An MRI performed Thursday showed that Spurs center Victor Wembanyama did not suffer any ligament damage in his left knee that was hyperextended during the game against the Knicks.
SAN ANTONIO — An MRI performed Thursday showed that San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama did not suffer any damage to the ligaments in his left knee that he hyperextended the night before in the victory against the New York Knicks, league sources told ESPN.
Wembanyama did not travel with the Spurs to Indianapolis for Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers because team officials want him to take advantage of the treatment options available at the Victory Capital Performance Center, according to sources. Officially, he is ruled out for the game against the Pacers.
Sources told ESPN that he will be listed as “doubtful” for Saturday’s home game against the Portland Trail Blazers and is considered “day-to-day” as he recovers from left knee soreness.
Wembanyama suffered the injury with 10:32 left in the game against the Knicks, while fighting for a rebound under the basket with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson. As he fell to the ground, Wembanyama immediately grabbed his left knee. His teammate Stephon Castle helped him up, and the center was able to limp to the locker room on his own two feet.
As he left the court, he shouted to the fans in the Frost Bank Center: “I’ll be fine.” He then returned to the bench with 1:22 left, wearing training clothes and sandals instead of sneakers. He finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes.
“It was just a hyperextension, so it should be minimal,” Wembanyama said after the game. “I was confident. I was almost back in the game. They had to stop me.”
Wembanyama missed 12 games earlier this season due to a left calf strain. The center, in his third year in the league, returned to the Spurs lineup on December 13 during the NBA Cup semifinal against the Oklahoma City Thunder and came off the bench in his first six games after the injury before starting for the first time on December 27 in a 127-114 loss against the Utah Jazz. Currently, Wembanyama leads San Antonio in scoring (24.0 points per game), rebounding (11.6) and blocks (3.0).
