Following a frustrating loss in Chicago, the Spurs looked to get back in the win column against the Bucks on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, Milwaukee’s hot shooting led them to a 121-105 blowout victory, pushing San Antonio’s losing streak to three.

Despite the disappointing result, the Spurs started the game with a bang. Wemby was unsurprisingly at the center of attention, as he blocked Giannis on the first defensive possession before making a one-legged three. San Antonio used their ball movement to score from all three levels, while the Bucks relied on their outside shooting due to Wemby’s interior presence. As soon as the Alien was subbed out, though, Milwaukee went on a mini-run to break open an otherwise close game.

That trend continued in the second quarter as the Bucks built up an insurmountable lead. Milwaukee was only up by a point when Wemby sat halfway through the quarter, but by the time he came back, San Antonio was already down by 15. The offense completely stalled without Wemby’s interior presence, and it’s not a coincidence that San Antonio scored on their first possession with the big man back on the court. Unfortunately, the Bucks continued to build momentum, as they hit four threes in the final minutes of the half to build a double-digit lead.

Even so, the Spurs didn’t give up. CP3, specifically, caught fire in the third by hitting multiple threes to cut the deficit to under 10. San Antonio began playing with renewed vigor and looked to make a comeback, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Spurs’ execution was just a bit off all night: their passes and timing were always an inch short and a second late. As a result, Milwaukee soon rebuilt their lead, and the competitive portion of the game was over.

The starters for both teams stayed in the game at the beginning of the fourth, before the result became inevitable and key players started subbing off. It was a disappointing result in what was a highly anticipated game, and San Antonio is now left to regroup before their showdown in LA on Saturday night.

Game notes

• Wemby had his worst game in over a month, finishing with just 10 points on 4-10 shooting. He actually started the game with three highlight reel plays in the first six minutes but looked quite lethargic the rest of the night. This is just one game, but it’s still worth monitoring how engaged he looks on Saturday against the Lakers. Remember, Wemby posted a 5×5 the day after he scored just six points on five shots back in late October.
• Interestingly, the Spurs seemed to dislike the Wemby-Giannis matchup. Mitch Johnson made sure that Wemby was on the court at the start of the second quarter when Giannis sat, though that might just be both teams’ regular rotations. However, considering that Wemby looked the most engaged when guarding Giannis (he blocked him three times), it was still a bit surprising to see him play more as a roamer on defense. The Greek Freak was unsurprisingly most hesitant to attack the rim with Wemby on him, so the game might’ve been different had they been matched up more often.
• Keldon Johnson had a great game off the bench, as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 boards on 7-15 shooting. On a night when most of the team lacked energy, Big Body brought some much-needed juice.
• Another bright spot? How about the Point God, who had 18 points and seven assists while making five out of six threes. Even at 39, CP tried to will the young team to make a comeback, and he’s at no fault for the end result.

Play of the game

What the heck even is this???

Next game: at Lakers on Saturday

The Spurs will look to get back in the win column on Saturday as they take on a Lakers team that has also lost two straight.