San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson may have gone scoreless in the first half on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks but the rookie certainly made up for it on the other end of the floor.
The 29th overall pick logged just six minutes of work through the first two quarters of action and found himself matched on Luka Doncic a few different times.
On one possession, Johnson showed off his defensive ability after forcing Doncic into a turnover. Johnson moved step by step with Doncic and eventually came up with a steal to set up a fastbreak opportunity.
Out here turning DEFENSE ➡️ OFFENSE!#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/3JOBmhOzSM
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 11, 2020
Here is a another look at Keldon Johnson locking up Luka Doncic. #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/7yTlO94XDp
— Joe Garcia (@twoshotspodcast) March 11, 2020
As Johnson provided sound defense on Doncic, the task of completely slowing down the All-Star is no easy feat. Doncic went for 18 points alone in the first half but Johnson offered a glimpse of his two-way ability.
Johnson has spent most of the season in the G League but has found himself in a bigger role over the last three games. He scored a career-high 13 points on Friday as the Spurs lost to the Brooklyn Nets.
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