Where Does Barnes Think Spurs Need to Improve?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 30, 2024 2:08 PM ET

The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, losing 112-110. The Spurs were outrebounded 56-41, and in the fourth quarter shot only 12.5 percent from behind the 3-point line.

The game was ultimately decided by a missed Jeremy Sochan 3-pointer, but one of the Spurs' veterans thinks their enite late-game management needs an overhaul.

Harrison Barnes finished with an efficient 24 points, and the forward seemed defeated and disappointed during his postgame media availability.

After the game, he outlined 'late-game execution' as an area of focus for the young team.

"Our late-game execution is an area of improvement for us," said the veteran. "We put ourselves in position and battled for 44 or 46 minutes to give ourselves a chance to win and then just finishing out games is something that we can get better at."

While Sochan missed Barnes in the corner for a wide-open 3 before bricking a shot of his own, the sharpshooter doesn't think the final play needs to be put under a microscope.

"Anyone can say 'the last play,' but it's really all the other plays that lead up to it that matter," Barnes continued. "That's not where the game was won or lost."

The Spurs are now 2-3 in their last five games with all of their losses being in close two-possession games. These are all winable games for the young Spurs, but general boneheadedness can't be overlooked in favor of blaming one missed shot.

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This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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