Spurs Top Heat 120-104.

The San Antonio Spurs picked up a win over the Miami Heat on Friday night, topping the Heat 120 to 104. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 23 points. Devin Vassell added 21. Dominick Barlow had 11 points and Cedi Osman and Jeremy Sochan each had 10.

The Spurs are back in action at the Frost Bank Center on Monday night when they host the Houston Rockets.

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SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich

(On Forward Jeremy Sochan)

“I think he was really confident, had great pace and was aggressive. He did everything we were hoping he would do.”

(On Guard Devin Vassell)

“Devin, he’s a scorer. He’s a shooter. He’s starting to understand how to get to his spots, how to chase space and those sorts of things. I thought he did a good job in that regard and he’s really making an effort defensively to pick it up on that end of the court.”

(On team cohesion) 

“It was fine. It’s a preseason game and they just got together, so it’s kind of hard. Everyday it’s, ‘How’d they do today?’ It's hard to answer that kind of a question. They’re giving their best effort to not only play the way we want them to play but playing together and realizing what their teammates can do. There’s a reason why Miami was in the finals last year. A lot of their guys weren’t even here, and physicality wise and defensively you wouldn’t even know that. They’re fantastic in that regard. Erik [Spoelstra] does a great job and it’s in the water there. I thought that as the game went on, we got a little bit better at trying to do the same thing, and that’s one of the things we want to look at. Rebounding-wise we were awful. They were much more aggressive on the boards, and that’s an area we’ll have to work on.” 

(On Forward/Center Victor Wembanyama)

“He was fine. He’s going to play both positions. It depends a lot on matchups, scouting reports and who we’re playing. He’s obviously a gifted player who’s very humbling trying to find his place. I called one play for him all night, and I think he got over 20. He just did that because he’s a good basketball player and he understands how to play. We have to make sure that we blend that with everything else that we have.”

 

Spurs Forward Victor Wembanyama

(On assisting Devin Vassell)

“What I felt from the previous game, sometimes I just get the ball and I don’t even need to dribble. I see guys coming and facing me, defenders facing me, and forgetting about the other guys. So, when there’s a shooter like [Devin Vassell], it is just easy, the easier option to pass it out to him.”

(On Jeremy Sochan playing point guard)

“I think he is just more trouble for the opponents. He is comfortable at this position. Everyone trusts him, and I think he’s got a good future in that position for sure.”

(On playing comfortable on defense)

“I think when players have good games, it’s on both ends of the floor. So to me, it’s really important for me to be two-way.”

Spurs Guard Devin Vassell

(On playing on national television)

“I talked about it this summer. Obviously, we are going to have a lot of opportunities to be up there. We have a lot of talent out there. It’s not just [Victor Wembanyama], it’s not just me and {Keldon Johnson}. We got a lot of people, Malaki [Branham], Tre [Jones], I could go on and on about who can make an impact on this team. It’s going to be night-in and night-out where we are going to need that, and it’s going to be a different name every day.”

(On Jeremy Sochan playing point guard)

“I think we are all just going to have to get used to it and adapt to it. He is going to have to get used to that role, getting us into our sets and getting into it. I think he did a good job of it today, we got to help him out when there are people pressuring him and give him outlets to set up the offense.”

(On feeling more comfortable defending with Wembanyama in the paint)

“Yes, for sure. I feel like I can gamble more. I can be in passing lanes more and anticipate more because I know I’ve got somebody down there that’s going to anchor. We are all talking. There are times when he’s talking to me when I’m down there and I know I can gamble to get a steal. So, he is going to help us out for sure.”