NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 12: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs leads the offense in the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on May 12, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NBA Twitter was quick to jump all over the San Antonio Spurs for a slow start against the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.
The Western Conference slate of play-in tournament games is taking place Wednesday, and it appears the San Antonio Spurs forgot to show up.
The team was down 20 points early in the first quarter to the Memphis Grizzlies and finished the period trailing 38-19. NBA Twitter was quick to call out Gregg Popovich’s bunch for the awful start.
NBA Twitter all over Spurs for slow start against Grizzlies
Being down 31-11 early is not exactly a great start. DeMar DeRozan went scoreless in the quarter, while Rudy Gay scored 7 points to keep the Spurs afloat.
The NBA play-in tournament has lacked drama so far. The Charlotte Hornets were a dud Tuesday and the Washington Wizards lost by 18 points to the Boston Celtics, though that was a much more enjoyable game thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 50-point performance.
The NBA will now have to hope the Spurs either launch a comeback or the Los Angels Lakers and Golden State Warriors put on a show.
The good news for San Antonio is that there is still plenty of time to get back in the game, and they actually used an 17-0 run to pull within two points in the second quarter. However, early on, they were looking like a No. 10 seed against a Grizzlies team that nearly qualified for the No. 8 seed, and NBA Twitter let them have it.
This Spurs team is not a title contender. But fans were still expecting more as DeRozan and Gay head for free agency. It may just be the case that the Grizzlies are better, as the standings indicate, but at least San Antonio woke up after the disastrous start.