OffRtg: 118.1 (6) DefRtg: 112.8 (8) NetRtg: +5.4 (7) Tempo: 101.0 (16)
Victor Wembanyama prevented main injury to his knee in a clumsy fall within the fourth quarter of the Spurs’ win over the Knicks on Wednesday, however he’s missed the final two video games and the Spurs have misplaced three of their final 5.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs’ win over the Knicks was a 134-132 barn burner, that includes a franchise-record 11 3-pointers from Julian Champagnie and an enormous put-back from Luke Kornet. However these final 5 video games (113.5 factors scored per 100 possessions) have nonetheless been their worst stretch of offense this season. Their loss to the Cavs final Monday (by which your complete group made solely seven 3s) was the one time the Spurs have scored lower than a degree per possession, and their loss to the Blazers over the weekend was simply the third time they’ve shot beneath 50% within the paint.
2. The excellent news is that the Spurs’ worst five-game stretch of offense isn’t all that dangerous. Their offense has been at its greatest with Devin Vassell on the ground, and he’s missed the final three video games. They’ve nonetheless seen the league’s fourth greatest leap in factors scored per 100 possessions, and so they’ve scored 119.1 per 100 in De’Aaron Fox’s 602 minutes on the ground with out Wembanyama.
3. With their win over the Knicks on Wednesday, the Spurs are 7-1 (not together with the Emirates NBA Cup remaining) in opposition to the opposite six groups which have received not less than 65% of their video games this season. They’ve scored 124.1 factors per 100 possessions over these eight video games, regardless that three of them got here in opposition to the No. 1 protection of the final 30 years. Seven Spurs have averaged not less than 13 factors in opposition to these different top-seven groups.
Developing: The Spurs’ one loss inside the prime seven within the league was to the Lakers (in L.A. and with Wembanyama) in early November. They avenged that within the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, and assembly No. 3 can be Wednesday, when each groups can be taking part in the second half of back-to-backs. After that, the Spurs will embark on a troublesome, three-game journey that takes them by means of Boston, Minnesota and Oklahoma Metropolis.
