Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Game #24
The losing streak is over for the San Antonio Spurs (Photo via Twitter)
The long, dreary losing streak is over. The San Antonio Spurs snapped their 18-game losing streak by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at the Frost Bank Center. The win improved San Antonio’s record to 4-20 on the season.
The Spurs got up big early and led by as many as 25 points. While every Spurs fan on earth was waiting for yet another collapse, a funny thing happened on the way to another sad ending: San Antonio found answers. Every time the Lakers made a run, the Spurs responded before it was too late. That pattern continued the entire game and the Spurs were able to notch a 129-115 victory.
Overall, it was a great win that the team desperately needed. Numbers-wise, we can point to the Spurs hitting 18-of-42 from three-point range and also limiting their turnovers. But this game was just as much about intangibles. San Antonio exhibited mental toughness and kept competing even when Los Angeles appeared to be on the verge of taking over. Good work — hopefully this is a win the team can build on.
Stats: Spurs vs. Lakers
Spurs vs. Lakers – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama had a strong game against the Lakers. His rebounding was again excellent, his rim protection was very good, his hands were active on defense and his passing was a plus. Perhaps most importantly, his decision-making was sound and he avoided unnecessary risks. When it came to Wembanyama calling his own number, he picked his spots well. There were a few instances where he could have gone up stronger — but, other than that, the rookie did what the Spurs needed in order to end the losing streak.
Grade: A-
Devin Vassell
In Vassell’s previous three games, he was 3-for-25 from three-point land. On Friday night, he busted out of that slump in a big way. Vassell hit five three-pointers on his way to a career-high 36 points. With the Lakers playing zone, his shooting was vital to the Spurs surviving on offense. That said, I thought Vassell’s best work was actually when he drove the ball to the basket. His finishing at the rim was strong and those drives led directly to his 7-for-7 showing at the line. Vassell also handled some playmaking duties while keeping his miscues in check. Defensively, he guarded with better physicality and also rebounded the ball well. All in all, this has to go down as Vassell’s best game of the season.
Grade: A+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson’s numbers don’t look especially notable. However, he played a vital role in this win. In the first half, it was Johnson who got the Spurs going. In fact, all 17 of his points were scored before halftime. He was hitting threes and getting to the cup to get San Antonio’s offense on track. In the second half, his scoring dried up — but he was still helping out, as evidenced by his three assists and zero turnovers in the final two quarters. Johnson was also energetic and communicative on the defensive end.
Grade: B+
Jeremy Sochan
It’d be premature to say that Sochan put an end to his struggles but this was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Defensively, I loved what I saw. He took on the most difficult challenges and did good work. He kept his head up and kept working, even when things weren’t going his way. Offensively, Sochan was solid. His threes weren’t falling (they weren’t even close, to be precise) but he drove the ball hard to the rim to keep the defense honest. Sochan didn’t do much playmaking but he also didn’t make many mistakes.
Grade: B+
Malaki Branham
The Branham point guard experiment looked promising versus the Lakers. He’s not a natural point guard by any means but he’s a better playmaker than advertised. He finished this game with eight assists and no turnovers. As the numbers suggest, he took care of the ball while reliably making the right pass. When it came time to score, he didn’t force anything and hit 2-of-3 from downtown. Defensively, Branham didn’t move the needle a whole lot but he efforted a bit more than normal.
Grade: A-
Cedi Osman
For a second straight game, Osman was the best player off the bench for the good guys. On Friday night, he was really darn good. Defensively, he didn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty. Offensively, his aggression opened doors for himself and others. Osman wasn’t shy to let it fly and was able to chip in with 15 important points. With Osman in attack mode, the Lakers were forced to key in on him — and that allowed him to rack up six assists. Add in his zero turnovers in 25 minutes and this was a mighty fine night at the office for him.
Grade: A
Zach Collins
Other than picking up four fouls in 19 minutes, it’s difficult to pinpoint any weaknesses in Collins’ outing. He led the bench with 16 points and scored inside, outside and at the free throw line. When the Spurs were in trouble on offense, Collins was able to bail them out a handful of times. Defensively, he set the tone with his toughness. His mobility also looked better than usual. To his credit, Collins’ move to the bench has gone about as well as the Spurs could have hoped.
Grade: A-
Doug McDermott
With the Lakers trying to suffocate the Spurs with a zone defense, McDermott coming in and knocking down a pair of three-pointers was really helpful. On defense, the Spurs did a better job of hiding him. The Lakers found it much more difficult to isolate against McDermott compared to Wednesday’s game.
Grade: B
Devonte’ Graham
Tre Jones missed this game due to an illness. Graham filled in for Jones in the rotation — and he was okay-ish. The Lakers respected his three-point shooting, which in itself was valuable. Graham also took care of the basketball and made the correct passes. I wouldn’t say he did anything to put Jones’ spot in the rotation in jeopardy but he held down the fort well enough.
Grade: C+
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie didn’t really do anything other than miss a pair of three-pointers. He needs to find a niche other than being a guy who comes in and attempts contested three-point bombs.
Grade: C-
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili hit a three-pointer in garbage time to enhance the festive environment.
Grade: Inc.
Blake Wesley
Wesley was under control in the final two minutes. For Wesley, that’s noteworthy.
Grade: Inc.
Pop
Finally. I agreed with Pop’s rotation and he did enough to counter the Lakers zone defense. Pop also had a few key playcalls coming out of timeouts that kept the Spurs afloat during times of timidity. Now let’s hope we don’t see another losing streak like that for a long, long time.
Grade: B