Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images The Spurs won a thrilling comeback in Portland but lost at home to the T-wolves behind a timid offensive performance. Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy! Week 7: Injuries, poor defense, and fleeting three-point shooting led to a disappointing 1-3 week and elimination from the NBA Cup Tournament (which may have been a blessing in disguise) despite a friendly schedule. Week 8: 1-1 (13-13, 11th in West) 118-116 win @ Portland Trail Blazers Recap: Already down four rotation players to injury, the Spurs soon lost another in Chris Paul after he was ejected in the first quarter for arguing with the officials. After a horrid third quarter, it seemed like they just didn’t have enough personnel as they got down by 17 a few minutes into the fourth quarter, but everything suddenly clicked as they pulled off a massive comeback, kicked off by a few Julian Champagnie threes and sealed by clutch Victor Wembanyama free throws. What we learned 92-106 loss vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Recap: Similar to their two home losses the week before, when the threes stop falling, the Spurs’ offense struggles. That was the case in this game with a lethargic offensive display against an admittedly strong Wolves defense. Outside of a third quarter outburst to briefly make the game interesting, the Spurs just couldn’t score enough to ever gain control before the game finally got out of hand in the fourth quarter. What we learned Power Rankings John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 19 (last week: 20) OffRtg: 111.4 (17) DefRtg: 113.8 (19) NetRtg: -2.4 (17) Pace: 99.4 (15) The Spurs remain just outside the Play-In Tournament group in the West, having split their two games last week. Three takeaways 1. Having recorded 66 assists on their 81 field goals last week, the Spurs have an assist rate of 71.3%, the highest rate for any team in the last 21 seasons (topping their mark of 71.2% last season). 2. The Spurs’ lineup of Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama has outscored opponents by 18.4 points per 100 possessions. That is the second-best mark among 15 lineups that have played at least 150 minutes. But when Castle returned from a one-game absence on Sunday, he came off the bench for the first time since Nov. 4, with Jeremy Sochan starting in his place. The Sochan lineup was good (plus-12 in 13.2 minutes), but bench minutes from Castle and Devin Vassell (who combined to shoot 3-for-19) were rough. 3. Vassell’s effective field goal percentage for the season (56.5%) is still the best mark of his career. But the Spurs have been outscored by a brutal 17.5 points per 100 possessions in his 271 minutes on the floor, and that number is even worse (minus 20.5 per 100 with anemic offense) in his 125 minutes alongside Wembanyama. The Spurs are one of three teams — the Hornets and Blazers are the other — that have played just two games against the opposite conference. They’ll host the Hawks on Thursday, having lost both meetings with Atlanta last season. Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 19 (last week: 19) One of the surprise teams in the West this season has been the San Antonio Spurs, a younger team that is on the rise. Victor Wembanyama is heading to his first All-Star Game, and the Spurs continue to evolve under the leadership of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. As Devin Vassell gets more time next to Paul and Wemby, he too will blossom into a bright spot for this organization. Coming up: Thurs. 12/19 vs. Atlanta Hawks; Sat. 12/21 vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction: 2-0 — I’m setting myself up to get burned again, but here we go. A home game against Portland should be a scheduled win, but the Hawks game is interesting. With another extended break, the Spurs figure to be closer to full strength in a few days (with only Keldon Johnson still listed as “out” as opposed to “day-to-day” before the Timberwolves game), and if there’s one team the Spurs have incentive to beat, it’s the Hawks due to owning their 2025 first round pick outright with no restrictions. The problem? Atlanta is overachieving, having won 7 of their last 10 and currently sitting in East’s 7th seed. Right now, the Spurs, who are on the rise themselves, are looking at two mid first-round picks instead of at least one early pick in what figures to be a highly anticipated class, so the least they can do is play what minimal role they can in knocking the Hawks back down a tier. (And no, I don’t want them to tank themselves to improve their own pick if the Hawks end up being too “good”. They’re too good for that, too.)