Manu Ginobili didn’t even need to dunk the alley-oop lob from Patty Mills to complete a gorgeous finish in the San Antonio Spurs’ Monday night game.
The San Antonio Spurs entered Monday night’s home contest against the defending NBA champs hoping to help close the gap on the Golden State Warriors for the West’s No. 1 seed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered Monday’s game at the AT&T Center needing a win to put some distance between themselves and the surging Boston Celtics for the East’s No. 1 seed.
At the break, it had pretty much been all Spurs, with Kawhi Leonard winning his individual matchup against LeBron James. But, as always, the story with San Antonio was their bench depth.
Case in point? This gorgeous alley-oop from Patty Mills to Manu Ginobili that didn’t even need a dunk finish to be a thing of beauty:
As you can see from the play, Kawhi got the ball to San Antonio’s underrated backup point guard on the wing for a Spurs fast break, forcing LeBron to cut off the ball.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, that left Manu wide open near the basket, and even with Kevin Love sprinting down the court to close out from behind, the 39-year-old Ginobili was able to catch Mills’ lob, whip it under the rim and lay it in for two on the gorgeous reverse.
That basket put the Spurs up 22 with under a minute to go in the half, bringing the AT&T Center to its feet. San Antonio held a 64-40 lead at the break, with seven points and six assists for Mills and nine points on 4-of-5 shooting for Ginobili. The Spurs held a 28-0 advantage in bench points at the half as well.
The Cavaliers, who have the second-worst defense in the association since the All-Star break, have seen quite a few rough nights recently, losing eight of their last 14 games. They’re still the favorites in the East, but the gap is closing rapidly.
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Meanwhile, a win tonight would move the Spurs within two games of the Golden State Warriors for the No. 1 seed in the West. If Kawhi can continue to play LeBron to a draw, San Antonio’s superior depth should be able to hold on the rest of the way in this early blowout.