Spurs Highlights: Fox and Johnson drop 53 on the Pistons

Today at 10:00 AM

The Spurs close out the I-35 Series by going 1-1.

Coming off heartbreaking news about Victor Wembanyama and a tough win against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, the Spurs returned to Austin's Moody Center for Act II of the I-35 Series against the Detroit Pistons. After falling behind by 13 in the first quarter, the Spurs clawed back to take the lead in the second quarter. They even held a 54-47 lead until the Pistons started a run of their own to take a one-point lead into halftime. The Pistons then opened up the third with a 16-2 run, and the Spurs never got close again. The Pistons outscored the Spurs 38-18 in the quarter and eventually won 125-110.

Keldon Johnson led the team with 28 points (11-13 FG), five assists, and four rebounds off the bench. There's something about playing in Austin that unlocks Keldon's beast mode. From starting with the Austin Spurs to having the most points in Austin for an NBA player (103), he's a different animal.

AND-ONE! Keldon was unstoppable driving to the cup, including this tough and-one finish over Cade Cunningham!

De'Aaron Fox kept up his scoring burst with 27 points (11-18 FG), five assists, five rebounds, and four steals. With Wemby out for the season, the Spurs are going to have to rely on his scoring to keep them afloat for a hopeful play-in spot. Just imagine where this team would be if they hadn't traded for him.

On the board with an OOP! Fox receives the handoff from Chris Paul and throws a beautiful lob to Bismack Biyombo who slams it home!

Fearless finisher! Off the Jeremy Sochan steal, Fox takes the pass and finishes with the left!

Stephon Castle dropped 12 points, three rebounds, two steals, and an assist in only 13 minutes off the bench. The lack of playing time for the eventual ROTY is certainly confusing. Nonetheless, Castle continues to show why he won the Rising Stars Game MVP.

WHAT A SHOT! Castle fights through the defense and is able to put up a shot to beat the first quarter buzzer!

Welcome back Charles Bassey! Castle and Bassey run the pick and roll and it results in a lob slam for Bassey!

Sandro Mamukelashvili dropped 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. His energy sparked a comeback in the second, and he even provided the game-tying bucket!

The bottom line of this game: The Pistons outrebounded the Spurs 53-32. Despite having two shot-blocking centers, Mitch Johnson elected to keep playing Jeremy Sochan at center for the majority of the minutes. This team needs to decide within the next two weeks if they are competing for a play-in spot, or tanking. Also, they need to decide if it's worth putting Chris Paul as a priority over developing Steph Castle.

Finally, here are the full game highlights.

The Spurs take on the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center this Sunday at 6:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.