RJ Barrett Electric, But Balanced Spurs Beat Knicks in Season Opener
The San Antonio Spurs took care of business in their season opener against the New York Knicks with a 120-111 victory at the AT&T Center on Wednesday.
The Knicks led 97-91 with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter after a Julius Randle layup, but the Spurs went on an 18-0 run in response to seal the win.
Knicks rookie guard RJ Barrett, the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, shined in his debut with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. However, the Spurs shot 50.6 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the free-throw line en route to their 120-point night.
San Antonio has lost only one season-opening game since 2009-10 and two since head coach Gregg Popovich's first full season at the helm in 1997-98.
Notable Performances
Knicks SG RJ Barrett: 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 5 rebounds
Knicks F Marcus Morris Sr.: 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting
Knicks PF Julius Randle: 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, 6 assists
Spurs PG Dejounte Murray: 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Spurs G Bryn Forbes: 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting
Spurs PF LaMarcus Aldridge: 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 8 rebounds
Spurs G DeMar DeRozan: 13 points on 3-of-10 shooting
Dejounte Murray's Return a Welcome Sight for Spurs
Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray missed the entire 2018-19 season because of a torn ACL he suffered in the preseason. San Antonio persevered without him and made the playoffs, but Murray's defensive tenacity was sorely missed on a team that finished tied for 18th in defensive efficiency, per ESPN.com.
Murray finished first in defensive plus-minus in 2017-18 among all qualified point guards, per ESPN.com, and there wasn't a close second. He announced his presence on that end quickly Wednesday, getting a steal off RJ Barrett and finding Trey Lyles for a dunk less than two minutes into the game.
The point guard took care of business himself in the second quarter, picking Taj Gibson's pocket and going coast-to-coast for two:
Murray finished with three steals in 24 minutes, along with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Early returns on Murray's four-year, $64 million rookie-scale extension with San Antonio are positive, and Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News even mentioned the contract in the context of Murray's excellent opening night:
Murray looks like he's well past the torn ACL, which is a huge boost for the Spurs as they look to continue a postseason appearance streak that stretches back to the 1997-98 season.
RJ Barrett Gets High Marks in Debut
The Knicks couldn't have asked for much more from 19-year-old RJ Barrett in his NBA debut. He calmly scored 21 points and helped the Knicks earn a six-point fourth-quarter lead on a night where Caesars Sportsbook listed them as 11-point underdogs.
He was a problem everywhere on the court, with his most impressive play occurring on this smooth steal and dish to Julius Randle for two:
He proved near-impossible to cover on defense, finishing in the lane and knocking down outside jumpers with ease:
Tommy Beer of Rotoworld was one of many analysts left impressed:
As was Barrett's coach, David Fizdale:
The ex-Duke star looked like a borderline All-Star who had been in the league for years rather than someone making their NBA debut. Because of that, it's easy to get carried away and wonder just how high his ceiling may be.
For now, though, Barrett has passed his first test with ease.
What's Next?
The Spurs will stay home and welcome the Washington Wizards on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Knicks will return to New York City but head to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
