The Spurs secured their first road win of the season in their visit to Utah, outgunning the home team en route to a 106-88 final score. A historic night by Victor Wembanyama and a fantastic performance from Chris Paul fueled San Antonio to a second-half comeback in the second game of a back-to-back.
It’s hard to pick what was less surprising to start the game in Utah, both teams being a little sloppy or Victor Wembanyama being extra aggressive after posting a career low in points the night before. The big man came out firing from beyond the arc and his streaky outside shot was falling, solving a lot of the spacing issues the starting lineup faces. The execution wasn’t great from a San Antonio side that arrived late to Salt Lake City and was decidedly bad from a young and turnover-prone Jazz team but the talent gap that for once was in the Spurs’ favor allowed them to control the game until the benches checked in. Once the subs were on the floor, everything changed. Patty Mills was on fire, the Silver and Black lacked shot creation and shooting and looked lost on defense, and Utah took advantage. After one, the home team was up 11 points.
As soon as Wembanyama returned to start the second quarter and joined Chris Paul, the Spurs went back to looking like the better team. In just three minutes the score was tied. Unfortunately, a few misses from beyond the arc and a good stretch by Utah allowed the Jazz to create some separation, but it never got to double digits again in the first half. The Jeremy Sochan – Zach Collins pairing that Pop has been using more recently couldn’t bring the synergy it normally has and San Antonio only managed to keep pace. The fouls started to pile on, as the visitors looked tired and were slow to move their feet and Wembanyama started to miss from beyond the arc when he returned after a break. Utah couldn’t pull away, but leading by six at the break was a win for the young, shorthanded squad.
As it happened throughout the first half, the Spurs’ starters outplayed Utah’s to start the third quarter. The Jazz didn’t do themselves any favor by coughing the ball up too many times, but the Silver and Black not only did a good job of causing some of the many turnovers the home team committed but also capitalizing on them. A 16-2 run put the visitors in the driver’s seat and they never trailed again. It helped that Gregg Popovich adjusted his rotation by resting Sochan early to have him out there with a second unit that had struggled in the first half, a move that paid off, as the group managed to keep the lead. The fear that the win against an inferior opponent was in peril started to wear off, with San Antonio leading by 10 after putting together a 30-14 third quarter.
It could have been an uneventful blowout since the Spurs got a 20-point lead around halfway through the final frame but the cleanup crew couldn’t hold the line and Paul and Wembanyama had to check in to secure the win. It likely wasn’t what the coaching staff wanted, but it turned out to be a great thing for the fans. Victor Wembanyama, who had been everywhere throughout the game, secured the block and steal he needed to record his second 5×5 game of his young career to become only the third player ever to reach that stat line more than once, joining Andrei Kirilenko and Hakeem Olajuwon. By the end, there was even time for Stephon Castle to log his first three-pointer in the NBA, as San Antonio cruised to a much-needed victory.
Play of the game
Wembanyama’s passing seemed to have regressed in the first couple of games but has looked good recently.
Game notes
- There will be some who question Wembanyama for taking 13 three-pointers in a single game while being 7’3. Gregg Popovich is not one of them.
It’s undeniably a good thing that Wembanyama is getting the freedom he needs to find his ideal progression path, and being a perimeter scorer at high height is one of the many things that make Wemby special. There’s also the question of the iffy spacing he works with in the starting lineup, which essentially forces him to take jumpers if he wants to get shots. Hopefully the coaching staff and Victor will find the right balance for his shot diet soon. The rest of his game is already great, for the most part.
- The Spurs’ offense is a lot more dangerous when Chris Paul looks for his shot. He’s a pass-first guy and is approaching the end of his career, but he can still hit those elbow pullups and connect on some threes and floaters, so he needs to be aggressive. The 19 points he got to go with his 10 assists and seven rebounds were huge.
- Not the flashiest performance for Jeremy Sochan but he did a bit of everything, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. By now it’s clear that Sochan versatility makes him crucial to the team’s success. The shooting will continue to be an issue but he brings balance to some units and his energy is contagious.
- Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes, who have had good performances this season, weren’t particularly effective against the Jazz. The two forwards combined for 14 points and missed all the three-pointers they attempted. Barnes executed well on the set plays Pop called to start the second half and Champagnie helped on the boards, so not a terrible game by either, but nothing impressive.
- The two forwards who came off the bench, Keldon Johnson and Sandro Mamukelashvili, did better. Johnson missed some jumpers but had some nice drives. Mamu was productive, logging 10 points in 11 minutes. Neither was impressive defensively, but that’s not surprising. Good game from both on a night in which they were needed.
- Blake Wesley might be unplayable, except for specific matchups and situations. Teams have started to ignore him when he’s off the ball, much like they do Sochan. It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t been able to make them pay because he showed growth as a defender in preseason. He’ll surely get more opportunities, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see someone else get his minutes until Devin Vassell returns to claim that playing time. Ideally, it would be Stephon Castle, who had another solid performance.
- Zach Collins was a -21 in under 12 minutes on a 16-point win. Single game plus/minus doesn’t mean much but Pop was so disenchanted by his performance that he gave the Sochan-Mamu duo a chance at one point. Collins won’t lose his place in the rotation over a bad night, but the team needs him to be more consistent.
- The Jazz are bad even with Lauri Markkanen. It’s fine to not be overly impressed by this win. But beating inferior opponents is something good teams do and the Spurs need to develop good habits, like not playing down to their competition.
Next game: vs. Timberwolves on Saturday
The schedule gets rough again for the Spurs, who will host the Timberwolves on Saturday before going on the road to face the Clippers and the Rockets.
