Spurs vs. Nuggets player grades: San Antonio’s starters squander an opportunity in loss

The San Antonio Spurs had the opportunity to control the playoff bracket. If they defeated the Denver Nuggets, who sat the bulk of their starters and only played Nikola Jokic 18 minutes, they’d bump them down to the fourth-seed, and wouldn’t need to face them until the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the Spurs, without Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, came out flat in a 128-118 loss to the shorthanded Nuggets.

Now, San Antonio will need to go through potentially Denver and the Oklahoma City Thunder on their journey to the NBA Finals. We’ll find out in a few weeks if this game comes back to haunt them. San Antonio has the second-best NBA title odds on FanDuel at +550.

The player grades here will be much lower than they have been for past games to account for the missed opportunity. As a quick reminder, these grades are based on each player’s on-court performance, going beyond just the stat sheet. A “B” grade represents the average performance for an individual. If a player logs fewer than 5 minutes or plays only in garbage time, their grade will be incomplete.

De’Aaron Fox

33 minutes, 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, 7-for-21 shooting, 4-for-14 threes, +2

24 points is a nice, shiny statistic, but when you score that many on 33% shooting from the field, you realize that it’s inflated. The Spurs needed someone to pull them out of the mud and get their offense going. Fox was unable to do that on Sunday. The national media narrative about the Spurs’ playoff chances always comes down to a lack of experience. Fox is one of the exceptions, having played in one playoff series. These are the type of games where you’d like to see him break out and lead the team to victory.

Grade: B-

Stephon Castle

29 minutes, 10 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-10 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, –11

Is Castle the first guy to almost get a triple-double and play badly? He was 1 assist shy of a triple-double despite having a rusty first game back from a knee injury. His finishing was off, he got out of position defensively, and he didn’t seem to have the same level of aggression as usual. He did hit two catch-and-shoot threes as the Spurs attempted a comeback and grabbed some big offensive boards. He just couldn’t put together the type of impactful performance the team needed from him on Sunday.

Grade: C

Dylan Harper

18 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, -14

It was a tough game for Harper. After the game, it was reported that he had a jammed thumb, which could explain why he looked so different out there. All of the aggression we usually see from Harper was gone, causing Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson to get after him on the sideline visibly. Defensively, he was a non-factor for most of the game. When he started to ramp up the pressure and use his physicality and footwork to get to the rim, it was already too late.

Grade: C–

Julian Champagnie

25 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, -17

Champagnie has been struggling to shoot the ball recently. That could be alarming heading into the most important stretch of the year. However, we’ve seen Champagnie get hot in a hurry, so there is hope for the playoffs.

He was flat against Denver. There weren’t a lot of opportunities for him to attack a closeout, and he didn’t make enough of an impact defensively to keep the Nuggets’ aggressive ball-handlers out of the paint.

Grade: C-

Mason Plumlee

16 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, -6

Plumlee just doesn’t have enough left in the tank. He got dominated by Jonas Valanciunas and let the Nuggets get whatever they wanted inside. Denver outscored the Spurs 62-54 in the paint.

Grade: D

Devin Vassell

33 minutes, 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-for-13 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, -2

Vassell turned it on far too late. When he started pressuring the Nuggets defensively, the Spurs got a few turnovers that made it look like they might get back in the game. There just wasn’t enough time for them to come all the way back. He made some mind-boggling turnovers, like dropping a ball out of bounds and passing out of a shot to no one. You have to give him credit for trying to get them back in the game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to make up for his early-game mistakes.

Grade: B-

Harrison Barnes

25 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5-for-11 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, -5

Barnes needed 17 points for the Spurs to set the record for the most players on the roster to average double-digit points. You could tell that Barnes knew this, too. He took some truly bizarre shots that can only be explained by trying to reach that record. To make matters worse, he didn’t even get to 17, so it was all for nothing!

Grade: C-

Keldon Johnson

22 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 6-for-12 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, +10

Johnson really tried to get physical and will the Spurs back into the game. He attacked Denver inside over and over again for a nice 18-point outing. He was put in a tough spot defensively, often guarding bigger players inside. He, along with the rest of the team, made some errors on the glass, not boxing out a few times and allowing offensive put-backs. The Spurs were outrebounded in this one, 58-45.

Grade: B+

Carter Bryant

30 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-7 threes, +2

Bryant has earned a playoff rotation spot. He has played his best basketball down the stretch, pairing confidence with his next-level motor. He was one of the few Spurs who played with a sense of urgency against Denver. Bryant was the team’s best option at center despite being just 6-foot-7. He soared for three blocks and had an incredible alley-oop slam in the second half.

Grade: B+

Jordan McLaughlin

2 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1-for-1 shooting, +5

JMac showed a lot of heart, grabbing an offensive putback as the smallest guy on the court. He probably deserved more minutes against Denver.

Grade: Incomplete

Bismack Biyombo

6 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1-for-1 shooting, -14

Going -14 in 6 minutes has to be some sort of record. Biyombo is a great vet to have around for the locker room and the community in San Antonio, but his impact on the game has diminished greatly.

Grade: D

Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller