In a rather sleepy T-Mobile arena this Saturday afternoon, a rumble was heard at the start of the second quarter, for the return to play of Victor Wembanyama on whom all eyes were focused, despite the presence of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A little glimpse of the storm which finally blew over during a furious, indecisive and spectacular 4th quarter.
Thunderous return
Deprived of the field for 12 matches due to a left calf injury, Victor Wembanyama had to settle for substitute status and 20 minutes of play, an act of prudence by his franchise. “Wemby” took full advantage of every second on the floor, upset his opponents a lot, flexed his muscles after an opposing foul, while displaying a spectacular level, with 22 points (9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks) including 15 in the last quarter. “I was a ball of energy, I couldn’t stop before the match, it had to come out one way or another,” the French player said with a smile after the match.
After a very awkward first quarter (31-20 for OKC, 2 out of 14 from a distance for the Spurs) from San Antonio without him, Victor Wembanyama first brought his desire upon his entry, a tap, a defensive rebound, an offensive rebound and an assist in just a few seconds. The Thunder, a relentless machine at the head of a record start to the season (24 wins – 1 loss before Saturday), began to feel less comfortable, conceding a 15-2 at the end of the 2nd quarter with “Wemby” on the field, and therefore leading by only three points at the break (49-46), the Frenchman concluding the score with a long shot.
The Spurs create a surprise
At the end of the match the two teams increased their intensity, exchanging the lead six times, Victor Wembanyama standing out with a counter on Chet Holmgren, a dunk on a throw-in or even a very difficult shot against the suffocating defense of Alex Caruso, himself author of a spectacular dunk. Canadian MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a little less skillful than usual (29 points on 12 out of 23 shooting, 1 out of 7 from distance), like his team (9 out of 37 from distance at 24%).
