San Antonio Spurs vs. Washington Wizards: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The San Antonio Spurs put forth a valiant final effort after falling behind early against the Washington Wizards, but they were ultimately unable to get the defensive stops down the stretch, as Washington pulled away with the 101-93 win.
The game saw its fair share of runs, with most beginning with a scoring onslaught from the Wizards, which San Antonio answered, though they had no response to Washington's final push.
Leading the way was the Wiz's acclaimed backcourt, which provided the team with the star power absent from the Spurs' attack.
| John Wall | A |
| Paul Pierce | A- |
| Bradley Beal | B |
| Nene | C- |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Tony Parker | B- |
| Tim Duncan | B- |
| Manu Ginobili | C |
| Patty Mills | C+ |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Washington Wizards
John Wall: A
With every passing game, John Wall becomes increasingly more difficult to dismiss as one of the NBA's leading floor generals. Against San Antonio, he wasted no time, leading Washington's stellar offensive attack with 25 points—13 of which came in the second quarter alone.
He was efficient (9-of-15) and played a defining role in the passing game with eight assists. Helping to quiet any small Spurs run, Wall was undoubtedly the team's top player of the night.
There was a stretch in which he went cold and found himself turnover prone, but as a whole, Washington's leader was the driving force behind its eventual victory.
Paul Pierce: B
Paul Pierce's best minutes came in the opening period, as the veteran small forward paced his team to a strong start with eight first-quarter points. He carved up San Antonio's defense—taking advantage of starting lineup fill-in Austin Daye—and ultimately set the tone for Washington's early hot shooting.
He finished with just five more points but took only a few more shots, ending the night with a 50 percent mark from the floor.
After his strong start, it was an extremely quiet night, but the Wizards fed off of his energy in the opening period while the Spurs' defense looked off-kilter for the remainder of the game.
Bradley Beal: A-
Bradley Beal was silent in the first half, but he ultimately found his shot and played a vital role in leading Washington in the final minutes after San Antonio began to make its push.
Though his shooting clip is hardly something to gush over, the shooting guard's hot finish to the contest—in which he finished with 13 points and five assists—are enough to consider Tuesday's contest a respectable one.
Having played a focal role in the team's final run, Beal was instrumental to Washington's eventual win despite his poor play in the opening periods.
Nene: C-
Nene had, by nearly all accounts, an abysmal game. Aside from his 10 rebounds, there isn't really a positive to pinpoint from his end.
He shot just 2-of-9 from the floor, finishing with a mere seven points on the night. Though Washington found others to put up points, they lacked a reliable finisher in the paint, with Nene headlining the list of struggling interior scorers.
Throw in his three turnovers in just 23 minutes of action and a defensive performance that hardly compensates for his struggles on the offensive end, and the contest is certainly one that the big man would like to forget.
Rest of Team: B
Washington's biggest advantage Tuesday night can be found in the rebounding column, where the Wizards logged 48 to San Antonio's 34. Leading the way was Marcin Gortat, who finished with 11.
Kevin Seraphin posted 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, with the bulk coming in the final minutes as he helped solidify the team's win.
Also contributing off the bench, Kris Humphries posted his expected 10 points and eight boards. There was certainly a lot of room for other members of the second unit, but few can fault Washington's bench as a whole, especially given how important Seraphin was to their eventual victory.
San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker: B-
After a slow six-point first half, Tony Parker first showed signs of life in the third quarter, where he led the team back from an 11-point deficit and stopped the Wizards' momentum dead in its tracks.
However, outside of that six-point stretch, the Spurs' leading man went cold, putting up just two more points on the night. He failed to establish himself in the passing game, posting just two assists as well as two turnovers.
His inefficient play (18 shots) combined with his other failures is enough to chalk up the contest as a rough one for Parker, who is still assimilating back into the offense after missing an extended stretch.
Tim Duncan: B-
Pierce wasn't the only veteran defying age out of the gate. Tim Duncan exploded in the first half with eight points and eight rebounds en route to a double-double. The stat allowed him to move up in NBA history books, surpassing Karl Malone to move into fifth in most double-doubles logged.
However, he ended the night in entirely different fashion. Posting just three points and four rebounds in the latter half, the Spurs' interior leader was unable to lead the team to victory.
He has certainly had worse games, but his rough finish in tandem with his poor 5-of-14 shooting efficiency makes him one of many San Antonio stars who failed to make the necessary impact against a surging Washington team.
Manu Ginobili: C
Manu Ginobili had an extremely unassuming stat line, but his positive plus-minus certainly warrants a second look. During his time on the court, the veteran shooting guard played a large role in setting the offensive tone, finishing with respectable marks in both scoring (eight points) and distributing (five assists).
However, he was extremely inefficient with his shooting, ending the game with a 2-of-8 clip. Patty Mills took over Ginobili's scoring spark role off the bench in the opening half, but after he failed to make an impact in the subsequent quarters, San Antonio found themselves leaning on Ginobili, who simply wasn't ready to take over.
Patty Mills: C+
The Spurs may have Tony Parker back, but Mills is still finding ways to shine. Coming off the bench with a team-high 12 points in the first half—all of which came from beyond the arc—Mills stretched the floor and played a huge role in keeping San Antonio from falling too far behind after Washington danced out to an early lead.
From there, though, he was quiet—much like his teammates. He failed to score again, letting Cory Joseph command the backup point guard role in the second half.
With the Spurs lacking offensive weapons down the stretch, Mills' presence was needed. Unfortunately, it was absent as the team collapsed in the final few minutes.
Rest of Team: C+
As a team, San Antonio struggled mightily to score from deep. Headlining that struggle was Danny Green, who scored 10 points but did so on 4-of-16 shooting. Rounding out the starting lineup was Austin Daye—whose awful 1-of-4 start gave him the opportunity to watch the rest of the game from the bench—and Tiago Splitter, who failed to establish himself as a go-to offensive piece. That said, he made his scoring dent (10 points) playing off the Spurs' driving guards and cleaning up the team's scraps.
Outside of Mills and Ginobili, the second unit was fairly quiet, with Cory Joseph being the only other standout. He finished with a team-high five assists.
Coming up next...
San Antonio (23-16) takes on Charlotte on the road Wednesday. The Wizards (26-12), meanwhile, travel to Chicago that same day to face the Bulls.
