Here’s what Wembanyama, Castle, Barnes, and other Spurs had to say after the team’s win over Toronto.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs beat the Toronto Raptors 121-103 for their fourth-straight win behind Victor Wembanyama’s 24 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists.
Stephon Castle scored 22 points and had four assists. Devin Vassell added 15, Keldon Johnson finished with 10, and rookie Dylan Harper had 11 points and six assists. Harrison Barnes added 18.
The Spurs are 4-0 (the first time since 2017 the team has started 4-0) and will next host the Heat Thursday night.
Here’s a sample of what the Spurs said after the game.
Mitch Johnson:
“I think our half-court defense was pretty dang good all night. To hold that team (Toronto) to 103 (points) and keep them out of transition off the boards is a pretty strong performance from that group.”
“We had a hard-fought game last night. A quick turnaround. I thought Harrison Barnes did a commendable job, also. He guarded Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes for a lot of the night and made them work and hit some big shots for us down the stretch.”
“A few plays here and there change the whole environment. Just try to slow things down. Try to get us settled. We’re still developing chemistry. I think the guys are doing a great job.”
“Try to stay steady at the end of the day. We got a lot of young guys, but at the end of the day, me, and KJ (Keldon Johnson), we repeat over and over, we’ve been here the longest, we just try to have that steady mindset and mentality. Teams go on runs and stuff like that.”
“We don’t want to get complacent. Obviously, 4-0 is a great start. We got some tough games coming up. We’re going to go on the road after our Miami game. The Miami game is going to be tough.”
Wembanyama:
“I think the four games that we’re supposed to win. We always love playing basketball, no matter what. It’s a little bit easier to go to bed at night when you win. It’s easier to come to practice. It’s easier to do the hard things with recovery.”
“Try not to get rattled. At the end of the day, we’re playing in the NBA, and teams aren’t just really going to give up. When we get in those situations we just got to stick to the script. We got to be a lot more efficient and get to our spots. Execute a lot more in those types of environments. Really just not get rattled.”
“I feel like coach Mitch has been doing a great job at picking on matchups, especially with Vic (Wembanyama) and him being able to draw two (players) a lot. We have a pretty deep team. We have a lot of guys that can go out there and change the game.”
Coach Darko Rajakovic: