Spurs coach gets brutally honest on 'sleepwalking' to start Kings game
12/02/2024 06:25 PM
In yet another sign that the San Antonio Spurs are vastly improving, they’re now winning games in which they didn’t play well. Normally the type of trait reserved for playoff squads, if not title contenders.
Still, acting head coach Mitch Johnson didn’t like how his team started in Sunday’s victory vs. the Sacramento Kings. San Antonio found themselves down 14 entering the second quarter.
“I felt like were were sleepwalking a little bit at the start of the game,” Johnson said.
“Didn’t feel much physicality or resistance on defense. They’re obviously a very talented team, but I thought we could have done a better job of making them work for some stuff,” Johnson, who’s subbing for Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, continued.
Early criticism doesn’t exclude Victor Wembanyama
Despite his third career triple double, Victor Wembanyama didn’t escape Johnson’s critique of the team’s start.
“I thought he had some very poor moments in the first three quarters in terms of fundamentals and solid basketball,” Johnson said.
The Spurs leading scorer ended up with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in 37 minutes of action. San Antonio came away with a 127-125 win.
“It’s a testament to him, his ability to lock in. I thought in the fourth quarter, he was a man,” Johnson continued.
San Antonio entered the fourth quarter down by five. The deficit had grown to as big as 17 earlier in the night.
“I thought he dominated,” Johnson said of Wembanyama. “He’s so good, that dominating the fundamentals for him, the catches, the passes, the solid stuff, it’s just spectacular. When he does that, he’s a load.”
Victor Wembanyama added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks to his 13 points in the final quarter of the win over the Kings. It’s the only time in the last 20 years that any NBA player has posted those totals in a single fourth quarter, according to one of the organization’s media relations staffers, Jordan Howenstine
Spurs turn struggles into a team record
In erasing a nearly 20-pont deficit, including a double-digit difference after the first period, the Spurs set a new franchise record with 23 made three-pointers in California on Sunday.
“We shot it well. Sacramento does a great job of packing the paint, showing heavy shifts, rotating. We did feel that if we spaced the right way and moved the ball, we’d be able to have some inside-out rhythm three’s,” Johnson said.
Wembanyama Devin Vassell, led the way with five three-pointers each. While Wemby took nine shots from beyond the arc, Vassell, who was in just his second game back after returning from a bone bruise that kept him out more than a week, attempted eight. Forward Julian Champagnie was right behind them, going 4-for-9 from deep. Chris Paul and Keldon Johnson each hit three triples.
San Antonio saved it’s best for last with a team-high 35 points in the game’s final period.
“I think we picked it up there in the second and the fourth quarter and it was a big difference,” Johnson concluded.
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