Stephon Castle stats tonight: Spurs rookie nearly matches career-high in loss to OKC Thunder (March 2)
The San Antonio Spurs are placing more responsibility on rookie Stephon Castle following Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury, and in their Western Conference showdown against the OKC Thunder on Sunday, he showcased his ability to step up. However, despite his strong performance, the Spurs fell 146-132
The Thunder came out strong, quickly building an eight-point lead in the first quarter. However, the Spurs, led by Castle, responded by turning the game into a shootout, with San Antonio drilling 10 3-pointers while OKC hit seven.
Castle contributed nine points and knocked down three triples in the opening period, but the Thunder still held a 41-38 advantage after the quarter.
The Spurs carried their offensive momentum into the second quarter and caught fire from deep, adding six more 3s to set a franchise record of 16 made 3-pointers in a single half.
Castle played a key role in the Spurs' first-half surge, finishing with 18 points and four 3-pointers, helping San Antonio take a 77-72 lead at halftime.
The Spurs struggled from deep in the second half, managing to hit only two 3-pointers, but Castle stayed hot, adding 14 more points to his total.
Still, OKC took control, dominating the second half and outscoring San Antonio by 19 points to secure the 14-point victory.
Castle ended the night with 32 points, just one point shy of his career-best 33, which he recorded earlier this month against the Charlotte Hornets.
Below are Stephon Castle’s full stats from the game.
Mitch Johnson says Stephon Castle is back to form
During a four-game stretch in late February, Stephon Castle struggled, averaging just 7.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. However, since then, he has bounced back, posting 22, 24 and now 32 points in consecutive games.
After Castle’s 24-point performance in a close win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson praised the rookie for regaining his aggressive style of play.
"I think (he) is back to being that unapologetically aggressive, relentless kid that we have come to love," Johnson said (per Rookie Wire). "I think he has been thinking a lot. I think he has been a little tired and a little over-coached. It has been nice to just see him back out there playing hard, trusting his instincts."
Castle currently sits atop the NBA’s latest Rookie of the Year rankings.