SAN ANTONIO — In front of their home fans for the first time in 26 days, the San Antonio Spurs and rookie Victor Wembanyama put on quite a show.
After blowing a 12-point lead in the third quarter and falling behind in the fourth, the Spurs came back to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 132-118. Wembanyama put his stamp on the victory with a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining to put San Antonio up by nine and then a block on the Thunder's Chet Holmgren 20 seconds later.
Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks and was 5 of 7 from 3-point range. He became the first player in NBA history to score at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 5 triples in a game.
Down the stretch, the Spurs consistently put the ball in the 7-foot-4 rookie's hands, and he made the plays to help them get the win.
“I would say it's a requirement for any player who wants to be great,” Wembanyama said of wanting the ball down the stretch. “I mean most players in the league have been through a lot of challenges, and I mean I've been through a lot of challenges in my life, in my basketball life, so it's just something you have to live with. “It is what it is. So you either want to be great or you don't.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wembanyama isn't afraid to put himself in a position to decide the game when the moment calls for it.
“He'll make shots. He's not worried about if he misses, what the consequences will be, or anything like that,” Popovich said. “And he likes those moments.”
Wembanyama became the third player to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a seven-game span since 1973-74, joining David Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
It was also the third time this month that Wembanyama scored 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a game. The only two other players to do that in a month since the bans became official were Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon.
“That kid is special,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell said.
For the second straight game, Wembanyama played the entire fourth quarter. It was only the second time he'd done that all season, and even he wasn't sure after the game.
“But at the end of the game, I think I played maybe the last five or six minutes of the game and I was hesitant to call for a substitution, but I told myself to focus and get over it because eventually I'm going to 'We have to play those minutes,'” Wembanyama said at the beginning.
When it was pointed out that he played the entire fourth quarter, Wembanyama called it “a bigger improvement” than he thought.
“I think a month ago playing the entire fourth quarter wouldn't have been possible for me to stay competitive,” Wembanyama said. “So it's a good improvement. We're definitely on the right track now as a team.”
Thursday's game was the Spurs' first at home since Feb. 3 due to their long rodeo tour. The Spurs spent their previous nine road games, going 1-8, with the All-Star break in between.
“I think tonight I just played with energy,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said. “Obviously we all listened to the fans. It was nice to be back home after that month-long trip.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for Oklahoma City, his seventh straight 30-point game and his 44th 30-point game of the season, just three behind tying Kevin Durant for the most such games in a season. in the history of the franchise.
Holmgren, who had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, is Wembanyama's closest competitor for the Rookie of the Year award.
Vassell was asked if he thought Wembanyama was assured of the award given his performance on Thursday.
“I feel like it's all over, but I mean night after night, the things he does, the impact he has on both ends of the court, big hit after big block, whatever the case may be, I mean. It doesn't even seem like a rookie,” Vassell said. “I mean the shots he takes, the confidence he has in his game is second to none, honestly.”
Wembanyama said winning Rookie of the Year is “very important” to him this season, but declined to say whether he thought the race was over.
“No, because there are still 22 games left,” Wembanyama said. “So no, this isn't over.”
