The San Antonio Spurs posted just 83 points in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the lowest single-game scoring mark by a team in the NBA this season.
The San Antonio Spurs experienced two thrilling finishes in their first two games of the season while being backed by the rowdy crowd at Frost Bank Center.
But the first road game of the season also brought the first blowout of the campaign, as the Spurs (1-2) got walloped by 40 at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers (2-1) in a 123-83 loss on Sunday at crypto.com Arena.
Gregg Popovich admitted prior to the season that, despite the team's youth, he's focused on winning once again after last year's unofficial tanking. But even with the addition of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs remain a major work in progress. This was quite evident against a deep team like the Clippers, who made a blockbuster trade for superstar guard James Harden early Tuesday morning.
"It's an education," Popovich said of the loss. "On the road, it's different from playing at home in the NBA. If you start out poorly, you can't get poorer. You can't lose your ability to compete. Playing embarrassed sort of speaks because you're quickly getting your butt kicked. You got to fight your way out of that. You got to stick together."
The Spurs posted just 83 points, the lowest single-game scoring mark by a team in the NBA this season as of Tuesday, Oct, 31. This was likely due to a season-high 25 turnovers, most of which came in a sloppy first quarter that saw multiple swipes from Paul George, who finished with a game-high five steals. The Clippers created 34 points off of what seemed like an endless amount of careless giveaways by the Spurs in the backcourt or in one-on-one situations.
Things hardly get easier, as the Spurs take on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at Footprint Center.