Inside The Spurs

Highlights and Insights: Spurs Smash Wizards By 25

Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper led the way for the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama wowed the crowd in limited minutes and Jeremy Sochan found his way back onto the floor.
Tom Petrini|
Dec 18, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dunks over Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Dec 18, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dunks over Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs took care of business against the Wizards on Thursday night back at home, walloping Washington 119-94.

With the victory, the Silver and Black move to 19-7 on the year, and with the blowout they'll keep everyone fresh for tomorrow night's test against the Hawks in Atlanta. Here are the plays and storylines that stood out in the win.

The Slash Brothers are the Real Deal

Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have a ton of potential, but don't sleep on how good they are right now.

San Antonio's reigning Rookie of the Year picked up right where he left off in Vegas. At just 21 years old, Castle is already playing like a grown man.

In a hot start to the game he swished an open 3 and soared for a powerful jam to open the scoring for the Spurs.

He's developed strong chemistry in the pick and roll with prolific screener Luke Kornet, who finished a few lobs from the sophomore star.

"He has really good feel as a passer ... he gets himself into the paint, and then he's a strong finisher," Kornet said. "Being able to, like, really throw those lobs, or kind of read the weak side and make those passes ... just the pressure he puts on that is impressive, the tempo that he has."

Castle's most impressive dime came when he drove the paint and looked at the rim as he whipped a pass to Keldon Johnson across the court in the weak-side corner for 3. He finished with 17 points and six assists.

"His energy is contagious," Harper said of his Slash Brother. "He just goes out there trying to enforce his will, and I think he did that very early, and he just helped all of us pick our energy up."

Harper came off the bench and led San Antonio with 24 points on 13 shots, including 3-for-5 from deep, where the downhill driver has gotten hot in the last few games.

"My shot's gonna keep getting more consistent," Harper said after the game. "Whether that's my pregame, whether that's my off day, going to the gym and shooting just staying consistent with that and trying to get that better."

"His sense of body control, positioning in the paint, and honestly his finishing and athleticism and change of pace and stuff like that has all been pretty incredible," Kornet added. "Obviously both of those guys still have a long way to go in their careers and skills that they can just continue to grow, so it's definitely an encouraging thing, but the pressure that they put on the rim is something that our team needs, and they do a great job of making the right play from there."

Wemby Commands the Crowd

When Victor Wembanyama checked in at home for the first time in over a month, San Antonio faithful erupted. It was 18,754 people saying in unison, "We missed you, we love you, we're sorry for your loss."

This crowd hangs on Wembanyama's every basketball word. It buzzes with excitement whenever he's in position to make a play, and it explodes into a frenzy whenever he does something otherworldly.

Spurs fans would probably respond this way to their franchise superstar anyway, but the special relationship he has with them adds another layer to it.

The Jackals supporter section that he helped found raised the decibel level in Las Vegas, and on Thursday night, the Spurs gave a poster with some of their chants to everyone who entered the arena.

Wembanyama finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks in just 17 minutes. As he pursues the 65 games necessary to qualify for regular season awards, this can be one of two games between 15 and 20 minutes that counts toward his total.

Sochan Sees the Floor

Jeremy Sochan had played just four total minutes in the last two weeks, with Mitch Johnson holding him out of key NBA Cup games against the Lakers, Thunder and Knicks. Against Washington, Sochan was the first player off the bench for Johnson.

Sochan's role on the team has fluctuated for his entire tenure in San Antonio, which can't be easy for a young player. In his first half minutes he showed some rust, and perhaps some of the lapses that led to him falling out of the rotation.

In the second half, though, he showcased the tough and versatile defense that San Antonio drafted him for. He guarded multiple positions, forced some atrocious misses and looked like a clean fit next to Wembanyama.

After the game Johnson spoke about how much he demands of his guys on both ends, and the importance of having multiple options. That's especially important with a game the next night in Atlanta, and no Spur played more than 26 minutes against Washington.

"There is nowhere to conserve energy the way we want to play, obviously defensively, and have pressure and presence on the basketball and fly around." Johnson said. "It's taxing, and so I think to say the least we're aware of that, which means we need to trust our depth and play bodies, and need everyone to be able to step up."

Sochan didn't score all game, but he was probably quite happy just to be back out there. It remains to be seen if he can carve out a steady spot in the rotation moving forward.

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Tom Petrini
TOM PETRINI

Tom Petrini has covered Spurs basketball for the last decade, first for Project Spurs and then for KENS 5 in San Antonio. After leaving the newsroom he co-founded the Silver and Black Coffee Hour, a weekly podcast where he catches up on Spurs news with friends Aaron Blackerby and Zach Montana. Tom lives in Austin with his partner Jess and their dogs Dottie and Guppy. His other interests include motorsports and making a nice marinara sauce.

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