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San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson may not have played much to begin his rookie season but he certainly finished it on a high note after his performance on Thursday night.
Johnson tied a career-high, which he just set on Tuesday, with 24 points to lead the Spurs in a 118-112 loss to the Utah Jazz. Johnson finished by shooting 8-of-12 from the field while he went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in 30 minutes of work.
The Spurs were eliminated from playoff contention just prior to the matchup, which gave Johnson the opportunity to start. The elimination on Thursday snapped a 22-year playoff streak in which the organization won five NBA championships.
Although the Spurs were eliminated from contention, the group played up until the final seconds. Johnson scored eight points in the final minute and a half of the fourth quarter and still kept working to get the Spurs within striking distance.
đź—Ł aaannndd onnneee pic.twitter.com/PYb56F3RRn
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 13, 2020
Johnson entered the season restart with just nine appearances this season but came in with the mentality to just play basketball and help his team win. He averaged 14.1 points, five rebounds and 1.1 assists during the restart at the Wide World of Sports Complex.
“I just came in and played basketball,” Johnson said. “I play to win; [I have] a winner’s mentality. I gotta do whatever it takes for my team to win. Just be aggressive, make the right plays, and play my game.”
The Spurs viewed the season restart as an opportunity to develop the younger players on the team and Johnson certainly took advantage. The future appears to be bright for the Spurs and Johnson figures to be a big part of that core moving forward.
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