Stephon Castle lifted the Spurs over the Clippers (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs managed to avoid a letdown by defeating the Kawhi-less Los Angeles Clippers by a final score of 119-115. The Spurs got off to a bad start before finding their footing in the second quarter. The play remained ugly for the good guys for a majority of the contest but the ultimate recently was rarely in doubt. The win moved San Antonio to a record of 50-18, the franchise’s first 50-win season in nearly a decade.
Stats: Spurs at Clippers
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Spurs at Clippers – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama was a menace on the defensive end — even more so than usual. He was moving his feet out on the perimeter, altering shots in the lane and gobbling up defensive rebounds. He finished with four blocks, a steal and countless other deterrents. Offensively, while he didn’t shoot well from three-point land (2-for-9) or do much at the free throw line (1-for-3), he battled and used his athleticism enough inside of the arc to post 21 points on 7-for-11 two-point shooting. All in all this wasn’t an especially great performance by Wembanyama — but he was still a force for good.
Grade: B-
De’Aaron Fox
The good: Fox was 6-for-8 from two-point territory and added value by going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. His passing was pretty good, finishing with six assists in 29 minutes. He efforted at times on defense and managed a pair of blocks along the way. The bad: Fox was 0-for-4 from deep. His defensive intensity wavered and there were definite bouts of sloppiness.
Grade: C+
Stephon Castle
Castle posted a highlight-filled outing that consisted of 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He did a lot of good in this game but his seven offensive rebounds were especially noteworthy. His ruggedness and fearlessness were apparent on both ends. Defensively, he played really hard. Offensively, he drove the lane relentlessly, passed the ball very well, and exhibited a high level of imagination and creativity. Castle is getting damn good, folks.
Grade: A-
Devin Vassell
Vassell had a strong performance. He poured in 20 points in 35 minutes while only needing 11 field goal attempts from the field. That level of efficiency was especially needed on this night when most of the team took turns struggling. Vassell also passed the ball much better than usual, particularly off the move. Defensively is another area where he was better than normal.
Grade: A-
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie was discombobulated for much of the evening. If he wasn’t blowing assignments on defense, he was making bizarre decisions on offense. All told, he had only seven points in 29 minutes while missing all three of his three-pointers. There were some silver linings for Champagnie, however, to be fair. He had eight rebounds, tried hard around the hoop and was a playmaker on defense (two steals and a block).
Grade: C-
Keldon Johnson
It was mostly an inefficient night at the office for Johnson. He needed ten shots to score eight points and led the bench unit with two turnovers. I liked his aggression but there were no whistles in sight on this night. Johnson was able to stay somewhat valuable by rebounding and playing above average defense.
Grade: C-
Carter Bryant
Bryant continues his in-season growth during his rookie campaign. He went to the free throw line a team-high seven times and made six of the freebies. He also authored a couple of his better passes on the season. While Bryant was 0-for-2 from deep, he was a big, physical, athletic presence when attacking the cup. Defensively, he was effective all the way out to the halfcourt line. Rebounding was another plus for the rookie.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes
I mean, this was somewhat of a step in the right direction for Barnes. He hit a couple three-pointers, made a few smart passes and authored a couple of notable plays at key moments. His rebounding was lacking though and his defensive effort was only mediocre. Barnes is teetering on the brink of losing his job in the rotation, it seems.
Grade: B-
Jordan McLaughlin
With Dylan Harper out with a calf injury, McLaughlin got inserted into the rotation. It was a good cameo for the point guard. On his first field goal attempt he swished a three-pointer. He battled on the boards on both ends and had a really heady pass to Wembanyama that led to a dunk. Good showing for McLaughlin and it’s great to see that he’s ready if needed for spot minutes.
Grade: B+
Mason Plumlee
With Luke Kornet sidelined, Plumlee got a crack at some backup center minutes. He was mostly a disappointment. While he pulled down three offensive rebounds in six minutes, he was painfully slow on defense — which led directly to three personal fouls. The Clippers were also not paying much attention to him on the other end. Plumlee is still better than Biyombo, however.
Grade: C-
Mitch Johnson
Playing Wembanyama 34 minutes against a Clippers team that didn’t have Kawhi Leonard was a bit of a disappointment … but it wasn’t all Coach Mitch’s fault. The rotation was otherwise good enough; I especially liked that McLaughlin responded to his minutes. Even more minutes for Bryant would have been appreciated, though.
Grade: C+