Spurs at Celtics
The San Antonio Spurs suffered a narrow loss in their opener but got back to looking like a team that could contend for a championship on Friday. The Spurs will try to hang onto that form when they hit the road to visit the Boston Celtics in the opener of a three-game road trip on Sunday.
LaMarcus Aldridge leaving the Portland Trail Blazers for San Antonio in the offseason was the move that figured to push the team back toward the top of the Western Conference, and the veteran power forward picked up his first double-double with his new team on Friday. “I'm not the same person here that I was in Portland," Aldridge told reporters. "I don't feel like they need me to be that person all the time.” The Celtics faced Atlantic Division foes in each of the first two games and found the competition a little stiffer in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday than in an easy win over Philadelphia in the opener. Boston is still trying to lock down a consistent playing rotation and went at least 11 deep in each of the first two games.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE SPURS (1-1): Aldridge totaled 11 points and five boards in the opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder but managed 10 points and 11 rebounds as San Antonio put a 102-75 beating on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and insisted he was just trying to fit in with his new team. San Antonio does not need Aldridge to put up 25 and 10 every night with the continued emergence of Kawhi Leonard, who led the team in scoring in each of the first two games. Leonard followed up his 32-point effort in the opener with 16 points and 10 boards on Friday.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (1-1): Boston shot 37.6 percent from the field and 7-of-26 from 3-point range in Friday’s 113-103 setback and was beaten on the glass 53-38 despite shuffling through five centers or power forwards. The most consistent player through the first two games has been reserve guard Isaiah Thomas, who posted 27 points and seven assists on Wednesday and followed it up with 25 and seven on Friday. Thomas was one of 10 players to log at least 14 minutes in the loss to Toronto.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs have taken seven in a row in the series and won the two meetings last season by a combined 34 points.
2. Boston F David Lee is averaging seven points on 4-of-13 shooting in his first two games since joining the team over the summer.
3. San Antonio F David West is putting up an average of five points on 5-of-11 since switching teams.