The San Antonio Spurs suffered a 114-127 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Game 5 clash on Tuesday night, as the defending champions took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
While all eyes were on Victor Wembanyama, other than Stephon Castle and arguably Julian Champagnie, nobody else on the Spurs performed well offensively to help the Spurs potentially pull off an upset. Let’s dive into the player ratings for the Spurs’ roster in this loss and understand where the Spurs’ offense went wrong tonight.
Stephon Castle: A
Game Stats: 24 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 3 TOV, 7-11 FG, 3-5 3PT, 7-8 FT, 33 MIN
Stephon Castle had an extremely efficient performance tonight as he led all scorers for the Spurs. He was the only player in the Spurs’ backcourt who had scored in double digits (counting Keldon Johnson as a wing/forward).
Castle contributed not only to scoring, but he also stuffed the box score, making him the only player worthy of an A rating tonight from the Spurs.
Julian Champagnie: B+
Game Stats: 22 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 8-15 FG, 4-8 3PT, 30 MIN
Julian Champagnie was on a heater to start the game as the Spurs took an eight-point lead initially in the first quarter. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter alone as he seemed to be on fire from beyond the arc.
But he eventually cooled down and became a liability on the defensive end. He finished the night as the only Spurs player with a -20 net (+/-) rating for Game 5.
Victor Wembanyama: B+
Game Stats: 20 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK, 2 TOV, 4-15 FG, 0-6 3P, 12-12 FT, 38 MIN
A surprisingly dull night from Victor Wembanyama on the offensive end of the floor as he struggled to convert most of his shots on the Thunder’s physical defense.
Most of his field goals were layups near the rim, which shows that the Thunder’s defense did not let him get in his bag in the paint or from the perimeter, as he missed 11 of his 15 shots tonight.
Keldon Johnson: B
Game Stats: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 TOV, 7-13 FG, 1-4 3PT, 20 MIN
The veteran forward played only 20 minutes tonight but had an extremely efficient spurt inside the paint. Six of his made shots came off of hard physical plays inside the paint as he tried to inject some life into the Spurs’ offense late in the game. But unfortunately, it was not enough.
De’Aaron Fox: B-
Game Stats: 9 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 4-15 FG, 0-4 3P, 1-2 FT, 33 MIN
De’Aaron Fox is currently playing through an ankle injury, so his struggles are justifiable. But at some point, the Spurs need to evaluate whether his presence is doing more harm than good.
Even though he also missed 11 of his 15 shots like Wembanyama, Fox was the leading playmaker tonight and drew enough defensive attention to let his teammates get some good looks.
However, if Fox focuses on playmaking and saves his offensive bursts for late in the game, then the Spurs can maximize on his potential without costing them their efficiency in terms of shot-making.
Devin Vassell: C+
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 1 TOV, 2-11 FG, 2-9 3PT, 36 MIN
Devin Vassell had an off night as he was the least efficient player on the floor tonight for the Spurs (18.2 FG%). The forward usually hits well-timed three-point shots to rush some energy into the Spurs’ offense, but those attempts simply did not fall in Game 5.
Carter Bryant: C+
Game Stats: 7 PTS, 1 REB, 3-5 FG, 1-3 3P, 5 MIN
The defensive forward got some early minutes and instantly made his impact felt for the short duration he was on the floor. He did not get significant minutes to give him a solid rating for Game 5, but his ability to score in short bursts was a positive takeaway for the Spurs tonight.
Dylan Harper: C
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 3 TOV, 1-5 FG, 1-3 3P, 2-2 FT, 25 MIN
Dylan Harper seemed like he was a non-factor on both ends of the floor tonight. He was not at all aggressive inside the paint and looked like the lights were too bright for the young rookie.
The Spurs have repeatedly insisted that the lack of experience is not an excuse for performing badly. And on a night where Dylan Harper looked like he disappeared from the floor altogether whenever he played, he needs to take a strong look in the mirror before going home for Game 6.
Luke Kornet: C
Game Stats: 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0-1 FG, 8 MIN
Luke Kornet has constantly been criticized for not materializing into anything in the non-Wembanyama minutes on the floor. And tonight, his performance just added to the fuel of that criticism.
He only grabbed one rebound despite having eight minutes of action, showing that the Spurs may need more depth in their centre rotation as well to not let other teams capitalize on minutes where Wembanyama needs a rest.
Harrison Barnes: C
Game Stats: 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 STL, 0 TOV, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3P, 0-0 FT, 4 MIN
Harrison Barnes made a cameo in the second quarter on rotation, but did not have much impact on the floor in the four minutes of action he got.
Kelly Olynyk: N/A
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 0 REB, 2-2 FT, 2 MIN
Once the Spurs waved the white flag in the fourth quarter, Olynk was sent in to play in the garbage minutes. Hence, there is no objective rating for his performance tonight as he only played insignificant minutes when his team was no longer competing seriously.
Jordan McLaughlin: N/A
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 1-1 FG, 2-2 FTS, 2 MIN
McLaughlin made some impact in the action he got in the fourth quarter as well, scoring four points in just two minutes. However, since he only played garbage minutes down the stretch when both teams had benched their key rotation players, his performance does not amount to much tonight.
Mason Plumlee: N/A
Game Stats: 1 REB
There is no objective rating for Mason Plumlee, as he only played in garbage minutes in the fourth quarter.
Bismack Biyombo: N/A
Game Stats: 1 REB
Bismack Biyombo made only his second appearance in this series tonight after Game 3. But once again, he only played in garbage minutes, so there is no player rating for the 33-year-old veteran.
