14/62, or 22.5%. It was the very weak 3-point success of Victor Wembanyama (2.24 m, 20 years old) four days ago. But he corrected the situation by achieving two games in a row with 6 winning shots, his record in the NBA. This night again, that’s what made the difference against Sacramento.
His best match of the season
After the Blazers and the Jazz, the Spurs faced another bad student from a very tough Western Conference this night: the Sacramento Kings. In a match with a context marked by several reunions (Harrison Barnes with Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan et Doug McDermott with San Antonio), it was indeed Victor Wembanyama who dominated the debates. The young French pivot simply had his best match of the season, by far. 34 points on 13/22 shots (including 6/12 from 3-point range), 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks in 34 minutes: here is a complete statistical line. Given his impact on both sides of the pitch, he logically finished with an excellent plus/minus: +24. However, it is not the best of Spurs, since Chris Paul did better with +28.
The duo between two players who are completely opposite physically works better and better. The “Point God” once again delighted the “Alien” with assists, especially at the start of the match. Because the Frenchman started by scoring 16 points in his first 15 minutes, with a nice 4/5 from 3-point range. He had the will to approach the meeting “with a killer mentality”, as he explained at a press conference. Throughout the meeting, he took advantage of having a slow and heavy opponent (Domantas Sabonis23 points and 11 rebounds) to make him move and gain speed. Kings defense led by former Spurs assistant Mike Brown had no solution. On the other side of the field, Wembanyama also managed to dissuade his opponents, who only shot 42.9% including 26.3% from distance. In short, he largely caused a victory which took shape in the second half.
“He missed some really good shots early in the season, and I understand why that’s a topic of discussion. But we never doubted because of his missed shots. At this point, I believe his percentages just balance out. »
Mitch Johnsoninterim coach, reported by Benjamin Moubèche
Start a good dynamic?
34 points is also the third best career scoring mark for the Spurs star. By taking ever more 3-point shots in each match, this type of performance is bound to be repeated. Opposing defenses still give him a lot of space out wide, especially because he tends to shoot far behind the line. His outside address now at 31.3% is close to that of his rookie season (32.5%).
After a stupid offensive foul on the last possession which cost the last match against Jazz (110-111), the number 1 of Draft 2023 therefore makes up for it with his audience. He will have two new opportunities to do so at home, at the Frost Bank Center. His next match will in fact be against the Wizards of his great friend and former teammate Bilal Coulibaly (2.03 m, 20 years old), on the night of Wednesday 13 to Thursday 14 November. There will notably be a duel at the top between the two French “freaks” facing Alexandre Sarr (2.16 m, 20 years old). The Spurs will have a good opportunity to regain a balanced record, while their 5 wins in 11 games currently place them in 12th place in the West.
