San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson highlighted his team’s physicality and discipline after a 121-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday at Frost Bank Center. “Very pleased with the just level of contact we played with,” Johnson said, adding that matching Detroit’s intensity while executing the Spurs’ brand of basketball was difficult.
Johnson credited his players for maintaining focus during scoring droughts. “I thought we did a really good job of staying with it and understanding that if we’re about the right things and putting our energy in the right spots over time, even in some of the dry spells, it would turn for us,” he said.
The coach described De’Aaron Fox’s approach as adaptable depending on the game situation. “He’s capable of doing either all the time and I think we have a lot of guys that are looking to be aggressive early on. He’s done a great job of feeling his way through that,” Johnson said, noting the veteran guard’s ability to maintain composure with the ball.
Victor Wembanyama’s dominant performance drew specific praise. “He was in the game from the get-go. You talk offense, defense, rebounding, screening, communicating, doing two things at once defensively. He dominated the game in every sense tonight,” Johnson said.
Stephon Castle also earned recognition for his defensive presence. “He’s been just connected to the guy that he’s guarding and doing a great job of being physical without fouling,” the coach noted.
Johnson highlighted key plays as momentum changers. “Carter B’s block on LeVert was a big confidence boost. It’s a multiple effort play that involves contact, and I thought that was one of them,” he said. He also emphasized that each starter’s increased minutes reflected the demands of the contest. “Tonight was a hard-fought competitive game and I thought those guys started the game off in a way that they deserved and earned to be able to play start and finish,” Johnson explained.
The Spurs opened strong, rolling to a 10-2 lead and shooting 54% on three-pointers, and never trailed. Wembanyama recorded 38 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks, while Fox added 29 points and Castle finished with 11 points and 12 assists. Detroit was hampered by Ausar Thompson’s early ankle injury and the Pistons’ second consecutive loss left them at 45-16 atop the Eastern Conference.
Johnson underscored the team’s competitiveness throughout the game. “Victor and Fox and Steph all really set a tone from the get-go and really were pretty dang consistent throughout. The competitiveness, the contact, flying around, we didn’t blink. We just tried to trust our instincts tonight,” he said.
San Antonio improves to 45-17, winning 13 of their last 14 games, and hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Detroit will host Brooklyn on Saturday as the Pistons aim to recover from their road trip struggles.
