Victor Wembanyama came out like a man possessed in the first quarter of the Clippers game. The towering Frenchman dropped 17 points and showed LA his full arsenal. He attacked the paint, hit his midrange shot, and even drilled a shot from the perimeter just in case they forgot about the giant’s feathery touch.
You could make a highlight out of almost anything this kid does. The way he makes the abnormal look ordinary can’t be understated, but it’s a team game, and there’s something even sweeter about having some of the other guys contributing to the dominance. In the second quarter, that teammate was Chris Paul, who threw a lob off the glass for the franchise to throw down.
The Spurs are tired of losing and playing like it
There’s extra incentive for the way the team came out playing tonight. Not only have they lost three of their last four games, but they’ve lost eight in a row to the LA Clippers. The last loss came after being up 26 points, but Jeremy Sochan got injured, they lost hold of the lead and ended up being defeated by 10 points. It was an aggravating loss that added insult to Sochan’s injury.
The Clippers were one of the hottest teams in the league coming into this game, but the Spurs don’t care about that. Their defense in the first half was tantamount to a fire hose dousing the flame LA thought they were bringing to the Frost Bank Center. It’s 63-43 at halftime, and the Spurs haven’t even been shooting the three well. They’ve attacked the paint and played stifling defense.
Devin Vassell had a strong first half with six points, two rebounds, and three steals. He’s been making the right reads and letting the game come to him. Vassell playing well isn’t always about how many points he scores, it’s how he scores, when he scores, and what the team needs from him at any given time.
He’s played fantastic defense tonight on top of setting his teammates up for success. He’s only 3-9, so his scoring is still a bit of a concern, but as this article is being written, the game isn’t over yet. He can heat up at any time.
The Spurs have been here with this Clippers team before. They can’t go to sleep on them in the second half just because they have a large lead. If they can keep up their energy, they’ll finish 2024 with a win and above .500—a great step toward making the playoffs.
