Spurs Crush Warriors Behind Dominant Defense, Sharp-Shooting Castle

Stephon Castle dropped a season-high 32 points in a 123-85 blowout for San Antonio, win number 11 in a row.

Nov 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) slam dunks the ball against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SAN ANTONIO -- It's almost impossible to win an NBA game in the first quarter, but the Spurs did that on Friday night as they eviscerated the Warriors 123-85.

Stephon Castle got hot from deep and led all scorers with 32 points, and five made triples, while Victor Wembanyama anchored a defense that showed no weakness in the rout and added another double-double. San Antonio added another blowout to their now 11-game winning streak, but they displayed an uncommon degree of dominance in this one.

The Spurs opened the game on an 18-0 run, grabbing with both hands a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Wire to-wire wins are cool, but leading the vast majority of the game by 20 points is way cooler. San Antonio secured a double digit lead less than two minutes into the game and held it for the remaining 96% of game time. Golden State didn't score a single point in the first quarter when Wembanyama was on the floor. Castle drilled a few early triples on feeds by Wemby, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

"I think the defense probably ignites the offense more than vice versa," coach Mitch Johnson said afterward. So I still lean into the defense. Thought we were pretty on point with some of our game plan execution stuff and attention to detail."

Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg spoke before the game about a desire to play rough with Wembanyama, but it was irritant extraordinaire Draymond Green who carried the plan out. Green hit Wemby in the neck at one point, then went out of his way to shove him square in the back on a rebound for a flagrant foul.

"It's not a good basketball strategy, and it shows," Wembanyama said. "I'm ready to put my body on the line for the team if that allows us to win by 40."

Wembanyama just took his time getting up every time the Warriors knocked him down. He finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and a pair of blocks in just 21 minutes of play.

San Antonio got 58 points from their bench, including 18 from Keldon Johnson and 11 from Harrison Barnes. The Warriors actually managed to slightly outshoot the Spurs from distance by the time the final buzzer sounded, but San Antonio doubled them up in the paint 56-28.

Next up, the Spurs will travel to Utah to face the Jazz in a Sunday matinee. The national ground stop for all flights was lifted during the game.