There are good starts… and then there are very good starts. An 18-0 run to begin the game against one of the best offenses in the league qualifies as an outstanding start. The San Antonio Spurs built a 38-14 first-quarter lead over the Golden State Warriors on their way to a 123-85 win.
The Spurs were led in large part by the stellar offensive play of Stephon Castle. The guard is coming off a stretch of bad play, but turned
it around in a major way against the Warriors. Castle had 32 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. He had it going from deep, hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter, and finished the game shooting 5-for-7 from three.
Castle did more than just hit open threes. The Warriors had no answer for his physical, downhill brand of basketball. With Draymond Green attached at Victor Wembanyama’s hip, Castle and the Spurs guards got to the basket with little to no resistance at the rim. San Antonio outscored Golden State 56-to-28 in the paint.
Castle’s passing was on point against the Warriors. He had no turnovers despite having the ball in his hands for a lot of the game. He was particularly effective on the primary and secondary fast breaks, where Golden State was slow to get back.
Castle and Wembanyama had the Area 51 connection working early and often. Wembanyama wasn’t able to get free in the half-court too often with Green playing physical basketball, but San Antonio was able to get him a few lobs out of the pick-and-roll.
It wasn’t just Wembanyama receiving lobs from Castle; he also delivered them. Sometimes it’s easy to take this stuff for granted because of all the amazing things that Wembanyama can do… but this is your 7-foot-5 center dribbling the ball up and throwing an underhand lob to his point guard for a reverse slam. That is versatility in one play! Wembanyama ended the game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks.
To further add insult to injury, the duo did it again just a few minutes later!
Early in the game, the Spurs ran a lot of pick-and-rolls with Wembanyama handling the ball, and their guards setting picks. The Warriors sent doubles at Wembanyama on these plays, making it easy for the guards to slip into the paint and create easy looks. Here, Dylan Harper is able to get to the basket and finish over Golden State’s smaller defenders.
Golden State left the paint essentially wide open all game long. It felt like the Spurs could touch the lane whenever they wanted to. Harper carved up the defense with his tight handle for a nifty finish in the second quarter. Harper had a quiet but efficient game, scoring 9 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Harper also nailed a transition three on one of the most memorable plays of the night. Shortly after the ball went into the basket, Green shoulder-checked Wembanyama into the ground and received a flagrant foul.
Wembanyama finished the game with seemingly no health issues despite the hard hit. He and the rest of the Spurs will get a day off before a rematch with the Utah Jazz on Sunday as they look to win their twelfth game in a row.
