San Antonio Spurs Couldn’t Miss, Pleased a Playoff Crowd & Rallied Behind Devin Vassell: 3 Takeaways
SAN ANTONIO — As Victor Wembanyama threw both arms in the air facing his home crowd, he felt a feeling he hadn’t forgotten, but missed.
Badly.
“It’s not like I forgot about that feeling,” the San Antonio Spurs center said, careful to put into perspective how long it had been since winning an NBA game, “But I’m addicted to winning. This is what I love, and it’s what I live for. I have to show it.”
The Spurs had been searching for their win for over a month. They found two on the road in Phoenix and things were looking up at that point. But after that?
Loss after loss after loss.
With every passing game, the idea of winning became even more longed for by the Spurs, yet further from memory. No, they hadn’t forgotten, but they — like Wembanyama — missed it.
And Friday night, they got it. They knocked off LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers and brought Frost Bank Center to a standing ovation before the game was even over. They had won.
Here are three takeaways from that victory:
Dec 15, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich signals to players during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center.
© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
3-Pointers Made the Difference
On paper, the Spurs handled the Lakers with ease. They won by 14 points and had a lead as big as 25 in the second quarter, but a look closer would reveal that to be not the case.
In fact, both teams played an evenly matched game. They recorded the same amount of steals and blocks and were within three of each other on rebounds, assists, turnovers, made free throws and shooting percentage.
So, what made the difference?
The answer is simple: seven more made 3-pointers.
San Antonio shot lights out from deep all game. Between Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Cedi Osman and Doug McDermott, it put up 18 makes on a 43 percent clip to keep itself out front.
Combining a hot shooting night with an off night shooting from the Lakers sealed the deal on an otherwise even matchup.
And that was just was the Spurs needed.
Devin Vassell's Scary Potential
Entering Friday night’s matchup, Devin Vassell was stuck at 29.
He’s much younger than that, but he still hadn’t been able to crack the 30-point mark. Yet still, he earned a top-dollar contract from the Spurs.
The terms of the deal not only made Vassell a player paid like an All-Star, but also one sticking around for the long run. And he cashed in against the Lakers.
With Victor Wembanyama taking a majority of the defensive attention, Vassell is primed to step into a much larger role for the Spurs as a first-option scorer. His ability to create shots is as big part of that, as his ability to hit them is. He has a smooth release with a natural follow-through, and when he gets hot, it can be scary.
That was all evident in the win.
Against Los Angeles, Vassell went for 36 point and hit five shots from 3-point range on a 50 percent clip. He shot 12-19 on the night in 35 minutes and truly was a game changer in his team’s first victory.
In an ideal world, Vassell can recreate his performance. With him performing well and Wembanyama crashing the boards, the Spurs looked strong. Even without Anthony Davis, the Lakers posed a threat, and San Antonio still handled business.
Vassell showed out, which was a good base point for him and exactly what the Spurs needed.
A Playoff Atmosphere
Devin Vassell wasn’t the only one to show out Friday, however.
All 18,354 fans packed the stands at Frost Bank Center ready to witness two generational prospects go head to head. And as popular as the Lakers are, they had a following in the building, too.
Because of that, the matchup didn’t seem like just another ordinary game. It held a different kind of weight — the kind of a playoff game.
Obviously, hardly any of the Spurs have experienced the genuine playoff atmosphere that comes in late April and May. The noise level, stakes and expectations are sky-high, but for the young Spurs, the pressure was the same.
Not having won in 43 days, they felt all eyes on them. All cheers for them. And they delivered.
Winning a game they likened to a playoff atmosphere is certainly a good sign. San Antonio still has a long way to go before it can give its home crowd a true playoff game, but Friday night was a start.
And a great one, at that.
