Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – Game #26
Devin Vassell and the Spurs couldn’t score enough against the Timberwolves (Photo via X)
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been playing suffocating defense lately. The San Antonio Spurs were their latest victim. The Spurs played well in the third quarter but were otherwise dominated by the Timberwolves. At the end, Minnesota improved to 14-11 with a 106-92 victory, while San Antonio dropped to 13-13.
At halftime, the Spurs found themselves in a 52-37 hole. The good guys showed some heart by outscoring the Timberwolves 33-24 in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that momentum didn’t carry over to the fourth period and Minnesota was able to stroll to the win.
All in all, the Spurs can’t be too mad about what happened. They ran into a defensive buzzsaw and that had a poor shooting game on top of it.
Stats: Spurs vs. Timberwolves
Spurs vs. Timberwolves – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
The good: Wembanyama was dominant as a rim protector. He was also very, very good guarding out on the perimeter — especially considering he’s 7-foot-forever. I liked his rebounding and his passing was a definite plus. He also had some strong takes going to the rim. The bad: Wembanyama was inefficient offensively. Specifically, he was only 1-for-7 on threes and turned it over four times. He also picked up needless fouls. Better all-around decision-making on offense would have been helpful.
Grade: B
Chris Paul
Paul ran the show very well. His expert orchestration on that end was even more noticeable when he was off the court because it looked really bad when he was on the bench. I also liked Paul’s fight and moxie on the defensive end. Scoring-wise, he laid an egg. Scoring zero points in 30 minutes didn’t help the cause.
Grade: B-
Harrison Barnes
In a game where the Spurs really struggled behind the three-point arc, Barnes was a breath of fresh air. His shooting from the corners was really helpful, especially when everyone else around him was clanging. Unfortunately, Barnes didn’t do much else. His defense was underwhelming, he was a non-factor on the boards and he wasn’t helping with playmaking. Barnes scoring 17 points in an efficient manner was a plus but he can’t just be a one trick pony.
Grade: B-
Jeremy Sochan
The good: Sochan was a beast in the lane, ran the court well, rebounded like a madman and played with relentless physicality. His playmaking and passing were both better than usual. I liked his defense for the most part — both on the inside and outside. The toughness he played with was palpable. The bad: Sochan not being able to shoot is hurting the spacing. I’m not sure he’s a starter if he can’t shoot at all. He was also sloppy with the ball.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie might have been a bit too confident from three-point range. I like him firing away but he can’t force it if he’s not open. He also wasn’t as willing to drive and cut as he has been recently. Defensively, he was mostly average but sometimes had poor possessions after misses on the other end.
Grade: C
Devin Vassell
Vassell has been due for some misses after a red-hot start to the season — but his play against Minnesota was tough to stomach. Not only was he 0-for-6 from deep and 2-for-11 overall, he literally did nothing else. His defense was as bad as the numbers suggest. There’s really no excuse for Vassell being so blatantly one-dimensional. He’s a better basketball player than that.
Garde: D
Stephon Castle
After missing a game due to a bruised shoulder, Castle returned but found himself in a bench role. It was a struggle. Castle tried to lead the bench unit but only had sporadic success. He shot poorly and was loose with the basketball. He had some really heady passes but those passes were overshadowed by his otherwise clumsy offensive play. His defense was also a step below his normal level.
Grade: D+
Charles Bassey
I liked Bassey’s energy and intensity. Eight points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes is good work. A couple times he got going too fast; slowing down and thinking more would make him a more impactful player.
Grade: B
Blake Wesley
Wesley only played nine minutes but exhibited an exciting amount of playmaking potential. He’s breaking down the defense with speed and then making the right pass. With his play over his last two outings, Wesley is making a strong case for regular minutes.
Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili hit a three-pointer in garbage time. In non-garbage minutes, he did very little. He needs to recapture the electricity he typically plays with — that has been missing lately.
Grade: C-
Malaki Branham
Branham didn’t move the needle during garbage time.
Grade: Inc.
Sidy Cissoko
Cissoko is a jumper away from being a useful player. He’s now 3-for-4 from deep on the season. That’s a start.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
A main reason the Spurs lost was due to poor bench play. Johnson didn’t push the right buttons with his rotation. I liked Castle better with the starters. Vassell could have been used better. In retrospect, Wesley probably should have played more.
Grade: D+