Unbeaten 9 matches, Spurs win in Detroit!

Another great successful test for Spursemerged as winners from the duel against the Pistons, in Detroit, after a tough fight. Mitch Johnson’s men produced a full match to seal their ninth consecutive victory, amid a lethal combination Stephen Castle etc Devin Vassell and the contribution of a Victor Vembanyama in control tower mode, emerging victorious from his All-Stars duel against Jalen Duren.

San Antonio couldn’t have dreamed of a better start, between Devin Vassell’s 3/3 triples and 5 points, including a devastating alley-oop Wemby to bring the score to 14-2! But the rest was much more difficult for the Texans, victims of the Cunningham-Robinson-Duren trio’s awakening, then the great passage of Ron Holland, the author of 9 points in a row including 2+1 in front of Luke Cornett and 3 points to revive Detroit (21-20).

The Pistons used their strong moment to raise the temperature, as Tobias Harris concluded with a dunk (27-21), or Cade Cunningham after stealing the ball from the hands of Victor Wembanyama (35-29). San Antonio found a second wind thanks to its scorers, between two 3-point baskets by Devin Vassell and a three-pointer by Julian Champagne, not forgetting the rise of Stephon Castle’s power, facing Cade Cunningham on defense and also on offense.

Wemby takes control of the racket

Returning to +2 at the break after two throws by Victor Wembanyama who has been uninspiring in the attack so far (55-57), Spurs managed to regain control of the match after the break. First came a 9-0 run started by three-pointers by Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama (64-74), then relays by Harrison Barnes and Dylan Harper at the end of the third quarter (75-83). Wemby then took control of the racket in the final act, multiplying counterattacks to increase the deficit, to +15 after another three-pointer by Devin Vassell, and then an open layup by Stephon Castle, served by the French post 5 (75-90).

Despite Jalen Duren and Carissa LeVert’s three-point effort to keep Detroit in the game and put pressure on the opponent, San Antonio didn’t lose its footing. Once again, a series of outside baskets allowed the Spurs to stay the course: Julian Champagne, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson (89-103). Then Victor Wembanyama put the finishing touches on this victory, in his signature style with a block, layup and dunk before finishing the job with a free throw to secure a 114 to 103 victory, his ninth in a row!

WHAT TO REMEMBER

6 contres by Victor Vembanyama. It’s hard to quantify Victor Wembanyama’s defensive contribution last night, except he doesn’t stop at the stats as his deterrent force weighs on the opposition on every possession. His erratic offensive performance (6/16 shooting, 21 points) will therefore remain his impressive defensive performance, especially with 16 rebounds and 6 blocks.

Jalen Duren wasn’t afraid of Mount Wemby. The Pistons set an example with a successful attack on Victor Vembanyama from the start of the match. He never let his head down after that, even offering himself a nice dunk on the Frenchman in the final act, before adding a layer with a 2+1 stolen from the nose of the Texan interiors to maintain suspense. With 25 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes, he was the Pistons’ best player last night.

Devin Vassell’s Heatstroke. Stephon Castle would deserve his place among the decisive players of the match, for his double-double with 16 points, 11 assists and for going against Cade Cunningham throughout the match, not without some success. But what about Devin Vassell’s performance? The guard was a consistent benchmark on offense thanks to his incredible outside skills, going 7/11 from 3-point range! The best scorer of the match with 28 points, he stood out for his overall efficiency in the attack (10/14 shooting, only one turnover).

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / 3 points in an attempt; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.