Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder – Game #59
Stephon Castle had another good game for the Spurs (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs put a lot of points on the board against the Oklahoma City Thunder but the Thunder ultimately outgunned the good guys by a final score of 146-132. The Spurs, who were playing their first game following the Rodeo Road Trip, dropped to 25-34 with the loss. OKC improved their record to 49-11 with the win.
In the first half, the Spurs were on fire in front of their home fans. They were 16-for-26 from three-point land before halftime and led 77-72 at the break. San Antonio’s ball-movement was great and they were knocking down practically every open shot.
Unfortunately, the hot shooting didn’t continue after intermission. The Spurs missed their first 13 three-pointers of the second half as OKC’s offense got hotter and hotter. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder were able to run away with it. The Spurs didn’t hit another three-pointer until garbage time commenced.
All in all, San Antonio put up a good fight in the 146-132 defeat but their defense just wasn’t up to the task of slowing the top team in the Western Conference.
Stats: Spurs at Thunder
Spurs at Thunder – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
Fox was decent but it was a lot of empty calorie play. Scoring 20 points on 18 field goal attempts is less than stellar, to put it kindly. His playmaking wasn’t sharp, although he deserves credit for only turning it over once. Fox gave decent effort on defense but rarely made an impact on that end.
Grade: C
Devin Vassell
Vassell continues to bog down San Antonio’s play. Defensively, there are sporadic bursts of energy but consistency on that side of the ball is missing. Offensively, Vassell continues to struggle with shot-selection and his three-point shot is no longer trustworthy. He didn’t turn the ball over in his 33 minutes but he’s failing to make the game easy for himself or his teammates.
Grade: C-
Chris Paul
Paul’s rate of production was lackluster. He hit both of his shots from the field but he had just six points and six assists in 28 minutes. The Spurs need more from Paul on offense to overcome the points he’s giving up on the defensive end. This version of the 39-year-old is much too passive.
Grade: C
Harrison Barnes
Barnes has a strong case that he was the best of the starters. He shot well from three-point range and played with toughness inside of the arc. His driving was hard-headed and he made the right decisions on the move. Defense wasn’t as successful for Barnes. One rebound in 29 minutes isn’t enough, especially when the rest of his defensive play was mediocre at best.
Grade: B-
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo wasn’t bad but he didn’t move the needle much in the positive direction. He struggled to slow the Thunder at all on the defensive end. Offensively, OKC ignored him and Biyombo was rarely able to make the Thunder pay.
Grade: C
Stephon Castle
Unquestionably, the silver lining for the Spurs was Castle’s play. The rookie put on a show. He scored a team-high 32 points in 32 minutes. Castle shot it well from distance, was very difficult to stop when going to the paint and played at a veteran’s pace. His passing was a little bit looser than usual but he had a handful of solid looks. Defensively, he gave really good effort but he struggled to make much of a difference on that end. Then again, when the other team puts 146 points on the board, that means that everyone was having issues on that end.
Grade: A-
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan was stout. He put 17 efficient points on the scoreboard while also making a lot of heady passes. He could have limited his offensive mistakes, however. Defensively, Sochan was efforting but he could have done more rebounding-wise and he could have done a better job of staying in front of drivers.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
Johnson did pretty good against Oklahoma City given the situations he found himself in. He got in quick foul trouble but was able to stay in the game. The Thunder were paying him a lot of attention but Johnson adjusted by passing more. His defense wasn’t anything too special but he did well on the boards. Johnson wasn’t great but he did enough to confirm that his hot streak continues.
Grade: B+
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie’s evening will be remembered for the fact that he got ejected following a mild dustup. Getting tossed was a shame because Champagnie was actually playing really well. He was knocking down shots, making the right reads and playing acceptable defense. The Spurs lost one of their best players on this night when Champagnie got the ol’ heave-ho.
Grade: B+
Mitch Johnson
Uh, it’s getting painfully obvious that the starting five isn’t working. Johnson most likely needs to switch things up sooner rather than later. The bench is playing pretty well right now but the starters are making it nearly impossible to win.
Grade: C-