Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat – Game #46
Stephon Castle will look to come up big for the Spurs once again (Photo via X)
Playing without Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs gave the Miami Heat a run for their money before losing by the final score of 105-103. The Spurs dropped to 21-25, while the Heat improved to a record of 24-23.
Wembanyama missed the game due to an illness. Despite being without their superstar Frenchman, the Spurs kept it close all game long. Unfortunately, San Antonio’s offense stalled in the fourth quarter. While the Spurs continued to battle, Bam Adebayo hit a buzzer-beating jumper to give the Heat the win.
Overall, the Spurs played pretty well considering that they were without Wembanyama. The fourth quarter offense was ugly at times but the defense in the second half allowed the Spurs to hang in.
Stats: Spurs vs. Heat
Spurs vs. Heat – Final Grades
Devin Vassell
Elevated to the role as the team’s go-to scorer, Vassell mostly struggled. He was 1-for-10 from deep and only got to the free throw line once. To Vassell’s credit, he was 7-for-12 from two-point range, which retained some of his value. He drove to the basket hard and his touch was deft. Vassell didn’t do much playmaking but his defense was better than usual.
Grade: B-
Chris Paul
Paul’s play in the fourth quarter gave San Antonio a shot. Down the stretch, the Spurs were basically riding on his shoulders. Alas, he couldn’t do quite enough. Throughout the game, Paul was playing good defense, passing the ball with smart and making the right decisions on both ends.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes
Barnes posted an efficient 12 points but was quiet in just about every other aspect of the game. His defense was decent but he wasn’t rebounding much. On offense, Barnes stepping into a bigger role would have been appreciated.
Grade: B-
Stephon Castle
Sadly, Castle’s night came to a premature end when he fouled out in the fourth quarter with four and a half minutes remaining. It’s not a coincidence that the Spurs had trouble scoring after he fouled out. He was making things happen on the offensive end while limiting his turnovers. Defensively, he was outstanding against Tyler Herro. Castle has quickly become a player the Spurs can count on to produce. Too bad he wasn’t available late in the fourth period in this one.
Grade: A-
Charles Bassey
Bassey pulled down 15 rebounds and also scored nine points in his start in place of Wembanyama. Those raw numbers look better than his actual play. Defensively, he was too often a step slow. Offensively, he had some good finishes and was a beast on the boards but he too often got in the way.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
In the first half, Johnson was awesome. He had 17 points in only 14 first half minutes. Considering Johnson had 20 points in the first half against the Bucks, it’s an understatement to say he’s been coming out of the gates strong. His three-point shot looks great, he’s driving to the hoop with gusto, and his decisions are fast and clean. Unfortunately, Johnson’s magic was gone after intermission. He did next to nothing in the final two quarters.
Grade: B
Jeremy Sochan
I’m not sure if Sochan is struggling to adjust to a bench role or if he’s still hurting from his back injury but he’s just not playing well right now. He had moments passing the ball against the Heat but scoring was a chore. He was a little better on defense but lacked his usual high amount of energy.
Grade: C
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie didn’t do anything too special in his 17 minutes but he definitely aided the cause. He was hustling much more than usual, he drained a couple three-balls and played stout defense.
Grade: B+
Tre Jones
Jones failed to move the needle. He scored three points and handed out four assists in 14 minutes but the offense was sputtering when he was in and the defense was nothing special.
Grade: C+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili made another strong case that he should be in the rotation. He poured in ten points in ten minutes and his relentless movement on both ends was game-changing. His defense could have been stronger but, all in all, he was unquestionably helping the Spurs more than he was hurting.
Grade: B+
Zach Collins
Collins got some minutes at center but didn’t do a whole lot of good. He had a good pass but his defense was sub par and he picked up a pair of fouls in his eight minutes.
Grade: C
Mitch Johnson
Winning without Wembanyama is difficult for this squad but Johnson and his troops put up an admirable fight. His rotation was fine and the gameplan was solid. More Mamukelashvili and Champagnie probably would have helped matters, though.
Grade: B-