I’m not sure which of these stats from last night was most impressive:

(a) Devin Vassell surpasses Bruce Bowen and claims the fourth spot three-pointers made in Spurs franchise history,

(b) Julian Champagnie tallies his third double-double in a row, all on this road trip,

(c) the Spurs won without De’Aaron Fox scoring 20 points,

(d) the Spurs have never lost when Danny Green calls the game, or

(e) the Spurs are better without Victor Wembanyama.

Okay, so that last one is obvious clickbait (which is exactly why I didn’t put it in the headline), but I did find it humorous when the Spurs played Atlanta last week and the narrative was floated that the Hawks were better without Trae Young because of their record. (They were 2-3 with Young and 9-5 without him thus far.) Five games is not a real sample size, but it still made me laugh to think that the same could contemptuously be insinuated regarding Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs went 8-4, 0r .667%, in the first twelve games with Wemby. They are currently 5-1, .833%, while he’s been sidelined. That is truly a testament to the Spurs depth, talent, and ability to step up when any player is out with an injury. And there is no way a team could be better off without Victor Wembanyama.

Devin Vassell hitting seven threes and scoring thirty-five points is part of that dynamic of players stepping up. So is Julian Champagnie pulling double-digit rebounds while scoring in double figures.

And as for De’Aaron Fox, they are not going to all be 20+ scoring nights, but his talent doesn’t end with his shot. Fox had 12 assists creating 32-points for the Spurs. He contributes in so many ways while dictating pace and steering the ship. If he’s not scoring, he’s assuring someone else is.

Finally, of course Danny Green is a good luck charm. The man has three rings from three different teams. He was never the go-to player on a team. He made his own luck, continuing to hussle after being cut from the Cleveland Cavaliers. It wasn’t until his second stint with the Spurs before he really found his footing. Hard work and determination was the cornerstone of Green’s longevity.

He never made an All-Star team. But he was a solid teammate, knew his role and played it well. And he was one heck of a three-point shooter. I, for one, won’t be mad if the Spurs want to bring him in for more games. Good luck charm, check. Great pairing with Jacob Tobey, check. Great at calling games, check.

The Spurs advance to the NBA Cup Quarterfinals and play either December 9th or 10th. Hopefully, they’ll play the latter as they have a game on the 8th, and no one wants to go into an elimination game on the second night of a back to back.

Either way, the Spurs have a game Sunday evening against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. A great chance to play another perennial postseason contender.

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