Julian Champagnie played well but the Spurs lost (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs dropped to a record of 25-10 after a 115-110 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers. Playing without Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, the Spurs got off to a slow start and trailed by as many as 15 points. San Antonio rallied in the second half and nearly stole the game in the fourth quarter before the Blazers hit enough big shots to hold on.
Stats: Spurs vs. Blazers
Spurs vs. Blazers – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
The good: Fox efficiently put 19 points on the board. In the fourth quarter, he was at his best as he desperately tried to lift the Spurs to the win. Fox finished the game without a turnover and his defense was better than usual. The bad: Fox’s playmaking throughout the game was lacking. While it was great that he scored ten points in the fourth, the fact that Fox only scored nine points in the first three quarters was a leading cause for why the Spurs were struggling.
Grade: B-
Stephon Castle
Better. After a series of iffy outings, Castle was improved against the Blazers. His shot-selection was much better and the result was seven free throw attempts and only one three-point attempt. Castle led the way with nine assists and, as that number suggests, his passing was very good. He was easily the best playmaker on the court for the Spurs. Defensively, Castle was good but we’ve seen him do better on that end.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie authored one of his better outings of his campaign. He had 20 points, ten rebounds and four assists on 4-for-9 shooting from three-point range and 4-for-5 shooting inside of the arc. Defensively, Champagnie was really solid and he added even more value on that end by rebounding. Offensively, he was also a very positive force. Champagnie shot without hesitation, scored on the move, passed the ball well and kept his confidence high. He’s playing really well right now … let’s hope he keeps it rolling.
Grade: A-
Harrison Barnes
Considering Barnes’ recent slump, this performance has to be considered a step in the right direction. While San Antonio would appreciate better three-point shooting from Barnes than 2-for-7, the rest of his outing was good enough. He was 3-for-4 from two-point territory, played with reasonable aggression and efforted on defense.
Grade: B
Luke Kornet
Kornet was pretty darn great — although not quite as great as his stats would suggest. The seven-footer had 23 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and three assists in 31 minutes. He was 10-for-12 from the field and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. Offensively, his energy and relentlessness gave the Spurs life. Defensively, Kornet had five blocks but his performance got dinged for Donovan Clingan going for 24 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. As good as Kornet was on this night, he and Clingan basically cancelled each other out.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
While Johnson played hard once again, his struggles on offense caused the entire bench unit to suffer. He was only 1-for-6 from the field, although he managed to help out a bit on offense by going 3-for-4 at the line. Johnson’s energy can be seen by the fact that he had eight rebounds in 24 minutes — but more production on offense on this night would have really helped matters.
Grade: C
Dylan Harper
Harper had another outing in which he looked like a rookie. Unfortunately, that has been happening a lot more often recently. Harper missed all nine of his two-point attempts — many of which got blocked, altered or were flat. There were a couple silver linings in what was otherwise a forgettable outing for the teenager: he had three assists and no turnovers, he had two blocks and a steal on defense, and Harper kept attacking even when the results were frustrating.
Grade: D+
Kelly Olynyk
The Blazers were leaving Olynyk open and he just couldn’t make them pay. Olynyk missed all five of his three-point attempts. He had good moments on the interior, passed the ball well and made a few plays on defense … but that inability to knock down a perimeter shot was glaring. Olynyk did help the cause though by wisely flopping and flailing at every opportunity.
Grade: C
Lindy Waters III
Waters played six minutes but didn’t move the needle. In fact, he barely did anything at all other than miss a couple shots.
Grade: C-
Carter Bryant
Bryant missed a dunk and a three-pointer. Let’s hope he starts looking more coordinated in the open court because it’s pretty ugly right now.
Grade: C-
Mitch Johnson
This wasn’t an impressive showing for the players or coaches. Johnson pressed a couple buttons but never found a winning combination. The energy was lackluster throughout. The defensive gameplan left open too many shooters. The offensive gameplan lacked imagination.
Grade: D+