Popovich compares Bryn Forbes to Steph Curry; ex-MSU player responds with game winner

PHOENIX — Trailing by two late Saturday night in Phoenix, Gregg Popovich needed someone to step up and make a shot.

The night before, it was veteran Manu Ginobili sticking the last-second dagger in the visiting Boston Celtics.

Saturday, he didn’t have Ginobili. Or Tony Parker. Or Kawhi Leonard. Or Pau Gasol. The Spurs bench boss gave his stars the night off. San Antonio was playing in its fifth game in seven days.

With his team on the ropes, Popovich drew up the play. The final shot would belong to his second-year guard from Michigan State, who was making only his second NBA start.

And it paid off.

Bryn Forbes hit his lone 3-pointer of the night with 21.5 ticks remaining on the clock to lead the undermanned Spurs past the Suns 104-101 at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Lansing Sexton graduate finished the night with 11 points.

“He’s never seen a shot that he didn’t like,” Popovich said postgame. “That’s a good quality when you can shoot the ball well. We went to him in that situation, and he came through.”

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* Couch: Spurs make Bryn Forbes a priority; now he has to make shots

Popovich called Forbes a good shooter. For being an undersized player, his defense is improving each week, he added. Popovich said Forbes is wonderful to coach and that “everything about him is to like.”

After scoring 17 in a win over Miami last Wednesday, the longest tenured coach in the NBA compared Forbes to two-time MVP, Stephen Curry.

Forbes laughed inside the visiting locker room. He isn’t willing to go that far. But he appreciates Popovich putting that much trust in him.

“It’s a big confidence boost,” Forbes said. “That’s great to hear from your coach. He’s one of the best coaches in the league.”

Forbes also loves making his coach look good.

“I think every shot is going in," Forbes said. "He (LaMarcus Aldridge) set a great screen and got me wide open. I couldn't have asked for a better screen. Patty (Mills) put it right in my shot pocket. That is what he told me to say. He made a great pass.

“It’s big to me,” he continued. “Just studying and being ready and confident. Just wanting the ball in the last seconds is big.”

Forbes and his teammates — admittedly exhausted — were all smiles as they celebrated a fourth straight win and their eighth out of the last nine.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound shooting guard played in his 63rd career game Saturday night. It’s not lost on him that he is in an NBA locker room, surrounded by pros. Night in and night out, he sets foot on courts all over the country.

He is living his dream.

“Blessed,” he said. “I’m just really blessed. It’s a great feeling. God is looking out for me.”

The 24-year-old is averaging nearly seven points per game and starting to heat up from the perimeter. Forbes was quick to dish out credit to the men getting dressed around him. He shyly grinned and shook his head when asked what it means to be a team leader with the Spurs' old guard watching from home.

He said he isn’t there yet, either.

It’s no secret that Popovich is a tough and demanding coach. That’s nothing new for Forbes, who said his two years at MSU under Tom Izzo prepared him well for life in the NBA. Popovich said pregame that Forbes is like a “sponge.” He soaks up knowledge and has been known to clean up a mess or two. That's a demand when you play for “coach Pop.”

“I think I am starting to turn the corner there,” Forbes said of playing fast without thinking so much. “I know where I am supposed to be. I know if I make a mistake. I know exactly what to do. Now, it’s about executing, and that’s pretty much the easy part.”

Once a relative unknown, who committed and played two years at Cleveland State before coming home to East Lansing, Forbes is making a name for himself on the world’s biggest stage.

He is humble. He says all the right things to the handful of reporters surrounding his locker stall. His contagious smile and playful attitude toward his teammates show his character. Even though he leads the team in shooting percentage from behind the arc (43%) and is the hero on this night, Forbes knows success can be fleeting.

He learned that under Izzo’s tutelage.

“I learned a lot about myself there,” Forbes said. “I changed a lot there.”

Forbes may be a mild-mannered guy, but he did take some time to boast Saturday night.

How about those Spartans, huh?

“National champions,” Forbes smiled. “I am going to be the first one to say it. We are winning the national championship.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.