Devin Vassell shines as the Spurs fall to the Cavaliers

The San Antonio Spurs dropped the opening matchup of the Rodeo Road Trip as they fell behind in the first half and never recovered. Although the good guys trailed by 23 points in the third quarter, they fought to make it a single-digit deficit before waving the white flag during the final minutes of the contest.

Devin Vassell led the Silver and Black with 18 points, three boards, three assists, and two steals on 8-of-16 shooting. Keldon Johnson also chipped in 18 points, though on a less efficient 7-of-21 line from the field. Derrick White added 17 points, while Dejounte Murray had 16 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.

The Silver and Black began the game by moving the rock around the horn with spotless passing reminiscent of the “beautiful game” Spurs that took down the Miami Heat on their way to an NBA championship.

Dejounte Murray and Zach Collins had the two-man game working in the first quarter, using a little pick-and-pop action before the big man found his starting point guard with a gorgeous dime on a backdoor cut.

Josh Primo has seen consistent minutes in the NBA since February rolled around, and the rookie combo guard pulled off a perfect hang dribble that got Rajon Rondo off his feet and opened up a direct route to the rim.

Zach Collins continued to impress with his court vision as the 24-year-old center hit Devin Vassell in full stride with a precision pass through traffic for a two-handed poster slam over Kevin Love.

Devin Vassell was relatively quiet over the first half, but the second-year swingman had 11 points in the third quarter with a combination of dunks, pull-up jumpers, and catch-and-shoot three-pointers.

And as always, here are the full-game highlights.