The San Antonio Spurs looked every bit like a contender on Monday night, and Stephon Castle made sure Detroit felt it from the opening tip.
After the Spurs’ 114-103 win over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, Castle’s postgame comments revealed the defensive mentality that fueled San Antonio’s ninth straight win.
“Yeah, just trying to make it hard for him. Always keep a body on him. Don’t try to let him move around the field,” Castle said of guarding Cade Cunningham.
Castle’s main assignment was Cunningham, and the numbers told the story. Cunningham finished with 16 points on 5-of-26 shooting and missed 21 attempts in one of his toughest games of the season.
“And then, yes,” Castle continued. “Just everyone helping me. Vic is obviously on the edge. So just try to get him to hit as many hard shots as possible.”
That help defense starts with Victor Wembanyama, who had 21 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks despite what Castle called “a tough shooting night.”
“It was a tough shooting night for him. But defensively, the rebounds, the blocks. He played a very good game,” the guard said of the French center.
Castle emphasized Wembanyama’s constant presence.
“Yes, Vic will influence the game no matter what. Whether he scores or not. Just by his presence he will influence the game. Even if he is in the paint while the other team is driving. It is special to see and to play with.”
“He’s the head of the snake,” Castle said. “And even if he has a bad game, you can see it in his expression. Yeah, I feel like he’s just been a great leader for us.”
The game boiled over briefly in the second quarter when Cunningham extended his arms and knocked Castle to the ground, leading to a technical foul after a review.
“We’re not going to back down at any point,” Castle said. “So that happened early in the game. I feel like that created some energy in our guys as well.”
After one key possession in the fourth quarter, Castle blocked Cunningham on the block.
“I mean, I just try not to go for fake pumps,” he explained. “I knew I had Vic behind me. So I just tried to stay on the ground as much as possible.”
Castle also credited Devin Vassell, who scored 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 7-for-11 from three.
“Yes. Guarded the ball well. Communicated well,” Castle said. “But with his goals I feel like he wanted us to win tonight.”
“Coach said it best,” he added. “He has put his energy in the right places. So he would definitely experience another night like this.”
At 40-16, the Spurs now trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference, while the East-leading Pistons fell to 42-13.
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