MVP of the night
As Victor Vembanyama is not there, his “small” teammates take turns to compensate for his absence, and every night, or even every quarter, the player raises the level of play. On this night, the first was Keldon Johnson, the author of the big first quarter, who answered Luka Doncic and put the Lakers on the right track.
Then in the second half a player broke a screen, that was it Stephen Castle. Returning from injury before the match, the “combo back” proved that he has digested his title perfectly rookie of the year but also the arrival of De’Aaron Fox. With 30 points on 10 of 14 shooting, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Castle had his best game of the season, and as the Americans say so well, “his game slowed down.”
Aggressiveness and accuracy
Physically impressive, Castle is less accurate in his penetrations and sees the game better. Like when he goes right-handed to make all the difference, swinging it diagonally for Harrison Barnes, alone in the corner. He will sign the same deal, this time for Fox, to air-condition the Cripto.com Arena in “money time.”
“Just sticking to our game plan” he explains about his sonic comeback. “My teammates, my coaches have a lot of faith in me. So I’m just trying to keep our rhythm, to make as many shots as possible for my teammates, and I found my rhythm in that.”
Very good in defense, more and more comfortable in attack, Castle scored 21 points in the second half, and he inevitably reminds of Marcus Smart when we see him obstructing Luka Doncic’s shot on one side, and with a mistake in the counterattack he catches the ball from a long pass.
“He’s relentless and I thought he did a phenomenal job tonight of channeling that aggressive offensive energy while still playing fair.” analyzes coach Mitch Johnson’s son. “He dropped the ball when he saw the defense tighten up, and let the play dictate what was needed at each moment. Really outstanding work.”
Upon his arrival, and it remains anecdotal, Castle joins Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanyama in Spurs history as the only players before him to finish a game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists at age 20.
2025-12-11 06:30:00
