“I wanted to do too much. I didn’t need to put so much energy into defense.”, explained Victor Wembanyama after the meeting, looking slightly crestfallen. For his big NBA debut with the Spurs on Wednesday evening, the French rookie (2.23 m, 19 years old) had a very complicated start to the evening, watched very closely by Grant Williams in defense, and very little served by his teammates. even if he often asked for the ball over the defense.
If he quickly scored two three-point baskets in the first quarter, he also committed two fouls in less than five minutes, forcing Gregg Popovich to call him to the bench, before experiencing the same fate in the third quarter -time. “It’s the worst thing that can happen to a player. The accumulation of faults and the obligation to return to the bench do not allow us to keep the rhythm »commented his coach after the meeting.
Triple-double for Luka Doncic
The Spurs, who started the match with Jeremy Sochan at post 1, led the score for many minutes, displaying great aggressiveness in defense. They then let the Mavs come back into the match, led by Luka Doncic, excellent and author of a triple-double (33 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists).
Guilty of his fifth foul at the very start of the fourth quarter, Victor Wembanyama was once again sent to the bench, before finally catching fire on his return to the floor seven minutes from time. He then scored 9 points in less than three minutes, including a devastating two-handed dunk which gave the Spurs the lead again. Insufficient since Dallas finished better to finally win 126-119.
“I was happy with Victor’s reaction at the end of the match, it shows his strength of character”, wanted to be positive about Popovich after the meeting. Fullback Devin Vassell (23) finished as Spurs’ top scorer with 23 units. If he had dreamed of a better start in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama will have the chance to make up for it on Friday since the Spurs host Houston in San Antonio.