The San Antonio Spurs faced their first scrimmage against the Bucks in the NBA bubble restart. According to the team, their focus is not on keeping their 22-year playoff streak alive, but rather focusing on player development.
With LaMarcus Aldridge out due to shoulder surgery and Trey Lyles out due to appendicitis, the Spurs had an uphill battle facing the leaders of the Eastern Conference. They fell short in their first scrimmage in the NBA restart, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks 113-92.
Coach Gregg Popovich took a backseat as head coach. Assistant coach Becky Hammon took the reigns for the game.
Although the San Antonio Spurs have been focusing on player development and training, they still struggled to find cohesiveness in the scrimmage. This could be due to time apart because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team committed 23 turnovers which led to 31 points for Milwaukee. Lonnie Walker led the Spurs with 14 points, scoring all in the second half.
On the other side, Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 22 points. In the first half, he found himself in foul trouble with five fouls.
The Spurs were only trailing to the Bucks by six points at the half. However, the Bucks made adjustments in the second half. By allowing Giannis to take a backseat and relying on Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to apply pressure on the Spurs. Lopez scored 17 points total, while Middleton finished the game with 16 points.
The Spurs face the Brooklyn Nets in their next scrimmage on July 25th.
[…] a 22-year run and a glimpse of hope playing well inside of the NBA bubble, the San Antonio Spurs playoff streak has come to an end. The […]