San Antonio vs. Los Angeles, Final Score: Spurs fight back but Clippers pull away late, 116-128

Today at 10:31 PM

Even home sweet home couldn't put an end to the Spurs' January struggles.

Finally back home for the first time in 12 days, the Spurs were hoping to get back on the right foot after a rough few weeks. Unfortunately they ran into a buzz saw Clippers squad that is fully healthy and has Kawhi Leonard's minutes restrictions loosened, allowing him to play in the fourth quarter. After a tight first half, it looked like there was a turd quarter in the making as the Spurs got down by 16. They fought back, even taking the lead a few times, but they just couldn't keep the Clippers off the free throw or the offensive glass in the fourth quarter, eventually falling 128-116.

Victor Wembanyama led four Spurs in double figures with 23 points, 12 rebounds 4 assists and 3 blocks. Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell scored 27 apiece for the Clippers, and Ivica Zubac had a 20-20 game with 21 points and 22 rebounds.

Observations

• First and foremost, the question on everyone's mind heading into this game: would Spurs fans head Gregg Popovich's pleas from last season to stop booing Kawhi? The answer is no, they did not. He first touched the ball on their second offensive possession, and the boos began immediately and continued throughout. They weren't the loudest they've ever been, but they were there.
• Mitch Johnson continued the approach of rolling with Jeremy Sochan as backup center, and that may remain the case for the foreseeable future with Johnson stating before the game that Stephon Castle would continue starting for the foreseeable future for developmental purposes. Then, when Sochan sits, Sandro Mamukelashvili briefly comes in alongside Wemby. Both players were everywhere and created a spark when they came in, with Sochan getting back-to-back steals on James Harden and Mamu getting a bucket and flying in for rebounds.
• Julian Champagnie's biggest weakness may be his handles. Many of his turnovers lately seem to be unforced, and he had two such turnovers on consecutive possessions in the first quarter, first where he lost the ball out of bounds on the dribble, followed by failing to scoop up an (admittedly low pass) in transition, losing the ball off his leg despite having an open basket in front of him.
• Victor Wembanyama did not attempt a three-pointer in the first half, and the result was four shot attempts — the least of all five starters — plus four free throws for 9 points. People wonder why he takes so many threes, sometimes out of rhythm, and this is why: a lack of touches. He finally got going in the third quarter with a middy and three-pointer, as well as a series of blocks against Zubac, who shoved him to the floor out of frustration (with somehow no call). Let's just say he briefly poked the bear (as in the Spurs as a whole) as it came amidst a 25-11 run to close the quarter that got them back into he game after they trailed by as much as 16, avoiding a "turd quarter".
• The Clippers, namely Zubac, absolutely crushed the Spurs on boards with a 57-30 advantage in total rebounds, 17 of which were offensive rebounds, 13 of which belonged to Zubac. He had a field day down low, either taking advantage when the Clippers forced a switch and Wemby had to go out to defend a jumper or just straight up owning the boards when Wemby sat. The one area that kept the Spurs in the game was points off turnovers, getting 25 off the Clippers' 17 while only coughing it up 10 times themselves. Unfortunately, the Clippers were too hot everywhere else to fully take advantage.
• Another classic Wemby stat to close out:

The Spurs will return to the Frost Bank Center on Friday as the first part of a back-to-back ahead of the Rodeo Road Trip, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off will be at 7:00 PM on FanDuel Sports Network.