Spurs run out of steam in final minutes and lose return game to Clippers

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The Spurs dropped a back and forth game against LA in their first game back from Paris.

Following a series of Jekyll and Hyde games in Paris, the Spurs returned home to take on the Clippers on Wednesday night.

The two teams' contrasting styles were evident from the tip. While San Antonio moved the ball to create open shots, the Clippers relied on pick and rolls and used lots of horns action to create mismatches. Spurs vets Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul led the team offensively by hitting a plethora of threes, while Ivica Zubac punished the smaller home team on the boards when Wemby went to the bench. In a back-and-forth affair, San Antonio gained the upper hand at the end of the first by stealing the ball in consecutive possessions in LA's backcourt, giving them the lead and momentum heading into the second.

With many of the Clippers' starters subbed out, the away side showed off their depth. Nicolas Batum caught fire from deep by making three triples, and Kevin Porter Jr. provided some secondary ball handling with James Harden sitting. San Antonio's attempt at playing zone was immediately exploited due to LA's shooting while the Spurs went cold themselves. As a result, the Clippers went into halftime up five on the back of 7-11 shooting from deep, while the Black and Silver were just 5-17.

All hell broke loose after the break. Kawhi Leonard got into a rhythm and made consecutive mid-rangers to help his team build a 16-point lead, as the Clippers went on a 14-2 run right off the bat. Fortunately, the Spurs regained their footing following a timeout: Wemby made two consecutive buckets and back-to-back blocks, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Following a corner-three miss from Stephon Castle, Barnes sank a shot from the same spot, helping San Antonio get back in the game. In the blink of an eye, the Spurs had gone on a double-digit run themselves and regained the lead.

With Wemby, Kawhi, and Harden all on the bench to start the fourth, LA's depth showed up again by going on an 8-0 run. Once more, though, San Antonio clawed back to make it a game with five minutes left, but the hopes of an exciting finish ended soon after. The Spurs' offense stagnated, as the Clippers' stifling defense forced them to take low-percentage shots. Meanwhile, LA's stars all made tough shots from both the mid-range and three, and Zubac continued to dominate the boards even with Wemby in the game. The sudden shift of momentum resulted in the Clippers building a 10-point lead, and they continued the onslaught to win the game 128-116.

Game notes

• Wemby had a strange game. He started fine before seemingly running out of gas at the beginning of the second half, resulting in the Clippers building that sudden lead. Then, after the timeout, he seemed to gain a second wind, spearheading the Spurs' comeback on both ends of the court. However, he wasn't much of a factor in the fourth and was largely relegated to the perimeter on offense while getting pushed around by Zubac defensively. It's not a coincidence that the latter finished with a monstrous 20/20 game and looked like the better center for large stretches of the night.
• Even during an off night, though, Wemby still put up 23/12/4 with two steals and three blocks. It's been an up-and-down month following the most dominant stretch of his young career, and I think a large part of that is simply due to fatigue. Flying to Paris and coming back in a week didn't help, nor will the back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Hopefully the All-Star break can rejuvenate him.
• Castle finished with 20 points and three rebounds, but no assists. He spent some time guarding both Harden and Kawhi and did an OK job, but was more impactful offensively. Even so, the fit between him and Jeremy Sochan continues to be clunky, as the latter had just seven points on four shots off the bench. I don't think that Sochan will ever be able to shoot, even at a slightly below-average level. Thus, even if Castle becomes an average shooter, I still don't think that they'll ever be a great fit offensively. If the recent rumors surrounding De'Aaron Fox's interest in the Spurs are real, then, Sochan should be the young player that the Spurs include in a hypothetical trade, and not Devin Vassell — with Castle being untouchable, of course. I realize that the Castle/Sochan discussion is premature, but if the Fox rumors continue heating up, then it's something that needs to be discussed, even in just year two of Wemby.

Play of the game

Defense —> offense. What more could you want?

Next game: vs Bucks on Friday

The Spurs will look to get back on track as they host the Bucks on Friday.