Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Clippers – Game #33
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs in a blowout victory over the Clippers (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Los Angeles Clippers by a final count of 122-86 to improve to 17-16 on the season. With the loss, the Clippers fell to 19-14.
In front of their home fans, the Spurs sprinted to a 31-17 lead after the first quarter. From there, San Antonio simply kept expanding their advantage quarter by quarter. The Spurs led by as many as 41 points in what was ultimately a feel-good blowout win. All in all, the good guys have to be thrilled with how they played.
Stats: Spurs vs. Clippers
Spurs vs. Clippers – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
This was a very encouraging game from Wembanyama. His three-point jumper wasn’t falling so he instead worked extra hard to get quality looks from inside the arc. The result was a glimpse of what Wembanyama can become down the line. He was dominant in the mid-range and in the paint. He got to the line for seven shots in only 26 minutes. His aggression inside also helped him rack up five assists. Offensively, Wembanyama was tough, stubborn and smart. Defensively, he was really good once again. He made few mistakes on either side of the court and was simply dominant.
Grade: A
Devin Vassell
The good: Vassell hit half of his eight two-point attempts. His shot-selection was mostly fine, he limited his miscues and stayed within the team concepts. Defensively, he was more active than usual, as evidenced by his three steals. The bad: Vassell was 0-for-6 from deep. After a red hot start to the season from three-point range, he’s now only at 36.9% for the campaign.
Grade: B
Chris Paul
Paul only played 20 minutes but he was great during that time. First of all, his intensity was palpable on defense. He was more fired up about his efforts on that end than on the offensive end. Paul had nine rebounds, three steals and was totally locked in. Offensively, he was also really good. He had no turnovers while navigating a wise ship. He also shot the ball well while smartly sharing ball-handling duties.
Grade: A-
Jeremy Sochan
Unfortunately, Sochan was sidelined with a back injury after playing only 15 minutes. Hopefully he won’t miss an extended period of time. In those 15 minutes, he played really good defense, was active on the boards and operated with brains on the offensive end. Sochan did a really good job of slowing down and making the right decisions.
Grade: B
Harrison Barnes
Barnes wasn’t spectacular but he was solid. He hit 3-of-4 three-pointers on his way to 11 points. He was more active on the glass than usual and his movements both with and without the ball were vigorous. Defensively, Barnes wasn’t anything special but he avoided errors in most aspects of the game.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
After Castle exited the game, Castle got some extended playing time. The rookie made the most of it. While he missed all three of his three-point attempts, he was 5-for-5 within the arc, got to the line for six attempts and his passing was better than we’ve seen it in a week or two. I also really liked his defense and the overall intelligence he exhibited throughout. This is the version of Castle who looked like a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
Johnson still has work to do on his three-point stroke but otherwise he looked really good against the Clippers. He was a menace on the break and his physicality at the rim was difficult for Los Angeles to handle. I liked his shot-selection and he didn’t rush any of his decisions. Johnson’s defense was better than usual and he was helpful on the boards. When he plays like this, he is a top of the line bench piece.
Grade: A-
Tre Jones
This was another in a long line of similar games from Jones. He’s not really a scoring threat but he runs the team well enough that he’s usually a plus. He pushes the pace, limits mistakes and hustles on defense. Against the Clippers, Jones helped ensure that the bench unit was run properly.
Grade: B
Zach Collins
Collins is apparently the backup center once again. After a poor showing against the Timberwolves, he bounced back with a quality outing versus L.A. His passing stood out as his biggest strength. He was also better on the boards and provided the Spurs with an inside presence.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie came out gunning — and that’s a good thing. The best way for Champagnie to retain his value off the bench is to be a high volume three-point shooter. He didn’t shoot the straightest against the Clippers but he did enough to aid the cause.
Grade: B
Mitch Johnson
Good stuff from Johnson. He had his troops playing stingy defense and unselfish offense. I liked that he gave Castle more minutes after the rookie’s rough performance against the Timberwolves. Johnson also deserves some credit for Wembanyama taking the ball inside early and often.
Grade: A-