At this point in the season, each win has to feel like finding gold. Monday night in Los Angeles wasn’t the prettiest, but it kept the goal alive to snatch the first seed, which would at least give them a seventh game at home against all West opponents in the playoffs. On top of that, Stephon Castle is only in year two, but if he keeps having these types of impressive performances, especially on national TV, he’ll be among the league’s best soon. That could mean more favorable calls from refs.
It
can simply be summarized as a weird night. Players didn’t have the same early juice because Kawhi Leonard wasn’t playing, and it got close in the second half. Still, finding a way to win ugly is what separates the great teams from the good ones. Some of these highlights should help erase the shaky finish from memory.
Think of how many times you’ve seen Victor Wembanyama’s rejection lead to something quickly on the other side. The way Castle dribbled behind his back was sick, and it was the play of the night since Brook Lopez is so much bigger than him. These days, many players would have hoisted a 3-pointer in transition, which wouldn’t have been a bad option, but Castle’s inclination to attack the lane makes him special.
This happened during the Spurs’ tsunami. The lob to Wemby was reminiscent of Randy Moss going down the middle in the end zone because he was just too skilled and talented for everyone else.
Wemby’s isolation that led to an and-one should make those who have seen every minute of his Spurs journey smile. There was once a time when he would bail out much smaller defenders with a jumper, and now he rarely flinches when going at them. Additionally, two years ago, the bump Bennedict Mathurin gave him before the spin may have stopped him from advancing. Lots of teams will be hopeless if their physicality can’t get to him.
This side-step triple is simple, but it was hilarious since Derrick Jones Jr. first committed the sin of biting on a fake, then he somehow thought he could block or disrupt a release point that high. His coaches probably looked at each other, thinking, “How many times do we have to tell him?”
The best part is that Jordan Miller put his head down in disgust. It’s like he was thinking, What are we supposed to do about him?
The clip is too short, but this stemmed from two of Carter Bryan’t offensive rebounds in one possession, one coming off his own missed free throw. His intensity is vital for the team because it inspires others.
I just want to see how many of these in a row the Spurs could do in a quarter.
Darius Garland is twitchy with a quick first step. It says a lot about Castle that he embraces getting on island with him, and in this case, his timing was impeccable.
Devin Vassell was steady and is one of the heroes of the night. This was badly needed as the team got jumped at the start.
Anyone that plays this hard will always find minutes.
How many times have you seen Kevin Durant do that?
Finally, the complete highlights:
