OffRtg: 118.1 (6) DefRtg: 112.8 (8) NetRtg: +5.4 (7) Pace: 101.0 (16)
Victor Wembanyama avoided major damage to his knee in an awkward fall in the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ win over the Knicks on Wednesday, but he’s missed the last two games and the Spurs have lost three of their last five.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs’ win over the Knicks was a 134-132 barn burner, featuring a franchise-record 11 3-pointers from Julian Champagnie and a huge put-back from Luke Kornet. But these last five games (113.5 points scored per 100 possessions) have still been their worst stretch of offense this season. Their loss to the Cavs last Monday (in which the entire team made only seven 3s) was the only time the Spurs have scored less than a point per possession, and their loss to the Blazers over the weekend was just the third time they’ve shot under 50% in the paint.
2. The good news is that the Spurs’ worst five-game stretch of offense isn’t all that bad. Their offense has been at its best with Devin Vassell on the floor, and he’s missed the last three games. They’ve still seen the league’s fourth biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions, and they’ve scored 119.1 per 100 in De’Aaron Fox’s 602 minutes on the floor without Wembanyama.
3. With their win over the Knicks on Wednesday, the Spurs are 7-1 (not including the Emirates NBA Cup final) against the other six teams that have won at least 65% of their games this season. They’ve scored 124.1 points per 100 possessions over those eight games, even though three of them came against the No. 1 defense of the last 30 years. Seven Spurs have averaged at least 13 points against those other top-seven teams.
Coming up: The Spurs’ one loss within the top seven in the league was to the Lakers (in L.A. and with Wembanyama) in early November. They avenged that in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, and meeting No. 3 will be Wednesday, when both teams will be playing the second half of back-to-backs. After that, the Spurs will embark on a tough, three-game trip that takes them through Boston, Minnesota and Oklahoma City.