Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs battles Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves for rebounding position in the second half of an NBA In-Season Tournament at Frost Bank Center on November 10, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.Photo: Ronald Cortes / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Spurs came up short on Friday night, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 117 to 110 in the Group Stage of the in-season tournament. Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell each had 29 points to lead the Spurs. Karl-Anthony Townes had 29 points for the Timberwolves. The Spurs are now 3-6 on the season.
SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES:
SPURS HEAD COACH GREGG POPOVICH
(On what fueled the comeback…)
“I was proud of them. I thought they did a good job tonight. [Timberwolves] are a very talented team, a very experienced team, a team that has its eyes on winning a championship. I think our young guys played their butts off. It’s a totally different game than Indiana or New York. Nobody likes to lose, but there were all kinds of good things in this game, and we just have to keep getting more disciplined, making fewer errors, executing better and it takes time with a group. It’s going to take some time to get them where they need to be in every one of these games, but I felt totally different after the last two than I feel tonight. I was proud of them.”
SPURS GUARD DEVIN VASSELL
(On what the team saw leading to the comeback in the fourth quarter…)
“I think we were just playing together, playing quick. I think when we’re playing our best is when we’re playing fast. In the third quarter, they slowed us down with that zone, and I think that’s really the only reason we lost that game is because they went on that run in the third quarter. We’ll watch film, we’ll learn from it. Other teams are probably going to think that they can go zone on us, and we’ll have something better next game.”
(On problems the zone caused…)
“I think it just made us stagnant. I don’t want to say that we were taking bad shots. I don’t think that we were taking bad shots, but we just weren’t shooting in-rhythm threes. We shot a bunch of threes in that third quarter, and like I said, I don’t want to say we were taking bad shots, but there were no get-in the-paint-and-kick-out threes. Just swing, swing, swing, or a lob pass over the wing, and then we’re shooting tough contested threes.”
(On if patience waiting to take the next step…)
“Yes, for sure. But I’m patient, and we’re patient as a group. We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted today as a group. There are games when we started off the season, we were rolling. Whether its injuries or whatever the case is, you’re going to have ups and down in the season, but I feel like today was a big step. The past couple of games, if we’re being honest, we were getting blown out. Today, for us to go down because they went zone, and them to go up almost 20, come back on a team that beat Denver, on a team that has beaten good teams, it just shows the resilience we have. I think at the end of the day, our record right now doesn’t showcase what we can do and it’s so early in the season. This team right now is going to be so different at game 30, at game 45, than we are right now. We’re just figuring out us, and we’re still figuring out Jeremy at point guard, [Keldon Johnson] is still trying to find his rhythm with new guys. There is so much that is going on right now. I’m being patient, but I also want it at the same time, so it’s a mutual thing. Trust me, I’m a competitor. I want to win every game. So, that’s just how it is.
SPURS FORWARD VICTOR WEMBANYAMA
(On the team’s defensive performance)
“We've had ups and downs, but I think we're fixing some stuff every time. We can get much better, but as the youngest team in the league, I think we’re already doing a good job with our intentions but now we have to do good as a fact.”
(On the impact of a zone on an offense)
“It stops us from running the play the normal way, but just in our head, because actually we can still run it. We don't encounter it very often, but now I'm sure we're going to work on it.”
(On playing with Devin Vassell moving forward)
"Devin has been very impressive ever since I came to San Antonio. Not just as a player but also as a leader off the court, too. I’m very hopeful and I have zero worries for him and for his future in this franchise. It's good to have guys like this.”