Wembanyama, Castle, & Vassell combine for 68 points in loss to Jazz

Wembanyama, Castle, & Vassell combine for 68 points in loss to Jazz
AP Photo/Darren Abate

Victor passes Kristaps Porzingis with three career games with at least 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5 blocks, & 5 3PM.

Coming off a victory against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, the Spurs came into Saturday with another expectation of victory against the Utah Jazz. Devin Vassell made his long-awaited season debut, but the Jazz also had Lauri Markannaen return from injury. This one turned out to be a back-and-forth affair from start to finish with 16 lead changes and 15 ties. After falling behind by eight at halftime, the Spurs outscored the Jazz 37-29 in the third quarter to tie the game at 82.

In one of the most entertaining fourth quarters of the season, there was a critical moment that ended up costing the Spurs a point. The referees whistled Stephon Castle for stepping out of bounds with 3:02 left in the game, and the score 101-97 Jazz. There was one problem: Castle didn’t step out. The instant replay showed Castle’s foot stepping back just before the white out-of-bounds line, and his heel above the line. Mitch Johnson did not challenge the call, and the Jazz ended up scoring a point due to a Lauri Markkanen free throw off of a foul. The Spurs still fought back and had an amazing sequence that resulted in two blocks for Wemby and a dunk for Castle to make it a one-point game with 1:03 left. Collin Sexton hit a clutch three, but Keldon Johnson responded with a three of his own! With 31 seconds left, the Jazz were up by one again. Unfortunately, Steph Castle fouled Jordan Clarkson shooting a three with 11 seconds left. Clarkson made 2 out of 3 free throws, and the Spurs had a chance to tie the game down by three. Another mistake: Wemby sets an illegal screen on Clarkson for the TO. The Spurs ended up losing 111-110. Notice that it was only a one-point loss.

Victor Wembanayama was utterly ridiculous on both ends. He finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven blocks, and six threes. He is the first player in NBA history to record multiple games with 20+ PTS, 15+ REB, 5+ BLK, and 5+ 3PM! If Victor has more shooting nights like this, he might end up in the three-point contest!

First points of the game belong to Wemby on this spot up three!

Another day, another Wemby step back three! This time, he takes Kyle Filipowski to school.

2 for 1 highlight special! Wemby activates his corner specialist badge on one end, and swats Lauri Markannen at the rim on the other end!

How about another three? This time Castle sets up Wemby on the dribble handoff.

Another look? Here you go!

A career high in threes? Yes please!

SEQUENCE OF THE GAME: Wemby rejects Walker Kessler at the rim, then rejects John Collins! John Collins then tosses the ball up in the air for a KJ rebound and throws it ahead to Castle for a breakaway jam!

Another look shows the determination by Wemby to rise up after the first rejection to swat Collins!

Stephon Castle had his best game as a pro so far with a career-high 23 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals. An aggressive Castle results in some tough and skillful buckets that this team needs.

The new Steph? Castle hit his first three threes of the game! If he becomes more consistent from three, the league is in trouble.

Two-way player. After intercepting the Patty Mills pass, Castle leads the fastbreak and tosses a dime to KJ for the alley-oop!

Here’s another one of Castle’s first quarter threes. Don’t give him too much space!

These are the plays a rookie should not be making. Castle takess Kessler to the cup and shows off the patience for the and-one!

Wanna see him do it again? This time Castle does not get the and-one, but still a great finish nonetheless!

Welcome back, Devin Vassell! In 22 minutes, Devin dropped 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He also dropped two assists and a rebound. He played on a minutes restriction, but hopefully, the coaching staff can lift during the homestand next week.

Middy magician! Of course Devin’s first make of the season is a midrange jumper.

Deadeye. Don’t forget, Devin is a sniper from long-range too!

A mini-compilation of Devin’s highlights from the first half for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks to the Zach Collins screen, Devin gets an open three off the dribble!

Dev the playmaker! Look at how he draws two defenders in the paint as he dumps it off to Collins for the open slam under the basket!

Blake Wesley had a decent game with five points, two assists, and a steal. Here, he shows off the finesse of the reverse layup! He has provided a spark plug for this team while Tre Jones is out due to injury.

Although it was a tough loss for this Spurs team, they still showed grit and determination down the stretch. This young bunch will be providing more entertaining basketball throughout the season, but they need to work on cleaning up the mental mistakes when it gets down to the wire.

And finally, here are the full game highlights.

The Spurs host the Sacramento Kings on Monday at 7:00 PM (CST) on FanDuel Sports Network – SW.

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