Despite not always looking their best, the Spurs rode a huge talent advantage into a wire-to-wire 134-119 blowout win against the Pacers. The absences of Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, who was a late scratch, simply didn’t matter in a game in which Dylan Harper got his first start and looked like a future star and Keldon Johnson led the charge off the bench.
It was a sluggish start for the Spurs, which struggled in the half-court and seemed to be getting too fancy at times, foreshadowing some of
the complacency that would keep them from blowing the game wide open sooner. The lackadaisical play lasted only a couple of minutes, fortunately, as the team realized Indiana had no rim protectors and was too focused on Wembanyama, which opened up the paint for drives. The defense, which was strong throughout except for some issues containing Pascal Siakam, started to create opportunities to run, and the ball moved well. The second unit could have struggled as the Pacers did a great job of keeping Keldon Johnson from catching on the move to drive, but the threes fell, and the lead grew. A balanced attack fueled by transition points gave the home team a 13-point lead after one.
While San Antonio continued to find open looks thanks to great ball movement and drives that collapsed the defense, everything was a slog for the visitors on offense. Still, they refused to go away, mustering enough buckets in one-on-one situations or in the mid-range despite a titanic effort by Wemby, who smothered whoever was in front of him for entire possessions. The chance to run away with it was there, but alas, once again, the Spurs appeared to take their opponent lightly. Wembanyama forced things at times, and the ball didn’t move as crisply. The Pacers’ workmanlike approach kept them in it for a while before their opponent got back on track, but the Spurs just couldn’t close strong. The two-center lineup Mitch Johnson deployed in the last two minutes had its usual struggles to score, and a 21-point lead late was cut to just 13.
While it never seemed like the win was in question, the start of the second half at least suggested that what seemed destined to be a blowout could turn into a close game. Some defensive mistakes by the Silver and Black, along with a general rush on offense that led to missed shots, allowed the Pacers to cut the lead to eight. As always in the night, the Spurs snapped out of their stupor in time to respond, with Wembanyama once again leading the charge on defense while the perimeter players drove relentlessly. Indiana still tried to stick around, and Rick Carlisle gave San Antonio a challenge by deploying Micah Potter at center and trying to take the rim protectors out of the paint, to some degree of success. It wasn’t enough to keep the deficit in single digits, but the visitors were down just 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
There would be no comeback attempt. Despite playing hard and taking advantage of some lapses by the Spurs, the Pacers simply could not come close to matching the talent of their opponent. Wemby finally got going as a scorer and there was no way for the visitors to keep up. There were still some overhelping that led to threes on the other end, but any lack of focus disappeared for San Antonio once the officials made a couple of questionable calls. With the Silver and Black locked in, there was no way for Indiana to chip away at the lead, and with four minutes to go, Mitch Johnson got to clear his bench after securing the 53rd win of the season.
Game notes:
- It wasn’t the best opponent, but Dylan Harper showed the kind of numbers he could put up as a starter. The rookie finished with 24 points on 13 shots to go with four rebounds and three assists. There wasn’t anything the Pacers could do to stop him from getting to the rim. Harper is not in the discussion for Rookie of the Year because of his role, but he’s an elite prospect, as he reminded everyone.
- It was clear that it would be a Keldon Johnson night when he hit his first two three-point attempts after the Pacers managed to keep him from driving. Johnson had scored twice in double digits in the past six games but was aggressive without forcing things and eventually found his way to the rim. He finished with 24 points on 12 shots along with four assists.
- Speaking of assists, with Castle out, others had to create. Eight Spurs had multiple assists, with De’Aaron Fox leading the way with six and Victor Wembanyama narrowly trailing him with six. Wemby and Fox didn’t have the best scoring nights, but they got their teammates involved and got their points in the fourth to close the game out.
- Julian Champagnie missed all his threes but contributed on the boards and scored inside the arc. Harrison Barnes hit a couple of threes and drove a few times on his way to 12 points in eight shots. Carter Bryant was erratic at times on offense, which is to be expected of a rookie, but got nine boards. Keldon already got his flowers. The forwards showed up.
- There was arguably a little too much French Vanilla in this game, but Mitch Johnson was probably trying to give Luke Kornet, who had a great performance, a few more minutes. Kornet had nine points, five offensive rebounds, and four assists, and played his usual solid defense.
- With the recent injuries, Jordan MacLaughlin has been getting minutes and showing he belongs in the NBA. His energy is contagious and he makes few mistakes. Lindy Waters III also got an opportunity with Vassell out and hit a couple of threes. The Spurs are deep at most positions.
Play of the game
Dylan Harper was unstoppable in transition, both showing off his strength and his hops and ability to change directions. The kid is special.
Next game: At Miami Heat on Monday
The Spurs will embark on a three-game road trip when they visit the Heat.
