NBA scores 2015: Spurs’ machine rolls over Wizards and 3 other things we learned

San Antonio hasn’t had quite the season most expect because of injuries and some very close losses, but the Spurs are still the reigning champions and flashed why against the Wizards.

by Tim Cato

Jan 4, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

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NBA Saturday: Spurs top Wizards, Hawks beat Blazers in Portland

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The San Antonio Spurs haven't been nearly as machine-like as we've come to expect from them, but they've had their moments. That included in their 101-92 win against the Washington Wizards Saturday where they closed out one of the top Eastern Conference teams in classic San Antonio fashion.

The first half was exactly what you might expect from these two teams -- smart, exceptional basketball, trading shots back and forth almost at will. It was offensive execution, not bad defense, that allowed the two teams to shoot a combined 59 percent from the field in the first half and head into halftime tied at 58.

The offense slowed down a bit as the defenses tightened up in the third quarter, but it was just a one-point Spurs lead heading into the fourth quarter. This ridiculous ball movement leading to a Boris Diaw layup was foreshadowing of what was to come.

Cory Joseph, thrown into the starting lineup for an injured, but soon-to-return, Tony Parker, was fabulous. He scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and dropping this ridiculous Rajon Rondo-esque layup.

Later, off a missed shot, there was this alley oop layup -- not a dunk, because that would not be Spurs-esque. When San Antonio gets going like this, there’s almost nothing any team can do.

Via Fox Sports Southwest

Remember: not only are the Spurs missing Parker, but Kawhi Leonard is still out. Nearly every player on the roster has missed time due to injury or for rest. San Antonio's 21-14 record and current slot as the No. 7 seed in the West isn't what you'd expect, but they can clearly still hang with the better teams in the league, even at less than full strength.

3 other things we learned

The Hawks squeeze out a win in another East vs. West battle. Atlanta is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in two decades and defended its new crown well against a solid Western Conference squad. Portland was good, but Atlanta preserved its narrow lead by trusting Jeff Teague, who came up with a couple of huge shots late. Teague finished with 22 points and six assists.

Josh Smith moves to Houston's bench and the Rockets earn a blowout win. The "Josh Smith Effect" has been more of a joke than an actual phenomenon, but Smith is indeed a better fit with Houston's second unit, where the Rockets had him playing in their 115-79 win against the Heat. Playing power forward off the bench alongside Donatas Motiejunas allows Smith a bigger defensive impact, relieves the offensive spacing issues (since Motiejunas can hit three-pointers at a decent clip) and lets Dwight Howard operate more freely in the starting lineup (he scored 23 on 13 shots Saturday). It seems like an easy decision, but Smith may not be happy -- part of Houston's pitch when it signed him was that he would be a starter for the team.

The @HoustonRockets are 2-0 with Josh Smith off the bench & 1-3 with Smith as a starter. Here are the numbers: pic.twitter.com/x2hvQdtMTd
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 4, 2015

Terrible first half doomed Orlando. The Magic actually outscored the Hornets by 15 in the second half, but with Orlando scoring only nine points in the second quarter, it didn't matter. The Magic were scoreless in the final 6:58 of the first half, totally unraveling on offense and letting Charlotte build a commanding double-digit lead. Although the Magic would make a couple of second half runs, they could never get the lead to single digits until the closing seconds in a 98-90 loss that was not nearly as close as the score indicates.

Play of the Night

Rudy Gobert has been doing very fun basketball things for a while, but if you haven't realized, this is your official wake up call. I think Zach Lowe is onto something here.