Facing the worst team in the league for the 2nd time in 3 games, the San Antonio Spurs came into this one looking for their 10th road win this year and their first 6 game winstreak since March of 2019.
A sluggish start to the game saw them trailing after the 1st quarter, but an 18-4 run to start the 2nd put the game firmly in San Antonio’s hand, eventually outscoring Washington 43-21 in the period and securing a 20 point lead going into halftime. Washington was able to hang around all throughout the 3rd quarter though and even managed to cut the deficit to single digits a few times in the 4th, but solid defense and a dominant performance from Luke Kornet throughout the period saved the day for San Antonio. Seven players finished in double figures, while three also had double-doubles in the win. Washington meanwhile had five players finish in double figures, led by Bub Carrington’s 21 points.
Observations
- After scoring in single digits in each of the last two games, De’Aaron Fox already had 15 points by the end of the 2nd quarter, finishing the game with a team-high 27 points. The trio of Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper are all capable of really going off and tonight was clearly Fox’s night to lead the troops.
- Castle wasn’t very far behind him though. His willingness to put his head down in the 2nd quarter, putting pressure on the rim and creating FT opportunities for himself and shots for his teammates really launched that first big swing of the game that led to a huge halftime lead for the Spurs. He had a similar impact when Washington was threatening to play spoiler at the beginning of the 4th quarter, just going to the cup and trying to move the chains.
- The guy who really stepped up and played hero in that 4th quarter though was none other than Luke Kornet, who scored 14 of his season-high 20 points in the 4th quarter and managed to stymie the Wizards’ comeback. Memorably, he hauled in a defensive rebound at one point in the 4th and decided to take it coast to coast on the unsuspecting Washington defense, resulting in two FTs. Kornet has been a big reason for the Spurs’ success so far this season, tonight was just another reminder.
- Tonight marked five games in a row off the bench for Victor Wembanyama. Wemby put up a double double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action while also securing his 101st game with a block, finishing the night with 2. He didn’t appear in the 4th quarter though, but thankfully the Spurs were able to hold on for the W down the stretch without him.
- After a career-high 24 against Washington just a few days ago, Dylan Harper was held to just 1 point tonight. A season-low for what’s been an impressive rookie season, Harper still ended up with the second best +/- on the team tonight (+12) behind only Luke Kornet’s +13. Chuck the poor shooting up to an off night.
- It was mentioned on the broadcast that today was World Basketball Day, as the game of basketball was first debuted on this day 134 years by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts. In case you needed anymore reasons to be thankful during this wonderful time of year, there you are!
The Spurs (21-7) are back in action Tuesday night in San Antonio at 7:30 CT for the first of two rematches this week with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
