Pandomonium struck the Frost Bank Center on Thursday night. The scene was something out of a playoff series victory. Fans went crazy, and the team crowded around the microphone at center court. San Antonio’s
superstar, Victor Wembanyama, grabbed the mic and made a statement.
“This is years of work for all of us, and now we have the maturity to get wins,” Wembanyama exclaimed.
The Spurs are off to the best start in franchise history after going 5-0 to begin the season. They secured the record with stout defense and clutch shot-making down the stretch in a 107-101 victory against the Miami Heat.
“That’s a 48-minute game every time you play that team,” said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson. “Whenever you go on a run, that gives you a bit of support because you know they are on their way back.”
The Spurs led the Heat by 15 points at the end of the third quarter. Just 4 and a half minutes later, Miami led by 1. It’s been a trend of San Antonio’s season so far – get up big, and blow it at some point in the second half, only to come back and win down the stretch. This game felt a bit different, though.
The Heat came out of the gates aggressively, but the Spurs were ready for it. Miami’s new offensive system cuts down on pick-and-rolls and ramps up on downhill attacks off of swinging passes. The Heat plays physical man-to-man defense, and then comes back on the other end with blitzing speed. To counter that style of play, you need to set your defense, create your own pressure on the perimeter, and have a presence at the rim. That’s largely what led to the Spurs’ success.
San Antonio had 10 steals and scored 19 points off turnovers. When they were able to get easy buckets off steals, the defense could stay set on the other end. Stephon Castle was particularly good at this, getting his hands on Heat passes all night. He finished the game with 4 steals to go along with his 21 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Victor Wembanyama cleaned things up around the rim with his 5 blocks.
Wemby was electric for most of the night, despite playing a season-high 40 minutes. He had 27 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists on top of his monstrous block stats. Every time the Heat would make a run and take control of the game, Wembanyama would be a part of a big defensive play that kick-started the Spurs’ run that regained them the lead.
That was most evident in the third quarter when Johnson put the big man back into the game on short rest, to take advantage of Bam Adebayo heading to the bench for Miami. Adebayo was destroying the Spurs all night, inside and out. He had 31 points and 10 rebounds while knocking down 4 three-pointers. There was a clear difference when he wasn’t on the floor. San Antonio recognized that, and trusted Wemby to play through fatigue. The strategy worked as the Spurs went on a 13-0 run to finish the third quarter, building a 15-point lead.
They lost it almost instantly in the third. Miami switched to a 2-3 zone on defense, which immediately disrupted the Spurs’ rhythm. On the other end, Andrew Wiggins and Simone Fontecchio were a force. Wiggins had 24 points, while Fontecchio hit five of his seven three-pointers on the way to 18 points off the bench.
Once again, the Spurs called on their veterans to close out the game.
“The zone got us on our heels a little bit; we were overthinking and being a bit indecisive,” Johnson said. “Harrison Barnes did a great job of settling (us) in, and then we started making plays.”
Just like he did in their last win over the Toronto Raptors, Barnes hit key shots down the stretch. He nailed a corner three to put San Antonio up six, and then found a soft spot in the zone, getting to the line and converting.
San Antonio sealed the game with its defense. They caused consecutive turnovers, one leading to a Castle three-pointer. Then Wembanyama got a huge block that eventually led to a score on the other end. The dagger came after San Antonio secured an offensive rebound, kicked out to Wembanyama, who then got fouled hard on an offensive drive. He flexed in the Heat’s face as the crowd roared. Despite the physical tax of the game, Wembanyana knew his team was coming away with a victory.
“They play at breakneck speed, so the game didn’t really stop, and it was a physical game,” Johnson said of Wembanyama’s performance. “For him to play through that… I think it’s commendable.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs are slated to get back some help to lighten his load in the coming weeks. Luke Kornet, De’Aaron Fox, and Jeremy Sochan’s return is imminent. San Antonio will see how long this win streak can last as they hit the road for a matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
