Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs collapsed in the second half to fall to the Houston Rockets by a score of 111-106. The Spurs scored 39 points in the first quarter and had 70 points by halftime. But, regrettably, the good guys could only muster 36 points in the entire second half.
The Spurs led by as many as 16 points and looked really good for long stretches. Alas, cold shooting and poor execution doomed San Antonio in the fourth quarter.
Stats: Spurs at Rockets
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Spurs at Rockets – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama had recently been a dead-eye from the perimeter. Unfortunately, the tall Frenchman came crashing down to earth in Houston. Wembanyama was 0-for-7 from three-point range and 5-for-21 overall from the field. That level of inefficiency made him a liability on offense, which is something we can almost never say about him. Defensively, Wembanyama wasn’t all that good, either. He finished without a block and lost one-on-one matchups much more often than usual.
Grade: D-
De’Aaron Fox
Fox had a few highlights but, all in all, his performance was underwhelming. He scored 14 points on 15 shots, turned it over three times, didn’t get to the free throw line and was mostly quiet on the defensive end. Fox has the ability to turn it on and off but the Spurs are better when he’s constantly pushing the issue.
Grade: C-
Stephon Castle
Like Wembanyama, Castle had a night at the office that he will want to forget. He was 2-for-8 from three-point land, 3-for-11 from two-point territory and shot only one free throw. Castle turned it over three times and had a number of other close calls. There were some bright spots, though. The second year guard had seven rebounds and a team-high eight assists. His defense was also pretty darn good.
Grade: C
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie came out red hot and gave the Spurs the ability to build a big lead. He finished the first half with six three-pointers. Sadly, he cooled off in the second half. That said, Champagnie still had a really solid outing. He was 8-for-16 from three-point range and his quick trigger forced the Rockets to respect him. Champagnie also had eight rebounds and played above average defense. All told, the Spurs would have been in big trouble if it wasn’t for him scoring 27 points on this night.
Grade: A-
Harrison Barnes
It was another quiet showing for Barnes. He shot well enough from three-point land (2-for-5) but his volume was too low to make a notable impact. Barnes’ overall activity level was higher than usual but San Antonio could use a few breakout games from their veteran starter.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
The good: Johnson led the bench with 12 points. He was 5-for-6 from two-point territory and hit both of his free throws. Johnson also grabbed six rebounds and didn’t turn the ball over. Defensively, Johnson’s individual contributions were better than normal. The bad: Johnson was 0-for-3 from deep and he finished without an assist. With so many players struggling offensively, Johnson could have picked up even more slack.
Grade: B-
Luke Kornet
Kornet was impressive. He looked faster and more athletic than usual. He had a couple thunderous dunks on the way to eight points in 24 minutes. His rebounding was stout, his rim protection was very good and he kept his mistakes to a minimum on both ends. Kornet is proving himself to be a top flight backup center.
Grade: A-
Dylan Harper
I’d classify this as a positive outing for Harper. He missed all three of his three-point attempts but the rest of his performance was solid. He was 4-for-6 from two-point range, dished out five assists and turned it over only once. I was also pretty impressed with his defensive play. In retrospect, Harper likely should have played more minutes.
Grade: B+
Carter Bryant
This was a step in the right direction for Bryant. While he missed a pair of three-pointers, he used his body to finish a pair of gritty buckets right at the rim. I also thought he played a smarter brand of defense than usual.
Grade: B
Mitch Johnson
The Spurs played well in the first half but nothing was working in the second half — and Johnson couldn’t find any answers. Looking back on things, Harper probably should have played more because he was able to make things happen. Forcing Fox to get more involved via targeted playcalling could have been a game-changer.
Grade: C