Even he, usually so talkative, couldn’t really find the words. “It was a weird match,” analyzes Victor Wembanyama after the defeat (97-99), in San Antonio, against a Memphis team largely diminished by injuries (Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart… ). “We kept them below 100 points but we also stayed below that bar,” he continues. Sometimes their shots went in, sometimes they didn’t. I don’t think they defended particularly well. I don’t know if we did everything we could. I do not believe. »
Victor Wembanyama produced a very good statistical report on paper (31 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks), finishing as the top scorer of the match. But he also lost 7 balls and seriously lacked precision, particularly in his 3-point shots (3 of… 12). Why, after being so brilliant behind the arc in January and February, has he taken so much of a backseat? “The fact of stopping for 2 games (Editor’s note: early March in Sacramento and Golden State) broke my rhythm,” he says. But that shouldn’t be an excuse. I definitely didn’t pick up the right way, and I haven’t chosen my shots well since I came back. When we find the answer (Editor’s note: to its sluggish moments), it will be seen. »
Spectacular actions for Victor Wembanyama
After six months of competition, the Spurs still cannot beat a team like Memphis, handicapped by absences and struggling at the end of the Western Conference table (13th), with only 24 victories, barely better than the team of San Antonio (15 successes this season). Devin Vassell, quite inconsistent this season, this time scored 27 points, some of them important, but the other starters didn’t really perform. The Spurs will have difficulty winning as long as two of their “starters” finish at 6 (Sochan) and… 1 point (Champagnie).
“We gave them 20 points after turnovers, and we only had an 18% 3-point success,” Gregg Popovich, the Texan coach, tries to explain. It’s as simple as that, there is no other explanation to look for. » Victor Wembanyama made his contribution. We saw him perform some spectacular actions, notably a behind-the-back pass for Vassell or a counter-dunk in the process. The Frenchman finishes with a team record of +15 (the difference in points for his team when he is on the floor).
Leading by 17 points in the first half, the Spurs quickly let their lead melt away. They believed, at the end of the match, that they could win by almost miraculously coming back to tie in the last 30 seconds, but a basket from Jackson Jr 2 seconds from the end gave Memphis the advantage back. On their last possession, with less than 2 seconds to play, the Spurs preferred to give the ball to Victor Wembanyama far from the circle. His rushed 3-point shot obviously failed far from the net. Surprising when a 2-point basket would have been enough to offer overtime and a 2.22m giant constitutes an asset of… size near the circle. Indeed: weird.
