Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers – Game #79
Devin Vassell came up short against the Clippers (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs dropped a road game on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 122-117 loss has the Spurs sitting with a record of 32-47, while the Clippers improved to 47-32.
The Spurs kept it close in the first half. After both the first quarter and the second quarter, the Clippers only led by two points. The third quarter was dominated by Los Angeles. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs made a couple runs but ultimately ran out of time.
While the game wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate, the Spurs played well given the circumstances and made L.A. gut it out.
Stats: Spurs at Clippers
Spurs at Clippers – Final Grades
Devin Vassell
Vassell was uncharacteristically quiet against the Clippers. It took him a while to get started and even after he got started, he never got going. Vassell was 1-for-5 from three-point land and only attempted three two-pointers. He also had more turnovers (3) than assists (2). Vassell showed signs of life on the defensive end but, all in all, he didn’t do enough for the Spurs to truly compete on the road.
Grade: C-
Stephon Castle
Castle picked his spots well shooting-wise. He was 5-for-7 from the field but was able to put 19 points on the board by going 8-for-12 from the free throw line. I liked his shot-selection and his toughness going to the rim. Castle’s passing was excellent. He displayed expansive court vision and delivered passes on the mark. Unfortunately, the rookie gave away some of his value by turning the ball over four times, not giving much effort on the boards and standing around too much on defense.
Grade: B
Chris Paul
It was a strange outing for Paul. He aggressively looked for his shots but his playmaking was limited. He had only three assists to go with three turnovers. To be fair, though, part of that was due to how the Clippers were defending him. L.A. laid off of Paul and wanted him to shoot — and he did. Defensively, the veteran PG rarely made a positive impact.
Grade: C-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes put together another magnificent shooting night. He was 6-for-8 from three-point range, 2-for-2 from two-point range and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. His 24 points kept the Spurs afloat and helped make the starters look like a capable unit. I also really liked Barnes’ defensive effort. He had a team-high three steals and could be found making a hustle play or running the court. His effort on the boards was also noteworthy.
Grade: A
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo played hard. He efforted on the boards and tried to hold down the fort on the interior. However, considering that Ivica Zubac had 24 points and 20 rebounds for the Clippers, it’s difficult to say Biyombo was successful on the defensive end. Offensively, he had a couple good plays but was more in the way than he was a legitimate force for good.
Grade: C+
Blake Wesley
Wesley hasn’t been asked to make plays much recently but he reminded everyone that he’s able to do just that. In 23 minutes, he had seven assists and no turnovers. He utilized his speed to create daylight for his teammates and he delivered timely passes. Scoring-wise, Wesley was fine. He had a couple dunks and looked better than usual at turning the corner and getting all the way to the rim.
Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili scored eight points in 23 minutes but it was mostly a night to forget for the big man. He didn’t shoot especially well but where he really let the team down was on the defensive end. He was anemic on the boards and he couldn’t hang on the perimeter or on the interior. Mamu’s feet were extra slow and he lacked the necessary amount of physicality in the paint.
Grade: D+
Keldon Johnson
The good: Johnson had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. He missed only one two-point attempt and only turned it over once. He also led the reserve unit with six rebounds. The bad: Johnson’s passing was really bad. He missed open teammates on multiple occasions. Even when he made a pass, it was usually slow. Defensively, Johnson also left a lot to be desired.
Grade: C-
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie is another player who will want to forget this outing. He was 2-for-7 from three-point land and missed a couple of easy shots inside of the arc. Defensively, Champagnie wasn’t terrible but he wasn’t able to make up for the points he gave away on the offensive end.
Grade: C
Malaki Branham
Branham continues to make a case for an expanded role. While he only played in garbage time, it’s worth noting that he had nine points in just four minutes. His shot looks smooth right now and he’s scoring with craft on drives to the rim.
Grade: Inc.
Jordan McLaughlin
McLaughlin looks like he’ll make every open three-pointer right now.
Grade: Inc.
David Duke Jr.
Duke hit a difficult three-pointer late to make the score look respectable.
Grade: Inc.
Harrison Ingram
Ingram didn’t shoot but he passed the eye-test on the defensive end out on the perimeter.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
I didn’t mind the rotation. Perhaps Branham deserves real minutes — but that’s about it. Overall, Johnson had his players competing against a playoff team. Not bad.
Grade: B