Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks – Game #8

The San Antonio Spurs got 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks from Victor Wembanyama to eke out a 112-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Wembanyama was so good that the Spurs were able to survive a 5-for-36 showing from three-point range to improve to 6-2 on the season. After opening the season with a pair of losses, San Antonio is now riding a six-game winning streak.

Stats: Spurs vs. Mavericks

Spurs vs. Mavericks – Final Grades

Victor Wembanyama

It’s safe to say that San Antonio’s legacy of legendary bigs is alive and well. Wembanyama posted a historic 52-point, 24-rebound, 8-block performance to carry the Spurs to their one-point win. Hell, the only reason this was a close game was the fact that the good guys got blitzed whenever Wembanyama sat down. Otherwise, he was a one-man wrecking crew who only  turned it over once and committed just two fouls. Wembanyama struggled from deep (1-for-8) and got cold at the line in the fourth but otherwise this was a nearly picture perfect outing for the superstar.

Grade: A+

Dylan Harper

With a lot of bricks being hoisted around him, Harper kept it simple. He was 1-for-2 on threes but otherwise he attacked the rim with great efficiency. He took smart shots and limited his mistakes on both ends. I thought his defense in the fourth quarter was good and, throughout the game, I liked the poise and patience he played with in all aspects of the game.

Grade: A-

Devin Vassell

Ouch. Vassell was 0-for-8 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three-point range. Considering it’s his job to spread the floor, particularly when the starters are on the court, this was obviously a poor outing for Vassell. However, to his credit, he did produce in other areas. He had seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block without turning the ball over in 36 minutes. The Spurs need Vassell to shoot straight but, hey, at least he kept playing hard.

Grade: C-

Stephon Castle

Castle’s numbers look pretty ugly at first glance — but it wasn’t as bad as his stats suggest. He started the game 0-for-7 from the field, so he actually finished the game by hitting six of his final 13 attempts. He needs to shoot better than 6-for-20 from the floor, especially because other teams are showing him minimal respect, but at least he kept firing against Dallas. He was also big on the glass, took better care of the ball than usual and defended with gusto. Let’s hope Castle has a breakout offensive performance soon but he’s showing a good amount of depth to his game.

Grade: C

De’Aaron Fox

This was mostly a struggle for Fox. He was 3-for-10 from the field, including 0-for-2 from downtown. He had only four assists while turning it over a team-high three times. His saving grace this evening was actually his defense. He was locked in on that end of the court and I thought he played really good defense late to help seal the victory.

Grade: C-

Julian Champagnie

Yeesh. Like Vassell, Champagnie is paid to space the court. Against the Mavs, he was 0-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three-point territory. Besides a scoreless 21 minutes, Champagnie also dealt with foul trouble. He made a few good passes and was a presence on the boards but, again, his shooting is his most important attribute.

Grade: D+

Keldon Johnson

Johnson joined the collection of Spurs who performed poorly on Wednesday night. He was 1-for-5 from the field and he took a couple extremely ill-advised shots. Johnson helped on the boards but he has to play a smarter brand of basketball if he’s going to remain a key cog on this team.

Grade: D+

Luke Kornet

My god. With Wembanyama putting up historic numbers, there’s obviously going to be a drop-off when Kornet enters the game. But he has to hold up better than this. The Spurs were outscored by 22 points in his 14 minutes. And he clearly was a big part of the problem. No defensive rebounds, no blocks and four fouls? Yeah, no, that’s not getting it done. If Kornet isn’t able to hold the fort, he at least has to be a speed bump.

Grade: D-

Harrison Barnes

Hey, don’t look now but Barnes was able to register his first two rebounds of the season. He still doesn’t have an assist but, hey, that’s progress. Barnes also hit one of San Antonio’s five three-pointers so that counts for something too.

Grade: C+

Mitch Johnson

I can’t say I agreed with giving Bryant a DNP-CD. The youngster has had a rough start to the season but he needs minutes. The Kornet konundrum needs a better solution, especially when it’s clearly failing. Thankfully Wembanyama saved the day or else this would have been a head-scratching loss.

Grade: D

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