Castle's Double-Double Lifts Spurs in WCF Game 1, Fudd and Bueckers Dominate Mystics
Stephon Castle
If Game 1 of the Western Conference FInals is any indication for how the rest of the series is going to go, then basketball fans are in for a real treat. The San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in double overtime on Monday night to take a 1-0 series lead. Stephon Castle recorded his second straight, and third overall, double-double of the postseason after scoring 17 points with 11 assists in a career-high 49 minutes.
For a second straight game, Castle reached double-digits in the first quarter. He started the scoring by hitting his lone three-pointer of the night to give the Spurs a 3-0 lead on the game’s first possession. The former Husky guard helped push the margin to nine after finding Julian Champagnie for a three-pointer and then making two free throws to extend the Spurs lead to 12-3 with 7:28 left in the quarter. Steph scored a pair of buckets in the final two and half minutes of the opening frame, including this crossover on Ajay Mitchell that led to a basket:
Castle recorded two assists to Victor Wembanyama in the second quarter, but the former Husky guard didn’t get on the scoreboard again until the third, converting a layup that put the Spurs ahead 55-50 with 10:02 remaining. The second-year guard and Devin Vassell connected on a couple plays in the final moments of the quarter.
First, Castle found the former Florida State Seminole star for a jumper to make it 75-67 Spurs. Then, in the final seconds of the period, with the Thunder crowd on its feet hoping for a stop, Steph drove and found Vassell wide open in the corner, where he buried the triple to send the Spurs into the fourth quarter with an 80-73 advantage.
Fast forward to the final 90 seconds of regulation with the Spurs trailing 95-94, Castle recorded his eighth assist of the night when he found Julian Champagnie in the corner, who drilled a three-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to put the Spurs back in front 97-95. With just over 30 seconds left, two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander attacked the rim against Castle, drew the foul and made both free throws to tie the game at 99. Then with the Spurs once again clinging to a two-point lead 101-99, Gilgeous-Alexander freed himself momentarily from Castle, then immediately used that space to drive downhill and make the layup to tie the game again with 3.1 seconds left to force overtime.
Castle opened the scoring in the first overtime by driving to the basket and throwing it down on Gilegous-Alexander. It was Steph’s first field goal since the early part of the third quarter.
Later, the Spurs had a 105-104 lead and a chance to add to it, however Castle turned it over for the 11th time of the game while trying to feed Wembanyma in the paint but instead Alex Cauraso tipped the pass and it led to a wide open Jalen Williams fastbreak dunk to put the Thunder back on top by one. The 11 giveaways were a career high for Castle and also set a Spurs franchise record for most turnovers in a postseason game.
With the Spurs now trailing 108-105, Castle passed it back to Wembanyama who delivered a signature moment.
That three-pointer sent this game into double overtime tied at 108, where Castle recorded his 10th and 11th assists of the night. The final dime came on an alley-oop to Wembanyma to put the game on ice, 120-114.
The Spurs played this game without starting shooting guard De’Aaron Fox, who was out with an ankle injury, which forced Castle to handle the ball a lot more than usual. Steph became the fourth player in Spurs franchise history to record 15+ points, 5+ rebounds and 10+ assists in a Conference Finals game.
Tage Thompson
Entering Monday night, the Buffalo Sabres were 1-6 all-time in Game 7s, with their only win coming in the first round of the 1997 Eastern Conference playoffs. Unfortunately for Buffalo, win number two will have to wait, as the Sabres fell short once again in a heartbreaking 3-2 Game 7 overtime home loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens scored two first period goals to take an early 2-0 lead but the Sabres tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period. However, Alex Newhook scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tage Thompson was held to zero points in Game 7 as the Sabres fell one game short of their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2007.
Azzi Fudd/Paige Bueckers
For the first time as WNBA teammates, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd both scored in double figures, helping lead the Dallas Wings to a dominant 92-69 victory over the Washington Mystics on Monday night.
Bueckers netted 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and including a season-high four three-pointers while Fudd scored a career-high 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three assists in a season-high 24 minutes. The duo connected on a season-high four baskets, none sweeter than this one:
Over the course of Fudd’s first three career games, her playing time has increased in each outing: 18 minutes in her WNBA debut, 20 minutes in her second game, and 24 minutes on Monday in her third game.
Aaliyah Edwards vs Serah Williams
Aailyah Edwards scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from the free throw line, but it wasn't enough as the Connecticut Sun fell to the Portland Fire 83-82 on Monday night. The Sun dropped to 0-5 on the season, while the Fire improved to 2-2 on the year.
Former Husky Serah Williams scored her first career point on a free throw last Thursday against the New York Liberty. On Monday, she recorded her first career field goal:
Williams finished with three points in a career-high 12 minutes.
Connecticut Sun’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa missed her second straight game with an ankle injury.
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