Welcome to Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 2: After a rough opening week of the season, the Spurs took advantage of an easy schedule against the sinking Kings and Jazz and injured Timberwolves to get right again, going undefeated with Victor Wembanyama absolutely dominating by averaging 36 points per game towin Western Conference Player of the Week.
Week 3: 4-0 (8-2, 3rd in West)
119-97 win vs. Utah Jazz
It was a rare
game where Wemby was not hot, with just 12 points 5-15 shooting, but the Spurs didn’t need him to be in another match-up against the lowly Jazz. He deferred to the hot hands, and they used a balanced attack with all five starters plus Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson scoring in double figures, as well as dominant first and third quarters to put the game away early.
112-111 win vs. Dallas Mavericks
Unlike the week prior, the Mavericks had Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving available this time, and the match-up lived up to the hype. The Spurs dominated the first half and led by as much as 19, but their inability to protect big leads reared its ugly head again as it completely evaporate in the second half, not helped by the Spurs being ice-cold from three (5-36). But, Wemby once again proved he’s on another tier this season with a historic 53-point, 24-rebound, 6-block night to rescue his team from the jaws of defeat (although it would have been easier had he made his last 4 free throws).
124-109 win at Sacramento Kings (NBA Emirates Cup)
In their first Tournament game of the the season, the Spurs made quick work of the cellar-dwelling Kings on the first night of a back-to-back to allow their players to rest in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates (although point-differential does matter in the Cup standings, and the Warriors now lead the group thanks to a 17-point win). Wemby again dominated, with 30 points and 14 rebounds in a quick 26 minutes of work.
125-103 win at Portland Trail Blazers
After a sluggish first half featuring two teams on a back-to-back, poor shooting and a heavy whistle (for a total of 41 first-half free throws), the Spurs exploded in the second half against their first-round opponents from last season. Another dominant Wemby game and 17 threes helped the Spurs get out to a 30-point lead in the third quarter, leaving the Portland crowd in stunned silence and heading for the exists early.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 1 (last week: 4)
OffRtg: 117.2 (5) DefRtg: 107.1 (5) NetRtg: +10.1 (3)
The Spurs’ winning streak is at eight games, over which they’ve ranked in the top three on both ends of the floor. They’re 8-2 for the second straight season, though they have a better point differential than they had through 10 games last year.
Two takeaways
1. Victor Wembanyama scored 52 points (adding 24 rebounds and eight blocks) against the Mavs on Wednesday … with a broken jump shot. After that game, he was 7-for-29 (24%) from mid-range and 12-for-50 (24%) from beyond the arc. But he scored 45 of those 52 points in the restricted area (13-for-16) or at the free throw line (19-for-23), and he may have found his shooting stroke over the weekend. He wasn’t as dominant inside, but made seven of his 12 3-point attempts in Sacramento and Portland.
2. The Spurs’ starting lineup still doesn’t play a ton of minutes; at 10.5 minutes per game, it ranks 13th among lineups that have played at least five games together. It was also outscored by the Kings on Friday. But it’s allowed just 85.8 points per 100 possessions, the best mark among the 22 lineups that have played at least 50 total minutes, and it’s been much better offensively (114.9 scored per 100) than the Spurs were when De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle shared the floor last season.Coming up: The Spurs had the league’s best interconference record last season, going 26-4 in regular-season games (that counted in the standings) against the East. Their first interconference game this season is Wednesday in Chicago, the end of a four-game trip.
Law Murray, The Athletic — 1 (last week: 4)
The slate has been favorable, but the Spurs are doing what they need to do, and that’s win the games and progress accordingly. On that front, Victor Wembanyama is back to reinventing stat lines, so that’s cool.
What is more meaningful is that the Spurs might just wind up keeping this starting lineup that features all four of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell. It’s been working out nicely, with the Spurs outscoring foes by 69 points in the 105 minutes that the five-man starting lineup has been out there together. The three-man lineup of Fox, Castle and Harper specifically has seen the Spurs outscore opponents by 72 points in 113 minutes, with Wembanyama being out there for all of that time.
Tobias Harris (calf) will undoubtedly need a ramping-up period, so he isn’t guaranteed a starting role when he gets healthy. Fox has been efficient, Harper has kept turnovers down and Castle has launched more 3s than ever. The Spurs have Wembanyama, and he more than makes up for the lack of fit perfection when it comes to his co-starters.
Kurt Helin, NBC Sports — 2 (last week: 7)
Unexpected standout: Julian Champagnie. He’s not really an unexpected standout, but is there one on a high-profile team that was in the NBA Finals last June? When Mitch Johnson decided to start three guards — De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper — Julian Champagnie was the odd man out and got pushed to the bench. He’s handling it like a pro, and he’s still producing, shooting 42% from 3, giving them almost 10 points a night, and defending well.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 2 (last week: 4)
Since dropping the first two games of the season, the San Antonio Spurs have rattled off eight straight wins, the longest active win streak in the NBA. However, the combined record of the teams they played during this eight-game span is just 20-26 overall, with six of these wins coming against Dallas, Sacramento, and Utah.
Victor Wembanyama has been on a tear lately, averaging 30.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor over the last week. In the Spurs’ 112-111 win over the Mavs on Wednesday night, Wembanyama recorded 52 points, 24 rebounds, and eight blocks.
Aside from recording career highs in points and rebounds against Dallas, Wemby joined Bob McAdoo as the only other player since 1973 to have at least 50 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocks in a single game. Wembanyama has posted MVP-like numbers and carried the Spurs to the No. 2 spot in the NBA power rankings.
Coming up
- Mon. 11/9 at Phoenix Suns (8:00 PM CT)
- Wed. 11/11 at Chicago Bulls (7:00 PM CT)
- Fri. 11/13 vs. Golden State Warriors (Emirates Cup, 8:30 PM CT)
- Sun. 11/15 at Utah Jazz (4:00 PM CT)
(After 12 of the Spurs’ first 20 games are 8:00 tip-off times or later, I’m looking forward to the Nov. 29 – Jan. 17 stretch, when NONE of them are later than 7:00. My sleep schedule thanks you, NBA.)
Prediction: 4-0 — I doubted and got burned last week (although the Spurs almost made me right with that Dallas game), but I fully believe they’re back now. The only game that should present a challenge (if they keep playing the way they are and don’t relax) is the Warriors, with rookie Yaxel Lendeborg bringing new life to the twilight years of Steph Curry and Draymond Green’s careers. It will likely be a must-win game if the Spurs want to advance in the In-Season Tournament again. (Oh, and if you aren’t tired of the Jazz yet, here they are AGAIN.)
