San Antonio Against Los Angeles, End result: Spurs fight back but Clippers pulls late, 116-128

Finally at home for the first time in 12 days, the spurs hoped to get back on the right foot after a few weeks. Unfortunately, they ran into a Buzzsaw Clippers team that is fully healthy and has Kawhi Leonard’s minutes’ limitations loosened, allowing him to play in the fourth quarter. After a tight first half it seemed that there was a turd quartal underway when the spurs came down with 16. They fought back, even took the lead a few times, but they just couldn’t keep the cliffs away from free -slip or the offensive glass In the fourth quarter, eventually fell 128-116.

Victor Wembanyama led four spores in double with 23 points, 12 rebounds 4 assists and 3 blocks. Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell scored 27 pieces for Clippers, and Ivica Zubac had a 20-20 game of 21 points and 22 rebounds.

Observations

• First of all, the question of everyone’s minds driving into this game: Would Spur’s fans follow Gregg Popovich’s pleas from last season to stop booing Kawhi? The answer is no, they did not. He first touched the ball on their second offensive possession, and Boos immediately began and continued through. They were not the highest they have ever been, but they were there.
• Mitch Johnson continued the approach to rolling with Jeremy Sochan as a backup center, and that may remain the case in the foreseeable future with Johnson, in which they said before the game that Stephon Castle would continue to start for the foreseeable future for developmental purposes. Then, when Sochan sits, Sandro Mamukelashvili briefly comes in with Wemby. Both players were everywhere and created a spark when they came in, where Sochan got back-to-back steal at James Harden and Mamu got a bucket and flies in for rebounds.
• Julian Champagne’s biggest weakness can be his handle. Many of his revenue recently appear to be unforeseen, and he had two such revenue on consecutive possessions in the first quarter, first where he lost the ball out of bounds on the dribbling, followed by not gathering one (admittedly low passport ) In transition, the ball loses from the leg despite having an open basket in front of him.
• Victor Wembanyama did not try a three-point in the first half, and the result was four shooting trials at least of all five starters-plus four free throw to 9 points. People wonder why he takes so many triangles, sometimes out of rhythm, which is why: a lack of touch. He finally started in the third quarter with a center and three-point, as well as a number of blocks against Zubac pushing him on the floor out of frustration (somehow no call). Let’s just say he briefly stabbed the bear (as in the spurs as a whole) when it came in the middle of a 25-11 race to close the quarter that got them back in the game after they pulled in as much as 16 and avoided a “Turd neighborhood”.
• Clippers, namely Zubac, crushed absolute spurs on boards with a 57-30 advantage in total rebounds, 17 of which were offensive rebounds, of which 13 belonged to Zubac. He had a field day down low, either used either when Clippers forced a switch, and Wemby had to go out to defend a jumper or just straight up owning the boards when Wemby sat. One area that held a spurs in the game was points off revenue, and got 25 from Clippers ’17, while it only coughed it up 10 times itself. Unfortunately, Clippers too heat everywhere was otherwise to fully benefit.
• Another classic Wemby state to shut out:

The sprouts return to Frost Bank Center on Friday as the first part of a back-to-back in front of the Rodeo Road Trip beginning with Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off will be at. 19:00 at Fanduel Sports Network.