De’Aaron Fox’s clutch brilliance almost saves Spurs from deserved loss to the Hornets

The Spurs came out flat and dug themselves into a double-digit hole. They came close to completing the comeback but Fox’s would-be game-winner was late.

The Spurs suffered a painful loss on their visit to Charlotte. A terrible start made things unnecessarily hard for San Antonio, which still had an opportunity to steal it in the final possession despite a disappointing overall performance. Unfortunately, De’Aaron Fox’s would-be game-winner was late and the Hornets won 117-116.

The start of the game set the tone and it wasn’t a good one for the Spurs. They were going to Victor Wembanyama early, which was a good idea in theory but led to a stagnant offense. The threes not falling didn’t help San Antonio on that end, either. The Hornets, meanwhile, were feasting on a soft perimeter defense and getting into floater range, where they took open close shots without having to deal with Wembanyama’s rim protection. The home team quickly built a lead that only got bigger when the benches checked in. San Antonio’s second unit was sloppy and lacked rim protection, as Jeremy Sochan was once again tasked with backup center minutes. Once Wemby returned the defense improved but not enough to take control of the game. After one, Charlotte was up 12.

The threes were falling for the Hornets to start the second while the Spurs’ offense continued to look stagnant. Everything they got was done by an individual effort and not team execution. De’Aaron Fox provided the Spurs with the decisiveness they needed to get buckets inside or open looks in the perimeter against a Hornets defense that was not coordinated enough to nail several rotations in a row. Unfortunately, the Spurs’ defense was also struggling even with basic tasks and couldn’t get stops. The combination of little to no contributions from the shooters, a still not 100 percent healthy Wembanyama and a hot Hornets team that was out-hustling their opponent in every way prevented a big run. San Antonio was lucky to only be down 12 at the break.

After the game, Mitch Johnson called the lack of physicality “very disappointing,” and the inconsistent effort he was referring to was there in the third quarter. The Spurs got going on offense with Fox and Wembanyama creating for others and Chris Paul hitting a couple of shots, but defensively, San Antonio either didn’t get stops or allowed offensive boards which gave Charlotte second opportunities. The Hornets are a bad team, but they were not going to beat themselves, which is what it seemed the Silver and Black were hoping for. There were stretches of energetic play, normally spearheaded by Jeremy Sochan, but in general, the Spurs seemed content to stay within striking distance, likely believing they were going to be able to flip the switch in the final frame.

They almost pulled it off despite trailing by 11 to start the fourth quarter, which is both encouraging in that it signals they have another gear and concerning because it shows they lack what Gregg Popovich used to call “appropriate fear” for opponents. The Hornets were initially holding off any big runs with offensive boards and timely buckets, but Devin Vassell came alive, making plays on both ends, while Castle, Sochan and Fox continued to do good work. San Antonio chipped away at the deficit until it was just one point with three minutes to go. De’Aaron Fox took over, scoring the last six points for the Spurs, which grabbed the lead with eight seconds to go. Unfortunately, there was a defensive breakdown in the next play and the Hornets got an open three to fall. Fox almost gave the Silver and Black a wholly undeserved win with a last-second shot, but it was too late and Charlotte prevailed.

Play of the game

Devin Vassell had a horrendous first half but was in attack mode in the second and energized the team with his play and this nasty dunk to end the third quarter.

Game notes

• Wembanyama had 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and five blocks, but don’t let the stat line fool you: he had one of the worst games of his career. He missed eight of his nine threes and looked gassed and unfocused for long stretches. He’s likely still suffering from whatever illness or allergies are affecting him but the Spurs need more from their superstar.
• Stephon Castle had a career-high 33 points off the bench and he only needed 15 shots to get there. The threes were falling, the drives were on point and he got to the line at will. It’s unfortunate he overhelped from the corner, leading to the Hornets’ game-winner, but it was a great game from the rookie, who is allowed to make mistakes.
• Fox is a killer in the fourth quarter, as everyone knows. The attempted buzzer-beater was late, but it was still an impressive shot.

• The Spurs shot 31 percent on threes. Wemby was one of the biggest culprits but Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson combined to go 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. A huge part of those guys’ role on offense is to make catch-and-shoot threes. When they don’t, the team suffers. On a related note, Johnson, shooting 30 percent from outside for the season, needs to find his stroke quickly, or he’ll find himself playing under 20 minutes more often.
• Jeremy Sochan was great off the bench, once again playing backup center when Wemby was not on the floor and guarding the opponent’s best scorer when they shared the court. With Champagnie and Johnson being non-factors, Castle and Sochan had to step up to provide scoring and defense off the bench, and delivered.
• Chris Paul has been targetted all season on defense, no matter how much the Spurs have tried to hide him, but it was painful to watch it happen constantly against the Hornets. Paul brings a lot to the table but at this point probably shouldn’t close games. Mitch Johnson has left him on the bench in crunch time in the past, so it’s hard to understand why he was out there to finish a game in which San Antonio was struggling with physicality.

Next game: Vs. Orlando Magic on Saturday

The Spurs will fly to Orlando to face the Magic on a SEGABABA. The Magic could get defensive lynchpin Jalen Suggs back and have a lot of talent in the frontcourt.