Does this sound familiar? A San Antonio Spurs squad gets contributions up and down the roster, moves the ball well to get open shots, which they nail at a high clip, leading to a big win against one of the best teams in the league. That could describe the Spurs of old, or how the team is playing this year in a true return to form for the franchise. San Antonio once again proved it’s one of the deepest teams in a 130-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
There is likely no better example of the Spurs’ depth than Keldon Johnson. A player who went from a 20-point-per-game scorer to a bench player, often brought up in trade rumors, who now looks like a sixth-man-of-the-year candidate. He was a major difference maker against the Thunder, leading the Spurs in scoring with 25 points.
Johnson hasn’t been known as a sharpshooter for most of his career, but he’s been reliable this season. He’s shooting 39% from three this year. He knocked down 5 deep shots against the Thunder, including a dagger in the fourth quarter that made OKC raise the white flag and empty their bench.
Johnson’s performance only slightly outshone Stephon Castle’s, who had 24 points in the win. He was adept at getting into the paint as usual, but he also took advantage of OKC forgetting about him on the perimeter. Castle is shooting 30.5% from three this year, but was on fire against the Thunder. He made four of his six three-pointers, many of them extending the Spurs’ lead in the fourth quarter.
But this wasn’t a game defined by individual performances. It was a true team effort for the Spurs. Every player was on top of their game on both ends of the court. Offensively, that meant a ton of ball movement and getting easy shots. San Antonio had 34 assists in the game, while the Thunder had only 23.
This play shows what makes the Area 51 duo of Victor Wembanyama and Castle so good. They are both somewhat positionless, thanks to Wemby’s perimeter skills and Castle’s size and strength inside. Wemby can isolate at the high post, wait for the double to come, and dump it off to Castle in the dunker’s spot for an easy flush.
Not only can Castle be the finisher of these plays, but he can set them up, too. He’s shown improvement as a lob thrower this year, especially when tossing them to Luke Kornet. Their pick-and-rolls are so tough to guard with Kornet setting strong screens, and Castle’s ability to get downhill with his athleticism and speed. Kornet was once again impactful without stuffing the stat sheet. He had 8 points, 4 offensive rebounds, and 2 blocks in the win.
There was no better passer on Tuesday night than Dylan Harper. The rookie had one of the most impactful 4-point games you’ll ever see. He had 10 assists and 5 steals to make up for his lack of scoring. He did most of his damage by getting into the paint and then finding open teammates spotting up from three. Here, he deceives the defense, making them think he’s kicking it to Johnson in the corner, instead finding the cutting Julian Champagnie for the one-hand slam.
Harper’s best sequence of the game came in the third quarter. He was great all night at getting in the passing lanes and forcing turnovers. Here, he reads the pass to the corner perfectly and bursts to the other end for the poster slam over Cason Wallace.
Two plays show just how complete a player Wembanyama is. He’s still on a minutes restriction and is coming off the bench, but making a big impact when he enters. He had 12 points in 23 minutes on Tuesday. This step back three came at a crucial part of the fourth quarter when the Spurs started to pull away. But what is really impressive is what happened after this play.
Teams have to respect a 7-foot-5 player hitting step-back threes (crazy). So much so that Wembanyama can draw the entire defense’s attention when he steps back. Watch every OKC defender’s head when Wemby steps back to get open from three. They all stare right at him. That means no one is paying attention to KJ under the rim. Wemby makes the easy pass, and Johnson gets the bucket.
Just a little Mr. 100% clip from Harrison Barnes to cap things off. Barnes was great on Tuesday night, scoring 20 points, including a pair of triples. The Spurs hit 44% of their threes (16-36) on their way to victory.
Now, San Antonio will head to OKC for a Christmas Day rematch with the Thunder, where the defending champs will certainly be looking for revenge. Check out the full highlights from Tuesday night’s game below.