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San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson highlighted resilience and adjustments after his team rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-108 in Game 3 of their first-round series at Moda Center.
“They came out with tremendous energy. They made some shots. We missed some shots,” Johnson said, describing Portland’s early control of the game.
He pointed to execution issues that fueled the Blazers’ first-half advantage. “Obviously there’s some game plan stuff that we wanted to be sharp on. We turned the ball over a little bit. They got some stuff in transition,” he said.
Despite the struggles, Johnson emphasized the team’s persistence throughout the contest. “But I think all in all, when you zoom all the way out, I thought we kept working the game. Over the duration of it, we just stayed with it, stayed with it, stayed with it.”
San Antonio eventually stabilized the game through defensive rebounding and improved ball movement. “We started getting incremental things that were going our way… we started passing the ball to the open guy and letting the ball breathe a little bit,” he added.
A key stretch came from Dylan Harper, who delivered 27 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson stressed the impact beyond scoring. “He got on a run there obviously as the box score states, but the 10 rebounds, the three assists, and even the four fouls.”
He also pointed to the playoff physicality Harper embraced. “This is a physical game… to be able to match that to set a tone and to get into a rhythm defensively, I thought he did a really good job.”
Rookie Carter Bryant also drew praise for his decision-making in spacing-heavy actions. “He did a really good job of just not settling,” Johnson said. “I thought Carter’s game was probably just as loud as Dylan’s, just doesn’t have the reflection in the box score.”
Johnson explained how spacing adjustments helped break Portland’s pressure defense. “When a team pressures to the level that they do, typically over time… that pressure dissipates a little bit if you can move the ball side to side.”
On using two rookies in a playoff setting, he added, “The competitor in me, it was a lot of fun… those two young men were leading the charge.”
Luke Kornet’s role also stood out in Victor Wembanyama’s absence. “Stabilizer, connector on offense… great job screening,” Johnson said.
Game 4 is set for Sunday, with the Spurs leading the series 2-1.
