Stephon Castle said the San Antonio Spurs had to respond immediately after Victor Wembanyama left Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a left rib contusion.
“Just hoping he’s healthy,” Castle said after the Spurs’ 115-102 win at Frost Bank Center. “I didn’t really see the play, so just hoping he’s doing all right.”
Castle said he checked on Wembanyama after the game and came away with a positive read.
“Yeah, he looks like he’s doing good,” Castle said. “I just wanted to go to the back and make sure everything was good.”
The Spurs were already dealing with a physical matchup when Wembanyama went down, and Castle said the injury forced everyone to elevate their focus.
“Seeing him go down, we knew everybody needed to take our level up a notch,” he said. “The game was going to be tough already, even having him.”
Castle finished with 17 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his fifth triple-double, and he said the team’s edge showed up in the details.
“Just try and make it as tough on them as possible,” Castle said. “Trying to limit their elbow catches where they like to get isos at and try to keep them off the offensive glass.”
That defensive pressure helped San Antonio regroup after a rocky first half. Castle said the Spurs were at their best when they pushed pace after stops.
“After we get stops, that’s when we play at our best,” he said. “That’s when we’re playing fast and moving the ball.”
The triple-double was Castle’s third in the last six games, and he said the recent stretch has come from staying aggressive early.
“Just trying to make my impact on the game early,” Castle said. “Help our guys rebound, keep our pace.”
He added that rebounding from the guard spot matters to San Antonio’s identity.
“When our guards are rebounding, our pace is at its highest and that’s when we’re playing our best,” Castle said. “I’m just trying to impose my will on that end and then just playing free, just letting the game come to me.”
Castle also credited the Spurs’ three-guard alignment with De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper for making the offense easier to manage.
“We’re three guards that can attack the paint whenever against anybody,” Castle said. “We’re all pretty unselfish, so it makes the game a lot easier on ourselves.”
San Antonio improved to 60-19 and assured itself of finishing no worse than second in the Western Conference, but Castle said the group is not looking at the record as the final goal.
“It’s definitely a goal of ours,” he said of reaching 60 wins. “But I think we’ve got our eyes set on bigger goals right now.”
