Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Orlando Magic – Game #50
Harrison Barnes was on fire early against the Magic (Photo via X)
For the second consecutive night, the San Antonio Spurs lost by one point on the Rodeo Road Trip. Their latest one-point defeat came at the hands of the Orlando Magic.
The game was very close in the first half. In the third quarter, the Spurs were able to build a 13-point advantage. San Antonio kept the lead into the fourth quarter. With three and a half minutes remaining, the Spurs were up by seven points.
Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. The Magic hit a pair of three-pointers to spark an 8-0 run to grab the lead. After Victor Wembanyama hit a clutch jumper with 1:15 remaining to give the lead back to the Spurs, Paolo Banchero put Orlando back up with a midrange jumper with 25 seconds to go. Wembanyama had a chance to play hero but he missed his own midrange jumper with timing winding down.
San Antonio’s 112-111 loss was definitely disheartening. The Spurs had a chance to secure a solid road win but they let it slip through their fingers.
Stats: Spurs at Magic
Magic at Spurs – Final Stats
Victor Wembanyama
Defensively, Wembanyama did enough for the Spurs to win. He totaled nine boards, four steals and four blocks in 31 minutes, all while committing only one foul. Offensively, Wembanyama could have done more. While he did go to the line eight times and hand out four assists, he only shot the ball 11 times. Add in his 1-for-6 shooting from three-point land and his four turnovers and it’s fair to say the Frenchman let down his teammates on this night. He’s the team’s go-to player — he has to be more demonstrative on the offensive end.
Grade: C-
De’Aaron Fox
This was the first time Fox struggled in a Spurs uniform. He turned it over a team-high five times and was only 3-for-11 from the field. He hesitated too much, didn’t look totally comfortable and his decision-making was iffy. That said, there were some positives for Fox. He handed out nine assists, six of which led to three-pointers. He also played reasonably good defense for the duration of the contest.
Grade: C
Devin Vassell
The silver lining to this defeat was Vassell’s play. He scored a team-high 25 points and shot 11-for-14 from the field, including 3-of-4 from deep. His shot-selection was very good and he remained within the framework of the team. He also passed it well, finished without a turnover and gave good effort on defense. If Vassell is going to be a long-term fit on this team, this is the type of basketball he needs to play.
Grade: A
Chris Paul
It was an interesting game for Paul. Most notably, he was on the bench for most of crunch time. We’ll see if that becomes a pattern now that the Spurs have Fox to lean on. During his 27 minutes on the court, he was decent. Paul had five assists and hit all three of his two-point attempts, however he missed all three of his three-point attempts and sometimes struggled on the defensive end. We’ll see if this was just a bump in the road or if this turns out to be a sign that the Spurs are moving away from relying on Paul.
Grade: C
Harrison Barnes
Barnes was single-handedly responsible for the Spurs getting off to a strong start. In the first quarter, he hit six consecutive three-pointers to get San Antonio going. While he went silent during the middle of the game, Barnes hit a seventh three-point during a key part of the fourth quarter. Beyond his three-point marksmanship, Barnes rebounded well and limited his mistakes. His defense, though, was hit-or-miss the majority of the evening.
Grade: A-
Stephon Castle
Even though Castle has now shifted to a bench role, he continues to produce at a high level. Against the Magic, I especially loved his effort on the defensive end. He took on difficult matchups and looked awesome. Offensively, he did well. There were a few misses he should have converted but otherwise he was a force. He shot seven free throws, utilized his athleticism and strength to his advantage, and authored a few slick passes. Castle also didn’t commit a turnover or a foul in his 29 minutes. The rookie’s potential looks really high right now.
Grade: B+
Jeremy Sochan
The good: Sochan was 3-for-5 from the field, including a make from downtown. He passed the ball well and blocked a couple shots. The bad: Sochan failed to grab a defensive rebound, he was sloppy with the ball and sometimes got in the way. Additionally, he had four personal fouls and a technical foul in his 19 minutes of play.
Grade: C
Keldon Johnson
Johnson played his role really well. He supplied the Spurs with ten efficient points. He drove hard, hit a three and was conscientious on the glass. Johnson’s defense was also slightly better than usual.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
Statistically, there’s not much evidence that Champagnie was in the game for 13 minutes — but he did pretty well. His hustle was noteworthy and he didn’t pass up shots … he just wasn’t getting any open looks.
Grade: B-
Mitch Johnson
More quality touches and more quality looks for Wembanyama is a must. That has to be priority number one. Outside of that, I did like that the interim head coach went with Castle over Paul at the end. The rookie deserved it and it’s good for his development.
Grade: C+