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Dan Weiss: Stephon Castle is shooting 43% (14-32) from beyond the arc these playoffs with high volume attempts at over 5 per game. Only Devin Vassell has attempted more. In 2026, Castle is shooting 38% from 3 over his last 50 games, easily the best stretch of his career.
Tom Orsborn: Splitter on the Castle-Avdija dustup: "Both teams playing very physical. I just thought that what Castle did was a little excessive and too much and then Deni just reacted, which is normal when you're trying to play and you try to win. I don't think it's a big deal."
Spurs guard Stephon Castle downplayed his late-game dustup with All-Star guard Deni Avdija in Sunday's 114-93 win over the Trail Blazers in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series. "We're just competing," Castle said. "Nothing crazy."
NBA Courtside: Deni Avdija on the Castle altercation 👀 “I have a lot of respect for him but the thing at the end with shoving the ball in my chest is unnecessary. I don’t play those games. That not who I am. You can be physical but there’s a level of disrespect I’m not going to accept. He’s done a lot of provocation throughout the whole game. At one point it was just disrespectful”
Crazy Stats: Last night, Stephon Castle scored 33 points, and Dylan Harper came off the bench to add 27. Castle and Harper became the youngest duo in @NBA history to each score 25+ points in a postseason game. The only other duo aged 21 or younger to each score 25+ points in a playoff game are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who accomplished the feat in Game 3 of their 2010 first-round series against the Lakers.
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Dan Weiss: Turn out the lights in the gym! Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, 21 and 20 years old, combine for 60 points. Harper a career high 27 points and his first ever double double and the Spurs take Game 3 in Portland to take a 2-1 series lead.
Life without Wembanyama could and should look better than that. San Antonio has the talent to win games without him, even against a rugged team like Portland. The Spurs know they cannot shoot 7-for-24 from deep in a playoff game in 2026 and expect to win without Wembanyama bending gravity to his will. “We’ve played tough games without him,” Castle said. “Obviously, we want everybody healthy and have him on the court. But whatever five guys are on the court, we’re gonna play like ourselves.”
Michael C. Wright: Stephon Castle is the first Spurs with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in their playoff debut since Stephen Jackson in 2003, according to ESPN Research.
We’ll start with the big fella. He’s the focal point of everything we do, offensively and defensively. I’m not a big analytics guy, so I can’t tell you the exact plus-minus, but I have eyes. There’s not a single night when he’s on the floor that he’s not affecting the game of basketball. He’s the league’s MVP this season — no question. We got Stephon Castle, one of the best two-way players in the league at such a young age, and he’s only getting better, which should scare you. We got De’Aaron Fox, a huge piece of what we have here in San Antonio. He brings that poise, that leadership. He’s that calmness in the storm that a young team like us needs.
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Michael C. Wright: Stephon Castle will play tonight, per Mitch Johnson.
Jeff McDonald: Devin Vassell is available. Stephon Castle still a game-time decision.
Tom Orsborn: Spurs list Victor Wembanyama (left ribcage soreness) as questionable for Sunday vs. Denver. Stephon Castle (left foot soreness), Devin Vassell (right ribcage soreness) are also questionable. Luke Kornet (right shoulder soreness) is out.
"For me, every game is not going to be the same," Fox said. "I let the game come to me. Sometimes I attack the game a little more. But, at the end of the day, those guys (Wembanyama, Castle and Harper) are extremely talented. They understand the game at an extremely high level, and it's easy to play with them. "When they're not on the court, we as a collective have to be more aggressive, have to step up, have to take more shots, have to be better defensively because those are two of the best defensive players in the league as well."
