Two-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama put up numbers comparable to his lights-out Saturday performance, and after a second quarter lull where Utah briefly possessed the lead, San Antonio put away a depleted
Jazz team with an excellent 35-23 third quarter. The Spurs nearly hit the magical 50/40/90 mark with 56% from the field, 42% from three, and 76% from the line (after two late misses) tonight.
San Antonio’s lone All-Star (for now) Wembanyama (33 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 7-for-12 from three) had another standout evening. Stephon Castle (18 points and 8 assists) bounced back from illness with a solid effort and De’Aaron Fox (14 points and 8 assists) posted very similiar statlines. The rookies made the most of their minutes tonight – Dylan Harper (15 points and 5 assists) resembled a veteran, and Carter Bryant (11 points and 1 block) had perhaps his finest effort of his rookie campaign.
Utah’s Keyonte George (27 points and 6 rebounds) stood out brightest for his squad with veteran Jusuf Nurkic (20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists) in support.
Talented Jazz guard George put up a handful of the Jazz first dozen points. Wembanyama picked up right where he left off from Saturday evening with 13 impactful points with Harrison Barnes being the second most important Spur early on. While the newly minted All-Star Starter’s production was not a surprise, San Antonio did receive seven straight points from Bryant, and that enabled the hosts to leave the first period up eight.
Aside from an Area 51 lob, San Antonio fell asleep at the wheel to start the second and found themselves suddenly trailing after a Kevin Love flurry and two Ace Bailey triples – as part of an 11-0 Utah run. The Spurs, well mostly Wembanyama, answered with an 8-0 salvo of their own. Utah managed to keep things interesting with a double-digit free throw advantage. Harper and Fox’s midrange and paint magic helped the Spurs stay ahead of the Jazz 61-57 heading to the half
Area 51 again took center stage during the third period where San Antonio was able to make a push against the undermanned Jazz. Wembanyama started things off with a pair of threes to push his total to a half-dozen. Castle’s steady playmaking shined to facilitate the lead getting as high as 13. The special Spurs guards (Castle, Harper, and Fox) helped claim a 35-23 third quarter to get San Antonio to 96-80.
Observations
- The All-Star insignia on Wembanyama’s jersey is perfection.
- Short-haired Harper > Longer-haired Harper.
- In the games he’s played against San Antonio, George gets such a favorable whistle.
- Bryant needs to go to shooting school over the summer, but, like he did late in the first quarter, he can use his athleticism to drive at interior defenders to sky over them or draw contact (like Harper came in doing right away). He then, of course, hit a corner three a minute later, and then followed it with a power move through Kyle Filipowski for a lay-up and an impressive dunk.
- Julian Champagnie is a very underrated offensive follow dunk/tip guy.
- The George/Clayton backcourt must be the shortest pair of guards in the league.
- ‘Icing on the Cake’ Sequence: In the first two minutes of the fourth, Fox fed Harper for a two-handed dunk through Nurkic, then moments later, Fox laid one up to Bryant for an emphatic slam to push the Spurs’ lead to 20.
- 100% Sequence of the Game #1: Barnes blocked a George dunk attempt and then drove his defender deep into the paint for a lefty floater midway through the opening stanza.
- Beautiful Game Sequence: Late in the opening frame, the ball ping-ponged from Fox to Harper to Kornet to an awaiting Bryant at the dunker spot for a two-hand slam.
- Sequence of the Game #2: Late in the opening half, and after Luke Kornet turned away a Cody Williams attempt at the rim, Fox skirted through and around the Jazz defenders for a nifty floater.
Game Rundown
The teams were not shy in putting up shots from the tip, with Svi Mykhailiuk (whom I confused briefly with Kevin Love) and George connecting from three. Wembanyama matched the Jazz scoring total (13) by himself, while Barnes encouragingly hit a contested corner three. The offense shriveled up over the next several minutes, but San Antonio maintained a two possession lead. A blocking foul drawn by Bryant (on Love) was overturned after review, but he compiled a corner three, a lay-in, and a dunk afterwards to help the Spurs leave the first up 34-26.
Area 51 struck in the opening minute of the second for a lob. Love hit his second three and spoonfed a diving Jusuf Nurkic for a lay-up to keep Utah within single digits. Ace Bailey’s pair of threes put the Jazz up briefly. Wembanyama put up a pair of threes and ran up his point total past 20. Fox hit a sweet reverse and a stepback three to put the Spurs back up seven. The cool and mild-mannered Champagnie was whistled for a technical on a loose ball foul. Harper channeled his inner Fox with a trio of buckets that resembled Swipa’s shot diet. A Bailey jumper and a questionable foul shot sequence gifted to George brought Utah within four. But after a late three by George was denied, the pesky Jazz went to halftime down four.
Unlike whatever happened with Minnessota the other night, San Antonio grinded out a 7-2 run to start the third period, with a Champagnie three punctuating the solid start. Some strangeness ensued, as Wembanyama was teed up for a flop, and then a foul committed on him by Bailey was challenged and overturned – the final challenge the Jazz could issue this evening. Castle’s freebies put the Spurs up nine briefly. After a brief 6-0 Jazz run, Barnes lofted a perfect lob to Wembanyama, and gutted home an and-1. Castle’s corner three nudged the San Antonio advantage to 12. The Spurs won their first challenge on a Keldon Johnson deflection off of Filipowski. Castle then found Kornet for the gentlest of lob slams. Carter wrestled the ball away from a Jazz player and found a streaking Harper for a transition foul. The Spurs went to the fourth quarter up 16 after a Fox three.
For the Jazz fan’s perspective, please visit SLC Dunk.
San Antonio head east on I-10 for a SEGABABA with Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets tomorrow night at 7:00 PM CDT on NBC / Peacock.
