Stephon Castle stats tonight: How did Spurs rookie fare in matchup against LeBron James' Lakers? (Nov. 15)
San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle faced LeBron James and the LA Lakers for the first time in his career on Friday. The Spurs came into the game with a 139-130 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday with Castle adding 10 points and five rebounds.
Looking at Castle's first career game against "King" James, he had a decent opening quarter. He added six points, outscoring LeBron and assisting his team to keep the game within reach. The Spurs trailed by one in the first quarter with a 31-30 finish.
Come the second quarter, Castle checked in towards the half of the period. He provided the team with some much-needed offense given how the Lakers were pulling away with a commanding lead. He added nine more points, keeping the game within reach trailing 68-60 after the first half.
Come the third quarter, Stephon Castle continued with his first-half momentum by scoring an early three-point bomb. However, interim head coach Mitch Johnson decided to let the rookie sit out the majority of the third.
Ultimately, it was the Lakers who came out on top with a 120-115 victory. Castle did everything in his power to help the Spurs steal a victory. Unfortunately for them, Anthony Davis and LeBron James were too much to handle.
Spurs vs Lakers recap: Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama fall a bit short
The San Antonio Spurs hosted the LA Lakers on Friday in their first game of the Emirates NBA Cup. Heading into the matchup, the Spurs had a two-game winning streak, hoping to carry on the momentum they built.
Unfortunately for them, Anthony Davis and LeBron James once again put up monster games for the Lakers. Attempting to keep the game within reach were Spurs rookie Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. Castle was solid for San Antonio on the offensive side of things. He scored 22 points, which made him the second-highest scorer among Spurs players.
Castle also had an efficient shooting night with 75% accuracy from beyond the arc and 58.3% overall. As expected, Wembanyama had another double-double outing with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Despite proving to be a major threat for the Purple and Gold throughout the game, the Lakers managed to find ways to put a stop to the towering Frenchman.