The hugs from Gregg Popovich and Spurs players with DeMar DeRozan, former home just crowned with a 5th participation in the All-Star Game, were all the warmer. In full reconstruction, San Antonio has still managed some nice shots this year, and this victory against the Bulls is one more.
Left behind in the standings, the Texans will be able to console themselves by enjoying the evolution of Dejounte Murray this season, the new leader of a formation accustomed to rub shoulders with the peaks for more than 25 years.
In addition to having reached a milestone this season, he symbolizes rather well the spirit of the Spurs which advocates above all the strength of the collective. Last night, beyond his 29 points, he still delivered 12 assists, almost a third of his team’s offerings, a new performance that he has almost trivialized this year.
“We have a lot of players who have played well. That’s what it takes to win. We don’t have a “go-to-guy” as such. We have to do it together, as a team. We finish with 35 assists, that says a lot about our attacking game. We have to play like that”, said Gregg Popovich after the meeting.
“It is our rock, it is the head of the serpent”
The leader delivered another “masterclass” last night by failing to rebound from a triple-double, his standard for this 2021/22 exercise. As a good conductor, Dejounte Murray first tried to give his teammates confidence in attack before taking his part by scoring three baskets in a row.
“He should be at the All-Star Game. I wish their record was better, because there aren’t many point guards I would take before him.” testifies DeMar DeRozan, his former teammate. “He plays very good basketball, not only offensively, but also defensively. He is one of the best two-way players in this league.
Always with his foot on the accelerator to stay in touch with Chicago, he multiplied between his assists and his shots, until this dazzling passage at the start of the “money-time” marked by his drive in front of Nikola Vucevic and his caviar for Keldon Johnson’s 3-pointer.
He then split two floaters à la Tony Parker to finish the job and end this beautiful evening in apotheosis (131-122). Author of a full match, Dejounte Murray never ceases to impress.
“It is our rock, it is the serpent’s head. He will guide us in most matches, especially at the end of the match. He did it again tonight.”, concluded his teammate Jakob Poeltl.
| Dejounte Murray | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 38 | 9 | 43.1 | 39.1 | 70.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 3.4 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 81 | 22 | 44.3 | 26.5 | 70.9 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 8.1 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 66 | 26 | 46.2 | 36.9 | 79.8 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 10.9 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 67 | 32 | 45.3 | 31.7 | 79.1 | 0.9 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 15.7 |
| 2021-22 | SAN | 44 | 34 | 44.7 | 31.4 | 74.2 | 1.4 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 19.2 |
| Total | 296 | 25 | 45.1 | 32.6 | 75.5 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 11.5 | |