Injury scare for NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs! The 2.24 meter center buckled his left knee a good ten minutes before the end in the 134:132 win against the New York Knicks while he was in a tough rebound duel with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson under the basket.
Wembanyama immediately grabbed his injured leg and initially remained lying down. Point guard Stephon Castle pulled him up, and the Frenchman then limped into the locker room under his own power. The hall with 18,062 fans briefly held its breath when the franchise star disappeared.
NBA: Wembanyama left the field after injury
Around nine minutes later, Wembanyama reappeared at the bench in team clothes. Lip readers could guess an “I’m fine” that he shouted to Castle and a little later to the fans.
A little later, Wembanyama gave the all-clear: “It was just an overextension. It shouldn’t be anything serious. We have to do everything we can tomorrow to make sure everything is okay.”
Wembanyama dominated until his injury: in just 24 minutes he collected 31 points and 13 rebounds and also blocked opponents’ shots on several occasions.
Wembanyama has already been injured this season
The 20-year-old is already entering his third NBA season, but had to miss twelve games this season due to a calf injury. On December 13th, he celebrated his comeback in the semifinals of the NBA Cup against Oklahoma City, initially coming off the bench and only returning to the starting five on December 27th against Utah.
Julian Champagnie became the match winner in the star player’s absence against the Knicks, improving the franchise record with eleven successful three-pointers and scoring 36 points for the first time in his NBA career. For New York, German center Ariel Hukporti had six points and six rebounds.
Thunder win without Hartenstein
The Spurs (24 wins, nine defeats) are the closest to following champions Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.
The Thunder celebrated a clear victory at the end of the year. Without German center Isaiah Hartenstein (calf strain), the champions beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124:95 on New Year’s Eve (local time).
Once again, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the decisive player for the champions with 30 points. After an interim low, OKC won the last three games and is clearly the best team in the league with 29 wins and only five defeats.
No Wagner brothers – Orlando Magic still win
The Orlando Magic consolidated its position as number five in the Eastern Conference (19:15) with a narrow 112:110 at the Indiana Pacers, the worst team in the league with just six wins.
Paolo Banchero was the Magic’s top scorer with 29 points, and the American also scored the decisive basket 7.5 seconds before the final siren. European champion Tristan da Silva had four rebounds and three assists, the brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner are still unavailable for action after their injuries.
With Sports Information Service (SID)
