Stephon Castle shined again for San Antonio (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs got down early and eventually fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a final score of 141-124. The loss dropped San Antonio’s record to 26-36 — the first time all season the Spurs have been ten games below .500.
The Timberwolves scored the game’s first seven points and that set the tone for the evening. Minnesota led 37-29 at the end of the first quarter and the Spurs never really got back into it. They authored half-hearted runs here and there but the Timberwolves were able to cruise to victory.
The Spurs played decently well for long stretches but Minnesota’s hot shooting kept San Antonio at bay. The Timberwolves hit half of their three-pointers (21-for-42) and all but one of their free throws (14-for-15).
Stats: Spurs at Timberwolves
spurs timberwolves grades
Spurs at Timberwolves – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
It was good to see Fox actually knock down some three-pointers. In his previous seven games, he was shooting 16.3% from three-point land. Against Minnesota, he was 4-for-6 from deep and 4-for-6 inside of the arc. While Fox did well scoring with efficiency and limiting his turnovers, his playmaking was missing in action. He also didn’t make a defensive impact.
Grade: B-
Devin Vassell
It was an oddly quiet outing for Vassell. He only shot eight field goal attempts in 33 minutes, even though he was 3-for-5 from three-point range. More aggression and more assertiveness would have helped matters. In better news, Vassell was one of the few Spurs players who played with a noteworthy amount of effort on the defensive end.
Grade: B-
Chris Paul
The good: Paul shot the ball straight on his way to seven points in 25 minutes. He also tallied seven assists without turning the ball over. The bad: Paul was attentive on the defensive end but his lack of height was an issue on a number of possessions.
Grade: B
Harrison Barnes
Barnes did really good work on the offensive end. He scored 15 points and shot well from all distances — including a 5-for-5 showing at the charity stripe. Unfortunately, he gave back a lot of that goodness on the defensive end. He wasn’t physical enough in the paint or quick enough on the perimeter.
Grade: B
Bismack Biyombo
This loss wasn’t on Biyombo. He performed during his 18 minutes of action. He hit all five of his shots from the field. Defensively, his activity level was high. Biyombo could have done a bit better on the boards but otherwise he did what he’s supposed to do.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
Another game, another positive showing from Castle. The rookie scored 20 points in 28 minutes. He missed both of his three-point attempts but helped his efficiency by getting to the line for nine shots. Castle’s physicality, relentlessness and ruggedness when attacking the rim is awesome to watch. He knows how to create lanes and won’t be denied by anyone when he gets going downhill. Castle also passed the ball well and limited his mistakes. Although he deserves applause for what he did rebounding-wise, the rookie’s defense was lackluster. He got caught out of position much more often than usual.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
The good: Johnson was 6-for-7 from two-point range. He timed his attacks well and shared the ball when needed. He gave effort on the boards. The bad: Johnson missed all three of his three-pointers. He was loose with the ball at times (although a couple times it wasn’t really his fault). Defensively, Johnson could have been a lot better. His feet were even slower than usual this evening.
Grade: C
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan didn’t have a very productive night at the office. He had some great possessions on both ends but couldn’t string together the positive moments. Offensively, he was out of sorts. Defensively, Sochan showed flashes but lacked consistency.
Grade: C
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie was 1-for-7 from the field, including four misses from three-point range. He made up for some of the misses on the defensive end but, all told, it was a disappointing 17 minutes. In this two-game road trip, Champagnie finished 1-for-9 from the field in 29 minutes. Ouch.
Grade: C-
Sandro Mamukelashvili
I liked how Mamukelashvili played. He was extremely active from the first moment his shoes hit the hardwood. He was driving, cutting and moving nonstop. Add in a palpable amount of unselfishness and Mamu was a breath of fresh air. His defense wasn’t as wondrous but he still played with enthusiasm on that end too.
Grade: B+
Blake Wesley
Wesley got some real minutes tonight and looked okay. He had some smart passes and used his speed as a weapon. His defense wasn’t nearly as impactful as it was earlier in the season, though.
Grade: B
Jordan McLaughlin
McLaughlin only played in garbage time but his jumper looked smooth.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
Offensively, the Spurs looked like a well-coached team. Defensively, yeah, not so much. Johnson could have done more to find lineups that could hang on that end of the court.
Grade: C-