The Grizzlies came up clutch against the Spurs tonight and came away with a 106-105 win over Victor Wembanyama’s team in a grueling victory after back-to-back losses to the Lakers.
The French star Wembanyama spoke to the media after the game and addressed the Spurs’ heartbreaking loss down the stretch tonight.
“The good thing is, we can match up with everybody and look anybody in the eye. The bad thing is, we look everybody in the eye,” said Wembanyama when asked to talk about the Spurs’ frustrating tendency to play down to competition.
What he seems to be saying is that while the Spurs can match up with any team in the league, their failure to find their own identity also ends up costing them against weaker teams.
Some of the recent losses they have had this regular season have come against weaker teams like the Trail Blazers (17-20, ninth seed in the West currently) in their last game or the Jazz (12-23, 13th seed in the West currently) earlier near the end of December.
The French star apparently believes that if the Spurs focus more on their strengths and less on making constant adjustments depending upon opponents, then they can better dictate momentum against weaker teams.
Wembanyama, after missing two games due to soreness in his left knee, came off the bench tonight on a minutes restriction. He had 30 points, five rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in the 21 minutes he played. The 22-year-old shot 10-20 from the field (50.0%) and 3-6 from the three-point line (50.0%) in that duration.
But he played only two minutes in the final quarter, where arguably the Spurs needed him the most. Following the game, Spurs’ head coach Mitch Johnson spoke to the media and addressed Wembanyama’s performance.
“As far as I know, he came out pretty good. Again, it’s tough on that kid; there’s a lot of yoyoing back and forth, and trying to support him the best we can. I think he’s doing a phenomenal job and hopefully he just keeps building on it,” said Mitch Johnson during the postgame press conference.
Wembanyama also admitted that he’s always lobbying the medical staff to let him play despite his injury. However, the Spurs seem determined not to rush his return.
To be fair, the Spurs did play better when Wembanyama was coming off the bench for a short duration earlier this season, no matter what critics say.
He played 10 games after returning from a left calf strain earlier this season. During which he came off the bench for seven straight games before making it back into the starting lineup.
The Spurs had a 6-1 record during that time, and the only loss does not count towards the regular season as it was in the NBA Cup championship game against the Knicks. Subsequently, as soon as he broke back into the starting lineup, the Spurs lost two of their next three games.
However, tonight was the first recorded regular season loss for the Spurs, where Wembanyama came off the bench. Therefore, the Spurs need to make adjustments to their strategy accordingly if they plan to bring Wembanyama off the bench in the near future. Arguably, it was his absence in the fourth quarter that may have cost the Spurs this game.
The Grizzlies have now improved to 16-20 following tonight’s win and are now in the 10th seed in the West. They will face the Suns tomorrow night on the second night of a back-to-back.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have fallen to 25-11 and have the Lakers (23-11, third seed), the Nuggets (24-12, fourth seed), and the Rockets (22-11, fifth seed) breathing down their necks as the second seed in the West.
They will host the Lakers tomorrow night in a clash of top-seeded teams in the West, where even LeBron James may not play. Therefore, Wembanyama’s availability could become a game-time decision for the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back as he recovers from injury.
