Keldon Johnson led the Spurs to another victory (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs caught fire early to take a 42-29 lead into the second quarter. While the rest of the game wasn’t too impressive by the good guys, the Spurs were easily able to hold on long enough to notch a 134-119 victory over the lowly Indiana Pacers. San Antonio improved to 53-18 with the win.
Stats: Spurs vs. Pacers
spurs pacers grades
Spurs vs. Pacers – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
While this outing was nothing to write home to Paris about, Wembanyama was dominant in a variety of ways. He totaled six assists and exhibited better than usual court vision. His defense was great — from moving his feet on the perimeter to swatting one of his five blocks. Scoring-wise, Wembanyama wasn’t especially efficient but he still scored 20 points in 26 minutes.
Grade: B-
De’Aaron Fox
It wasn’t the best outing for Fox. He scored only 14 points on 16 field goal attempts. He turned it over a team-high three times. His defense was mostly sleepy. The few bright spots that could be found on this night for Fox include a 2-for-5 showing from three-point territory and him posting a team-high seven assists.
Grade: C-
Dylan Harper
Harper made his first start of his career and things went swimmingly for the rookie. He tied a career-high with 24 points. He was 1-for-4 from three-point range and an applause-worthy 8-for-9 inside of the arc. He also added a perfect 5-for-5 showing from the line. Harper was extra quick getting to the rim and finished with power. The rookie added four rebounds, three assists and, perhaps most impressively, zero turnovers in 28 minutes. Harper’s talent and potential continue to shine bright.
Grade: A
Julian Champagnie
The good: Champagnie was 4-for-5 on twos and 2-for-2 at the charity stripe. He pulled down seven rebounds in 27 minutes to continue what has been a strong rebounding campaign. His passing and defense were also positive attributes. The bad: Champagnie was 0-for-5 on three-pointers. As good as he has become elsewhere, a lot of his value is lost when he isn’t a threat from deep.
Grade: B-
Harrison Barnes
This was definitely an above average outing for Barnes. He had 12 points on eight field goal attempts. He rebounded better than normal, he made the right passes and kept his mistakes to a minimum. If Barnes can heat up before the playoffs, that would improve the depth quite a bit for this ballclub.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson helped his cause for the 2025-26 Sixth Man of the Year award with this showing against the Pacers. He torched the nets for 24 points in 25 minutes by hitting 2-of-3 three-pointers, 8-of-9 two-pointers and both of his freebies. He also had four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers. In the few fleeting moments when it appeared as if Indiana had life, Johnson was there to put an end to that dream.
Grade: A
Luke Kornet
This was one of Kornet’s better performances in a while. Though he’s been quietly struggling lately, he was able to defrost against the Pacers. In 22 minutes, the backup center had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. Perhaps more importantly, Kornet was moving better and he was able to run the court harder. Let’s hope this level of play sticks around against more difficult competition.
Grade: B+
Carter Bryant
While the rookie was sometimes too hesitant on offense and committed more than his share of miscues, there were still positives to take away from Bryant’s play. He had nine rebounds in 21 minutes, he shot well from the field (including 1-for-2 from downtown) and he played high quality defense. Bryant doesn’t seem as energetic as he was a couple weeks ago but he’s clearly improving on a daily basis.
Grade: B
Jordan McLaughlin
McLaughlin had another positive outing. He’s really starting to look like a player who could play some playoff minutes in a pinch. Versus the Pacers, the point guard hit a pair of three-pointers and also totaled three assists and two steals in 18 minutes. McLaughlin’s smart, aggressive play is standing out.
Grade: B+
Lindy Waters III
Waters hit a couple threes to extend his hot shooting. Since the All-Star break, he’s shooting 47.6% from three-point range. On a team built around Wembanyama, the Spurs can never have enough shooting.
Grade: B+
Mitch Johnson
It wasn’t the most impressive win but the Spurs defeated the Pacers by 15 points without anyone on the team playing more than 28 minutes. This game also proved a good opportunity for the rookies to get an extended look.
Grade: B-