French San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama (#1), with LA Lakers legend LeBron James in front of him, during an NBA regular season game, February 23, 2024 in Los Angeles (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sean Mr. Haffey)
French prodigy Victor Wembanyama had a full and spectacular match with the San Antonio Spurs on the floor of the Los Angeles Lakers, without managing to win (123-118), Friday in the NBA.
In the middle of the ceremony season, two weeks before the Oscars, the carpets are red and the stars shine in Los Angeles. Always good when it comes to seizing the moment, Victor Wembanyama made no mistake in his costume and delighted the audience at the former Staples Center (now Crypto.com arena), hesitating between whistles and applause.
He even completely conquered his legendary opponent of the evening, LeBron James, who shared a message on X after the match: “this kid is special”, wrote the best scorer in NBA history, concluding this short comment from an extra-terrestrial face.
Despite another defeat for Spurs, the 46th in a very long season (only 11 wins), the French giant (2.24 m) indeed shone with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 interceptions and 5 blocks.
Fans of numbers will note that the 20-year-old Frenchman became the youngest player to win a “quintuple five” match, with more than 5 units in all five statistical areas.
Victor Wembanyama (#1), of the San Antonio Spurs, facing one of the stars of the LA Lakers, Anthony Davis (#3), during an NBA game, February 23, 2024 in Los Angeles (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sean Mr. Haffey)
“It doesn’t matter what his stats are as long as he plays well and intelligently,” said his coach Gregg Popovich.
Above all, “Wemby” brought out the “highlights” machine, these spectacular actions which will flood social networks and delight his many fans, such as this decisive pass after feinting, an alley-oop, or even a counter on Anthony Davis (28 points, 13 rebounds), one of the best centers in the league.
– A challenge” –
Despite a match played the day before in Sacramento, Wembanyama struck from the start by scoring the Spurs’ first eight points between rebounds, passes and interceptions. The Frenchman had 11 points after three minutes of play, 20 points at halftime.
He continued to weigh in at the end of the match but could do nothing against the experience of the Lakers, victorious in the NBA Cup in December.
Wembanyama played his second game in Los Angeles on Friday, after a meeting against the Clippers in November.
“It was an important match, more so than the Clippers, especially against LeBron, with a big challenge against Anthony Davis (his direct opponent). It’s an extra challenge but I’m just trying to do my best. better,” commented the Frenchman.
Victor Wembanyama during the regular season game against the Lakers, February 23, 2024 in Los Angeles (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sean M. Haffey)
The “King” LeBron James, to whom Wembanyama is sometimes compared, also displayed his offensive range with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, accelerating during hot moments, and remains the boss, at 39 years old.
With 25 matches to go before the end of the season, Wembanyama wants to continue to tame this “game of chess”.
“We are trying to understand the game better and better, to improve as a team… We are not going to let any match slip away, we always want to go on the pitch to win, we know that there is something something to build for the future.”
– Oklahoma City takes the lead –
Opposite the Spurs, at the top of the Western Conference, Oklahoma City’s victory against Washington (147-106) combined with Minnesota’s defeat against Milwaukee (112-107), allows OKC to return to the lead with the same record as the Wolves (39 victories – 17 defeats).
In New Orleans, the Pelicans’ defeat against Miami (106-95) was marred by a fight triggered by a foul by Kevin Love on Zion Williamson at the start of the 4th quarter.
Kevin Love (L) of the Miami Heat fouls Pelicans star player Zion Williamson during an NBA regular season game on February 23, 2024 in New Orleans ( GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sean Gardner)
Four players were expelled, including Heat star Jimmy Butler (23 pts, 9 rebounds), who was returning to competition after missing three matches for family reasons.
“No one wants to see this kind of thing,” commented, apologetically, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who felt that the scuffle had started with a “misunderstanding”.
The Warriors triumphed at home against the Charlotte Hornets (97-84). Their iconic coach Steve Kerr, four times champion with Golden State, extended his contract by two years for $35 million according to ESPN, a record amount for an NBA coach.
2024-02-24 20:17:16
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