On the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs waltzed into Los Angeles and beat a potential first-round playoff opponent. The Spurs beat the Clippers 118-99 without their star player, Victor Wembanyama.
Instead, the team was led by its trio of guards. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have been playing great basketball with and without Wembanyama this season. The trio is one of the big reasons the team is -170 to make the Western Conference Finals on FanDuel. They’ll headline our player grades for the win over the Clippers.
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As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.
Stephon Castle
33 minutes, 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-15 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, +5
Castle went head-to-head with Kawhi Leonard and won. Leonard finished with more points, 24 of them, but Castle won the game and looked comfortable in the matchup. Leonard scored more when Castle wasn’t guarding him, and Castle was still able to score efficiently against one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. He knocked down threes and hit mid-range jumpers. When those shots are falling, he becomes really hard to guard.
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The sophomore guard had a few bad turnovers as the Clippers made a run, but other than that, he was a real leader in the Spurs’ win.
Grade: A-
De’Aaron Fox
29 minutes, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 9-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, +24
Fox always seems to turn it on when Wembanyama misses a game. He’s more assertive with the ball in his hands and takes more chances shooting around the rim. Not only did Fox lead the team in scoring, but he was a catalyst on the defensive end, getting into the opposing ball-handlers’ space and racking up 2 steals. One was a clutch interception as the Clippers threatened to cut the lead to single digits.
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Fox is a stabilizing force and a leader for the team. Thursday night was an example of how his impact could be felt in a playoff series.
Grade: A
Dylan Harper
25 minutes, 19 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-12 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, +11
Harper was locked in after struggling a bit against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. As the Clippers started to come back in the third quarter, Harper shut things down with some emphatic offensive plays. He also hit one of the craziest shots of the season before halftime, catching the ball with just a second left and heaving a half-court shot that swished in.
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This was one of those games where it felt like Harper could get to the rim whenever he wanted to. The Clippers were too small on the perimeter to handle him. He was a big reason the Spurs outscored Los Angeles 66-56 in the paint.
Grade: A-
Julian Champagnie
28 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 5-for-13 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, +17
One thing that will eventually separate Champagnie from other 3&D wings in the NBA is his ability to attack a closeout. Champagnie did most of his damage inside the arc on Thursday. He struggled to hit threes, but got to the rim and scored fairly efficiently. He continues to be one of the best rebounders on the team and had an effective defensive game against LA.
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Grade: B
Luke Kornet
25 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 foul, 2-for-3 shooting, +14
Was that Luke Kornet or baby Jokic out there on Thursday? Kornet was about halfway to a triple-double as he filled in for Wembanyama. He logged 5 assists and had some savvy plays on the offensive glass. It’s so jarring to see even an above-average rim protector replace Wembanyama. You expect every shot to be impacted, but it’s just not the reality for big men who aren’t a once-in-a-generation defender. Still, Kornet had a solid defensive game protecting the paint.
Grade: B
Devin Vassell
29 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 5-for-12 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, +4
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Devin Vassell double-double alert! With rebounds, no less! Vassell looked much more comfortable offensively, knocking down three triples. He grabbed two offensive rebounds as the Spurs pounded the Clippers on the glass 48-38.
Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes
21 minutes, 3 points, 2 assists, 1 block, 1-for-2 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, +11
Barnes was quiet but effective on Thursday. The team didn’t struggle when he was on the floor, but he didn’t make a big impact either. You love to see him knock down a three-pointer. The pressure is now on Barnes, though. He is the eighth Spurs player to average double-digits, and he now sits at 10 exactly. We’ll need to see some double-digit performances in the next five games if San Antonio wants to break the record.
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Grade: C+
Keldon Johnson
27 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +18
KJ also got the Kawhi assignment on Thursday. He did a good job being physical with the Clippers wing, but wasn’t necessarily the Kawhi stopper. Offensively, he was great at getting to the rim and scoring inside. In other words, it was a typical performance from Johnson.
Grade: B
Carter Bryant
10 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, -7
The small-ball center lineup with Bryant was not as effective as it was against Golden State. He made some silly mistakes, including a bad turnover in the first quarter. He did have a great put-back after streaking to the basket on a missed shot.
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Grade: C
Kelly Olynyk
3 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0-for-1 shooting, +/- 0
Olynyk got to play a bit in garbage time. He grabbed a few boards and missed a deep shot. Olynyk also did the classic move of holding the ball until the buzzer sounded, and then taking a shot to not rub it in the other team’s face. He missed that shot, too.
Grade: Incomplete
Harrison Ingram
3 minutes, 2 points, 1 turnover, 1-for-1 shooting, +/- 0
It was nice to see Ingram get rewarded for his time in the G League. The sophomore has been crushing it in Austin. He had a nice driving layup in garbage time. Maybe we’ll see more of Ingram on next year’s team.
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Grade: Incomplete
Bismack Biyombo
3 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, +/- 0
The most Biyombo stat line of all time: 1 rebound, 1 foul. Enough said.
Grade: Incomplete
Jordan McLaughlin
4 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1-for-2 shooting, -2
I love McLaughlin. He’s such a steady fourth guard. He hit a nice-looking floater but couldn’t convert on his second in garbage time.
Grade: Incomplete
Monday’s Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller