Victor Wembanyama perhaps shone a little less than the day before in Memphis, where he scored 30 points in 21 points, but this time his team won: the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers last night in Texas (107-91). “We know how to use everyone’s strengths and do the invisible work,” Wemby said after the meeting.
The Lakers only existed because of the genius of Luka Doncic, who did everything and succeeded in everything (38 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds). But the Spurs have a solid team this year and the tasks have been well distributed. If the light was attracted by replacement Keldon Johnson (27 points), everyone assumed their role in San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama was useful (16 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks) and was once again very good at the end of the game. He started the match on the substitutes’ bench, like the day before, after a knee hyperextension which caused him to miss two matches. “I’d rather not be out but at least it lets me not take anything for granted,” Wemby said. “I felt good, I am always ready and the staff even have to hold me back otherwise I would be like a crazy person,” he also declared.
“I don’t want him to put on a cape”
He entered the game a little later than the day before, after 7 minutes of play against the Lakers, to allow him to participate in the final moments of the match, while medical staff limited him to less than 24 minutes of play so as not to risk aggravating his injury. Managing his playing time is a headache for coach Mitch Johnson.
“I want him to play a natural sequence of minutes, I don’t want him to spend an entire quarter on the bench, it’s not natural or fair for him or his teammates,” analyzed Mitch Johnson. I don’t want him to skip the first half and put on a cape at the end of the match to save us when the match becomes more intense. I understand all opinions, but we’re trying to do what’s best for Victor and for Spurs. »
It worked pretty well against the Lakers last night. Wemby started by countering Doncic a first time, then a second time on the Slovenian’s second try! At the start of the second quarter, he rises to a dizzying height to deflect a shot from Marcus Smart.
Spectacular actions
His statistics sheet remains reasonable but the Frenchman has some spectacular actions in the second half: a pass for an alley-oop from Fox, or one of his typical actions, where he counters Ayron on one side, goes up the ball, and tries to score on the other, by bouncing the ball on the board. Failed this time!
At the end of the match, he alternates between the bench and the floor, and even without him his teammates do the job. The Spurs win and consolidate their second place in the Western Conference, before traveling to Boston on Saturday (2 a.m. on the night of Saturday to Sunday in France).
