What. A. Game.

If you’re a Spurs fan, Thursday’s resounding 125-107 win over the Raptors at home has to feel good. San Antonio showed up hated former Spur Kawhi Leonard in his return to the AT&T Center and got excellent performances from DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick White and Bryn Forbes.

Let’s recap the contest by discussing three observations, two questions and one prediction for the team.

3 Observations

DeRozan outplayed Leonard

The spotlight shone on DeRozan and Leonard in this game. It was an opportunity for DeRozan to show out for the team that traded him after nine years of faithful dedication. Spurs fans booed Leonard all night after he demanded a trade at the end of last season.

Leonard (21 points on 8-of-13 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws) outpaced DeRozan (7-of-15 field goals and 7-of-7 free throws) in shooting efficiency this game.

The rest was all DeMar.

DeRozan posted his first career triple-double, adding 14 rebounds and 11 assists to go with his 19 points. He was aggressive early on driving to the basket and pounding the glass. He found teammates for quality shots throughout the game while keeping his turnovers (three) under control.

Derrick White stayed in front of Leonard very well with the help of occasional double-teams. In a game where Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas were out and many Raptors struggled with their shots, Toronto needed Leonard to shoulder a heavy offensive load.

Leonard’s 13 field-goal attempts and five assists (plus three turnovers) just weren’t enough, and the Spurs’ defense deserves a lot of credit for that.

The Spurs were rude hosts to Danny Green

The Spurs showed a tribute video before the game thanking Green (along with Leonard) for their contributions to the franchise. Both guys were a big part of San Antonio’s run of great play from 2011 to 2017.

The team was much less hospitable to Green once the game started, though. San Antonio clearly remembered how many timely threes “Icy Hot” made for the franchise and stayed attached to him all game. Green ended the game with zero points on 0-of-7 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range. He really didn’t get any solid looks at the basket.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, Green’s offensive performance has been an X-factor for the team this season. He averages 10.3 points per game on a 60.7 true-shooting percentage in Toronto wins, but just 6.9 points per game on a 47.3 true-shooting percentage in its losses.

His defense also wasn’t as disruptive as Spurs fans are used to seeing from him. San Antonio did its best to ensure that this was a forgettable return for him.

Ball protection and pace were key

The Spurs didn’t commit their first turnover until the 7:42 mark of the second quarter. By that time, they had rung up 15 assists on their way to a 50-25 lead. The team’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 15-to-0 before the first turnover and 17-to-13 afterward. Toronto outscored San Antonio 80-75 from the time the Spurs first coughed up the ball.

For all of the good things San Antonio did in this game, the team let Toronto dictate the pace for most of the final two and a half quarters.

The Raptors had a couple of key runs to cut the Spurs’ deficit by beating them down the floor. Toronto had a 7-0 run midway through the second quarter in which all three of its made field goals came in the first seven seconds of the shot clock. It had an 8-2 run later in the same quarter using a similar strategy.

The Spurs’ team speed and athleticism is among the worst in the league, and San Antonio usually does a great job keeping the opponent in half-court situations by limiting turnovers. But it faltered a bit in doing so on Thursday, and that helped the Raptors make the final score less lopsided.

2 Questions

How would Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas have changed the game?

The Raptors weren’t whole in this game. Lowry is an All-Star point guard and Valanciunas is one of the league’s premier reserve big men, but both sat out due to injuries.

If Lowry were healthy, he would’ve helped the Raptors get more clean looks from outside and probably would’ve hit a few himself. His physical defense may have kept White from going off, and his presence would’ve let Fred VanVleet settle into his normal reserve point guard role.

If Valanciunas had played, he could have taken all of Greg Monroe’s minutes for Toronto, which obviously benefits the Raptors. His size on the boards and protecting the rim, as well as offensively, could’ve made things tougher on former teammate Jakob Poeltl.

Would Toronto have won if both players were active? Probably not, but it’s still worth noting their absences. Hopefully, both Lowry and Valanciunas will be 100 percent when these teams meet again in Toronto on February 22.

How much longer will Derrick White’s 2K rating stay at 70?

We all know that 2K ratings don’t mean anything, especially to a no-nonsense franchise like the Spurs. But it’s still fun to monitor them and see how well they reflect reality.

White’s rating is somehow still a 70, just one point above where he started the season. San Antonio’s burgeoning two-way guard is considered the 14th-best player on the Spurs’ roster, including the injured Dejounte Murray. In reality, you can make the argument that he’s the fourth-best player on the team after LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay right now. At the very least, he should be above non-rotation players Lonnie Walker (73), Quincy Pondexter (73) and Dante Cunningham (71). Somewhere between 76 and 78 seems fair for what he’s shown thus far.

The 24-year-old sophomore continued to show out on both ends of the floor against the Raptors. He had 19 points and four assists on 8-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from downtown, with zero turnovers. He’s finally shooting and driving with confidence now that he’s getting consistent starter’s minutes.

His defense on Leonard was also commendable despite his length and strength disadvantages. The Raptors superstar had to work hard for his 21 points.

White’s offense has caught up to his dogged defense in the last four games. The 6’5″ sophomore is posting 15.8 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and just 0.5 turnovers in 29.8 minutes per game on a true-shooting percentage of 78.2.

His on-court net rating in the Spurs’ last 23 games (plus-13.3) leads the Spurs. It’s very plain to see why.

1 Prediction

The matchup in Toronto will go much differently

I would caution against making too many sweeping judgments from this game. The Spurs looked like they wanted this win more, and the Raptors were without two very important contributors that will be back for most of the rest of the season. San Antonio is also at home, where it plays 12.1 points per 100 possessions better than on the road.

Yes, the Spurs are on a very promising trajectory and have the makings of being a tough out in the Western Conference playoffs. But no, the squad is not at Toronto’s level in the big picture of this season.

The Toronto matchup in February has a very good chance of going a much different way. And even if it doesn’t, the Raptors are in excellent shape to make a run at the title this season.

Note: All stats are from NBA.com.

Featured photo courtesy of Mark Sobhani (Getty Images)