Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs came up short (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final score of 113-101. San Antonio’s second consecutive defeat dropped their record to 23-9 on the season. The win improved the Cavs to 18-16.
The Spurs were able to hang tough for the first three quarters mostly due to the fact that they were getting to the free throw line a lot more often than the Cavs. In the fourth quarter, Cleveland got going from three-point range, San Antonio’s free throw advantage evaporated and the good guys were unable to keep things close.
These two losses are a classic tale of a hangover following the Christmas Day victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s hope the Spurs are able to recalibrate soon and get back on the winning track.
Stats: Spurs vs. Cavs
spurs cavs grades
Spurs vs. Cavs – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
I didn’t love Wembanyama’s focus or effort in the loss to the Jazz. Against the Cavs, I thought the focus and effort were there — he just lacked efficiency. Offensively, Wembanyama did a great job of getting to the free throw line and limiting his turnovers but his shooting was uncharacteristically wonky. With his teammates leaning on him more than usual, Wembanyama was able to put up 26 points in 27 minutes but his lack of precision hurt the team. Defensively, he was trying to contest a lot of shots and was impressively active — but too often he tried to do too much and left the basket open after the Cavs made an extra pass. Wembanyama tried hard but he needed to channel his energy better.
Grade: B
De’Aaron Fox
After missing a game due to injury, Fox simply didn’t do enough in his return. He was 3-for-7 from two-point range, 1-for-6 from three-point range and totaled only three assists. He deserves credit for turning the ball over just twice and getting to the line for six attempts but he was too quiet on offense and defense. With the team struggling to score, Fox needed to put more of the responsibilities on his shoulders.
Grade: C
Stephon Castle
The good: Castle hit half of his two-point attempts, shot 5-for-6 at the free throw line and totaled a team-high eight assists. His playmaking was the best on the team and I thought his defensive effort was applause-worthy. The bad: Castle missed three more three-pointers and turned the ball over five more times. Turnovers and missed threes continue to plague the second year guard. He also struggled with foul trouble and simply didn’t play the clean brand of basketball that the Spurs needed.
Grade: C-
Devin Vassell
Vassell didn’t make much of an impact. He was 2-for-4 on twos, 1-for-6 on threes and didn’t get to the line. In his last three games, he has only 23 points in 99 minutes. He didn’t handle any playmaking duties and his defense was substandard. Let’s hope Vassell bounces back soon because these listless performances as of late aren’t helping matters.
Grade: C-
Harrison Barnes
Speaking of listless, Barnes hardly did anything versus Cleveland. Listless play from Barnes is even worse because he’s supposed to be a veteran leader on this team. Instead of leading the way, he had three points in 27 minutes on 1-for-7 shooting from the court. Barnes didn’t do anything else to makeup for the fact that he was such a letdown scoring-wise.
Grade: D+
Julian Champagnie
I thought Champagnie did well enough for the Spurs to get this win. He efficiently scored seven points in 24 minutes. More importantly, he gave very good effort on the defensive end and was legitimately impactful on the glass. Champagnie also limited his miscues while keeping his energy high.
Grade: B
Luke Kornet
Kornet did really well against the Cavs. In 23 minutes, he totaled ten points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block. Offensively, he remained involved by setting fruitful screens, passing wisely and putting the ball in the basket. Defensively, he protected the rim reasonably well while taking care of business on the boards. There were some loose balls Kornet should have corralled but otherwise he was rock solid.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson had a handful of mistakes on both sides of the court. Specifically, he needs to concentrate more on the defensive end if he wants to start to play more minutes. On the offensive end, it’s difficult to complain about much. His decision-making could have been better but he efficiently put eight points on the board in 18 minutes.
Grade: C
Dylan Harper
It was an up-and-down affair for Harper. I liked his defense for the most part. Offensively, he shot the ball well enough — even if there were a few more interior shots he should have made. But Harper let the team down by missing both of his free throws and turning the ball over four times. His shot-pass decisions were also uncharacteristically poor. Harper was constantly second-guessing himself and that resulted in him looking like a teenager for one of the few games this season. The rookie seemed to be on the verge of rescuing the Spurs at times but he couldn’t string together enough smart decisions.
Grade: C
Carter Bryant
Like Harper, Bryant was close to aiding the cause but couldn’t quite get over the hump. He missed both of his shots from the field — and both were dunk attempts. He played pretty good defense at times but also overextended too often. His energy was good but, at the end of the night, he didn’t move the needle much in his seven minutes of play.
Grade: C+
Mitch Johnson
Johnson struggled to find winning combinations. His rotation in the fourth quarter left a lot to be desired. He didn’t adjust much when the offensive sets got stale. The defensive gameplan was mostly fine, though.
Grade: C-