Is 3-Guard Lineup Spurs' Best Choice? Dylan Harper Speaks Out After Rough Debut

Dylan Harper scored the first two baskets of the second half Tuesday, both running layups, as the San Antonio Spurs opened the third quarter on a 23-9 run against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City won 116-104 at Frost Bank Center.

Harper finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He went 7-of-17 from the field and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line, and 14 of his points came after halftime. His first-half baskets were a driving finger roll in the first quarter and a putback late in the second.

San Antonio trailed 65-44 at the break. The Thunder outscored the Spurs 31-16 in the second quarter.

The biggest adjustment for Harper is mentality.

“I think just our intensity,” Harper said. “I think coming out with the right approach. I think the first half we came out slow, passive, and I feel like the second half we kind of started attacking the rim. We started just playing faster, playing together. And you obviously can see the difference, but you can’t start out like that.”

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson started Harper in the backcourt with De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, alongside Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. That three-guard group was Johnson’s preseason choice for the opener.

Harper moved into the starting lineup against Oklahoma City in Game 1 of last season’s Western Conference Finals, when Fox missed the game with right ankle soreness. Harper was a rookie at the time. He had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and a team playoff-record 7 steals in a 122-115 double-overtime win.

On Tuesday, the Spurs scored 31 fast-break points to the Thunder’s 12, and Harper had 8 of them. He also scored 14 points in the paint. Three of his 5 assists came in the first quarter, including a pass to Luke Kornet for a cutting dunk.

In a first real game, Harper did not expect the lineup to look perfect.

“We all just have to understand that we’re at our best when we’re all in attack mode,” Harper explained. “And in order for us to do that, we all have to play with each other. We all have to run the floor. Most importantly, we have to get stops.”

“But it’s the first time in a real game with this lineup,” Harper continued. “And I can tell you there’s going to be better days to come with that lineup.”

Oklahoma City went 14-of-31 from 3-point range. Jared McCain scored 20 points and made 6 of his 8 attempts from deep, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 32 points.

Harper said the Spurs got the Thunder late in the shot clock on some of those possessions.

“I feel like we’re closing short,” Harper said. “We just, well, we get them late in the clock, but got to finish our possessions. Offensive rebounds, things of that nature. But the biggest thing is just closing [out] to our man. We gave [them] shots late in rotations. We obviously didn’t help ourselves, and they made a lot of shots.”

Harper’s free throws with 8:18 to play made it 95-88. McCain answered with a 3-pointer 10 seconds later. Harper had opened the fourth quarter with a turnaround jumper off a Wembanyama pass, and his running layup with 7:19 left made it 100-90.

Harper also picked up 5 personal fouls and 2 turnovers. Chet Holmgren blocked 2 of his shots.

Tuesday was the Spurs’ first real game since the Finals, preseason aside. The New York Knicks won the NBA Finals with a 94-90 victory in San Antonio.

“I feel like we take every game the same,” Harper said. “I feel like when you have that mentality to just move past it or not take it as serious as other losses, that’s how losses start building up.”

“So I feel like all of us take it very serious, and I feel like we’re going to go in a film room, go on a court, and we’re going to watch it, see what we did wrong, and fix it,” Harper added. “But every loss is the same. Every game is the same.”

Next up for San Antonio is the Houston Rockets, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. CT Friday at Austin’s Moody Center. The Spurs play at the Dallas Mavericks at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday.