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Tom Orsborn: Mitch Johnson indicated Victor Wembanyama will be a game-time decision: “It’s the same (right) ankle that’s bothered him some. We will see how it goes. If it’s not tonight, it won’t be long, for sure.” Mitch said Stephon Castle (hip) is improving: “Just give him another day.”
By December, Castle’s Spurs teammates, many of them serious soccer fans, learned that their point guard was not only last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, but also one of several minority owners of CT United of Major League Soccer’s developmental second division, called Next Pro. CT United began its first season this month. “We got a lot of soccer fans on our team,” Castle said, “so it started some trash talk, kind of instantly.”
It was the first time that Brown spoke to reporters since he was ejected in the second quarter of the Celtics' road loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. He received two technical fouls after arguing that a foul should have been called when Stephon Castle bumped him out of bounds while Brown was dribbling. "I don't know, maybe it all works in the end, but I just don't foul bait," Brown said. "I'm not looking to flop or anything like that, but it's almost like you got to. It's almost like, because there's a couple of plays in the fourth quarter where I felt like I drove strong, went up strong, and I didn't get the benefit of the doubt. But maybe if I would have flopped, maybe I would have been able to sell that call. And those decide games. "So it's like, we commend players for playing the game the right way, but we give the benefit to those who necessarily are trying to manipulate the game into their advantage. I just don't think it's basketball. Let's just play basketball. All the foul baiting, I think it's whatever for me."
The Rockets have won four out of their last five games, with Sheppard averaging 19.2 points, 5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting an impressive 46.3% from 3 on nearly 11 (!) attempts — in addition to 2.2 steals and 1 block a night. He’s third in minutes during that span and second in net rating while posting the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team. Sheppard’s recent improvement as a creator is noteworthy. Whether it's because of a confidence boost, growing IQ or both, Sheppard looks poised with the ball in his hands, capable of making wraparound passes, finding downhill threats or simply keeping plays alive. According to Second Spectrum, Sheppard’s 63 assist points created over the past five games wedge him between Stephon Castle and LaMelo Ball — a good indication of his growth. In other words, he’s looked every part of a legitimate NBA starter. A really frickin’ good one.
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The San Antonio Spurs, one of the surprise teams, are on Oklahoma City's heels in the standings. Led by third-year phenom Victor Wembanyama and second-year breakout star Stephon Castle, they have defeated the Thunder four times in five meetings this season. The Denver Nuggets, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and first-time All-Star Jamal Murray, have a championship résumé that gives them a legitimate chance at another deep playoff run. All this has overshadowed what's going on in the Eastern Conference, where things are wide open in a way we rarely see in the NBA. "I think there's probably six to seven of us who believe all we need is good health at the right time and we can go on a run," one Eastern Conference general manager, whose team is currently in the playoff picture, told ESPN. "All of the teams in the playoffs are going to be flawed and all of them are going to have upside."
Jeff McDonald: Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle are both in tonight in Brooklyn.
De'Aaron Fox scored 20 and rookie Dylan Harper had 15. The Spurs also got double-digit scoring from Stephon Castle (13) and Julian Champagnie (10). "We've know, and I feel like it's been apparent this year, that we have a deep team," said Fox, whose driving, behind-the-basket 10-foot floater gave the Spurs a 108-104 lead. "We have guys that have missed games and we are still able to stay afloat and win games. I don't think it's a surprise that when someone has an off night, even someone of Victor's caliber, we have enough to kind of weather that."
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Omari Sankofa II: FINAL: Spurs 114, Pistons 103. Spurs shot 18-40 from 3 (45%), Pistons shot 7-for-36 (19.4%). Castle did a great job on Cunningham, who finished with 16 points on 5-for-26 overall shooting, 10 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Snapped a five-game winning streak.
Malika Andrews: What's the best part of playing with Victor Wembanyama? Stephon Castle: It's just like a sense of stability having him on the court on both ends. Playing defense, you can pressure a lot more knowing he's going to be right behind you to clean up any shot or change any shot. And then offensively, teams can't guard him one-on-one. They're sending multiple bodies at him. It just opens up the court for the other four players so much.
Oh No He Didn't: Stephon Castle on guarding the likes of SGA and Luka: "I ask for those matchups. I feel like I can be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league"
Stephon Castle on guarding the likes of SGA and Luka:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 13, 2026
"I ask for those matchups. I feel like I can be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league" pic.twitter.com/c6pVNj2Khg
For all the ups in this game, there was one down with Stephon Castle. After a massive block at the summit on Rui Hachimura, Castle crashed to the ground and suffered a pelvic contusion. His X-rays were negative, according to a team source, but he spent a concerning amount of time on the ground before eventually hobbling back to the locker room.
