Coming off a blowout victory against the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs took on the Sacramento Kings for the second I-35 Series game at the Moody Center in Austin, TX. The Spurs started hot with an 11-0 run. However, the Kings crawled back to within four points by the end of the first quarter. Despite the Spurs’ hot scoring, the Kings were able to keep pace and trailed 73-65 at halftime and even took the lead in the third. Little by little, the Spurs rebuilt the lead to 11 after three. An early run in the fourth
put the game away, and the Spurs won 139-122.
Victor Wembanyama led the way with a double-double: 28 points (11-20 FG) and 15 rebounds to go along with six assists, four blocks, and a steal. After a solid outing against the Suns, Wemby turned it up against the Kings. There seemed to be some extra motivation because his childhood friend/teammate, Maxime Raynaud, matched up against him from the start. Nonetheless, Wemby dominated on both ends with multiple dunks and blocks. The All-Star starter will look to continue his MVP campaign against All-Star Jalen Duren on Monday (assuming he ends up playing 65 games).
NOT IN HIS HOUSE! Wemby swats Russell Westbrook’s shot out of the air, and it kickstarts a fast break that results in a bucket for De’Aaron Fox!
FOX TO THE ALIEN! D-Fox finds a cutting Wemby on the lob, and he finishes over DeMar DeRozan!
Wemby dime! Wemby leads the fastbreak and finds a wide-open Carter Bryant, who knocks down the transition three!
EXCUSE ME? Wemby pulls off a between-the-legs Smitty move on Raynaud, and he finishes with a two-handed slam!
WITH THE LEFT! Vic drives into the paint and finishes with the left hand past Precious Achiuwa!
DUNK CONTEST 2027 PARTICIPANT? Vic drives past Raynaud and finishes with a clockwise jam!
Here’s another angle!
Another lob, another Wemby slam! This time, Devin Vassell takes the handoff from Vic, and he fakes his jumpshot into a pass for a wide-open Vic slam!
Stephon Castle dropped 18 points (6-9 FG, 6-8 FT), eight rebounds, three assists, and a block. Since returning from the All-Star break, Steph has shot 70% from the field. His resilience in slashing has also rewarded him with more free throws. Ever since he carried the offensive load for his squad in the Rising Stars Challenge, his shot has slightly improved. The reigning Rookie of the Year will look to continue his hot shooting against a stingy Detroit team and MVP candidate Cade Cunningham.
Here he comes to save the day! After the missed Wemby three, Steph flies in for the putback finish!
De’Aaron Fox dropped 18 points (7-11 FG), five assists, two rebounds, and a steal. After the hot start, D-Fox struggled to take care of the ball as he turned it over four times in the first quarter. Nonetheless, he was still a +8. After the turnover struggles, D-Fox started driving and finding his shot. Anytime he runs a pick-and-roll, the defense most of the time gives him too much space to operate for an open floater or midrange. His P&R with Wemby is deadly, as it gives him even more space to operate. The 2-time All-Star will look to continue to provide the much-needed scoring punch for this young team as the schedule gets tougher.
Another look at the fastbreak kickstarted by Wemby’s huge block: D-Fox plays tough defense on Westbrook and runs the floor for a wide-open layup thanks to Julian Champagnie’s bounce pass from the corner!
PICKPOCKET MASTER! D-Fox picks Keegan Murray’s pocket and finishes on the other end with a wide-open jam!
Keldon Johnson dropped 18 points (6-12 FG, 3-4 3PT, 3-4 FT) and a rebound in 21 minutes off the bench. Even though he was loud and demonstrative, KJ’s 18 was a sneaky 18. While most of the attention was on Wemby, Fox, and Castle, KJ battled early shooting struggles and started splashing home open threes. His willingness to drive into the paint when the team needs him to create offense usually results in a tough bucket. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate will look to continue the silver and black’s spark plug energy off the bench.
Corner Specialist! Keldon knocks down the open three from the corner in front of the Kings’ bench!
Dylan Harper dropped 12 points (5-9 FG), five rebounds, and five assists in 23 minutes off the bench. After showing out in the Rising Stars Challenge with Steph, Dyl continues to showcase his talent as a combo guard. On most teams picking in the lottery, Dyl would be a ROTY candidate and leading the offense. However, his role off the bench has provided much-needed guard play when D-Fox and Steph are on the bench. Instead of leading a lottery/play-in team, he is an important piece to the puzzle for this contending Spurs team.
Cut and slam! After feeding Wemby in the post, Dyl goes to set a slip screen and cuts to the basket to receive a rewarding Wemby pass for the open jam!
Don’t sleep on his hops! Dyl drives in from the corner and finishes with a ferocious slam! The dunk was so astonishing that even Vic couldn’t help but look amazed!
Julian Champagnie dropped eight points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Julian has started games and has come off the bench this season, but for now, it seems that he will start for the rest of the season alongside Devin Vassell at the forward positions. They both have played three positions this season (SG, SF, PF), and both are versatile enough to guard at either position. However, it is worth noting that Julian is taller and a better rebounder. Watch him intercept the pass from Westbrook and sprint to the cup for a poster fastbreak slam over Murray!
Another angle on the slam!
Despite letting the Kings come back in the second, the Spurs kept their hot shooting pace and opened the floodgates in the fourth. For the first time, the Spurs won both of their I-35 games. Also, they have now won 40 games before losing 20, which usually means they are a true contender (91% of the time, championship teams have won 40 games before losing 20). Only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons have met that mark this season, and they are both leading their respective conferences. As mentioned earlier, Detroit awaits the Spurs’ arrival on Monday.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs face a tough test on the road against the Detroit Pistons this Monday at 6:00 P.M. (CST) on Peacock/NBCSN.
