De’Aaron Fox got the Spurs off to a hot start (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs crushed the Miami Heat by a final score of 136-111 to improve to a record of 54-18. The Spurs led 76-58 at halftime and then cruised to the easy victory in the second half. Victor Wembanyama and co. put on another very impressive display.
Stats: Spurs at Heat
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Spurs at Heat – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
It was another MVP-caliber performance by Wembanyama. The only part of the game where he didn’t thrive was three-point shooting. Otherwise, he was nearly flawless. Wembanyama was 10-for-15 from two-point range. He ran the court hard, made aggressive moves and exhibited pristine touch on his way to 26 points in 26 minutes. Defensively, he was even better. He dominated on the boards and blocked five shots. Wembanyama made Bam disappear while shutting down anyone who dared to enter his radius. Damn, he’s so good.
Grade: A
De’Aaron Fox
Fox got the Spurs off on the right foot. In the first quarter, he scored ten points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. The Heat had no match for his quick-twitch attacks. After the first, though, Fox went into cruise mode. He made only one more shot the rest of the way — although he did total five assists in his final 19 minutes on the court. All in all, his fast start was valuable enough to mostly ignore his sleepy final three quarters.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
The good: Castle dominated the first half, posting 13 points, six rebounds and six assists in only 15 minutes. There were stretches where he looked like the best human on the court. For the game, he hit half of his four three-point attempts and nine of his ten freebies. Castle was also a plus on the defensive end. The bad: Castle didn’t do much in the second half. He was also much sloppier than normal, as evidenced by his team-high four turnovers.
Grade: B+
Devin Vassell
Vassell made a number of high-quality passes. His shot-selection was a lot more timid than usual, which was the main reason why he scored only six points in 21 minutes. Defensively, Vassell mostly did a good job. The stats are nothing to write home about be he did a decent-ish job in Miami.
Grade: B-
Julian Champagnie
Much like Vassell, Champagnie didn’t get much going from the perimeter. He was 0-for-3 from deep and only scored due to a slick pass from Wembanyama and a technical free throw. Otherwise, Champagnie rebounded well and defended well — but that was about the extent of his contributions.
Grade: C+
Dylan Harper
Even though he was back to the bench after starting his first game of his career, Harper scored 20-plus points for the second consecutive contest. He was 6-for-9 on twos and 3-for-5 on threes. He turned the ball over just one time while posting six assists, four rebounds and a pair of exciting blocks. Harper is taking his time offensively and has been amazingly destructive. The rookie has been so good lately it’s almost scary.
Grade: A
Keldon Johnson
The Sixth Man of the Year candidate proved once again he would be a good choice for that award. He poured in 21 points in 24 minutes on impressive efficiency. He hit three triples, four free throws and turned it over only once. Johnson also added rebounding and better than normal defense.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes
Hey, man, if Barnes can get going … that’d be something. Against the Heat, he was 4-for-7 from three-point territory — and a couple of those shots were legitimately difficult. Defensively, Barnes showed life. On both sides of the court, his movements were quicker and his decision-making was better.
Grade: B+
Luke Kornet
Kornet is another veteran who seems to be trending toward improved play. While he was only 1-for-4 from the field, he had eight rebounds in 19 minutes. He also went 3-for-4 at the free throw line and was faster up and down the court than usual. In terms of defending the rim, Kornet was back to being elite in that category.
Grade: B
Carter Bryant
The good: Bryant was 3-for-3 inside of the arc. He pulled down eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Bryant now has 17 rebounds in his last 39 minutes. The rookie also tied his career-high with three assists. The bad: Bryant was 0-for-3 outside of the arc. He also turned it over three times. Overall, the rookie’s decision-making hasn’t been crisp in recent games.
Grade: B-
Mitch Johnson
It was another impressive win for the Spurs against a playoff team on the road. Coach Mitch limited the minutes for the vets while also giving extra time to the rookies. The gameplans on both ends were great. No complaints.
Grade: A