When he took his support to shoot from long distance with first intention (77-90), Devin Vassell knew the importance of his shot. A string, and Victor Wembanyama's Spurs could still believe in a second victory of the season against Wolves. Or a missed shot, and the task was going to get seriously complicated… In the end, the ball did not pierce the net and the Spurs full-back went back to defense, grimacing.
While they were still 18 points behind after returning from the locker room (39-57), the Spurs came back to one possession at the very end of the 3rd quarter (63-66). With a bit more desire and skill, too. The combativeness of Jeremy Sochan, the magic wrist of Harrison Barnes and a “Wemby” in the oven and in the mill… Between them, they totaled 21 of the 33 Texan points in the 3rd period alone. Except that the Spurs did not manage to go the distance (106-92 defeat)…
Victor Wembanyama 5 assists and 3 blocks from the quadruple-double
Led by Anthony Edwards (26 points on 10/21 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 29 minutes), the Wolves made the Spurs pay a high price for their lack of vigilance, with 30 points conceded from their 18 turnovers. “We lacked discipline, we were not always rigorous in our execution…”sighs the native of Chesnay (Yvelines). “They made our lives complicated and we didn’t pay enough attention to these details [qui ont fini par faire la différence]. »
Coming back from nowhere after an insipid first half offensively (37 points, the lowest total of the season), the Texans were held in check, especially at long distance (11/45 at 3-points), against the one of the most formidable defenses in the League.
Lonely in the first half, “Wemby” struggled again to lead the Spurs to a 14th success of the season. If his efforts were in vain, he further blackened the stats sheet with his 20 points at 8/20 on shots including 1/7 at 3-points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 blocks (!) in 33 minutes.
Still in the running for a place in the Top 10 of the Western Conference – where only one victory separates the 5th team from the 12th, the Spurs measure the progress they still need to make to hope to secure a place in the play-in.
“The best teams in the Western Conference are not far away. It’s a complicated path but it’s right in front of us”wants to believe Victor Wembanyama, who says his “pleasure to compete with all these good teams”. The Spurs will benefit from three days of rest before hosting, on Thursday, Zaccharie Risacher, No. 1 in the last Draft, and the Hawks, recent semi-finalists of the NBA Cup.
WHAT TO REMEMBER:
— Victor Wembanyama becomes 2nd fastest NBA Spur to reach 2,000 points The French interior reached this symbolic milestone in just 92 matches. That's worse than David Robinson and his 83 games, but faster than Tim Duncan and his 97 games. Of course, he is also the youngest, since he is still not 21 years old.
— Rudy Gobert close to double-double. At the beginning of November, the former Cholet interior left the Frost Bank Center after a “shit match”in his own words (defeat 113-103). This time, he leaves Texas with the victory and a good game (10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists).
— Sidy Cissoko puts his playing time to good use. While he had not scored in the NBA since November 7 against Houston (5 points in 8 minutes), the French guard was particularly effective at the end of the match with two successful 3-point shots in three minutes.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
From our correspondent in San Antonio (United States).
