Spurs' Blake Wesley: Career-best numbers in finale
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Wesley closed Sunday's 123-95 win over Detroit with 17 points (7-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, five assists and three steals across 30 minutes.
The 17 points were a career high for the second-year guard, while the boards and steals tied his previous highs. Wesley is still struggling to establish himself in the Spurs' backcourt rotation after being the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he at least heads into the offseason with a bit of confidence.
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Spurs' Zach Collins: Just misses double-double Sunday
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Collins chipped in 17 points (6-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal over 16 minutes during Sunday's 123-95 win over the Pistons.
The veteran center played through a minor thumb injury and missed recording his fourth double-double of the season. Collins provided some valuable experience in the frontcourt behind Victor Wembanyama (ankle), but it's not clear if the Spurs are interested in bringing him back next season in the same role or will look to move his contract this summer.
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Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili: Hits for team-high 18 in win
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Mamukelashvili posted 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds and one assist over 26 minutes during Sunday's 123-95 win over Detroit.
The Spurs deployed a balanced attack with Victor Wembanyama (ankle) sitting out the season finale, and while Mamukelashvili's 18 points led the club, all five San Antonio starters and eight players in total scored in double digits. Mamukelashvili started four straight games to close out the campaign and averaged 12.5 points, 11.8 boards, 2.3 assists and 1.8 threes, and the 2021 second-round pick will compete for a bench role next season.
Johnson (foot) said Sunday that he anticipates needing "about another week" before being able to consistently participate in basketball workouts, Jeff Garcia of KENS 5 San Antonio reports.
Johnson will sit out Sunday's game against the Pistons with a left foot sprain, marking his fourth consecutive absence to close out his 2023-24 campaign. After averaging a career-high 22.0 points in 2022-23, Johnson's average dropped down to 15.7 per game while he lost out on a handful of minutes as he shifted into a full-time bench role in mid-December. Though he provided a scoring lift to the second unit, Johnson didn't show much growth as a floor spacer in his fifth NBA season, hitting 34.6 percent of 5.3 three-point attempts per game.
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Spurs' Zach Collins: Active and starting Sunday
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Collins (thumb) is in the starting lineup for Sunday's regular-season finale versus Detroit.
Collins will play despite dealing with a left thumb contusion, with Sunday representing his 69th appearance of the season -- a continuation of a career-high for the 26-year-old. He is joined by Sandro Mamukelashvili and Julian Champagnie in the starting frontcourt Sunday.
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Out for regular-season finale
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Wembanyama won't play in Sunday's game versus the Pistons due to right ankle injury management.
Wembanyama will be held out of San Antonio's regular-season finale due to a left ankle injury that he has been battling all season. The rookie phenom is practically a guarantee to win Rookie of the Year after a historic campaign. Wembanyama will end 2023-24 averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league-best 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 29.7 minutes across 71 appearances.
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Spurs' Malaki Branham: Ruled out for Sunday
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Branham (concussion) is out for Sunday's game against the Pistons, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Barlow landed in the concussion protocol Friday, and his availability for the season finale was always considered a long shot, especially considering the Spurs have nothing to play for Sunday. Branham logged 75 appearances, including 29 starts, for the Spurs this season, though he didn't experience a sizable uptick in the statistical department. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.4 steals across 21.3 minutes per contest.
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Spurs' Cedi Osman: Ruled out for Sunday
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Osman (ankle) will not play Sunday against the Pistons, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Osman's season will officially come to an end, though he's considered day-to-day. Playing in his first season with the Spurs, Osman produced averages of 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 three-pointers in 17.6 minutes per game.
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Spurs' Dominick Barlow: Out again Sunday
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Barlow (knee) won't play Sunday against the Pistons, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Barlow will miss his ninth game in a row, and his season is officially over. He'll finish his second NBA campaign with averages of 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 12.7 minutes across 33 appearances.
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Spurs' Keldon Johnson: Out for season finale Sunday
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Johnson (foot) is out for Sunday's game against the Pistons, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Johnson will end the season having played in just two of the Spurs' final 10 games, and overall, this was a disappointing season for the forward. He lost his starting role and featured in the first unit in just 27 of his 69 appearances. Johnson averaged just 15.7 points per contest in 2023-24, a regression compared to his previous two seasons in The Association. However, he raised his per-game rebound mark to 5.5 after grabbing 5.0 boards per contest last year.
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Spurs' Zach Collins: Questionable for Sunday
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Collins is questionable for Sunday's game against the Spurs with a left thumb contusion, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
This sounds like a minor issue for Collins, but the Spurs may exercise caution for the season finale. If Collins is able to play, there would be a lot of usage up for grabs with Victor Wembanyama (ankle) sidelined.
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Spurs' Zach Collins: Provides spark off bench
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Collins logged 15 points (5-9 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 21 minutes during Friday's 121-120 win over the Nuggets.
Despite moving back to the bench Friday, Collins was still a large part of the Spurs' comeback effort. The 26-year-old big man led San Antonio's bench in points and rebounds. Across his 40 bench appearances this season, Collins is averaging 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 18.0 minutes.
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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama: Leads team to comeback win
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Wembanyama closed Friday's 121-120 victory over the Nuggets with 34 points (12-27 FG, 5-12 3Pt, 5-7 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal across 37 minutes.
Wembanyama's stellar performance against the defending champions helped San Antonio erase a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit for just the team's 21st win of the season. The rookie phenom tied his season high with five threes made Friday. Wembanyama has proven to be a dominant force already in his career, recording 43 double-doubles in 71 appearances in 2023-24.
Mamukelashvili totaled 21 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists and one block across 30 minutes during Friday's 121-120 victory over the Nuggets.
Mamukelashvili made his third consecutive start in Friday's win over Denver. The 24-year-old big man recorded a season-high 21 points en route to his third double-double of 2023-24. Mamukelashvili is averaging 11.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.3 minutes across his four starts this season.
