OffRtg: 118.0 (7) DefRtg: 113.5 (13) NetRtg: +4.5 (10) Tempo: 99.9 (26)
The Spurs are 5-2 with out Victor Wembanyama, having come again from 18 factors down in Denver on Friday to get their greatest win of the season and advance to the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Three takeaways
1. Not surprisingly, the Spurs have taken a step backward (rating 18th) defensively in Wembanyama’s absence. Their weekend video games in Denver and Minnesota had been, statistically, their two worst defensive video games of the season and their opponents have averaged 49.6 factors within the paint per 48 minutes with Wembanyama off the ground, in comparison with simply 33.0 per 48 with him on the ground.
2. However their offense ranks sixth over these final seven video games, with De’Aaron Fox averaging 26.1 factors and seven.1 assists. Devin Vassell went off in Denver, scoring 35 factors on 12-for-17 taking pictures and giving the Spurs the lead for good with two straight 3-pointers (each off feeds from Luke Kornet) with lower than a minute and a half to go. The Nuggets’ 136 factors on 100 possessions was probably the most environment friendly efficiency for a shedding group this season.
3. Dylan Harper returned from a 10-game absence final week and had 17 factors (on 8-for-12 taking pictures) off the bench in Minnesota on Sunday. He and Fox (who didn’t play till after Harper was injured) performed simply seven minutes collectively over his three video games again and the Spurs had been outscored by 4 factors (permitting 18 on 13 defensive possessions) in these minutes.
Developing: The Spurs are in the course of a stretch the place they’re enjoying eight of 9 on the street. The lone dwelling sport is in opposition to the Grizzlies on Tuesday, and so they’ll be at a relaxation drawback the next evening in Orlando.
