Julian Champagnie drops 30 in Spurs’ loss to Kings

Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.

You can’t put a porcupine in the barn, light it on fire, and expect to make licorice. What does that mean? It can mean whatever your heart desires. Just like the Spurs’ big loss to the Kings can also mean whatever our hearts desire. In this case, playing a b2b without two of your best players against a similarly ranked team in a Western Conference more loaded than a baked potato during Happy Hour at Applebee’s might not have been the best environment.

Despite all of that, the Spurs made do and tried their best to make gold out of straw. Julian Champagnie scored a career-high 30 points to lead all players while Chris Paul neared a triple-double doing nearly everything for the team with 11 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds.

In addition to the career-high game, Julian Champagnie is enjoying a career season averaging 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The fourth-year player has been an integral part of the Spurs’ starting lineup while previously injured players continue to ramp up as the team aims to integrate everyone.

In this play, Charles Bassey displayed the patience of my wife listening to my entire monologue of why Jar Jar Binks was arguably a secret Sith Lord conspiring against the Jedi given how he often found himself in the middle of important battles, political affairs, and ultimately set in motion a series of events that brought down the Old Republic and also spelled the end of the Jedi Order.

You don’t have to twist my arm to gush over Stephon Castle highlights, just like the rookie did not have to twist Jeremy Sochan’s arm into taking this beautiful lob in for a dunk.

The main highlight of this clip is Sean Elliott riffing, “I want to test that salsa myself.” Not far behind was the well-timed block by Bassey that led to a transition three from Castle.

I didn’t catch this sequence so naturally I’m curious as to the context of what Elliott was referring to. Who was hot? A certain player on a torrid scoring streak or HEB’s fresh-made salsa What does he mean he wants to test it himself? Does he want to suit up and guard said player? At a vibrant young 56, I can see the former Wildcat holding his own salsa so to speak.

They say to save the best for last. In our case of this one-sided affair, we saved what occurred first for last, which happened to be the best. This beauty of a block by Bassey and subsequent fast break ping-ponging from Paul to Sochan to a blazing Keldon Johnson capped off the Spurs’ early successes in the game.

Here is another angle and cut of that sequence because why not (insert meme of Bilbo Baggins with the One Ring), why shouldn’t we overindulge ourselves.

OK, I lied. One more highlighted existed. One highlight to rule them all, one highlight to find them, one highlight to bring this loss and in the darkness forget it and move on to the next game.

If you missed the game because you were too busy watching old clips of the great Dana Carvey doing impressions of Ross Perot, here are the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, December 8, 2024.