Jazz Edge Spurs 111-110

The Spurs came up short as the Jazz edged San Antonio 111 to 110 on Saturday. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 24 points and 16 rebounds. The Spurs are now 4 and 5 on the season and are back in action on Monday night when they host the Kings. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES

Spurs Acting Head Coach Mitch Johnson

(On Devin Vassell having rhythm playing his first game back…)

“He’s put in almost seven months [of] constant work, so that’s a credit to him, credit to our medical staff [and] credit to our support staff who’s on the court with him. He’s been playing live a good amount, because obviously it takes a lot to prepare for an NBA game. So, all those people with Devin at the front line get credit for that.”

(On Victor Wembanyama’s overall game tonight…)

“He made shots that he missed earlier, so there’s no overreaction either way. He’s a phenomenal shooter. We want him shooting all those shots. Him along with the group just continuing to be consistent with the fundamentals and not skip steps.”

Spurs Guard Stephon Castle

(On his confidence growing as he gets comfortable with the team…)

“I would say that and just situations. Like I said last time, it can be anybody on any given night making the right play. Most of the time, especially early in the first half, I felt like the ball was finding me in the right places. A little bit more confidence but also just a little more situational.”

(On finding ways to assert himself on both sides of the ball…)

“Just sticking with our systems, finding places to be aggressive, just understanding who you are on the court with, especially off the ball a lot. Knowing when to cut, just stuff like that, get yourself going off easy buckets. It’s always easier to score off your defense, too. Just bringing that kind of intensity, trying to get stops, trying to get easier buckets in transition.”

Spurs Forward Victor Wembanyama

(On Devin Vassell’s first game back…)

“He was probably better than we expected. His rhythm was there as well as his shot making in his first game back. It is really impressive. I think he is totally on the right track. I am not sure what more you can expect from a guy coming back from being out so long.”

(On Stephon Castle’s progress)

“It is impressive. Quick learning, he is rarely making the same mistake twice. That is all you want from a new player in the league. His humility and the fact that he is willing to learn will take him very far.”

Spurs Guard Devin Vassell

(On if he expected to have a strong start in his debut…)

“First off, just want to give credit to my coaches, the training staff for helping me get back. Thank God for the surgery being 100% [to] me getting back. It’s been a long time. I haven’t played in a long time. During the offseason, I was kind of frustrated because at the end of the day, I just wanted to be out there with my teammates and play with them and have training camp and everything, but I was able to get through it. Last week, I was with the G-League and shout out to them. They helped me get back in shape and everything. It was good for me to be back out there, good for me to be playing with some of these guys but ultimately, I want to get that win. I’m kind of upset about that right now.” 

(On he and Victor Wembanyama picking up where they left off last Season…)

“We will, 100%. Just give me a little bit of time for us to sit here and talk about stuff. We’ll talk about the game later. We’ll talk about stuff that I’ve seen, we’ll talk about stuff we’ve seen. I think it was a couple of times where I had a match up to where I could attack and there’s a couple times where he had a matchup where he could have attacked. We’ll get that two-man game going. We’ll get back rolling. We got the first one out the way, so we’ll be alright.”