Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors – Game #17
Stephon Castle led the Spurs past the Warriors (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs now have a winning record after a thrilling victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. The win was San Antonio’s third straight and they’re now 9-8 on the season. Coming into the game, the Warriors were the top seed in the Western Conference.
Early on, things went from bad to worse for the good guys. The Spurs trailed 29-17 after the first quarter and the Warriors kept that advantage into the second half. With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, San Antonio was in a 17-point hole. Thankfully, the Spurs captured a modicum of momentum by scoring the final seven points of the period.
In the fourth quarter, the Silver and Black kept battling. Their defense locked in and their offense got rolling. Rookie Stephon Castle tied the game with a driving layup with 4:25 remaining in regulation. After getting a stop, Castle hit a long three-pointer to give the Spurs the lead. Victor Wembanyama followed with a three-pointer (off a Castle assist) to give the Spurs a six-point advantage with 3:15 remaining.
Down the stretch, San Antonio did enough to pull away with a 104-94 victory. Overall, it was a fantastic win. The Spurs played with heart and they were at their best during money time.
Stats: Spurs vs. Warriors
Spurs vs. Warriors – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
I wasn’t especially impressed with Wembanyama in the first three quarters. His shot-selection was questionable, particularly from behind the three-point line. He was uncharacteristically slow to react on the defensive end. In his return from a knee bruise, he wasn’t running up and down the court as swiftly as usual. However, once the fourth quarter rolled around, Wembanyama was excellent. His passing was actually his best attribute. Five of his nine assists were in the final stanza and he put the Warriors to sleep at the end with a series of perfect passes. Wembanyama also had 12 fourth quarter points and his defense was much improved in that final period. In his young career, he seems to be able to elevate his game in crunch time. That bodes well for the future.
Grade: B+
Chris Paul
Paul was solid but not spectacular in his 29 minutes. He had seven assists without turning the ball over and scored nine points primarily by nailing 2-of-4 three-pointers. His decisions were smart and he orchestrated the offense well. Truth be told, though, Paul was having some trouble getting separation from Golden State’s defense. On the other end, the 39-year-old point guard was having some issues because the Warriors were forcing him to switch onto difficult matchups. All in all, Paul’s steady hand was helpful but he wasn’t a leading reason why the Spurs won tonight.
Grade: B
Harrison Barnes
Barnes is starting to figure out his fit in San Antonio’s offense. Against the Warriors, he was deadly when making cuts when Wembanyama had the ball. He’s also spreading the court with quick trigger three-pointers. Barnes finished the night with 22 points and missed only one shot from the field — it’s difficult to get more efficient than that. He also didn’t turn the ball over and he made the right passes. Defensively, Barnes was nothing special but he was competing on that end.
Grade: A-
Stephon Castle
This rookie is so impressive. First of all, Castle’s defense against Curry was marvelous. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a rookie defend Golden State’s superstar that well. Offensively, Castle was pretty awesome. He scored on strong drives, easily dealt with ball-handling duties and simply made a ton of correct reads. My favorite part of his game, however, was how Castle responded after a slow start from three-point range. He missed his first four from deep. Then, the Warriors stopped guarding his three-point attempts and he missed a fifth from long range. But instead of giving up, Castle kept firing and ended up hitting two momentous three-pointers. His final three gave the Spurs the lead for good.
Grade: A
Julian Champagnie
I don’t think Champagnie should make this a habit but he once again found ways to contribute even though he was cold from three-point territory. He hit only 1-of-8 from beyond the arc but was 3-for-3 from two-point range, ran the court well and played some really good defense.
Grade: B-
Tre Jones
Jones’ slow start to his season continues, as he had only two points in 23 minutes. However, like Champagnie, Jones found other ways to contribute. He was a pest on defense, he was super quick to loose balls and he kept the offense humming when he was at the helm. More tangible goodness will eventually be needed but Jones is at least not hurting the team when he’s out there.
Grade: B-
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili kept shooting and eventually hit an important three-pointer. He was very active on the boards and finished with eight rebounds in only 17 minutes. Mamu’s activity opened up space for Wembanyama and other teammates to thrive. Defensively, he was mostly fine. Mamu could have been more efficient but he brought the needed intangibles to this affair.
Grade: B+
Blake Wesley
I liked Wesley’s defense quite a bit. He wasn’t as good as Castle on that end — but he was at least in the same zip code. He chased players at full speed and his switches were timely. Offensively, he hit a three-pointer and did well to drive to the hoop when given a lane. Wesley’s touch in the paint may be slowly but surely improving.
Grade: B+
Malaki Branham
Branham was decent. He helped rescue a few possessions when San Antonio’s offense got stagnant. Efficiency was lacking a bit and his defense was nothing to write home about — but, again, Branham was decent.
Grade: B-
Zach Collins
Other than a slick pass, Collins was pretty darn bad on the offensive end. He was forcing the issue and getting in the way. Defensively, he had a nice block but otherwise looked slow against Golden State’s evermoving offensive attack.
Grade: D
Mitch Johnson
Damn, this guy can coach. The defensive gameplan was outstanding. I liked the playcalling on offense, especially considering he was without Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan. But where Johnson really shined was his rotation. In the fourth quarter, he had the guts to keep Paul on the sidelines and run the offense through Castle. He gave extended minutes to Mamu when his electricity was powering the squad. The way Johnson utilized Wesley really played to his strengths. He also went away from Collins when that wasn’t working. Overall, this was simply a masterful performance by a 37-year-old who will undoubtedly be a full-time head coach in the league at some point soon.
Grade: A