Stephon Castle Stats Tonight: How did the Spurs rookie fare against Kings? (Nov. 11)
Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The rookie started in the backcourt again with the veteran Chris Paul. Castle, known for his elite defense, got his first look at Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox.
Castle expectedly shadowed Fox to open the game. The Kings responded by setting multiple screens to free the cat-quick guard from the defensive ace. Fox finished the first half with nine points on 4-for-8 shooting.
On the other hand, Stephon Castle went 3-for-5, including 1-for-2 from deep for seven first-quarter points. He added two rebounds and three assists to his total. The former UConn star was arguably the best player in the last two minutes of the second quarter. He helped San Antonio to a 60-55 lead at halftime.
San Antonio's defense clamped down in the third quarter led by Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. They limited the Sacramento Kings to 16 points, allowing them to pad their lead to 84-71 entering the final frame. Castle had three points and one assist and helped slow down De'Aaron Fox to three third-quarter points.
The Spurs kept their visitors at bay with timely stops with crucial shotmaking from Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. San Antonio held a 105-89 advantage with 4:26 to go when the Castle left the floor for a brief rest. He returned to help his team close out the game.
San Antonio Spurs are 2-2 with Stephon Castle in the starting lineup
An injury to forward Jeremy Sochan forced the San Antonio Spurs to insert Stephon Castle into the starting lineup. He got the role in the Spurs' Nov. 6 matchup against the Houston Rockets. The 6-foot-5 guard had a solid showing but his team lost 127-100.
Less than 24 hours later, he had a more impactful performance in helping the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-105. Castle had 14 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, the No. 4 pick in this year's draft had a career-high 23 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Spurs, however, lost 111-110.
San Antonio is now 2-2 with its lottery pick in the starting lineup following their rout of the Sacramento Kings on Monday.