Devin Vassell tried to lift the Spurs against the Pistons (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs saw their three-game winning streak come to an end against the Detroit Pistons. The loss dropped the Spurs to a record of 31-40 on the season.
San Antonio was keeping the game close early on. Unfortunately, a drastic cold spell in the second quarter spelled doom for the good guys. For nearly 11 minutes in the second period, the Spurs went without a field goal. When they finally hit a shot, San Antonio was down by 25 points.
The Spurs showed some life in the second half but could never put together a run to make it a competitive affair. The Pistons ended up strolling to a 122-96 victory.
Stats: Spurs at Pistons
spurs pistons grades
Spurs at Pistons – Final Grades
Devin Vassell
Vassell’s catch-and-shoot jumpers helped keep the Spurs from getting completely annihilated. He had 13 points in each half as he sank half of his 12 three-point attempts. Vassell didn’t do a whole lot of playmaking but his efficient scoring was valuable. Defensively, he was adequate but not as good as he has been recently.
Grade: B+
Stephon Castle
It was the ultimate tale of two halves for Castle against the Pistons. In the first half, he missed all seven of his shots from the field. In the second half, he was 7-for-8 from the field and at times looked like the best player on the court. Castle attacked the rim with smarts and aggression. He also shot six free throws and only turned it over twice. While the rookie only tallied four assists, all four of his assists resulted in three-pointers. Castle’s defense was inconsistent.
Grade: B
Chris Paul
Paul didn’t do a whole lot in his 21 minutes. He could mostly be found standing in the corner waiting for a pass. He only had three assists to go along with his three points. Defensively, Paul was more active and more impactful than usual.
Grade: C-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes had one of his worst shooting nights of the season. He was 1-for-7 from three-point land and 0-for-2 inside the arc. Barnes did make up for his lack of marksmanship by getting to the free throw line, passing better than normal and giving effort on the glass.
Grade: C-
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo had a very Biyombo-like game. He didn’t do much on offense but helped by setting sturdy screens and passing the ball unselfishly. Defensively, he rebounded well and gave effort when protecting the rim. Biyombo played with some clumsiness that disrupted the team’s overall flow.
Grade: C+
Blake Wesley
Things were looking good for Wesley when he hit his first two shots from the field. Sadly, things went south from there. He missed his final five shots from the floor and he failed to tally an assist in 23 minutes. His defensive pressure wasn’t as intense as usual.
Grade: C-
Julian Champagnie
Add Champagnie to the list of shooters who didn’t shoot straight in Detroit. Champagnie missed all six of his three-point attempts. Defensively, he showed signs of life. He rebounded well and kept his hands in the passing lanes.
Grade: C
Keldon Johnson
Johnson didn’t get it going on offense, either. He missed both of his three-point attempts and only had ten points on nine field goal attempts. To his credit, Johnson had a bench-high three assists. Rebounding-wise, he strangely tallied five offensive boards but no defensive boards. His defense, on the whole, left a lot to be desired.
Grade: C-
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili was a breath of fresh air on the offensive end. He hit 3-of-4 three-pointers and moved well with and without the ball. Unfortunately, his defense was quite poor. He had no defensive rebounds, no steals, no blocks and five fouls in 17 minutes.
Grade: C
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan only played 15 minutes and wasn’t able to move the needle. He played some good defense but didn’t aid the cause much on offense. Sochan was 1-for-4 from the field and didn’t have an assist.
Grade: C
Mitch Johnson
I’m not a fan of Biyombo starting. Sochan should be starting in his place. The rest of the rotation was decent enough. I like Wesley getting the extra run. But, yeah, Biyombo starting and playing the third most minutes is highly questionable.
Grade: C-