The Spurs destroyed the Clippers on New Year's Eve

12/31/2024 10:51 PM

Domination ends the year

The Spurs incinerated the Clippers, ending 2024 on a high note and getting payback over the loss on Nov. 4. Victor Wembanyama shot poorly from deep but got anything he wanted, hunting the rim. The Spurs were never behind, and at one point, the lead grew as high as 41 as they held LAC to 34 percent shooting.

"I thought the physicality was superb," coach Mitch Johnson said about the defense postgame. "I thought they were connected, the game plan execution was sharp. From transition to the half court, it was a very good showing."

The normally slow-starting Spurs were in the fast lane early. Wemby got things rolling, denying the rim from Ivica Zubac and spraying the Clippers in the paint and corner. Jeremy Sochan also added a pair of dunks, forcing the Clippers' first timeout as the Spurs led 14-6. But when play resumed, Zach Collins came in for Wemby, and the visitors responded with an 11-6 run.

Wemby returned instantly, burying jumpers and attacking the rim. He had 17 first-quarter points, tying the Clippers' output by himself, on 86 percent shooting. The rest of the team made six of 15 shots as they led 31-17 after one period. Harden was the only threat they were dealing with then, as he amassed 13 of his team's points.

Then, the defense allowed nine of 21 shots and forced three turnovers in the second quarter. Wembanyama and Collins were disruptive at the cup, and Stephon Castle bothered the ball handler in full-court press. On offense, the Spurs scored on screen rolls and in transition, but the attack slowed down in the last two minutes as the team missed its last five attempts. At halftime, the Spurs were up 63-43. The team had 26 paint points, five via second chances, 14 on the break and 13 off turnovers.

Afterward, Castle took over the third quarter. He made the Clippers offense stall, forcing Harden into an eight-second violation and intercepting a pass that led to a fastbreak score among one of his four baskets. Additionally, Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie were the other Spurs who logged multiple field goals.

"It doesn't matter when you come in," Castle said. "If I didn't start the second half, I feel like I would have came in ready, but my mindset was focusing on our defensive game plan, on Harden, knowing I had to take that assignment from Jeremy [Sochan] when he went out."

Norman Powell, one of the league's most dangerous snipers, went cold from deep. The destruction was so bad that coach Tyronn Lue summoned Bones Hyland, who is rarely used, because he was desperate for answers. Those never came as the Spurs finished the quarter holding them to eight of 22 attempts, including five straight misses in the beginning.

The fourth quarter started with San Antonio ahead by 28 points. Johnson subbed out his last two starters- Wembanyama and Barnes- out with nearly nine minutes left. The rest of the game was the background Spurs enjoying garbage time, and the Spurs won 122-86. They had 62 paint points, 12 via second chances, 32 on the break and 21 off turnovers.

When Johnson was asked what worked for Wemby in December, he said, "He's playing stronger, more physical, more fundamentally sound. And it's crazy how spectacular his simple is."

Play of the game

Chris Paul ripped the ball from Zubac's grasp, ran up the court, and threw a lob off the backboard to Wembanyama trailing him.

Game Notes

• The Clippers tried to guard Wembanyama with smalls because Zubac and Mohamed Bamba don't have the footspeed to hang with him. This was easy work for him as seven of his 10 baskets came against non bigs.
• Castle had one of his best games of the season. He had 15 points on five of eight shots, with four rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and one turnover. None of his misses were inside the arc. He scored on screen rolls, transition strikes and made a jumper on the baseline
• Next to to Castle, the top reserve was Keldon Johnson, who had 17 points on 63.6 percent shooting, with six rebounds, one assist and a turnover. Only one of his baskets was a 3-pointer while four were on the break and the last on a baseline cut fed by Wembanyama.
• Aside from Sochan, Paul was the starter who played the least amount of minutes (20), but he did well. His four assists went to Wemby, Castle and Harrison Barnes, plus he had three steals by poking the ball loose and intercepting a pass.
• Sochan did not return because of a back injury in the first half. He played 15 minutes, logging four points on two of five attempts, with five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a turnover. Johnson gave no update after the game on his condition.
• The Spurs held the Clippers to 55 percent shooting in the restricted area, which is 10.8 percentage points below the league average. Additionally, the team spent 29.6 percent of its time on offense in transition, which is good enough for the 100th percentile of all games played this in the category, per Cleaning the Glass.