Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson lead the Spurs to a blowout win over the Blazers

The good guys set the clock forward with their three-point barrage against the Portland Trail Blazers. The San Antonio Spurs attempted 44 threes on Wednesday night and drained a scorching 43.2% of their attempts. Keldon Johnson was especially red-hot going 5-8 from downtown while adding 26 points of his own. Dejounte Murray also went 3-5 from beyond the arc as he led all players with 28 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.

It sounds simple enough. Make 13 threes in a half, and the Spurs will probably win more games than they lose. Yeah, let’s do that from now on. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

The Spurs have had an inconsistent season, straddling the purgatory between a lottery pick and the last play-in spot. Dejounte Murray, on the other hand, has been as consistent as Spurs’ past glory. Whatever happens this season, Murray seems to be the bridge to continue the winning ways that the franchise and Spurs fans alike have grown accustomed to.

Keldon Johnson got his three-point groove back after a two game lull where he made only 4 threes on 17 attempts. For the season, he is still shooting a career best 41% from deep.

This article is a highlight reel of excellent Spurs plays posted on a Spurs blog on SBNation, but I couldn’t help but add a clip of our man Mountain Drew Eubanks. Once a Spur, always a Spur.

Wait, Mountain Drew shoots threes now??

Speaking of reunions, welcome back to the Pacific Northwest, Zach Collins. The big man had 8 points and 9 rebounds coming off the bench in relief of Jakob Poeltl.

Speaking of Jakob Poeltl, the block party might have started late, but it went on throughout the night. Blockab swatted 6 shots in just 24 minutes of play. Blocked shots have been lean as of late for the big man, but against the Blazers, Poeltl was making jam out of anything within his grasp.

Aggressive play is preferred in San Antonio. Here, the young Spurs get out on the fast break and get two after a bit of acrobatic magic from Keldon Johnson who kept the play alive and was rewarded with the quick feed from Dejounte Murray. The opponent’s lineup should not matter as you always want to see the Spurs dial up the aggressiveness on defense in any situation.

Josh Richardson made his presence felt with this backwards slam from Zach Collins. Richardson came off the bench and contributed 15 points. The new Spur has been a value off the bench, averaging 19 points in his last three games.

Jakob Poeltl with the angry block here. I could not tell if he was angry at the opposing player, the basketball, or the glass. Maybe he was just trying out his volleyball skills, but Poeltl tattooed the backboard with the Blazers’ attempt in the paint.

I don’t think enough has been said about Dejounte Murray’s vastly improved three this season. His long-range game has been overshadowed by his nightly triple-double threat, but it’s worth noting that the Spurs’ MVP continues to add to his offensive arsenal.

Devin Vassell had a huge hand in helping the Spurs’ total 19 three pointers on Wednesday night. The sophomore Spur is hitting a solid 35% from deep this season and should only get better especially with pitch perfect form like that.

Poeltl jam, Poeltl jam,
Does whatever a big man can
Defends opposing players any size
Catches loose balls just like flies

Oh my, Josh Primo. You can’t even buy beer yet, I am not sure if you’re allowed to be left alone on that side of the basketball court unsupervised. Primo unleashed this slam off of a Tre Jones full court feed.

If you missed last night’s late west coast start time, here are the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs travel to The Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, March 26, 2022.