Popovich says team should be 'embarrassed' following loss to Wizards
WASHINGTON — The San Antonio Spurs were throttled by the Washington Wizards in their final matchup of the regular-season, 116-106.
From the start of the second period to the end of the game, the Spurs were out-worked and out-hustled by the Wizards, leaving Head Coach Gregg Popovich with much to say following the loss.
While praising the Wizards for their hard play and effort, Popovich made sure to call out his team's performance or lack thereof with blistering remarks.
"As far as we're concerned, I thought it was a really poor example of mental toughness in the sense of no real discipline and no real effort," said Popovich.
The Spurs lackluster play couldn't have come at the worst time.
The team isn't a lock for the postseason, and each win is vital while each loss is a step backwards.
With only seven games left on their slate in the regular-season, the Spurs poor performance was quite disappointing for Popovich especially after the team rattled off 6-straight wins recently.
"The lack of mental discipline and mental toughness tonight was very disappointing," Popovich said.
The Spurs were out-rebounded by the Wizards (50-37) and showed no spark on the court including lack of court-communication.
"The excuses and lack of communication and it starts with transition D. If you can't run back in transition D, then you know, something wrong with that picture," said Popovich.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the Spurs saw their All-Star forward, LaMarcus Aldridge, suffer a left knee injury in the first half only to not return to the floor.
From that point, the Spurs trailed as many as 22 points to the Wizards and couldn't get their offense going without their primary player on the floor.
The Spurs will next face the Thunder. A tough test for the Spurs who are desperately hanging on for their playoff lives. The good news is they'll return home, where they boast one of the league's top home records at 29-8.
But if they want to take down one of the West's best, they'll need all hands on deck to get the job done against a very talented OKC team.
Something they didn't do versus Washington.
"There are one or two guys here and there that gave effort but last time I heard it was a team sport," Popovich said. "I think our guys should be embarrassed.”
