Takeaways: Harper Ignites Spurs In Home-Opening Win Over Nets
San Antonio’s young core shows poise in crunch time as Wembanyama and company light up the Frost Bank Center.
The Spurs family showed up early to the Frost Bank Center, ready to celebrate a new era, and they didn’t have to wait long for a preview of the future. Behind a stellar afternoon from rookie guard Dylan Harper, the San Antonio Spurs turned a shaky second half into a 118-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon in theur home opener.
Why it matters: With the win, the Spurs improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
- A rookie (Harper) comes up clutch in the big moment, the big star (Wembanyama) stays dominant, and the organization signals continuity even through change.
“There were some simularities from the New Orleans game,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. “You don’t lead or blow teams out for all 48 minutes in this league but some of the mistakes, the patience and tolerance levels, is not what we’ll have because there are things we can control better.”
Here are three takeaways from the Spurs’ win over Brooklyn:
A Rookie’s Lightning Strike
It goes without saying that the day belonged to Dylan Harper. After a slow start and a offensive struggle in the third quarter that saw Brooklyn outscore San Antonio 33-19 in the period, the 19-year-old showed why he should be feared.
Harper came off the bench and sparked the turnaround, finishing the game with 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and, most importantly, no turnovers. He pushed the pace of the Spurs’ offense, and every cut and skip-pass seemed to remind the Nets of another left handed San Antonio legend.
“I wanted to make an impact in any way I can,” Harper said. “Trying to turn the game around from scoring, picking up a guy from 94 feet or passing the ball. Doing whatever we needed.”
“He made some really solid, simple plays tonight,” Johnson said of Harper. “I thought he did a really good job of being aggressive without forcing a crowd and taking what the defense gave him.”
The Big Frame Still Dominates
Brooklyn started the game with swarming defense, attempting disrupt the tall French man. Once Victor Wembanyama found rhythm, Brooklyn’s resistance turned into a block of Swiss cheese.
Wemby shook off a quiet first quarter to finish with 31 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks, feasting on mismatches, and lofting jumpers that felt impossible and defied the laws of physics.
San Antonio’s defense, anchored by that eight-foot wingspan, finished off the Nets in the fourth quarter.
“There’s nothing like winning,” Wembanyama said of the Spurs 3-0 start. “It feels like where we should be. It gives some motivation.”
Legacy and Transition
The victory came with a layer of subtle history. It marked the Spurs’ first home opener without Gregg Popovich patrolling the sideline since 1997. No ceremony. No speeches. Just a new staff guiding a roster built with Popovich’s fingerprints still fresh.
The team have unveiled a banner celebrating Popovich quietly before the doors to the Frost Bank Center opened. The banner hangs alongside banner hangs alongside Tim Duncan’s No. 21, Manu Ginobili’s No. 20 and Tony Parker’s No. 9.
“That’s the what Pop would want it,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. “He’s done so much for the city and this organization. We all want to give Pop his flowers but for something like this, you want to do it the way he wants it. It’s up there and it will stay up there forever.”
Up next:
The Spurs are now 3-0 on the season and will return to the court on Monday when they face the Toronto Raptors (1-2) at the Frost Bank Center with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.
