Spurs Show Playoff Mettle in Gritty Win Over Pistons

DETROIT — Down went Victor Wembanyama on Monday, and if you asked him how many times he hit the floor in the Spurs’ 114–103 win over the Pistons, he’d probably tell you he’d lost count. There was the forearm shiver from Cade Cunningham that put him on the deck early in the first quarter, a battle for a rebound with Jalen Duren that dropped him in the second, a couple of bumps with Paul Reed … well, you get the idea.

Down went Wembanyama, and each time he picked his long 7' 4" frame up. It was a forgettable offensive game for Wembanyama. He scored 21 points on 37.5% shooting, connecting on two of his five threes. But he never lost focus. He pulled down 17 rebounds. He swatted away six shots. He scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, helping San Antonio put Detroit away.

“Vic is going to impact the game no matter what,” said Stephon Castle. “It’s special to see and play with.”

Said Wembanyama, “It was a good test.”

As the season hits the home stretch, it’s clear San Antonio has the talent to compete with anyone. This isn’t the fun season, the quirky season, the win a playoff series and head home season. The Spurs have won nine games in a row, taking out Oklahoma City, the L.A. Lakers and Detroit along the way. They have the NBA’s sixth-best offense, its third best defense and are fourth in net rating. De’Aaron Fox is an All-Star, Castle could have been and Wembanyama makes a strong case every night that he’s already the best player on the planet.

What they don’t have is experience, playoff-like experience, which makes games like Monday’s particularly important. The Pistons aren’t one of the NBA’s most physical teams. They are the most physical, a Bad Boys era throwback who believe in winning through punishment. After the Spurs jumped out to an 11–2 lead, Detroit, says Keldon Johnson, “reminded us very quickly that it wasn’t going to be about that tonight.”

And the Spurs responded. Castle was brilliant, hounding Cunningham, leading the defense the forced the All-Star starter into a 5-of-26 shooting night. “Just tried to keep a body on him at all times,” said Castle. “Just tried to not let him move around the court freely.” Devin Vassell scored 28 points, connecting on seven of his 11 threes. Julian Champagnie added 17. All five Spurs starter scored in double figures while five more scored off the bench.

“Anytime we can play a competitive game, you want to win,” Johnson said. “But a competitive game against a team of this caliber, there’s learning lessons and moments and things to reference to improve upon and positive feedback all throughout the game.”

There’s no recreating postseason experience, but this mid-February matchup felt like it could have been something seen in late May. Ten lead changes, nine times the game was tied. The Pistons came out with the intention to muscle Wembanyama, to use Duren, Reed and anyone else in his orbit to put him on the floor. “That game took on personality that we probably haven't experienced in a little bit,” said Johnson. Wembanyama had seen physical defenses before—against Houston, against Minnesota—but few, if any, like this. “If they don’t want you to score,” said Wembanyama, “you’re not going to score.”

Still, the Spurs found ways. They grinded out possessions. They made threes (45%) and defended against them (19.4%). They surrendered 62 points in the paint but scored 44 of their own. They racked up 33 assists and scored 21 points on 16 Pistons turnovers.

They matched Detroit’s physicality. When Cunningham knocked Castle down, Johnson was quick to jump in and bump Cunningham back. “We’re not going to back down from any moment like that,” said Castle. After getting whistled for a foul against Cunningham, Castle blocked his shot on one end and took the ball the other way for a three-point play on the other.

“That’s what’s going to take to beat teams like this,” said Johnson. “We can’t hang our hat on shot making or offensive creation or trying to score … I thought we ran through screens and continued to pursue. I thought we guarded the basketball and had moments where we drew a line and said we’re going to give resistance and not back up.”

These are the kind of defenses that Wembanyama will see in the playoffs, the kind the third-year star will have to overcome. “It’s not a secret,” said Johnson. “I would assume most teams are going to talk about that when they talk about scouting us and then have them try to impose their will on us. I understand that.” Wembanyama isn’t going to over examine one win but will note that it “confirms progression.”

“Everybody was connected tonight,” said Wembanyama. “And it shows on the stats. Everybody got to eat tonight, because we were so connected, and because we were trying to fight against the wall the whole game. We tried to make it a basketball game, score the ball. And then the way to do that is to share it.”

Wembanyama can handle the physicality. In fact, he encourages it. Sometimes he’ll go down, he says, to “punish the behavior.” He may not need to fall. But he will if it draws a foul. Sometimes, he says, “I think I fall too much” but he’s willing to hit the deck if it brings a whistle. If Detroit, or any of the gauntlet of Western Conference contenders want to try to shove him around, he’s ready for it.

Hey, whatever it takes to win.

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