On the second evening of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs waltzed into Los Angeles and beat a possible first-round playoff opponent. The Spurs beat the Clippers 118-99 with out their star participant, Victor Wembanyama.
As a substitute, the workforce was led by its trio of guards. De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Citadel, and Dylan Harper have been enjoying nice basketball with and with out Wembanyama this season. The trio is among the massive causes the workforce is -170 to make the Western Convention Finals on FanDuel. They’ll headline our participant grades for the win over the Clippers.
As a fast reminder, these grades are based mostly on every participant’s on-court efficiency, going past simply the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the typical efficiency for a person. If a participant logs fewer than 5 minutes or performs solely in rubbish time, their grade will probably be incomplete.
33 minutes, 20 factors, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-15 capturing, 3-for-5 threes, +5
Citadel went head-to-head with Kawhi Leonard and received. Leonard completed with extra factors, 24 of them, however Citadel received the sport and regarded comfy within the matchup. Leonard scored extra when Citadel wasn’t guarding him, and Citadel was nonetheless in a position to rating effectively in opposition to one of many league’s premier perimeter defenders. He knocked down threes and hit mid-range jumpers. When these photographs are falling, he turns into actually laborious to protect.
The sophomore guard had a number of dangerous turnovers because the Clippers made a run, however apart from that, he was an actual chief within the Spurs’ win.
29 minutes, 22 factors, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 9-for-13 capturing, 1-for-4 threes, +24
Fox at all times appears to show it on when Wembanyama misses a recreation. He’s extra assertive with the ball in his arms and takes extra possibilities capturing across the rim. Not solely did Fox lead the workforce in scoring, however he was a catalyst on the defensive finish, moving into the opposing ball-handlers’ house and racking up 2 steals. One was a clutch interception because the Clippers threatened to chop the result in single digits.
Fox is a stabilizing power and a frontrunner for the workforce. Thursday evening was an instance of how his impression could possibly be felt in a playoff collection.
25 minutes, 19 factors, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8-for-12 capturing, 2-for-3 threes, +11
Harper was locked in after struggling a bit in opposition to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Because the Clippers began to return again within the third quarter, Harper shut issues down with some emphatic offensive performs. He additionally hit one of many craziest photographs of the season earlier than halftime, catching the ball with only a second left and heaving a half-court shot that swished in.
This was a kind of video games the place it felt like Harper may get to the rim each time he wished to. The Clippers have been too small on the perimeter to deal with him. He was a giant cause the Spurs outscored Los Angeles 66-56 within the paint.
28 minutes, 13 factors, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 5-for-13 capturing, 1-for-6 threes, +17
One factor that may ultimately separate Champagnie from different 3&D wings within the NBA is his means to assault a closeout. Champagnie did most of his harm contained in the arc on Thursday. He struggled to hit threes, however obtained to the rim and scored pretty effectively. He continues to be among the best rebounders on the workforce and had an efficient defensive recreation in opposition to LA.
25 minutes, 8 factors, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 foul, 2-for-3 capturing, +14
Was that Luke Kornet or child Jokic on the market on Thursday? Kornet was about midway to a triple-double as he stuffed in for Wembanyama. He logged 5 assists and had some savvy performs on the offensive glass. It’s so jarring to see even an above-average rim protector change Wembanyama. You anticipate each shot to be impacted, however it’s simply not the truth for giant males who aren’t a once-in-a-generation defender. Nonetheless, Kornet had a stable defensive recreation defending the paint.
29 minutes, 14 factors, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 5-for-12 capturing, 3-for-8 threes, +4
Devin Vassell double-double alert! With rebounds, no much less! Vassell regarded way more comfy offensively, pulling down three triples. He grabbed two offensive rebounds because the Spurs pounded the Clippers on the glass 48-38.
21 minutes, 3 factors, 2 assists, 1 block, 1-for-2 capturing, 1-for-1 threes, +11
Barnes was quiet however efficient on Thursday. The workforce didn’t wrestle when he was on the ground, however he didn’t make a huge impact both. You like to see him knock down a three-pointer. The strain is now on Barnes, although. He’s the eighth Spurs participant to common double-digits, and he now sits at 10 precisely. We’ll must see some double-digit performances within the subsequent 5 video games if San Antonio needs to interrupt the report.
27 minutes, 13 factors, 6 rebounds, 1 help, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 6-for-11 capturing, 1-for-2 threes, +18
KJ additionally obtained the Kawhi project on Thursday. He did job being bodily with the Clippers wing, however wasn’t essentially the Kawhi stopper. Offensively, he was nice at attending to the rim and scoring inside. In different phrases, it was a typical efficiency from Johnson.
10 minutes, 2 factors, 1 rebound, 1 help, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 capturing, 0-for-1 threes, -7
The small-ball heart lineup with Bryant was not as efficient because it was in opposition to Golden State. He made some foolish errors, together with a nasty turnover within the first quarter. He did have an incredible put-back after streaking to the basket on a missed shot.
3 minutes, 0 factors, 2 rebounds, 0-for-1 capturing, +/- 0
Olynyk obtained to play a bit in rubbish time. He grabbed a number of boards and missed a deep shot. Olynyk additionally did the basic transfer of holding the ball till the buzzer sounded, after which taking a shot to not rub it within the different workforce’s face. He missed that shot, too.
3 minutes, 2 factors, 1 turnover, 1-for-1 capturing, +/- 0
It was good to see Ingram get rewarded for his time within the G League. The sophomore has been crushing it in Austin. He had a pleasant driving layup in rubbish time. Possibly we’ll see extra of Ingram on subsequent 12 months’s workforce.
3 minutes, 0 factors, 1 rebound, 1 foul, +/- 0
Essentially the most Biyombo stat line of all time: 1 rebound, 1 foul. Sufficient stated.
4 minutes, 2 factors, 1 help, 1 steal, 1-for-2 capturing, -2
I really like McLaughlin. He’s such a gradual fourth guard. He hit a nice-looking floater however couldn’t convert on his second in rubbish time.
Monday’s Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller
