Spurs Notes: Harper, Castle, Bryant, Johnson, Kornet
With Victor Wembanyama out due to a concussion, the Spurs needed their other young players to step up against the Trail Blazers, and in Game 3 on Friday, and that’s exactly what happened.
Dylan Harper came off the bench to score 27 points, and he credited Spurs legend Manu Ginobili for helping him be ready for the moment, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. Harper became the youngest player ever to score 25 or more points off the bench in a playoff game. And with his 10 rebounds, he also became the youngest guard in league history with a playoff double-double, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
“It was a moment I’ve been waiting for since I was a little kid,” Harper said. “This is the biggest stage of basketball you could ever get to.”
Stephon Castle also played a major role in the victory, scoring a game-high 33 points along with five assists. He and Harper became the first 21-and-under duo to each have 25 or more points in a playoff game since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in 2010.
We have more notes from the Spurs:
- While Harper and Castle stole the show, rookie Carter Bryant was crucial to the victory as well, according to McDonald. “Obviously Dylan’s box score is loud,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “But I think Carter’s game was probably just as loud.” Functioning as a small-ball center, Bryant was passing up shots and hurting the team’s offense until he hit a step-back three in the third quarter. He then proceeded to shut down Blazers star Deni Avdija for the next 10 minutes, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “As much as I work on my game, for the other team, it’s demoralizing when I hit a shot like that,” Bryant said. “Just understanding what the game of basketball is. Like, they’re living with me shooting that shot. Clock is winding down, (I) look up, there’s three seconds on the shot clock. Shoot it. Let the ball fly. (I) work too hard not to trust it.”
- As Weiss notes, Spurs rookies Bryant and Harper have a long-standing friendship that dates back to their AAU days. “I told him once he hit that step-back three: I’m like, ‘Yo, this is time for you to turn it up a notch. You’ve been waiting for this,'” Harper said. ‘”Me and you always wanted to play with each other, even in college. Now, we got the opportunity to flip this game.'”
- Recently crowned Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson has struggled with his offense in the series, having not hit double-digit scoring in any of the three games. He’s confident it’s just a matter of time until he gets back to playing his game, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio-Express News. “Every game is different when it comes to the playoffs, and I’m just feeling out the game and trying to find my rhythm, trying to find my groove and my niche and just continue to play hard,” Johnson said. “As long as we’re winning, that’s the most important thing. I’ll find my rhythm (offensively) as we go throughout. I’ll continue to take the same shots and I’ll make the shots.”
- Luke Kornet has been a reliable option every time the Spurs have needed him to fill in for Wembanyama, and Friday was no exception. Kornet matched or set career playoff highs in points (14), rebounds (10), assists (two), and minutes played (30) while adding a pair of blocks and knocking down his first three-pointer in two years, per Orsborn. “It’s fun to shoot one. Fun to make it. Fun to get the win,” Kornet said. No one on the team was surprised that the big man was able to provide such a spark when called upon. “I feel like he’s been consistent for us all year,” said Johnson. “Whenever we’ve been shorthanded or Vic hasn’t been able to play, he stepped up and filled that role, field that void. He’s been tremendous for us.”
Wembanyama Exits Game 2 After Suffering Concussion
9:54pm: Wembanyama has a concussion and will undergo further testing on Wednesday, Charania tweets. Wembanyama must now have at least 48 hours of inactivity and recovery, then hit several benchmarks while being symptom-free before he is cleared to play.
8:18pm: Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the remainder of Game 2 of his team’s game against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday after he entered concussion protocol. The team made the announcement during the second quarter, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
Wembanyama was injured when he stumbled while driving toward the basket and banged his chin against the floor (Twitter video link).
The big man had five points, four rebounds, a block and an assist in 12 minutes before suffering the injury. He collected his Defensive Player of the Year award prior to the game but the mood among the team and home crowd changed dramatically after Wembanyama fell in the lane and headed to the locker room.
With Wembanyama now in concussion protocol, the No. 2 seeded Spurs suddenly look much more vulnerable. They won Game 1 111-98 behind his 36-point eruption.
Wembanyama will have to meet certain benchmarks and exhibit that he’s symptom-free before clearing the concussion protocol. Until he can return, Luke Kornet will play a more prominent role and another veteran big man, Kelly Olynyk, could also see his minutes spike.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Vassell, Defense, Kornet
One game into the NBA playoffs, Victor Wembanyama is already setting records. The Spurs star poured in 35 points in Sunday’s 111-98 win over Portland, eclipsing Tim Duncan’s mark for the highest-scoring postseason debut in franchise history, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. It’s also the most points ever for anyone in his first playoff game who made at least five three-pointers.
And Wembanyama may have been even more dominant on the defensive end, as the Trail Blazers missed all 11 shots they took when he was the primary defender.
“The first time I stepped on the court, even for warmups, I felt the atmosphere was different,” Wembanyama said. “Everybody was ready. The fans were ready. It’s probably the most excitement I’ve seen this year in this arena. In terms of tactics, the sport aspect of it, it was different because we had more time to prepare.”
Portland tried several different defensive approaches to control Wembanyama, but he managed to keep scoring. Wright notes that he made four of his six shots from the field when guarded by Donovan Clingan and was 2-of-5 against Robert Williams. Against double teams, he finished 2-of-4 with six points.
Wembanyama looked more than ready in his long-awaited playoff debut, and the Spurs appear capable of making a lengthy playoff run. He told reporters that he was inspired by the presence of franchise legends Duncan and David Robinson, who were cheering the team on.
“I heard the crowd when they went on the camera,” Wembanyama said. “Seeing those two courtside and the recognition they get from the fans was amazing. It’s so cool.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- After Wembanyama’s scintillating performance, he chose Devin Vassell to conduct the team’s post-game drum celebration, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only piece. Vassell scored eight of his 15 points in the third quarter to help the Spurs build a double-digit lead and registered two impressive blocks 17 seconds apart that ignited the crowd. The first came against the 7’3″ Clingan, and the second was a chase-down block of Jrue Holiday. “That’s what we talk about, not giving up on the play,” Vassell said. “Every possession matters, whether it’s the first possession in the first quarter or the last possession of the fourth quarter. Play to the whistle.”
- Sunday marked the 12th time this season that the Spurs have held an opponent under 100 points and their record is perfect in those games, notes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Deni Avdija scored 30 points, but San Antonio did a good job of keeping his supporting cast in check. The Spurs were also able to defend Avdija without frequent fouls, as he only shot six free throws.
- As great as Wembanyama was, the Blazers only lost his minutes by four points, per Bill Oram of The Oregonian. They were minus-9 in the 14:17 that backup Luke Kornet was on the court. “Yeah, we couldn’t make money out of those minutes,” Portland coach Tiago Splitter said. “You’re right. Kornet did a good job of defending and grabbing offensive rebounds. We’ve got to be better in those minutes, for sure.”
Spurs Notes: Castle, K. Johnson, Fox, Kornet, Wembanyama
Coach Mitch Johnson made sure Stephon Castle got the chance to pick up his fourth triple-double of the season in Saturday’s win at Milwaukee, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).
With the Spurs leading by 32 points midway through the fourth quarter, Johnson observed that Castle was one rebound short of reaching the mark. After being reinserted into the game, it only took Castle 24 seconds to grab the extra board, and he was quickly pulled out after also posting 22 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes.
“I knew I needed one more before I got subbed out, so coach put me back in there,” Castle said.
Orsborn notes that the coaching staff has been urging Castle to improve his rebounding to add another dimension to his skills. He’s averaging 5.1 per game, up from his 3.7 mark as a rookie.
“If I can help our bigs rebound and start our break and keep our pace up, then I feel like it’s a plus,” he said.
There’s more on the Spurs:
- Keldon Johnson scored 16 points, recording his 50th double-digit game off the bench this season, Orsborn states in the same piece. Johnson, who’s a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year honors, is the only player in franchise history to accomplish that feat, having done it last season as well. He also tied a season high with five assists on Saturday.
- De’Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet returned to action after missing Wednesday’s game at Memphis with minor injuries, Orsborn adds. Both players logged 21 minutes against Milwaukee, with Fox posting 12 points and six assists and Kornet finishing with two points, one rebound and a steal.
- Victor Wembanyama is making good on the warning he issued to the rest of the basketball world after his French team had to settle for the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, writes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m learning,” Wembanyama said at the time, “and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years.” He added that he was referring to players “everywhere,” not just in future Olympics. Wembanyama is living up to that statement in 2025/26, putting together an MVP-caliber season and stating his case for the award earlier this week.
Injury Notes: Edwards, Reid, Kawhi, Giannis, Harper, Kornet
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been ruled out of Tuesday’s game against Phoenix due to right knee soreness, the team announced (via Twitter). It’s an important matchup between the two Western Conference clubs, as Minnesota has a two-game lead over the Suns for the No. 6 seed — and a guaranteed playoff berth.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), Edwards was “clearly laboring” during Sunday’s road loss in Oklahoma City. It will be the 11th missed game this season for Edwards, who has been named to the All-NBA Second Team each of the past two seasons.
Sixth Man of the Year contender Naz Reid is battling an injury as well. He’s listed as questionable to suit up because of a right shoulder contusion, per the Wolves.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has been downgraded from doubtful to out for Monday’s game vs. San Antonio, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. The two-time NBA Finals MVP sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over Sacramento, which is why he won’t play tonight. As Murray notes (via Twitter), Leonard can only miss two more games after Monday to remain eligible for major postseason awards.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to tweak his left knee after landing awkwardly following a dunk during Sunday’s win over Indiana. While the Bucks superstar is considered questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. Cleveland, Antetokounmpo’s injury designation is still a left ankle sprain rather than anything to do with his knee, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 31-year-old forward downplayed the apparent knee issue after the game and said he didn’t plan to undergo imaging.
- The Spurs will be without two key rotation members on Monday, with Dylan Harper (right calf contusion) and Luke Kornet (right knee soreness) both sidelined (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic). It’s the second straight absence for Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, and the first absence for Kornet since February 5. However, head coach Mitch Johnson is hopeful both players will be active on Tuesday at Sacramento, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News relays (via Twitter). “If not tomorrow, very, very soon,” Johnson said. “But I’m optimistic that they got a good chance to play tomorrow.“
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, Kornet, Three-Point Shooting
After missing Thursday’s game with soreness in his right ankle, Victor Wembanyama appeared to be back to 100% as he dominated the Hornets on Saturday, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The star big man posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and two steals as the Spurs improved to a league-best 17-2 since the start of February.
“It’s been really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams and find out about ourselves,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “We’ve had to be in a lot of different types of games, whether it’s a little bit open or having to cover a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality, late-game execution, seeing different ways that people guard us. All these experiences are, hopefully, lessons we turn into knowledge and wisdom moving forward.”
Wembanyama will be a top contender for Defensive Player of the Year honors and may be an MVP finalist as well, but only if he reaches the 65-game minimum to qualify. He can miss two more games over the rest of the season, and Johnson talked about the challenge of getting Wembanyama to that mark while still protecting his health.
“Victor has the longest things he wants to do that are important probably in the history of basketball,” Johnson said. “They all are important to me as well. There’s a lot that goes into that, and at times, we have to make tough decisions. Because on that long list, there are still things that we prioritize and put on the top of the list. But that guy, I think, is going to challenge us as long as we’re all here to continue to match that desire to keep checking things off that list.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Rookie guard Dylan Harper was held out of the game with a right calf contusion, Wright adds. Johnson called him day-to-day and said there’s “no long-term concern.”
- Wembanyama rekindled his “French Vanilla” connection with Luke Kornet on Saturday, setting Kornet up for a pair of alley-oop dunks in the third quarter, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The double-big lineup is popular with fans, but Johnson said it’s a “math problem” to keep both players on the court at the same time because Kornet plays most of his minutes when Wembanyama is resting. The scarcity of practice time that affects all NBA teams is also an issue. “If we haven’t trained and worked it out and really have a clear direction of what we’re looking for in certain situations,” Johnson said, “it’s tough than to ask them to go out in a game like that and execute at high level.”
- Three-point shooting was a weakness for the Spurs in the past, but coming into today they were tied with Charlotte for the league lead in that category since the All-Star break, McDonald states in a separate story. San Antonio hasn’t made any significant roster moves to add shooting, so Johnson believes the improvement is a result of playing faster. “Our pace has been great, so we’re getting probably higher shot quality,” he said. “I think our offense has continued to clean up in terms of spacing, execution, awareness. And then that typically flows into expectation of where people’s shots come from.”
Spurs Notes: Contender Status, Plumlee, Bryant, Ingram, Wembanyama
The Spurs have been nearly unbeatable since the start of February, and every win makes them believe their window as title contenders may already be open, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The latest impressive performance came Sunday night against Houston as the Spurs set season highs in points (145), assists (38) and three-point shooting (52.5%) in a 25-point victory over their division rivals.
“Over the last 15, 20 games we’ve been super comfortable in every single game and given ourselves a chance to win,” Stephon Castle said. “We have nothing but confidence coming into every single game.”
At 47-17, San Antonio holds the league’s second-best record and the No. 2 spot in the West with a little more than a month left in the season. The only concern is a lack of playoff experience, but Luke Kornet sees parallels to what his former Celtics team was able to do on its way to becoming a championship team in 2024.
“The (20)22 season we went on a roll from January on and were playing a high level of basketball,” Kornet said. “It’s been a cool thing to be a part of this, especially because of how much we are growing and how young we are.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Mason Plumlee expects to make his Spurs debut tonight against Boston, according to Tom Orsborn of The Express-News (Twitter link). The veteran center, who joined the team on a 10-day contract last month and then signed a rest-of-the-season deal, hasn’t played since undergoing groin surgery on December 31 while he was still with Charlotte. “My body feels great,” Plumlee said. “(The Spurs) had a good plan to get me back to playing shape, and I’m ready to go.”
- Rookie Carter Bryant got a chance to match up with his basketball idol when the Spurs faced Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers on Friday, per Mike Finger of The Express-News. Bryant finished with five points and three rebounds, but he made several impactful plays to help San Antonio overcome a 25-point deficit. “It gives you a different feeling,” Bryant said. “It gives you a different confidence. You walk with a different swag, you talk with a different swag. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, and it’s one of those things that gets addicting.”
- Harrison Ingram earned G League Player of the Week honors last month, but the 2024 second-round pick is more focused on getting regular playing time in the NBA, Orsborn adds in a full story. Coach Mitch Johnson envisions him as a blue-collar player who can handle some of the game’s underrated tasks. “It’s rebound, space the floor, off-ball impact, and it’s being, I wouldn’t say a dirty player, but like a Dillon Brooks sort of player,” Ingram said.
- James Jackson of The Athletic details Victor Wembanyama‘s MVP case, stating that he has one of the largest on-off differentials in the league. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Spurs had a net rating of plus-15.5 in 1,426 minutes with Wembanyama on the court and minus-0.3 in 1,603 minutes when he’s on the bench.
Celtics Notes: Kornet, Hauser, Simons, Brown
The Celtics were hoping to re-sign center Luke Kornet last summer, but their desire to duck below the second apron limited what they could offer, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Kornet, who accepted a four-year, $41MM c0ntract with the Spurs, returns to Boston tonight with his new team. At this morning’s shootaround, he talked to reporters about his decision to move on.
“It was ultimately between San Antonio and Boston,” Kornet said (YouTube link). “I had a lot of conversations with my wife, said a lot of prayers and had conversations about where we are in life. It was very, very difficult to leave and we had a lot of relationships (here). We were in a different part of life and kind of being open to wherever God kind of willed us and see where it took us. You sort of accept it and take that step forward and figure it out from there.”
The move has worked out well for Kornet, who has started 21 of the 29 games he has played this season and is averaging career highs of 8.4 points and 6.7 rebounds. He’s been a valuable addition for San Antonio with Victor Wembanyama battling injuries through the first half of the season.
Kornet’s former Celtics teammates are glad to see him doing well.
“Just a great teammate, honestly, is a great leader, and got tremendously better over his time here,” Payton Pritchard said.
There’s more from Boston:
- Sam Hauser has moved back into the starting lineup over the past four games and is making a strong case to stay there, Robb adds in a separate story. Hauser contributed 19 points while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range in Friday’s win over Toronto, but coach Joe Mazzulla was most impressed with his defense on RJ Barrett, who was just 6-of-15 from the field. “I think everyone always sees Sam’s shooting,” Mazzulla said, “but his defense is top-notch, and he has the ability to focus on a guy and take tendencies, and I thought he was great defensively tonight.” Hauser will miss tonight’s game with hamstring tightness, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
- Anfernee Simons‘ $27.7MM expiring contract has made him the subject of trade rumors for a team that may be looking to move out of luxury tax territory, but the Celtics also have reasons to keep him. Robb notes in another piece that Simons reached double figures in scoring for the seventh straight game Friday night. His role off the bench has been expanding, as he’s averaging 17.8 PPG in January while shooting 54% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. Simons insists he’s not distracted by the trade speculation as the deadline nears. “That’s the NBA,” he said. “I’ve been in trade rumors since my third year, every other week it seemed like. So it’s just a part of the NBA and you’ve just got to be where your feet are.”
- Teams have been defending Jaylen Brown differently since his 50-point game last week, observes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required). They’re trying to limit his scoring opportunities and take advantage of his long-time weaknesses as a ball-handler and play-maker, but Brown says he prepared himself for those tactics. Knowing he was going to be the primary scorer for the first time in his career while Jayson Tatum is sidelined with an Achilles injury, Brown has been working to improve those aspects of his game. “Teams are not just gonna let me do what I want every single night, and I’m OK with that,” he said. “I just gotta be better at reading the game, trust my teammates, empower my teammates, and just play the game the right way, and everything will work itself out. So I remind myself, give myself grace. I’m still learning.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, Harper, Kornet, M. Johnson
Victor Wembanyama made an enormous impact in his first game back from a calf strain, helping lead the Spurs to a victory over the defending champion Thunder and a berth in the final of the NBA Cup. The star big man came off the bench on Saturday and was on a minutes restriction, with head coach Mitch Johnson suggesting on Monday that may be the case again for Tuesday’s matchup with New York.
“It’ll be something that Victor and I will continue to talk through,” Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “It’s hard. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. Wherever you put some minutes, that means you have less over there.
“We still have to think about what’s best for the team, unfortunately. That decision can’t be made in a vacuum, even though it’s a very impactful and influential decision. We still have to make sure it fits with the other rollout of who’s playing with who and how that affects others.”
Johnson confirmed prior to Tuesday’s game that Wembanyama would come off the bench and receive a similar amount of minutes to the 21 he played against Oklahoma City, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
We have much more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama raised some eyebrows after Saturday’s win when he said, “I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful. So pure and ethical basketball.” As Weiss writes for The Athletic, “ethical basketball” could be interpreted as a slight at the playing style of the Thunder, who are now 24-2 after having their 16-game winning streak snapped. But the first part of Wembanyama’s comment was a reference to San Antonio’s play while he was injured — the team went 9-3 — and he clarified what his ideal version of basketball looks like on Monday. “In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety in the dangers they pose to the opponents. Lots of isolation ball. Sometimes kind of forced basketball,” Wembanyama said. “We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old school sometimes, the Spurs’ way, as well. It’s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion.”
- According to Weiss, many Spurs players entered the season simply hoping to make the playoffs, but their goal has become more ambitious after an 18-7 start. “We want to play in the playoffs. We want to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,” guard De’Aaron Fox said. “Obviously, that’s always a goal. How many teams are true contenders? Most would say three, maybe a fourth team. But for us, we’re just, like I said, going day by day. We know with the talent that we have in our locker room that we are a playoff team, yes. But we have to continue to do the little things that help us become a contender.”
- Fox has nothing but good things to say about the Spurs, telling Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he hasn’t “stopped smiling” since he was traded to San Antonio last February. “There is just so much talent in this locker room, and guys like seeing other guys succeed,” Fox said. “That is where it starts and you trust the other guy behind you. We’re going out there and playing together. We have a lot of individuals that could go into a lot of different gyms and put the ball in the basket and play in a lot of different scenarios. But everybody is sacrificing for each other. And this [versus the Thunder] is our first game with everybody, and I think we made a statement.”
- While Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have put up the gaudiest stats thus far among the rookies from the 2025 draft, a rival Western Conference executive tells Mark Medina of Athlon Sports that he still views Spurs guard Dylan Harper as the second-best player (behind Flagg) in the class. “He plays with force,” the executive said of the No. 2 overall pick. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He believes in himself, and he’s competitive.”
- In an interview with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, veteran center Luke Kornet discusses his first few months with the Spurs. Kornet signed a four-year deal with San Antonio as a free agent, though only the first two seasons are fully guaranteed. “I definitely feel like it’s a different part of life and career,” Kornet told ClutchPoints on Tuesday. “Overall, I just feel like I am in a different place in my career now. It’s about wanting more responsibility, and with a generally younger team as well, I embrace being someone who can help guide my teammates since I was once in their shoes. Becoming a member of the Spurs had definitely been a personal transition for me, not just on the court, but in terms of me and my family life.”
- Johnson has the full trust of the team’s players, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, as well as the respect of opposing coaches. “I trust in Mitch a hundred percent,” said Spurs guard Devin Vassell, who had a game-high 23 points against the Thunder. “Mitch was my player development coach when I first got here, so me and him have an even better connection than the outside sees. But we all trust him. He’s the brains of all of this.”
Southwest Notes: Fox, Spurs Injuries, Pelicans Core, Coward
With Victor Wembanyama out, De’Aaron Fox has stepped into a leadership role and brought the Spurs‘ offense together, Jared Weiss writes for The Athletic. Fox has become increasingly comfortable getting into the teeth of the defense and then kicking out to shooters, Weiss writes. He has also helped the team get its turnover issues under control.
Weiss notes that the Spurs’ game plan around Wembanyama can, at times, make their offense more predictable, but Fox’s speed and creativity add wrinkles that will help open things up as he continues to build chemistry with San Antonio’s young star.
Fox has also helped the offense with his improved shooting from deep, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Despite averaging 33.2% from three for his career, he is currently shooting 37.8% on 6.4 attempts per game, a weapon which was deployed on two clutch possessions to seal a victory over the Magic on Wednesday.
“If we’re going to play one-on-one, a lot of defenders in this league give me a step, knowing that I’m trying to get downhill,” Fox said. “If they give me the step, I have the confidence to step back, knowing that I have time and space to knock shots down.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet are both questionable for the Spurs’ game against the Pelicans on Monday, McDonald notes (via Twitter), adding that there’s some level of optimism about both being able to make a go of it. Castle missed the last nine games for San Antonio with a hip injury, while Kornet missed the Spurs’ loss against the Cavaliers with an ankle injury. Castle is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in his second season.
- While rumors have begun to circulate about the future of the Pelicans‘ core veteran trio of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones, some sources around the team say that New Orleans has not held trade talks with other teams about any of the three, reports Rod Walker for NOLA.com. The Pelicans are currently a league-worst 3-21 on the season.
- The Grizzlies‘ prized rookie Cedric Coward is looking to accelerate his development by seeking guidance from one of the league’s great wings, Kawhi Leonard, according to Matt Infield of WMC Action News 5 (Twitter video link). “I asked him, like, in the summer, could we get some work in together?” Coward said after the Grizzlies’ win over the Clippers on Friday. “He’s not on social media, so I gotta figure out a way to talk to him.”