Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Washington Wizards – Game #12
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will be out for revenge (Photo via X)
In a game that will be remembered for Victor Wembanyama unfurling a 50-point effort, the San Antonio Spurs rolled past the Washington Wizards by a final score of 139-130. Wembanyama’s 50 points set a new career-high. He also hit a career-high eight three-pointers.
The Spurs and Wizards were actually locked in a close affair until the third quarter. With the score tied 85-85 midway through the period, San Antonio went on a 23-2 run. Washington kept playing hard and tried to rally but San Antonio was able to withstand.
The Spurs are now 6-6 on the season, which has them tied for ninth in the Western Conference.
Stats: Spurs vs. Wizards
Spurs vs. Wizards – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama dropped 50 points on the Wizards — and he made it look easy. About half of his points came from downtown, as he sank 8-of-16 three-point attempts. His jumper looked great and there was very little hesitation. Within the arc, his combination of power and touch was phenomenal. All in all, his decision-making on offense was great and he looked absolutely unstoppable at times. It’s also important to point out that Wembanyama only had one turnover, which is further evidence of his outstanding decision-making. Defensively, he was active on all corners of the court — but sometimes got caught flat-footed when it came time to rebound or challenge shots. But, yeah, this goes down as one of Wembanyama’s best games of his career to date.
Grade: A+
Chris Paul
It was another masterful performance of running the show by Paul. He’s the one who got Wembanyama going early and the pick-and-roll between those two was deadly. Whenever Paul was on the court, the team getting a quality shot felt like a near guarantee. He also scored enough to keep the defense honest. On the other end of the court, Paul was a pest whose physicality was one of the few traits San Antonio could lean on.
Grade: A-
Harrison Barnes
Barnes was rock solid. He played good defense, nailed both of his three-point attempts, did dirty work on the backboard, made the right passes and finished without a turnover in 30 minutes of play. Given his limited touches, no one could ask for much more than what Barnes delivered tonight.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
San Antonio’s first bucket on the night was a Champagnie three-pointer. He hit another one later in the first quarter to help set the tone. Champagnie moved well without the ball and had an itchy trigger finger. Defensively, he did a better in rotations than usual and cleaned up on the glass.
Grade: B+
Stephon Castle
It was a good learning experience for Castle. He was trying hard on defense but the results were mostly negative on this night. It’s safe to say the rookie will figure things out on that end but tonight was all about the growing pains. Offensively, he was pretty good. Add five more assists to his season total and another made three-pointer. Truth be told, his decision-making wasn’t always crisp and he was sloppier with the ball than usual. That said, Castle continues to look really good for a 20-year-old rookie mixing it up in the starting lineup.
Grade: C+
Devin Vassell
Vassell pouring in 17 points in 24 minutes looks good at first blush. However, things weren’t all rainbows and bluebonnets. The bad: Vassell hit 1-for-8 from three-point range. His shot-selection wasn’t the best and he was forcing things too much. The offense was clunkier when he was on the court. Defensively, Vassell is still trying to rediscover a rhythm. In his return, he’s been fine on offense but defense has been an issue. The good: Vassell got to the free throw line, hit 4-of-6 from two-point range and is brimming with confidence even when things aren’t rolling his way. It’ll be nice once he’s free from his minutes restriction.
Grade: C+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson dealt with ups and downs. He was sublime on the boards, as he pulled down multiple contested rebounds among the trees. His passing was better than usual and he kept his mistakes to a minimum. His hard drives to the rim usual ended in positive outcomes. On the other hand, Johnson’s defense suffered various lowlights. He even got pulled from the game after one of his more egregious mistakes. Offensively, Johnson still needs to work on fitting within the system and not rocking the boat when he enters the game.
Grade: B-
Zach Collins
It’s difficult to shine when the dude ahead of you in the rotation drops a 50 piece but Collins quietly had a really fine outing. His passing was excellent; he was hitting cutters with perfect timing. Collins battled on the boards, knocked down a three-pointer and threw his body around. The Wizards had success going right at him at times but it wasn’t for a lack of effort on Collins’ part.
Grade: B+
Blake Wesley
Wesley wasn’t playing on the ball as much today and took advantage of that alignment by attacking the rim with ferocity. He has the speed to score when given a crack of daylight and he realized that tonight. He was finishing with dunks tonight, which is hopefully a tactic he uses more and more as his career advances. Wesley was also disruptive on defense and he could be relied upon to make the right passes on offense.
Grade: A-
Malaki Branham
The bad: Branham’s defense left a lot to be desired. His ball-handling was wonky and his reads were sometimes a beat or two slow. The good: Branham hit 4-of-5 two-pointers to help keep the offense humming. In his return from an ankle injury, he looked bouncy and seemed to be moving well.
Grade: B-
Mitch Johnson
More good stuff from Johnson. He helped get Wembanyama established early on. Johnson was on his troops to push the pace, which really helped the offensive flow. He five-out, space, cut, dish and shoot three-pointers philosophy is working better and better. Johnson even pulled players after bad defensive plays — which isn’t something we had seen much from him previously.
Grade: A-