Stephon Castle highlighted the Spurs’ focus during the third quarter as key to Wednesday’s 107-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center. “We just talked as a team to try and fix our third quarters, try and come out with a lot more energy… letting the game flow,” Castle said.
Castle addressed the challenge of maintaining confidence when shots aren’t falling. “Just trying not to get away from that… sticking with what was working for us, whether the shots are going in or not,” he explained.
He praised Keldon Johnson’s impact off the bench. “The energy he brings… uplifts everybody, the crowd, the team. The other team can feel the energy in the arena when he checks in,” Castle said.
On defending Luka Doncic, Castle emphasized team effort. “Just try and slow him down as much as you can… it’s a collective effort. He had a big game, but he had to take a lot of shots to do it,” he noted.
Castle reflected on San Antonio’s paint dominance. “Whether the shots are falling or not, staying aggressive… Most times when we touch the paint, we probably aren’t going to get a layup right away. A lot of our kickout threes come from continuing to attack the basket,” he said.
He shared his perspective on Western Conference standings. “A little bit [of standings watching], but we pay attention… just wanted to take it game by game and make sure we came out with energy,” Castle said.
Castle also praised Jeremy Sochan’s growth and mentality. “Whether he plays 20 minutes or 0 minutes, he’s been level-headed… When he gets his opportunities, he steps up, playing confident and aggressive,” he said.
Regarding defensive aggression and foul management, Castle added, “Especially playing against a guy like Luka… knowing how many fouls the defender has and kind of baiting that a little bit… my aggressiveness on defense can’t really change.”
He addressed Victor Wembanyama’s role and health. “We just want him to be as healthy as he can… Whoever has to start, come off the bench, we just want five guys on the court that’s going to compete,” Castle said.
On the stat sheet, Castle finished with 15 points, helping San Antonio overcome poor three-point shooting and control the paint alongside Keldon Johnson’s 27 points and Victor Wembanyama’s 16 points with 14 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox added 14 points as the Spurs held the Lakers to 40 percent shooting.
Despite Luka Doncic’s triple-double of 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, Los Angeles, missing LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, fell short. San Antonio moved into second place in the Western Conference and will face Boston on Saturday.
