Spurs vs. Trail Blazers player grades: San Antonio’s bench dominates

The San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, and still controlled the game in the 112-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. They got contributions up and down the roster to fill in for two of their stars. The Spurs’ bench outscored Portland’s 48-10.

Keldon Johnson and Carter Bryant were brilliant off the bench in the win and earned some of the top player grades for the Spurs. 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

34 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 10-for-20 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, -3

Fox kicked things off and closed them out for the Spurs. He scored 10 of his 25 points in the first four minutes of the game. He was a pest on the perimeter and scored easy buckets in transition to keep the Spurs in the game against Portland early. When it looked like the Blazers might make a comeback in the fourth quarter, Fox hit a clutch three to extend the lead to 9. The team never looked back from there.

This is the type of performance Fox has given all season when Wembanyama sits. He takes over the offense in stretches and is the team’s steadying hand late in the game. Some rough turnovers hold this back from being an A-performance, but it was just the pick-me-up Fox needed before heading into the playoffs.

Grade: B+

Dylan Harper

33 minutes, 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-14 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +6

This may have been Harper’s most impactful defensive game this season. He was all over the court, walling off drives, grabbing steals, and blocking a couple of shots. He contested with the Blazers’ guards all night and made it tough for them to get into a real rhythm. It was the kind of game you’d expect more from Stephon Castle, who missed the game with a knee injury.

Harper continued to play well offensively by getting two feet into the paint, although he didn’t finish as often against Portland. He did, however, make one of the more impressive step-back threes I’ve seen from him this year.

Grade: B+

Julian Champagnie

27 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 1-for-6 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +6

What Champagnie didn’t do offensively, he made up for defensively. It was a cold shooting night for Champagnie, whose only basket came on a fast-break dunk. He was impactful defensively, though. Champagnie was just solid on that end against the Blazers’ tough wings. His box score won’t make anyone look twice, but it felt like the Spurs played better when he was on the floor.

Grade: B-

Luke Kornet

26 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 foul, 5-for-6 shooting, +5

It’s fair to say that Kornet owns the Trail Blazers. After scoring 20+ in his last game against them, he was a huge difference maker on Wednesday. His paint defense was among the best of the season, as he broke up lobs and contested drivers at the rim. He may have only gotten 5 rebounds, but he impacted the boards by tipping the ball back to the perimeter for his teammates to save the possession.

It wasn’t a Wembanyama-level defensive performance, but there is no way the Spurs win this game without Cool Hand Luke holding it down inside.

Grade: A

Devin Vassell

31 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, +/- 0

It wasn’t quite the offensive explosion that we have gotten accustomed to in games without Wembanyama, but Vassell was solid against Portland. He hit some difficult shots, including a tough mid-range jumper over the top of Donovan Clingan. Defensively, he chipped in with a few steals.

Grade: B

Harrison Barnes

27 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +13

Barnes has been quiet recently. He was a part of the Spurs’ small-ball lineup that crushed the Blazers, which is why his +/- numbers look so good (more on that later). San Antonio needs him to hit shots in the playoffs if he is going to play major minutes.

Grade: B

Keldon Johnson

29 minutes, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-for-15 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, +13

Johnson was EVERYWHERE on Wednesday. In what could have been his best performance of the year, KJ got to the basket at will, dove after loose balls, and kept possessions alive with offensive rebounding. It was a great reminder of why he is currently the betting favorite (-900) to win Sixth Man of the Year on FanDuel.

I thought it was funny that Johnson seemed to go especially at his former teammates, Sidy Cissoko and Blake Wesley. When they were guarding him, KJ got straight to the rim and scored.

Grade: A

Carter Bryant

25 minutes, 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 6-for-9 shooting, 5-for-6 threes, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, +6

Bryant scored a career-high 17 points in his best game of the season. He was confident on both ends, hitting threes and holding his position against bigger offensive players on defense. You could see something click with him around the second quarter of this game. He started to be more physical on screens and in the paint, and he took wide-open shots without hesitation. If this is a glimpse into who Bryant can be for years to come, the Spurs may have gotten a steal with the 14th overall pick.

Grade: A

Jordan McLaughlin

9 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 0-for-1 shooting, +9

McLaughlin is just solid. He came in and did his job for 9 minutes, playing pesky perimeter defense, taking care of the ball, and playing within the flow of the offense. He’s about all the Spurs could ask for in a fourth guard.

Grade: B

Monday’s Inactives: Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Harrison Ingram, David Jones-Garcia, Emanuel Miller