst a triangle of Miami defenders with some passing wizardry:
The cut. The pass. THE FINISH @JeremySochan @KBD_33 pic.twitter.com/NH1kAezHaT
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2022
While we’re on the topic of lean (recent) times, NBA Dataster put out this factoid yesterday - implying the Spurs have earned some proverbial leash with its fanbase:
In the last 25 seasons, 8 teams managed to be contenders in double-digits.
— NBA Dataster (@NBADataster) December 15, 2022
Definition of contender for us:
Won more than 50 games in the regular season or played in conference finals.
-It's easy to say that the most consistent team in the last 25 years is San Antonio Spurs. pic.twitter.com/SmJM5ThJFJ
And finally, the full-game highlights:
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