The Spurs and the Raptors duked it out in an epic comeback win for the Raptors. The final scoreboard stood at 123-116. During the game, the teenage phenom Victor Wembanyama took a tumble after the 7’4 center took a fake from Dennis Schroder. The Raptors guard was polite enough to extend a helping hand to Wemby, but Wemby was having none of it.
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Wembanyama instead had Tre Jones help him to his feet. This exchange left Schroder visibly disturbed, as a clip shared on Twitter shows the two players getting into a small verbal altercation. Addressing Wemby, Schroder can be heard saying, ” I was trying to help you out. ” To which a hyped-up Wembanyama said, ” I don’t need your help. ”
The altercation between Schroder and Wemby was a great example of how the game went. The game was mostly kept in control by the Spurs, having a comfortable 22-point lead entering the second half. The Raptors, on the back of Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby, made an insane comeback, taking the game to overtime. During overtime, the Raptors would pull away with a final score of 123-116. Scottie Barnes definitely had the performance of the night as he scored 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, to lead the Raptors past Wemby and the Spurs.
The Raptors were invited to Wemby’s block party
The night also saw Victor Wembanyama have 5 blocks. One of the blocks was a ridiculous one from behind on OG Anunoby. After the game, Anunoby was asked about his reaction to facing Victor Wembanyama and getting his shot blocked. Answering the question, the Raptors forward said, “ He is too tall. He is way too tall. I don’t know. Too tall. ”
Anunoby’s reaction to Victor has pretty much been what everyone is experiencing this season. Even Kevin Durant, possibly the greatest scorer of this generation, was surprised when he guarded Wemby. After their last matchup, where the Spurs beat the Suns 132-121, KD had a lot of praise for Wembanyama, telling the media
“Yo, when he raised up and shot the ball, I was like there’s no way Imma be close to this. … I’m just gonna play hard and contest, man. You gonna foul him or he’s just gonna make the shot. His misses are all on him. He is different, man, he is different. He long, athletic, he mobile, he can shoot it, he’s got skills, man.”
What is fascinating is that KD is Wembanyama’s favourite player, yet KD was speechless when facing up against the 7’4 phenom. Though Wemby has much to learn, his recent exchange with Dennis Schroder showed that he has the intangibles that cannot be taught, such as self-respect and competitive drive. Most great players we know have colossal egos, and on the floor, it seems to be a good thing to have. As for now, Coach Popovich and his team are doing wonders as the young team still finds their groove.pr
