Dylan Harper was back against the Blazers (Photo via X)
After some tough sledding in the first half, the San Antonio Spurs got it going in the second half to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers by a final score of 115-102. San Antonio’s offense shined in the third quarter and the Spurs defense took over in the fourth period. With De’Aaron Fox leading the charge, the good guys improved to a record of 12-5.
Stats: Spurs at Blazers
Spurs at Blazers – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
Fox has played well recently as the Spurs try to survive with an immense amount of talent on the sidelines — and he played arguably his best game of the season against the Blazers. He was dynamic and virtually unguardable in space. After missing his first five shots from the field, Fox turned it on and led the Spurs to the victory. He shot with confidence from deep, thrived at the charity stripe and was a nightmare going to the rim. Add in smart playmaking, carefulness with the ball and hustling on defense, Fox exhibited why he’s a top tier guard in the league when he’s at his best. It should also be mentioned that he brought leadership to the court and provided a sense of calmness for his teammates.
Grade: A
Devin Vassell
This was one of the most Vassellian games I’ve seen Vassell play. He’s a tough shot maker at heart and he was hitting ridiculously tough shots in Portland without breaking a sweat. The more difficult the shot, the easier he made it look. While his shot-selection wasn’t the best and although he didn’t record an assist in 35 minutes, Vassell’s ability to rescue the offense when things looked bleak was extremely valuable. Defensively, I thought Vassell was really good. He was active on the perimeter, rebounded the ball and ran with purpose in transition. On both ends of the court, he made very few mistakes. Well done.
Grade: A
Harrison Barnes
Barnes isn’t getting the same number of open shots with Wembanyama and Castle on the sidelines but he’s still finding ways to aid the cause. In addition to shooting (and making) a wider variety of threes, he’s now making noise off the dribble. Barnes is also absorbing more ball-handling duties and it looks good. On defense, he was solid. He crashed the boards better than usual and was more active than normal in the passing lanes.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
Out of nowhere, Champagnie has turned into a monster on the glass. In his last two games, he has a total of 23 boards. Against the Blazers, Champagnie had an itchy trigger finger but still shot very well from the field — which is a valuable combination. Factor in his rugged defense and a more well-rounded approach on both ends and Champagnie is playing some of the best ball of his career currently.
Grade: A-
Luke Kornet
The good: Kornet protected the rim with conviction, guarded the post sturdily and survived in pick-and-roll situations. As the game progressed, his defense got better and better. Offensively, he played hard, limited his mistakes and made a few crafty passes. The bad: Coming into this game, Kornet had nine missed field goals on the season. In Portland, he had five misses in one game. He also fouled a bit too much and sometimes gave up too much ground on the perimeter.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
When things looked dire — particularly in the first half — it was usually Johnson who came up with a big play or injected the squad with a syringe full of enthusiasm. He did outstanding work on the glass, especially on the offensive end. His hardheaded drives got him to the free throw line. Johnson also passed better off the move than usual. Truthfully, there were some rough patches on defense (which is why he only played 23 minutes) but the Spurs would have been in hot water if not for Johnson’s productivity in this game.
Grade: A-
Dylan Harper
I guess Harper is, in fact, human. For the first time in his career, he failed to score in double-digits. But in his return from injury, there were still a lot of signs of potential. He created plays with ease, got to the rim with ease and looked wise beyond his 19 years. But, yeah, he got blocked at the rim a handful of times and looked really tired after just a couple minutes. It’s safe to say, though, that Harper will get it going soon once he’s back in shape. He’s such a natural on the offensive end and he’s far from a pushover on the defensive end.
Grade: C
Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk was giving good effort but he found it nearly impossible to discover ways to help the team. His rebounding was poor, his defense was substandard and he couldn’t find passing angles. He also missed his only two three-point attempts. Olynyk, to his credit, didn’t really hurt the team though even though he was having a rough go of it personally.
Grade: C-
Lindy Waters III
Waters looked decent. He hit a midrange shot and was above average on defense. But he wasn’t moving the needle much on either end.
Grade: B-
Carter Bryant
Bryant was a ball of energy. He tried to do too much at times, as evidenced by his two turnovers in eight minutes. However, he brought vivacity to the defensive end and helped push the pace. I continue to like how fearless he is to shoot the ball and impact the proceedings.
Grade: C+
Jeremy Sochan
Yikes. The Blazers were basically ignoring Sochan and he couldn’t make them pay. Shooting nearly one time per minute isn’t what you want to see from Sochan … but he kinda had to in Portland because he wasn’t guarded most of the time. If he can’t shoot from the outside or finish at the rim, his value is very limited. While Sochan can be good at defense at times, he needs to be at least close to average on offense to not be a net negative.
Grade: D-
Mitch Johnson
Johnson pushed the right buttons this time around. I liked that he continued to believe in Harper — and I liked that he gave up on Sochan, to be blunt. He also deserves applause for giving Fox enough rest to allow the speedster to carve up the Blazers. Johnson’s offensive playcalling was on point and the defensive adjustments paid dividends in a fourth quarter that saw Portland score just 16 points.
Grade: A-