<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-keldon-johnson-honest-mitch-johnson-assessment-gregg-popovich-absence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Keldon Johnson’s honest Mitch Johnson assessment amid Gregg Popovich’s absence');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Spurs-news-Keldon-Johnsons-honest-Mitch-Johnson-assessment-amid-Gregg-Popovichs-absence.jpg"></figure><h1>Keldon Johnson’s honest Mitch Johnson assessment amid Gregg Popovich’s absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-17T10:51:25-07:00">March 17th, 10:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-17T10:51:25-07:00">March 17th, 10:51am</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been a tough season for the San Antonio Spurs. Perhaps no one has felt it more than Mitch Johnson. The assistant coach who took over for Hall-of-Famer Gregg Popovich very early on has been in charge during a year that started with promise but has seen since the losses of Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox for the season. Keldon Johnson is still healthy. He sums up Johnson’s work succinctly.</p><p>“I feel like he’s done an amazing job,” the longest-tenured Spur said.</p><p>That the results haven’t been amazing doesn’t matter in this context.</p><p>“It’s been huge, it’s been huge. Coach has been able to pretty much just calm everything down with everything that’s happened,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell added.</p><p>Very much in the Western Conference <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-san-antonio-preaching-balance-playoff-pursuit">postseason picture through the first four months of the season</a>, the Spurs have tailed off since the All-Star break because of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyamas-2-word-text-to-teammates">Wemby’s injury</a>.</p><h2>Mitch Johnson weathers Spurs storms</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/San-Antonio-Spurs-interim-coach-Mitch-Johnson-observes-the-first-half-against-the-New-Orleans-Pelicans-at-Frost-Bank-Center.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>38 years old, Johnson <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-mitchell-johnson-long-winding-road-compliments-former-players-nba-trade-deadline-tre-jones-zach-collins-sidy-cissoko-deaaron-fox">couldn’t have predicted</a> how this season would play out back in mid-October. About to begin his ninth season with the Spurs organization and sixth in San Antonio, the former Austin Spurs assistant took the reigns when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-gregg-popovich-breaks-silence-after-suffering-stroke-november">Popovich suffered a mild stroke in very nearly November</a>.</p><p>Three months to the day later, the Silver and Black <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-trade-grade-deaaron-fox-blockbuster">traded for Fox on February 2</a>. Two and half weeks after that, Wembanyama was pronounced out for the year. Fast forward three weeks and it was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-deaaron-fox-stunning-reality-looming-surgery">Fox who was shut down for the rest of the season</a>.</p><p>“With Coach Pop, to Vic, to De’Aaron, to whatever injuries and illnesses, whatever has happened through the season, he’s been able to just calm it down and say, look, ‘We’ll just take this one game at a time, one day a time’ and we’ve just got to trust it,” Vassell revealed.</p><p>No matter who they’ve lost, Johnson hasn’t lost sight of what’s helped defined the Spurs for a quarter century.</p><p>“He keeps telling us that we’ve got to hang our hats on the defensive end. I think if we keep doing that and taking pride on that end, we’ll be good.”</p><p>A recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IL38DEjT7Y" rel="noopener">119-115 victory vs. the New Orleans Pelicans</a> gave San Antonio a second win in their last three games <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/mitch-johnsons-take-on-catastrophic-spurs-loss-to-wests-worst-team">during a stretch in which they’ve lost</a> nine of 14 games since Wemby was diagnosed with blood clots.</p><p>“It’s a special job for Mitch to be able to – so many things have happened this year and to keep everybody together and keep leading the team and things like that,” Johnson said.</p><p>Without the winningest coach in NBA history, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/inside-victor-wembanyama-rookie-of-the-year-numbers-feats">reigning Rookie of the Year</a>, and their newly acquired 2023 All-Star, the Spurs are almost certainly headed for another lottery.</p><p>“(He) Keeps guiding us and inspiring us to go out there and take care of business. I feel like he’s done an amazing job. I feel there’s been ups and downs, as expected. Through it all, he’s continued to lead us in the right direction,” Johnson concluded.</p><p>Thanks in part to Johnson, it’s a direction that’ll take shape again next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Keldon Johnson’s honest Mitch Johnson assessment amid Gregg Popovich’s absence

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-keldon-johnson-admits-shaken-up-injury-scare');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Keldon Johnson admits to being ‘shaken up’ by injury scare');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Keldon-Johnson-admits-to-being-shaken-up-by-injury-scare.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Keldon Johnson admits to being ‘shaken up’ by injury scare</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T18:26:44-08:00">December 19th, 6:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T18:26:44-08:00">December 19th, 6:26pm</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Though Keldon Johnson was out for ten days with a left calf strain, he missed just two games in that time frame. Fortunately for Johnson, the San Antonio Spurs schedule featured only a pair of contests during that span. It’s especially comforting for Johnson considering his time out came as a result of a dreaded non-contact injury.</p><p>“For sure, I was definitely a little shaken up, obviously,” the longest tenured Spur said.</p><p>Johnson left the team’s December 8th game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans with less than seven and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter. He was standing near the corner on a Spurs possession when he felt enough discomfort in his calf to not only exit the game but head to the locker room as well. He didn’t return that night.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Keldon Johnson (left calf) left the Spurs-Pelicans game and did not return after this strange injury. There has been no official update on his status. Here are the last few moments of him on the court. Watch. 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PorVida?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PorVida</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pelicans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pelicans</a> <a href="https://t.co/buSOCJ5GJV">pic.twitter.com/buSOCJ5GJV</a></p><p>— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpursReporter/status/1866171489558680068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>After the game, acting head coach Mitch Johnson didn’t know full details but downplayed the severity, adding that the trainers initially thought it was a cramp before they looked more closely at his calf.</p><p>“Out of the situation, got the best possibility that could’ve happened,” the head coach admitted as Johnson prepares to return. “I’m glad at that, I’m blessed. I’m just ready to be back with my teammates on the court.”</p><h2>Keldon Johnson expected back for the Spurs</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/New-Orleans-Pelicans-forward-Herbert-Jones-2-dribbles-against-San-Antonio-Spurs-forward-Keldon-Johnson-0.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Spurs’ recent injury report suggests Johnson will play the next time the Silver and Black take the court.</p><p>“I’m feeling good. Stacking the days, I had another great day today,” Johnson said. “The game plan: get some rest; go to the arena, get there pretty early; get some treatment and stuff; get warmed up; and then make a decision from there.”</p><p>A first round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Johnson is now in his sixth season in San Antonio. He’s the only Spurs player who was with the team before the COVID-19 pandemic. He averaged a career high 22 points per game in 2022-2023. This season, while playing in 23 of the team’s 26 games, he’s scoring 12.7 per contest.</p><p>“I’m glad it worked out how it worked out because, obviously, I didn’t want to miss too many games. It’s hard for me not playing, I feel like I’m a big part of the team.”</p><p>The coaching staff <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-keldon-johnson-opens-up-tough-sacrifice-2023-24-season">moved Johnson from a starter to the second unit</a> during last season. He finished the year scoring 15.7 per contest. It’s a role that’s continued this season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-chris-paul-signing-forces-keldon-johnson-jersey-number-change">as the Spurs added Chris Paul</a>, Harrison Barnes and the number four overall pick this past June, Stephon Castle.</p><p>“Being back has been my main priority,” Johnson said. “I’ve been locked in, I’ve been trying to do everything I can to make sure I optimize my time when I’m not with the team.”</p><p>Easily the Spurs most vocal and rambunctious player, Johnson is fifth on the team in scoring and third in rebounding.</p><p>“I’m back and I’m in a good position right now. Hopefully, it’ll carry over.”</p><p>The Spurs hope so as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Keldon Johnson admits to being ‘shaken up’ by injury scare

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-credits-keldon-johnson-spurs-collapse');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Daigneault credits Keldon Johnson, Spurs for Thunder collapse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-news-Mark-Daigneault-credits-Keldon-Johnson-Spurs-for-OKC-collapse.jpg"></figure><h1>Mark Daigneault credits Keldon Johnson, Spurs for Thunder collapse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-20T12:20:00-08:00">November 20th, 12:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-20T12:20:00-08:00">November 20th, 12:20pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before Oklahoma City Thunder forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-jalen-williams-plays-blame-game-loss-spurs-without-victor-wembanyama">Jalen Williams played the blame game following Tuesday’s loss</a>, head coach Mark Daigneault credited Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs. Without their star, Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs outscored the Thunder 33-9, including a 16-0 run from the end of the second quarter into the second half, punctuated by Johnson’s 22 first-half points.</p><p>After the game, Daigneault zeroed in on what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT6x3bB_wOQ&amp;t=298s" rel="noopener">went wrong</a> against the Spurs.</p><p>“I just thought on both ends of the floor we didn’t play, clearly, good enough to win. Give San Antonio credit. I thought they played really hard from the jump,” Daigneaulg said. “[They]played with great effort. Mitch is doing a great job. They played with a lot of confidence from the beginning of the game. They went and earned that game. They deserved to win.”</p><p>Spurs assistant coach Mitchell Johnson, filling in for head coach Gregg Popovich amid a medical leave of absence, guided San Antonio from its first and only double-digit deficit in the second quarter. The Thunder, ahead 48-38 in the second quarter, were on the wrong end of a 16-0 run that stretched into the third quarter and eventually gave the Spurs a 21-point lead (98-77) with 10:05 left in the fourth quarter.</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams, Thunder fourth-quarter rally falls short vs Spurs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thunder-forward-Jalen-Williams_43d817.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>From a 21-point deficit, Mark Daigneault, Jalen Williams, and the Thunder played catch-up before falling six points short against the Spurs toward the end of the final frame. With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/thunder-news-get-tough-alex-caruso-injury-update-mavs-game">Thunder’s All-Defensive First Team guard Alex Caruso</a> back, Oklahoma City rallied defensive stops while Williams scored 11 of his 27 points in the final ten minutes of regulation. Still, it wasn’t enough to overcome Keldon Johnson’s first-half play and the Spurs’ collective effort.</p><p>After the game, Daigneault talked about Johnson’s impact.</p><p>“I think he got some confidence going in the first half. I thought we had control of the game. We were up by like ten, and then they got some confidence going and rhythm going,” Daigneault added. “They had us on our heels. He was in the middle of all that. He got some clean looks early to fall. And then, his confidence lifted as he finished the first half. I thought we did a decent job on him in the second half.</p><p>“That’s when the game started to get away from us a little bit, during that stretch in the second quarter, and he had everything to do with that,” Daigneault concluded.</p><p>On the second night of a back-to-back, the Thunder will host the Trail Blazers on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Daigneault credits Keldon Johnson, Spurs for Thunder collapse

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-keldon-johnson-posterizes-shai-gilgeous-alexander-in-kentucky-on-kentucky-basketball-crime');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Keldon Johnson posterizes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Kentucky-on-Kentucky basketball crime');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Keldon-Johnson-posterizes-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-in-Kentucky-on-Kentucky-basketball-crime.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Keldon Johnson posterizes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Kentucky-on-Kentucky basketball crime</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-19T20:30:34-08:00">November 19th, 8:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-19T20:49:19-08:00">November 19th, 8:49pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/is-spurs-victor-wembanyama-playing-vs-thunder-latest-nba-cup-injury-update">Victor Wembanyama out for a second consecutive game</a> due to a knee injury, the San Antonio Spurs weren’t expected to put up much of a fight against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in their Tuesday night NBA Cup tussle. Devin Vassell was also out, which would make life even more difficult for the Spurs. But clearly, no one told Keldon Johnson that they were just supposed to roll over for the Thunder.</p><p>Johnson, who plays with such physicality and ferocity, had one of the most incredible sequences of the season thus far for the Spurs late in the second quarter of their contest against the Thunder. He received the ball on the left wing and shook Aaron Wiggins off his shoes with a quick jab step, even dropping the Thunder defender to the floor. But he wasn’t done there. Johnson took it up strong at the rim, and with Chet Holmgren out for a few months, OKC does not have a true rim protector — with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ending up <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1859078914263421073" rel="noopener">being the casualty of a nasty poster jam</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This replay of Keldon Johnson's ankle breaker and poster is TOUGH 😮‍💨 <a href="https://t.co/E0pka37gCh">pic.twitter.com/E0pka37gCh</a> <a href="https://t.co/6veXqSUGRf">https://t.co/6veXqSUGRf</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1859078914263421073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>With two of the Spurs’ primary scoring options on the mend, Johnson was going to have to step up if they were to have a shot at an upset win against the Thunder. He has been rather inconsistent to start the 2024-25 season, and his stock has been falling gradually the more he has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-keldon-johnson-opens-up-tough-sacrifice-2023-24-season">entrenched in his bench role</a>. But Johnson has shown in the past that he can be a source of an explosive brand of offense for the Spurs, and Gilgeous-Alexander learned that firsthand tonight.</p><p>This jam may have meant a little something extra; both Johnson and Gilgeous-Alexander are Kentucky one-and-done alums, and perhaps somewhere, John Calipari is beaming with pride.</p><h2><b>Spurs on track to pull off major upset vs. Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Keldon-Johnson.jpg"></figure><p>At the time of writing, the Spurs are leading the Thunder by double-digits in the fourth quarter. OKC is a young and energetic team that can pull off a comeback at any time, so Johnson and company will have to be very careful and continue to execute to prevent letting a winnable game slip from their fingertips.</p><p>As the Spurs would have it, Keldon Johnson is currently their leading scorer despite coming off the bench, having tallied 22 points on an efficient 7-14 shooting at the time of writing. Johnson has made six triples, and his red-hot shooting has been contagious. Currently, the Spurs have 16 total threes as a team, with Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, and Julian Champagnie nailing multiple threes of their own.</p><p>The Spurs will need to win this game if they were to keep their hopes of making it to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup alive. Their first game in the competition resulted in a heartbreaking 120-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but winning by double figures over the Thunder should improve their point differential to a point where they could conceivably make the quarterfinals as a wild card team.</p><p>Whatever the case ends up being, this performance from the Spurs is something that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-gregg-popovich-return-timeline-unclear-mild-stroke">recovering head coach Gregg Popovich</a> can be proud of.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Keldon Johnson posterizes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Kentucky-on-Kentucky basketball crime

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/spurs-news-chris-paul-signing-forces-keldon-johnson-jersey-number-change');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Chris Paul signing forces Keldon Johnson jersey number change');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Spurs-news-Chris-Paul-signing-forces-Keldon-Johnson-jersey-number-change.jpg"></figure><h1>Spurs’ Chris Paul signing forces Keldon Johnson jersey number change</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-05T07:08:12-07:00">September 5th, 7:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-05T07:08:12-07:00">September 5th, 7:08am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Being a respected veteran across the association has its perks. For Chris Paul, who has cultivated his brand of “CP3” quite carefully throughout the course of his entire career, there is almost a need for him to be able to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-inspiration-jersey-number-change">get that jersey number</a>, regardless of which team he plays for. After signing with the San Antonio Spurs, though, Paul would have to ask Keldon Johnson, the owner of the jersey number “3”, to give way.</p><p>This is exactly what Johnson did, as he gave his new teammate his longtime jersey number with the Spurs. Now, the 24-year-old forward will be <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_gYhquRQl-/" rel="noopener">wearing the jersey number “0”</a>, as revealed on his official Instagram account.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_gYhquRQl-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_gYhquRQl-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Keldon Johnson (@keldonjohnson)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>This was the same jersey number that Johnson wore when the Spurs sent him down to their G-League affiliate in Austin back in his rookie 2019-20 campaign. For what it’s worth, Johnson played well for Austin and foreshadowed the level of scorer he would become in the NBA eventually, averaging 20.3 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting from the field in 31 games while donning the number “0”.</p><p>Keldon Johnson received flowers from his Spurs teammates for his kind gesture, and they look forward to seeing what’s next in his career.</p><p>“New Era we locked in 0🖤,” Devin Vassell commented on Johnson’s Instagram post.</p><p>“Yeah 0,” wrote Tre Jones.</p><p>“😈,” expressed Jeremy Sochan.</p><p>“🥷🏽🥷🏽,” added Blake Wesley.</p><p>Meanwhile, Johnson’s gesture to give Chris Paul his jersey number for the Spurs since day one means that Paul will be having the same jersey number that he has always had throughout his NBA career which has already spanned 18 seasons.</p><p>From New Orleans to Los Angeles to Houston to Oklahoma City to Phoenix and then to San Francisco, Paul has had the comfort of wearing the number “3” which at least gives him some semblance of stability after going through a ton of transitions, and now, the same is the case as he begins his journey in San Antonio.</p><h2>Can the Spurs take a huge leap in Year 2 of the Victor Wembanyama era?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Wembanyama-Chris-Paul.jpg"></figure><p>The 2023-24 season wasn’t a disaster for the Spurs in any capacity. Sure, it’s not exactly a promising sign that they won just 22 games last season despite adding one of the best defenders in the league in transcendent talent Victor Wembanyama. But it showed the areas of the ball where they needed a lot of work in, and it looks as though they’ve <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reasons-why-spurs-chris-paul-deal-massive-steal">managed to fill those gaps</a> this offseason.</p><p>For starters, the point guard situation last season was a mess. Jeremy Sochan showed that he is not a natural floor general, while Tre Jones, as good and willing of a playmaker as he is, leaves a lot to be desired on offense. Moreover, the Spurs’ wing depth last season wasn’t great, as they had to rely on Julian Champagnie to start at the three.</p><p>They rectified those situations this offseason by signing Chris Paul and acquiring Harrison Barnes in a salary dump. Paul is not the player he once was, but he makes sure that the offensive execution is on point. Meanwhile, Barnes gives the Spurs some size and scoring on the wing, allowing Keldon Johnson to thrive as a spark plug off the bench.</p><p>Leaps from Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham, and Sochan are possible given how young they are, while Stephon Castle could be an impact player from day one thanks to his defense. And with Wembanyama leading the way, these <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-2024-25-season-easier-other-teams">Spurs could make a lot more noise</a> next season than people expect.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	4.4	1.5	0.2	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	4.4	1.5	0.2	0.6

Keldon Johnson

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Spurs’ Keldon Johnson posterizes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Kentucky-on-Kentucky basketball crime

Spurs’ Chris Paul signing forces Keldon Johnson jersey number change

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