Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz – Game #18
Sandro Mamukelashvili played a key role in San Antonio’s win (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs won their fourth ballgame in a row to improve to 10-8 on the season. The Utah Jazz put up a fight but ultimately dropped to 4-13.
Defensively, the Spurs had a lackluster start. By halftime, the game was tied at 66-66. San Antonio’s defense was better in the third quarter but it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the team really locked in. A 10-0 run in the middle of the period punctuated by a pair of Julian Champagnie three-pointers gave the Spurs a 13-point lead and the good guys were able to cost from there.
The 128-115 win wasn’t super impressive considering the opponent but it was certainly good enough to keep the team’s momentum heading in the right direction.
Stats: Spurs at Jazz
Spurs at Jazz – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
It would be difficult to nitpick Wembanyama’s performance. He was great in almost all facets of the game. He was 6-for-14 on three-pointers, 7-for-9 on two-pointers and committed only two turnovers and one foul on his way to 34 points. He had a few really good passes and a handful of great defensive highlights. Wembanyama could have been better on the boards, he could have been more active on defense and he could have been more physical on offense — but, again, his positives far outweighed his negatives.
Grade: A-
Chris Paul
Paul was solid once again. He let his teammates do a lot of the playmaking but he still scored 14 points on efficient shooting while making heady passes and limiting mistakes. Paul also had some really good defensive plays in which he used his toughness and anticipation to blow up a few of Utah’s offensive possessions.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes
While Barnes didn’t have the type of performance that got him named as the Western Conference Player of the Week, he still found ways to aid the cause. He led the team with eight rebounds, five of which were offensive. Barnes had five assists and no turnovers. (Amazingly, he has no turnovers during the four-game winning streak in a total of 127 minutes.) He hit only 2-of-6 shots from the floor and his defense was nothing to write home about — but Barnes was far from a liability on this night.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
Castle had a streaky night at the office but, all in all, he put together yet another impressive performance. Less than two minutes into the game, he had already hit a pair of three-pointers. He also had a stretch later in the game where he was wreaking havoc by driving to the bucket. However, there were other stretches where Castle was making questionable decisions with the ball over and over again. He was also a bit decaffeinated on the defensive end in the first half. But, hell, this kid has been so good that it’s difficult to forget he’s a rookie. The bottom line is Castle was good but he was really close to being great.
Grade: A-
Julian Champagnie
Prior to the fourth quarter, Champagnie hadn’t made much of a tangible impact on the game. He was defending with toughness and was 1-for-3 from downtown — but that was about it. In the final stanza, though, Champagnie made his mark. He was 4-for-6 from three-point range in the fourth as his outside shooting put the Jazz to sleep. He also tallied two rebounds and two steals in the quarter. Champagnie has been streaky but as long as he keeps shooting, it appears likely that he’ll be a positive contributor.
Grade: B+
Blake Wesley
Wesley got the most minutes off the bench of any reserve — and that wasn’t by accident. The speedy guard was an absolute terror on the defensive end. From playing passing lanes to pressuring ball-handlers, he was at times single-handedly providing San Antonio with a defensive identity. Offensively, Wesley was also a plus. He ran the court hard, cut well without the ball and knocked down a three-pointer. It seems like Wesley is beginning to figure out how he can help his team while playing more without the ball than with it.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
The good: Johnson was able to turn the corner a few times and drive to the paint with a healthy dosage of physicality. He had only one turnover and rebounded well. I like that he also shot when open from beyond the three-point line. The bad: Johnson’s three-point stroke looks wonky right now. He’s missing left, right, long and short. Johnson’s playmaking was nearly invisible tonight and his defense left a lot to be desired. Overall, it was simply a clunky outing.
Grade: C-
Tre Jones
Scoring remains an issue for Jones this season. Not only is he failing to put the ball in the basket, he’s also not picking his spots well. To add insult to injury, teams are sagging off of him and he’s still not figuring out how to make opponents pay. To Jones’ credit, he got the team into their sets well and passed the ball with intelligence. His hustle on defense was also a plus. But, yeah, Jones needs to be more of a threat on offense if he wants to remain a key part of this team.
Grade: C
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili seems to be successfully carving out a niche. His energetic ways on defense and in transition are contagious. He had two powerful dunks, a breakaway layup and a buzzer-beating three-pointer in his 12 minutes. Defensively, I thought he held up fairly well and his movement on offense helped keep everything flowing smoothly.
Grade: A-
Zach Collins
Collins did very little in his six minutes of playing time. His most notable play might have been when he needlessly fouled on a rebound attempt. Collins’ lukewarm play caused the coaches to look elsewhere in the second half. It’ll be interesting to see if this will become a theme or if it was simply a result of Collins sleepwalking.
Grade: C-
Charles Bassey
With Collins not showing much of anything, Bassey was the beneficiary of second half minutes. He was far from great but he did better than Collins. Bassey didn’t make much of an impact on defense and he could have done more on offense … but he was playing with a palpable amount of energy. That alone gave him some value on this night.
Grade: C+
Mitch Johnson
It was another really good coaching job by Johnson. I mean, it obviously helps that he could play Wembanyama for 37 minutes but there were a number of wise rotation choices. I loved how he gave Wesley extended minutes and how he actually gave Bassey a chance in the second half. Leaning on Champagnie paid dividends in the fourth quarter. Playcalling-wise, the multitude of ways he got Wembanyama the ball was helpful. Johnson is also showing a lot of trust in Castle, which has helped to quickly turn him into a stud.
Grade: A-