Out of all of the San Antonio Spurs’ blowout victories over the last month, Wednesday’s 123-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies felt different. It wasn’t too long ago when the Spurs were on the other end of games like this – playing multiple players on 10-day contracts and two-ways. Those were brutal, demoralizing losses that left a large chunk of the fan base clamoring for trades and free agent signings. Going through that experience just a few years ago somehow makes the victory more satisfying.

San Antonio outmatched the undermanned Grizzlies in just about every meaningful aspect of the game. Early in the game, the Spurs had the ball on a string, whipping it around to find not a good shot, but a great one. It was reminiscent of the Big Three-era San Antonio teams. Granted, it was against an incredibly relaxed defense from the Grizzlies, but that is the kind of offense that crushes a team in a meaningless March matchup. San Antonio looked like a team on a mission. One that was having fun and not just going through the motions.

Advertisement

The Spurs are clicking right now. They haven’t lost focus since the All-Star break. They are pushing full steam ahead for the playoffs in April. Games like this are a reminder of how far they have come in a few years. But it’s clear that the team isn’t satisfied with just blowing teams out in March. They are playing for something much bigger.

Takeaways:

Allow me to stand on a bit of a soapbox here. Today, the NBA voted to authorize the league to formally explore potential team expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle. That’s great. Seattle deserves a team. But does the NBA really have a surplus of talent so large it can afford two more teams? Did Memphis look like it was dealing with a surplus of talent? How about the Sacramento Kings? Or the Brooklyn Nets? There are so many teams resting players to tank for a better draft pick (I know the Spurs were here just a few years ago). Can we really afford two more? These blowouts are fun to an extent, but it’s much more enjoyable to watch two teams trying to win, rather than just one.

You get a poster! You get a poster! You get a poster! Stephon Castle annihilated Taylor Hendricks at the rim. GG Jackson put Victor Wembanyama on a poster, and then Wemby got him back the very next possession. Then Julian Champagnie caught a body on a dunk. The third quarter had better highlights than the Dunk Contest!

Wembanyama’s defensive game was MVP tape material. If someone ever doubted how much Wemby’s defense actually changes a game, show them the Grizzlies game. They couldn’t get anywhere near the rim with him in the game. Memphis had just 34 points in the paint on Wednesday. Wemby had 7 blocks. It was one of the best rim protection games of the entire season.

Oh, and to make it even more impressive, Wemby was 2 assists and 2 steals away from a 5×5 game.

Devin Vassell is such a luxury. When the ball swings to him on the perimeter, it feels like it is always going to go in. Plus, he can drive off the bounce and finish at the rim. Having him as the fourth option in the starting lineup makes the Spurs’ offense so deadly.

Dylan Harper continues to impress with his shooting touch. He hit 2 of his 5 three-pointers against the Grizzlies. It feels like we are just scratching the surface of what he can become.