The San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, and still controlled the game in the 112-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. They got contributions up and down the roster to fill in for two of their stars. The Spurs\u2019 bench outscored Portland\u2019s 48-10.<\/p>\n
Keldon Johnson and Carter Bryant were brilliant off the bench in the win and earned some of the top player grades for the Spurs. As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player\u2019s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A \u201cB\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
34 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 10-for-20 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, -3<\/p>\n
Fox kicked things off and closed them out for the Spurs. He scored 10 of his 25 points in the first four minutes of the game. He was a pest on the perimeter and scored easy buckets in transition to keep the Spurs in the game against Portland early. When it looked like the Blazers might make a comeback in the fourth quarter, Fox hit a clutch three to extend the lead to 9. The team never looked back from there.<\/p>\n
This is the type of performance Fox has given all season when Wembanyama sits. He takes over the offense in stretches and is the team\u2019s steadying hand late in the game. Some rough turnovers hold this back from being an A-performance, but it was just the pick-me-up Fox needed before heading into the playoffs.<\/p>\n
33 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-14 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +6<\/p>\n
This may have been Harper\u2019s most impactful defensive game this season. He was all over the court, walling off drives, grabbing steals, and blocking a couple of shots. He contested with the Blazers\u2019 guards all night and made it tough for them to get into a real rhythm. It was the kind of game you\u2019d expect more from Stephon Castle, who missed the game with a knee injury.<\/p>\n
Harper continued to play well offensively by getting two feet into the paint, although he didn\u2019t finish as often against Portland. He did, however, make one of the more impressive step-back threes I\u2019ve seen from him this year.<\/p>\n
27 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 1-for-6 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +6<\/p>\n
What Champagnie didn\u2019t do offensively, he made up for defensively. It was a cold shooting night for Champagnie, whose only basket came on a fast-break dunk. He was impactful defensively, though. Champagnie was just solid on that end against the Blazers\u2019 tough wings. His box score won\u2019t make anyone look twice, but it felt like the Spurs played better when he was on the floor.<\/p>\n
26 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 foul, 5-for-6 shooting, +5<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fair to say that Kornet owns the Trail Blazers. After scoring 20+ in his last game against them, he was a huge difference maker on Wednesday. His paint defense was among the best of the season, as he broke up lobs and contested drivers at the rim. He may have only gotten 5 rebounds, but he impacted the boards by tipping the ball back to the perimeter for his teammates to save the possession.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a Wembanyama-level defensive performance, but there is no way the Spurs win this game without Cool Hand Luke holding it down inside.<\/p>\n
31 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, +\/- 0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t quite the offensive explosion that we have gotten accustomed to in games without Wembanyama, but Vassell was solid against Portland. He hit some difficult shots, including a tough mid-range jumper over the top of Donovan Clingan. Defensively, he chipped in with a few steals.<\/p>\n
27 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +13<\/p>\n
Barnes has been quiet recently. He was a part of the Spurs\u2019 small-ball lineup that crushed the Blazers, which is why his +\/- numbers look so good (more on that later). San Antonio needs him to hit shots in the playoffs if he is going to play major minutes.<\/p>\n
29 minutes, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-for-15 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +13<\/p>\n