Coming off a tough loss to the Golden State Warriors this past Wednesday, the Spurs took the court Friday for a chance at revenge. This time, it was an NBA Cup game, so more stakes were on the line. After
an ugly first half, both teams were battling back and forth at a higher pace. The entire fourth quarter was filled with huge momentum shifts. Victor Wembanyama pulled off a highlight alley-oop poster on Draymond Green that lit the Frost Bank Center on fire. Except that the referees ruled that the foul occurred on the floor, and the alley-oop did not count. Nonetheless, the Spurs still managed to build a 10-point lead. However, just like on Wednesday, the Spurs could not contain Stephen Curry. After the Warriors managed to make it a one-possession game in the final minutes, both teams converted clutch shots. A pivotal moment late in the game occurred when the Warriors were down by one and had the ball. Steph Curry led a fast break and threw a behind-the-back pass to Jimmy Butler for what looked like a wide-open layup. Wemby proceeded to block Butler’s layup attempt off the glass, and the Spurs had the ball. After De’Aaron Fox missed a midrange jumper, the Warriors corralled the board and handed it to Curry. Curry then drew a foul on Fox and drained both free throws to take a one-point lead. With six seconds on the clock, the Spurs had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Fox took the inbounds pass from beyond half-court and attempted a contested jumper over Gary Payton II. The shot bounced on the rim and out, and the Spurs lost a heartbreaker 109-108.
Victor Wembanyma led the way with a double-double: 26 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four assists, three blocks, and a steal. Vic was determined in the fourth quarter, delivering highlight plays and key buckets when the offense went stagnant. He was also very clutch defensively, but unfortunately, he did not get a touch on the last three offensive possessions. As time goes on, he will learn to demand the ball in late-game situations like the Chicago game.
Caption says it all. Green learns the hard way not to go up with Wemby as he records his 97th consecutive game with a block.
HOW DO YOU DEFEND THIS? Wemby tosses the ball off the glass and slams it down! He has the potential to have the most self-lobs of all time!
Draymond, how many times does Wemby have to teach you this lesson? Wemby rejects Draymond not once, but two more times at the rim!
Even though this bucket did not count (it should’ve), look at the way Vic schools Draymond with the spin and one-handed alley-oop finish! This made the Frost Bank Center explode!
CLUTCH WEMBY DEFENSE! As Golden State was about to about to take the lead with a Butler layup, Wemby came out of nowhere to stuff him on the glass! At this moment, many Spurs fans thought this was the play that almost guaranteed a victory…
De’Aaron Fox dropped a double-double: 24 points and 10 assists to go along with four rebounds, four steals, and a block. De’Aaron was solid through the first three quarters, but late in the fourth, where he’s known to shine in clutch situations, he had a rough couple of possessions. With a few missed midrange jumpers and a turnover, he still had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the shot did not go in. While many Spurs fans hoped for Wemby to get the last shot, some lamented Fox’s resume and did not think it was the worst shot. Regardless, look for De’Aaron to shake off more rust against his former team.
Too open! De’Aaron knocks down the wide-open three early in the first. He was four of eight on threes in the game.
Julian Champagnie dropped 14 points and two rebounds off the bench. Julian looked like one of the only role players to show up for the silver and black. He caught fire in the second half, including knocking down this three in the fourth!
Stephon Castle dropped 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. A somewhat quiet game offensively, Castle had the tough assignment of guarding Curry. Even though the result was not welcomed, the more Steph guards the team’s best players, the more he will become comfortable holding his own on defense.
LOOK OUT BELOW! Steph barrels through and finishes strong with two hands for safety!
Harrison Barnes dropped seven points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Even though he played 28 minutes, HB only attempted five shots. However, one of them was a vintage baseline rim running jam! Get up unc! Look for him to turn it on versus his former team!
Keldon Johnson dropped four points, five rebounds, three assists, and a block. KJ contributed in ways other than scoring, but he also struggled defensively. His heart bleeds silver and black, but it’s also hard not to notice the defensive lapses. Hopefully, the spark plug can plug in the Spurs’ intensity against Sacramento.
Defense to offense! After the Castle steal, Devin Vassell lobs it up to KJ for the alley-oop finish!
Right place, right time. KJ takes the bounce pass from Wemby for the easy finish!
Luke Kornet dropped four points and five boards. While usually a great backup for Wemby, his inability to guard the perimeter makes him almost unplayable against a team like the Warriors. Nonetheless, look for him to continue to shine against teams that lack pick-and-roll defense.
Speaking of P&R, the Castle to Kornet connection is still alive and well!
These were back-to-back tough losses to a playoff-contending (and aging) team. Both games were winnable, but were lost due to careless turnovers and horrid perimeter defense. It was good to see Jeremy Sochan get more playing time, but he cannot be the end-all be-all solution. It’s still only November, but teams that have great shooters will take advantage of this team’s lack of ability to guard the three-point line. For example, if you are Mitch Johnson, you cannot allow this team to play drop coverage against someone like Steph Curry. Nonetheless, there were still exciting moments from this team that had you wanting more. The Frost Bank Center was rocking, and Wemby did not look deterred against an all-world defender. Let this be a lesson and move on.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs take on the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 3:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.
